Vinicius Junior's penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday. 

Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.

A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner. 

Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net. 

However, parity would be restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Vinicius stepping up to score from the spot.

Kylian Mbappe endured another difficult outing in front of goal, with only two of his nine shots on target as he still awaits his first LaLiga goal for his new side. 

Ancelotti's side sit fourth in the early-season standings with five points from their first three games, four behind rivals and table toppers Barcelona. 

Data Debrief: Vinicius on target as Mbappe's struggles continue

Vinicius has now scored all his four penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, all of which have come in 2024. 

The Brazilian looked Los Blancos' biggest threat in the forward areas, contributing an expected goals (xG) of 1.23 to Madrid's 2.81 total. 

However, it was another night to forget for Mbappe. The Frenchman is the player in the top five European Leagues this season who has had the most shots this term (17) and who has the worst difference between xG (1.8) and goals scored (none).

Vinicius Junior's penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday. 

Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.

A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner. 

Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net. 

However, parity would be restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Vinicius stepping up to score from the spot.

Kylian Mbappe endured another difficult outing in front of goal, with only two of his nine shots on target as he still awaits his first LaLiga goal for his new side. 

Ancelotti's side sit fourth in the early-season standings with five points from their first three games, four behind rivals and table toppers Barcelona. 

Data Debrief: Vinicius on target as Mbappe's struggles continue

Vinicius has now scored all his four penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, all of which have come in 2024. 

The Brazilian looked Los Blancos' biggest threat in the forward areas, contributing an expected goals (xG) of 1.23 to Madrid's 2.81 total. 

However, it was another night to forget for Mbappe. The Frenchman is the player in the top five European Leagues this season who has had the most shots this term (17) and who has the worst difference between xG (1.8) and goals scored (none).

As they continue to bask in the impressive run by the young Reggae Boyz at the just-concluded Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-14 Challenge Series, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts and General Secretary Dennis Chung are setting their sights on the future.

In fact, both underscored the importance of sustained development to ensure the team’s continued success as they progress toward higher levels of competition, including a possible FIFA Under-17 World Cup qualification.

The Andrew Peart-coached young Reggae Boyz clinched the CFU title with a 7-1 hammering of French Guiana in the final in what was an exceptional display of talent and cohesiveness throughout the tournament hosted in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, both Ricketts and Chung recognize that winning this title—the first for the country in a while—is just the beginning. The challenge now is to maintain the momentum, ensuring these players are nurtured and developed as they transition to the Under-17 level and beyond.

“Congratulations, coach Peart. You have shown the highest level of commitment to this program, and we want to assure you that the JFF will give you as much support as we can to ensure that there is some longevity, there is major productivity, and that the process will continue leading up to our Under-17 qualification for the World Cup,” Ricketts declared during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Ricketts spoke passionately about plotting a strategic approach for player development and, by extension, the need to keep players active and together as they transition to the next level.

“When you participate in a competition with 23 teams and you come out scoring 25 goals and conceding two, it is indeed impressive. This is something that will put us in a situation where we will now have to put in place a contingency plan to ensure that all of our teams, from 14 up to 17, are, of course, in training so that we can all make that transition from 14 to 15, 15 to 16, and 16 to 17.

“That certainly will present a huge challenge, but just like how we were able to be successful in our journey just completed, I think we can achieve success at other levels,” Ricketts reasoned.

“What we really need is for private sector, the government, and, of course, our parent organizations to come on board because we want to certainly qualify for the Under-17 World Cup next year and we want to run up a sequence of qualifications. But we must have an organized plan in place to ensure that the U-14s make the transition, likewise, U-15 and U-16, so that every year we can participate in this global tournament,” he added as he alluded to the support provided by FIFA for the U-14 campaign through its Talent Development Scheme (TDS) program.

Chung also highlighted the importance of continuity, as he pointed out to the fact that Jamaica’s winning team was made up solely of local-based players.

“Nobody came from overseas, which shows that we have the talent here. If we put the infrastructure in place to hold everyone together, then we could be producing the world class footballers, just like athletics now locally is producing the world-class athletic stars. That's our intent to the program,” Chung stated.

He stressed that the focus should be targeted on ensuring these players continue to build together as a unit and strengthen their chances for future successes.

“Everything that you see here is based on strategic decisions that have been taken, the work that we've been doing to grow things incrementally and have cumulative benefits. We want to ensure that this Under-14 team is the one that goes on, after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, that will qualify also for the 2030 World Cup and continue that going forward. This success doesn't come just overnight; this is something that is coming from a seed that was planted just over a year ago,” Chung explained.

Meanwhile, Peart believes that with dedicated leadership and a clear roadmap, the future looks bright for the young Reggae Boyz, as their performances are not to be taken lightly.

“The quality of opposition we played against was really at a good level for Under-15s. When you look at Trinidad and Tobago or Puerto Rico, with an influx of diaspora players from the United States, and Aruba, who had players coming down from the Netherlands, the quality was really good,” Peart declared.

Thomas Frank is confident that Brentford can find their clinical edge without Ivan Toney as they welcome Southampton to the Gtech Community Stadium this Saturday.

The Bees were involved in EFL Cup action on Wednesday, narrowly beating League Two side Colchester United courtesy of Keane Lewis-Potter’s first-half strike.

But without the presence of club-record top scorer Ivan Toney against Liverpool, Frank’s side struggled in the attacking areas and were well beaten at Anfield.

However, the Brentford head coach is excited by his new signings and acknowledged it would take time to adapt to his style of play, also confirming Toney would not be available for the fixture.

"We played three average-plus games. Definitely still players growing into it. We still have some players coming back, some new signings, so I'm still understanding how I will put the best squad out there, how I will use new signings.

 "We are well aware of what Southampton are capable of. I think they will put up a big challenge for us. We need to hit a top performance with high tempo and high intensity. I'm backing us. If we hit highest level, I back us to win."

"Ivan is training well and in good spirits. I would be happy to have more questions on Toney next time."

Southampton were also involved in midweek action, leaving it late to secure their place in the hat for the third round of the EFL Cup with a 5-3 win against Cardiff.

It marked the Saints’ first win of the new season, having lost their first two Premier League fixtures, the latest of which came against Nottingham Forest at St. Mary’s.

Despite their progression, head coach Russell Martin was left frustrated by the frenetic nature of the game and is hoping for a more measured approach against the Bees.

"I’m really happy with the win and I’m pleased for my young players. But there is also a lot to be annoyed about.

"We conceded three goals and the game descended into chaos in the second half. It was a moment of brilliance for their first goal from a player I have admired for a long time (Rubin Colwill), but we took our foot off the gas and dropped to their intensity.

"That was a big learning curve for the younger players. They took some liberties in the first half and they will be better for the experience. They showed real grit."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brentford – Yoane Wissa

Yoane Wissa has been involved in six goals in his last seven home Premier League starts for Brentford (four goals and two assists), scoring and assisting in each of the last two.

The last player to score and assist in three home appearances in a row was Leroy Sane for Manchester City between September and October 2017.

Southampton – Jan Bednarek

Jan Bednarek has completed more passes than any other Premier League player this season (198), an average of 104 per 90 minutes.

In his previous six top-flight seasons between 2017-18 and 2022-23, Bednarek’s highest average was 49 per 90 minutes in 2020-21.

MATCH PREDICTION: BRENTFORD WIN

Brentford have won their last three Premier League games against Southampton without conceding, winning both home games against Saints by a 3-0 scoreline.

Having beaten Crystal Palace at home on the opening day, the Bees are looking for consecutive home Premier League wins for the first time since last November, while they last won their opening two matches on home soil in a season during their 2018-19 Championship campaign.

Southampton have won just one of their last nine away league games against Brentford (D3 L5), beating them 3-0 in April 2011 while in League One.

The Saints have won both of their league games in London in the Championship last season (1-0 v both Millwall and QPR). However, in the Premier League, they’ve won just one of their last eight visits to the capital (D1 L6), beating Chelsea 1-0 in February 2023.

Despite having the highest average possession in the Premier League so far this season (70.6%), Southampton have lost both of their games 1-0. Only once in their history have they lost their first three league games in a campaign without scoring, doing so in 2001-02.

They have completed 1,175 passes in their two Premier League matches this season under Martin – since 2003-04, only two managers have seen their team complete more passes in their first two Premier League games in charge: Thomas Tuchel (1,459) and Maurizio Sarri (1,223), both at Chelsea.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brentford – 52.8%

Draw – 23.4%

Southampton – 23.8%

Christopher Nkunku's first-half penalty was enought to send Chelsea through to Friday's Europa Conference League draw despite a 2-1 second-leg defeat against Servette, going through 3-2 on aggregate. 

Nkunku's 14th-minute opener was cancelled out with goals either side of half-time from Jeremy Guillemenot and Enzo Crivelli, but the Blues were able to hold on to progress.

After a nervy start in Switzerland, Chelsea were awarded a spot-kick when Keigo Tsunemoto fouled Mykhailo Mudryk inside the box, with Nkunku stepping up to score from 12 yards as he did in the first leg.

But the hosts would draw level in the 32nd minute when Guillemenot was picked out by Dereck Kutesa before firing past Filip Jorgensen to level the game on the night.

Servette, though, won the game with just under 20 minutes to go. A header from Crivelli at the near post beat Jorgensen and gave the Swiss supporters hope of an upset.

Timothe Cognat almost sent the game into extra-time as his effort whistled past the post in the closing stages, with Enzo Maresca's side leaving Geneva a relieved group of players.

Data Debrief: Chelsea scrape through in Switzerland

The Blues are in the hat for Friday's Conference League draw, but they made difficult work of the encounter. 

Maresca's side created the better of the chances, with seven of their 18 shots on target, accumulating an expected goals (xG) total of 2.23 on the night. 

But they squandered some golden opportunities to make their life easier, missing five big chances as well as hitting the woodwork at the Stade de Geneve.

Girona earned their first win of the 2024-25 LaLiga campaign in emphatic fashion, beating Osasuna 4-0 at the Estadi Montilivi on Thursday. 

The Blanquivermells had taken one point from their first two league fixtures, but goals from Bryan Gil, Viktor Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz and Cristhian Stuani ensured a comfortable win for Michel's side.

Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Gil opened the scoring in the 34th minute, turning home Tsyhankov's delivery with an acrobatic finish beyond Sergio Herrera.

Tsyhankov increased their advantage eight minutes after the break, neatly turning and finishing into the bottom corner after being picked out by Bojan Miovski inside the area.

The victory was confirmed three minutes later when Ruiz rounded off a fine move with a thunderous finish at Herrera's near post from outside the box. 

Stuani added further gloss to an impressive display in added time, tapping home after being found by new signing Donny van de Beek. 

The result moves Girona up to seventh in the early-season standings ahead of travelling to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium to face Sevilla on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Osasuna's Girona hoodoo continues

Girona have now lost just one of their five LaLiga matches against Osasuna (W3 D1), winning the last three and scoring in all of them, with an average of two goals per game (11 overall).

The Blanquivermells also continued their record of having never lost in their first home game of a league campaign (P5 W3 D2).

Cincinnati assistant head coach Dominic Kinnear insisted that the team’s slow starts were "alarming" and needed to be put right ahead of the visit of CF Montreal.

With head coach Pat Noonan serving a suspension, Kinnear watched on as his side conceded two goals in six minutes against Inter Miami, with Luis Suarez netting both in a 2-0 victory for the Eastern Conference leaders.

Despite the result, the Orange and Blue remain second in the standings, but have Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew breathing down their necks and the advantage of having two games in hand.

Kinnear believes that starting fast will set the tone for the remainder of the season, explaining that it must start sooner rather than later ahead of the playoffs.

“It's cause for alarms,” Kinnear said of the team conceding early in four of their last six matches. “It's the intensity and the, you know. I think at times, the lack of understanding of how the other team is going to come out.”

“These are some very important games. There are playoff positions and trophies on the line. You know, for me, that was a flat 10 minutes. As flat as I've seen coming out of the locker room.

“Are we out of shape? No. Is the preparation not there; are they understanding the opponent? I think everything is in line there. Sometimes that's the unknown answer. But you know, I won't disagree. We have come out flat and it's something we need to address for sure."

Montreal, meanwhile, returned from their Leagues Cup campaign with a whimper as they were thumped 5-0 by New England Revolution - their heaviest defeat of the season.

The result leaves the team in 11th place in the Eastern Conference table, but just a point behind Atlanta United, who occupy the final playoff spot in the division.

Head coach Laurent Courtois criticised his players for a combination of individual errors that led to the defeat, bemoaning his squad for a lack of discipline during the contest.

"We thought we had made the personal or tactical adjustments in the second half to turn things around, but when you lose your discipline, it becomes complicated,” Courtois said.

“There were individual errors that hurt. It's difficult for me to talk about positives tonight, even if we thought there was room for improvement.

“We struggled in transition and ran out of ideas in the second half.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta

Luciano Acosta has been the standout for Cincinnati this season, registering 26 goal involvements (11 goals and 15 assists) in 25 league appearances.

In his 15 appearances against Montreal, Acosta has found the back of the net seven times, level with the San Jose Earthquakes as the most he has struck against an MLS opponent.

Montreal – Joseph Martinez

Josef Martinez has scored seven regular-season goals against Cincinnati, tied with Gyasi Zardes for the most in regular season play.

MATCH PREDICTION: CINCINNATI WIN

While Cincinnati are the favourites to emerge victorious at the TQL Stadium, they have lost their last four straight regular season matches after losing just four of their previous 24 league games (W16 D4) dating back to last October.

The Orange and Blue conceded two goals in the opening six minutes of their loss to Inter Miami. Prior to that encounter, Cincinnati had conceded just once in the opening six minutes of matches since the start of the 2023 season.

But Montreal have struggled away from home and are winless in 13 straight away matches in all competitions (D4 L9) dating back to March. This is the club’s longest road winless run since going 34 without a win on their travels from September 2013 to May 2015.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Cincinnati – 63.3%

Draw – 19.5%

Montreal – 17.2%

Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last season's final following Thursday's revamped draw.

The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

And Madrid, who beat Dortmund in the final at Wembley in June, will go up against BVB at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti's team are also set to face Liverpool at Anfield in one of the headline clashes of the new-look draw, while they will play Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta.

Liverpool have failed to win each of their last eight meetings with Madrid (D1 L7), their longest winless run against an opponent in European competition.

Manchester City and Arsenal will both go up against Paris Saint-Germain, while Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen count Inter, Liverpool, Milan and Atletico Madrid among their eight opponents.

PSG will also take on Bayern Munich, who in turn have to face Barcelona away from home. The French club, meanwhile, have won just one of their six Champions League meetings with Man City.

As well as taking on PSG, Arsenal also have a clash with Inter to relish. The Gunners' only previous away game against Internazionale was a 5-1 win in November 2003, with that season being the last time the Gunners won the Premier League title.

Aston Villa fans have a pair of home matches against heavyweights Bayern and Juventus to look forward to.

Sandro Schwarz is keen to turn New York Red Bulls’ recent draws into wins heading into the business end of the season, starting with Philadelphia Union this weekend.

The Bulls returned from their disappointing Leagues Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC away from home, marking their 12th of the term, three more than any other side in the Eastern Conference.

Despite this, they sit fourth in the standings, four points behind Columbus Crew, and while Schwarz was happy with a draw in their last encounter, he acknowledged the momentum that comes with victories will be crucial for the playoffs.

“We have 12 draws this season and it’s too much, but this is what we have to analyse differently moving forward,” Schwarz said.

“I think the draw we had last time out was good against a solid team and especially in the first game after the break to come directly back into our rhythm.

“The whole team adapted but I don’t want to compare now this draw with other draws, especially in our home games. Our main goal every Saturday is to win games.”

Philadelphia, meanwhile, returned to MLS action in midweek against Columbus Crew, the side who beat them in the semi-finals on their way to lifting the Leagues Cup title.

And the same result transpired, with Yaw Yeboah’s 75th minute strike compounding them to a 1-0 defeat to leave them 10th in the Eastern Conference table and a point behind Atlanta United.

With the quick turnaround in matches, head coach Jim Curtin expressed his concerns about the level of fitness within his Union squad, revealing that rotation in the coming weeks will help aid his sides push for the playoffs in the final stretch of fixtures.

"We'll see how guys recover again tonight. Definitely took a lot out of our guys,” Curtin said. “We put a lot into the game. So did Columbus.

“Lot of tired bodies on the field at the end of the game. We'll have to assess things, see where guys are at, and then kind of go from there.

"Yeah, we'll need guys to step up for sure. We'll have a few changes, but not a ton, just because it's a big game again so we can't really afford to just rest and rotate a ton."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

NYRB – Elias Manoel

Elias Manoel scored the Red Bulls’ lone goal against Charlotte FC on Saturday, his seventh in six meetings with Charlotte (incl. playoffs), equalling the total from his other 57 MLS matches (incl. playoffs).

Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag

After being so prolific for the Union this season, Daniel Gazdag did not attempt a shot or create a chance for a teammate in the Union’s defeat to Columbus Crew.

It was the first time Gazdag started a match but was not involved in a shot since May 2022 as he had recorded at least one shot involvement in his previous 69 MLS starts, and he will be hoping to have a bigger impact this time around.

MATCH PREDICTION: NYRB WIN

The Bulls extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 matches (W2 D9, incl. two penalty shoot-out defeats) with their draw against Charlotte FC. Only Los Angeles FC (13 straight in May-July) have a longer unbeaten streak in all competitions this campaign.

Philadelphia, however, are unbeaten in 13 straight matches against the Red Bulls in all competitions (W8 D5). New York’s last win over the Union was a 2—0 victory in the 2019 regular season.

The Union’s defeat to the Crew last time out was their 11th defeat of the regular season. They haven’t lost more than 11 games in any single regular season since losing 14 times in 2018.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

NYRB – 43.9%

Draw – 26.8%

Philadelphia Union – 29.3%

Nuno Espirito Santo chose not to dwell on his time with Wolves, with full focus on maintaining Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten start to the season when his former side visits the City Ground on Saturday.

Espirito Santo spent four years at the helm in the West Midlands, helping them win promotion to the Premier League during the 2017-18 season.

But full focus for the Forest head coach turns to league action following their EFL Cup exit to Newcastle United on penalties in midweek after their 1-0 win over Southampton five days ago.

However, with the transfer window slamming shut ahead this weekend’s round of action, Espirito Santo said he is keen to bolster his squad, but would not be doing so without careful consideration.

"There's a lot of love and respect from our time that we worked there - it was special,” Espirito Santo said. “It's a different game [to usual] and I wish them all the best for the other 36 games of the season.

"We have 36 hours, I think the club is working to bring solutions and options to make us stronger and have a competitive squad.

"It's all about the profile of the player - it's not easy, especially in these last hours but it's also not easy because we already have talent and quality in the squad. As a club we are working and I expect to bring in some players."

Wolves, meanwhile, are yet to get off the mark in the league after their 6-2 thrashing against Chelsea at Molineux but progressed to the third round of the EFL Cup with a win over Burnley on Wednesday.

The encounter against the Championship side offered Gary O’Neil the opportunity to give some of his fringe players some much needed minutes after a productive pre-season campaign.

But much like his opposite number, O’Neil was looking ahead to Friday’s deadline, insisting that some big decisions would be made before they make the short journey to the East Midlands.

"I am pleased. I thought we looked good and we did really well,” O’Neil said. “It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes because they have worked hard during training and in pre-season.

"I was confident that we would see a good team performance and they did not let us down.

“It was good to see where a few of them are though, because there are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections."

"I am pleased. I thought we looked good and we did really well,” O’Neil said. “It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes because they have worked hard during training and in pre-season.

"I was confident that we would see a good team performance and they did not let us down.

“It was good to see where a few of them are though because there are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White

Since Gibbs-White’s Premier League debut for Forest after arriving from Wolves, only five players have created more chances from open play in the competition than he has (108).

He has continued his fine form into this campaign, already creating six open play chances which is a total only bettered by Liverpool’s Luis Diaz (seven) after the first two games.

Wolves – Matheus Cunha

Matheus Cunha has become a pivotal player for O’Neils side in the attacking areas and has now been involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League starts for the club (11 goals and six assists).

The Brazilian has also enjoyed fixtures against Forest, scoring three goals in his three appearances against them, only scoring more against Chelsea (four).

MATCH PREDICTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN

Nottingham Forest are expected to continue their fine start to the Premier League season, winning 45.6% of Opta’s data-led simulations, with Wolves given a 29% chance of emerging victorious at the City Ground.

The Reds have taken four points from their opening two games this season (W1 D1). They last avoided defeat in their opening three games in a top-flight season in 1995-96, going on to finish 9th.

No side has had more shots than Forest in the Premier League this season (37), while they have had the most shots on target of any team (16). Since returning to the Premier League in 2022-23, Forest have had eight or more shots on target in five games – four of those have come in their 23 games under Nuno Espirito Santo, compared to once in 55 games under Steve Cooper.

However, their recent record against their Midlands rivals is one they will be looking to change. Forest have won just one of their last 11 league games against Wolves (D5 L5), last beating them 2-0 at Molineux in January 2018,

Wolves are unbeaten in their last six away league games against Saturday’s opponents (W3 D3) since a 3-1 loss in March 2013, but have lost their last five Premier League matches, conceding 18 goals. They last had a longer losing run when losing the final three games of 2020-21 and opening three games of 2021-22.

Wolves have also won just one of their last 20 Premier League matches in August (D9 L10), a 1-0 away win at Everton last year. Overall, they’ve won just 15% of their games in August (5/33), the lowest win ratio in that month by any side to play in more than one season in Premier League history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nottingham Forest – 45.6%

Draw – 25.4%

Wolves – 29%

Nick Cushing said his New York City players must use the pain from recent results to progress as a team when they head to the Lower.com Field to face Columbus Crew this weekend.

The Pigeons returned from an impressive Leagues Cup display with a 2-2 draw against Chicago Fire but were left disappointed with the result after squandering a two-goal lead to share the spoils thanks to Brian Gutierrez’s late penalty.

NYCFC are now without a win in the MLS in their last five fixtures, with Cushing describing the mood in the dressing room as “flat” following their latest setback.

Despite their run of form, Cushing’s side sit fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, and he is looking for his team to show character during the difficulties they are experiencing.

“In the good moments you realise you are making progress, and you are maturing and learning in that side of the game,” Cushing said.

“In the side of the game we are strong we are building the play and pressing the game, the other side of the game that experience gives you and going through those moments gives you.

“Progress is really difficult in the moment, but we have to make sure this isn’t every four weeks. We have to take the pain and I have said this before that tough times make top teams.”

Columbus returned to MLS action in midweek after their Leagues Cup success and continued their winning momentum with a 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union, a team they beat in the semi-finals on their way to the title.

They ended an almost nine-year losing streak at Subaru Park, with substitute Yaw Yeboah coming off the bench to strike the decisive blow in the 75th minute.

The Crew moved to within two points of second-placed Cincinnati with the victory and have the comfort of two games in hand, but head coach Wilfried Nancy has a difficult task in navigating their hectic fixture schedule.

Only Malte Amundsen and Sean Zawadzki kept their place from their Leagues Cup triumph over LAFC, with Nancy acknowledging the fighting spirit of his players, with special praise for Yeboah’s patience this campaign.

"They are human beings," Nancy said. "We cannot minimise the fatigue of the body and of the brain. They were exhausted, simple as that.

"What a game. This is a winning team, but the fact that everybody was involved, and we were able to start with a few guys and, after that, to finish with other guys, and they kept the level great (though) everybody was tired.

"To be a player, it's a beautiful job, but it's not easy. Sometimes you play, sometimes you don't play. But the idea was to be honest with him and to tell him the situation. When the moment would come, I knew that he was able to help us win the game."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Cucho Hernandez has found a place he can call home at the Lower.com Field, and his comfort on home soil has been replicated in his sensational contributions up front.

He has been involved in 20 goals in 17 home matches in all competitions in 2024 (14 goals and six assists), totalling 14 goal involvements in his eight matches at Lower.com Field since the beginning of June (nine goals and five assists).

NYCFC – Alonso Martinez

Alonso Martinez was on target in NYCFC’s last match against Chicago Fire, scoring twice in the same match for the third time this season.

Only Spanish great David Villa and Valentin Castellanos (both three times) have recorded more multi-goal games in a single campaign in club history.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus are unbeaten in nine straight home matches against NYCFC in all competitions (W6 D3 including a penalty shoot-out win in this year’s Leagues Cup quarter-final). The Pigeons' only win in 13 visits to Columbus was a 3-2 victory in April 2017.

The Crew have lost only one of its last 37 home matches in all competitions (W25 D11) dating back to May 2023. They have won seven of their last nine matches at Lower.com Field, culminating in their Leagues Cup Final win over Los Angeles FC on Sunday.

NYCFC conceded in the 78th and 94th minute in their draw with Chicago Fire last time out, marking the first time in club history that they have failed to win a match that they led by multiple goals in the 75th minute or later (previous W85 D0 L0).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 64.5%

Draw – 19%

NYCFC – 16.5%

Romelu Lukaku has ended his second spell with Chelsea after his move to Napoli was confirmed on Thursday. 

Lukaku, who spent last season on loan with Roma, has signed a three-year contract for a reported £38million fee, reuniting with former Inter coach Antonio Conte.

The Belgian scored 15 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions during his second spell at Stamford Bridge after his £97.5m move from Inter in 2021. 

Lukaku's 24 Serie A strikes helped Conte win Inter's 19th title in the 2020-21 campaign, but upon his return to Stamford Bridge, he found himself surplus to requirements after an underwhelming first season. 

The striker returned to Inter on loan before joining Roma last term, scoring 21 goals in 47 appearances, seven of which came in the Europa League as I Giallorossi reached the semi-finals of the competition. 

He produced an expected goals (xG) of 0.33 per 90 last season, the third-highest of the players in Roma’s squad in Serie A, behind Paulo Dybala (0.48) and Sardar Azmoun (0.47).

Among Roma players, only Dybala (10.59) registered more expected goals in Serie A last season than Lukaku (9.83).

Lukaku also led Roma’s squad in shots (65) and shots on target (28) in the league last term. However, his 20% shot conversion rate ranked sixth best out of the players to feature for the club at least 10 times in Italy’s top flight.

Lukaku has scored 47 goals in 72 appearances under Conte in Europe’s top five leagues, at an average of 125 minutes per goal. Under no coach has Lukaku scored more goals than Conte.

Michael Olise has been named in France's senior squad for the first time by Didier Deschamps for their upcoming Nations League fixtures next month. 

Olise, who represented France at the Paris Olympics, is one of two players making the step up alongside Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone. 

The 22-year-old impressed at the Games, helping Thierry Henry's side reach their first showpiece final since 1984, scoring twice and registering five assists.

Olise secured a reported £50.8million move to Bayern Munich prior to the Olympics after notching 16 goal involvements (10 goals and six assists) for Crystal Palace in the 2024-24 campaign. 

"Michael did great things with Thierry Henry's Olympic team and he has moved up into a new category with his transfer to Bayern Munich," Deschamps told reporters.

"It is quite logical that he should now come with us. He still has progress to make but potentially he has a lot of quality."

There is also a return to the squad for Chelsea's Wesley Fofana, while Kylian Mbappe will feature on the international stage for the first time since his move to Real Madrid.

From their Euro 2024 squad, three players have been left out, including Olise's Bayern team-mate Kingsley Coman, as well as Benjamin Pavard and Adrien Rabiot.

France start their Nations League campaign against Italy on September 6 before facing Belgium three days later in a repeat of their last 16 encounter at Euro 2024.

France's squad in full:

Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens); Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich); Youssouf Fofana (AC Milan), N'Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Manu Kone (Borussia Monchengladbach), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain); Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan). 

Thomas Frank refused to discuss the future of striker Ivan Toney, instead choosing to focus on the players he definitely has at his disposal at Brentford.

Toney has been the subject of interest from Saudi club Al-Ahli, while Chelsea have long been admirers of the striker and have reportedly made a move this week.

The England international has been left out of Brentford's first three games of the season.

And Frank did not want to entertain the subject after Brentford's EFL Cup third round win over Colchester on Wednesday.

He said: "Similar to yesterday. I am not speaking about Ivan.

"I want to speak about the 21 lads in the dressing room who did well to get through to the next round of the EFL Cup against a Colchester team who deserve a lot of praise and made it difficult for us."

Brentford have one win and one loss from their opening two matches in the Premier League, and now host Southampton, who are yet to pick up a point, following 1-0 losses to both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

When the two sides last met in the top flight, Brentford triumphed 2-0 at St. Mary's Stadium in March 2023 with goals from Toney and Yoane Wissa.

Southampton come into this contest on the back of scoring a glut of goals, however, in their 5-3 EFL Cup win over Cardiff City.

And Russell Martin, who mixed up his side for Wednesday's cup tie, was impressed with what he saw from Southampton's younger players, including new signing Cameron Archer, who scored twice.

That being said, Martin knows his team must tighten up defensively.

"I'm really happy with the win and I’m pleased for my young players. But there is also a lot to be annoyed about," he said.

"We conceded three goals and the game descended into chaos in the second half. It was a moment of brilliance for their first goal, but we took our foot of the gas and dropped their intensity.

"That was a big learning curve for the younger players. They took some liberties in the first half and they will be better for the experience and they showed real grit."

Yoane Wissa is in the DR Congo squad to begin their AFCON Qualifying campaign next month with games against Guinea and Ethiopia 

Bonne chance, Wis  pic.twitter.com/XOepvaQb0S

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 28, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brentford - Yoane Wissa

Wissa has been involved in six goals in his last seven home Premier League starts for Brentford (four goals, two assists), scoring and assisting in each of the last two. The last player to score and assist in three home appearances in a row was Leroy Sane for Manchester City in September/October 2017.

Southampton - Adam Armstong

Armstrong endured a difficult match last time out in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest, as he was booked and then subbed off.

Nevertheless, the striker was integral to the Saints gaining promotion back to the top flight last season, winning the Player of the Season award, and this fixture would be an ideal way to get off the mark this season.

MATCH PREDICTION: BRENTFORD WIN

Brentford have won their last three Premier League games against Southampton without conceding, winning both home games against Saints by a 3-0 scoreline.

Southampton have won just one of their last nine away league games against Brentford (D3 L5), beating them 3-0 in April 2011 while in League One.

Brentford lost their first home Premier League game against a newly promoted side 2-1 to Norwich in November 2021, when the Bees were new to the division themselves. Since then, they have won seven in a row on home soil against such sides, scoring twice or more in every victory.

Despite having the highest average possession in the Premier League so far this season (70.6%), Southampton have lost both of their games 1-0. Only once in their history have they lost their first three league games in a campaign without scoring, doing so in 2001-02.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY:

Brentford - 52.8%

Draw - 23.4%

Southampton - 23.8%

Liverpool have signed Italy international Federico Chiesa from Serie A giants Juventus.

The Reds have reportedly paid an initial £10million for the 26-year-old, with that fee rising to £12.5m including add-ons.

Chiesa is said to have signed a four-year deal with Liverpool, though the club did not confirm the length of the contract.

He joined Juve from Fiorentina in 2020, and starred at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, which Italy won by beating England on penalties at Wembley.

Capable of playing on either flank, Chiesa scored nine goals and set up two more in Serie A last term.

Speaking to Liverpool's official website, Chiesa said: "I'm so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said, 'Do you want to join Liverpool?' – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans.

"So, I’m so happy and I can't wait to get started."

Chiesa will add another creative outlet for Arne Slot, having crafted 54 chances in Serie A in 2023-24, which would have ranked him third among Liverpool's attacking options, behind Mohamed Salah (66) and Luis Diaz (64).

He is also a proficient dribbler, having attempted 94 take-ons in Serie A last season, while also making 193 progressive carries.