Mikel Arteta played down concerns over Bukayo Saka’s fitness after he was forced off during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sevilla in the Champions League.

Saka scored in front of England manager Gareth Southgate to help the Gunners record a third victory in Group B and move within touching distance of the last-16.

Arteta substituted goalscorer Leandro Trossard and the excellent Gabriel Martinelli in the 81st minute but left Saka on and seconds later he went down holding his ankle after landing awkwardly before he limped off.

Arsenal host Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday while Southgate names his England squad for this month’s European Championship qualifiers with North Macedonia and Malta on Thursday, but Arteta suggested his six-goal attacker would be fine despite this latest bruising encounter.

He said: “At the end he wasn’t comfortable to carry on. Hopefully it’s not too much but I’m really pleased with his performance.

“I think he’s getting used to it (being kicked). I don’t think that’s going to change, especially with the way he plays and the way he attracts players, so he better get used to it because I don’t think it’s going to change.

“It was just a kick and I was told by the physios on the radio he wasn’t happy to continue. So he will have some discomfort but hopefully I am going to assume he will be OK.”

After the controversy of last weekend’s loss at Newcastle, where Arteta labelled the decision by VAR to award Anthony Gordon’s winner as “embarrassing”, this was a much-needed routine night for his injury-hit team.

With Eddie Nketiah ruled out with an ankle knock to join Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines, Trossard led the line and broke the deadlock when he finished off a slick move in the 29th minute.

Jorginho unlocked the Sevilla defence with a wonderful through ball to Saka, who squared for Trossard to stroke home his fifth goal of the campaign.

Saka, who was fouled four times inside the opening 17 minutes, made the points safe with a smart finish after 64 minutes.

Martinelli released the England international away on the right and Saka cut inside Adria Pedrosa before he curled into the bottom corner.

Arsenal would have qualified for the knockout stages had Lens been victorious at PSV. But with a four-point gap at the top of Group B, the north London club will almost certainly continue their Champions League adventure in 2024.

Arteta added: “I think it was more of the really good things that we did against Newcastle. We didn’t need a response because the team performed extraordinarily well against a team that are really difficult to play against.

“Today it needed other requirements, tactically we needed something else and we implemented what we wanted really, really well, so I’m really happy with the last two performances.”

On top of worries over Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu was also taken off during the interval.

“He had some discomfort in the first half,” Arteta said of the defender.

“We didn’t want to take any risks because he’s played a lot of minutes. With Alex (Oleksandr Zinchenko) on the bench ready to come in, I think it was the right decision.”

On Odegaard (hip) and Nketiah (ankle), Arteta added: “They are racing against the clock to be fit.

“They tried their best to be here today with us, it wasn’t possible and we have another 48 hours before we play Burnley. We’ll try again and see because we need players at the moment.”

Sevilla only managed their first shot on target in the seventh minute of stoppage time and suffered a second group defeat.

Boss Diego Alonso admitted: “We weren’t able to put in the performance we wanted to.

“Our opponents were better than us and did well. Our aim was to win the ball high up the pitch, but we were very far away from their area. That is my assessment.”

Hibernian manager Nick Montgomery admitted he was frustrated at his side’s failure to close out victory at St Mirren.

Hibs looked set for a first win in seven games only to concede a stoppage-time equaliser to Lewis Jamieson to draw 2-2.

Goals from Josh Campbell and Joe Newell – either side of Mark O’Hara’s penalty – had Hibs in control before Jamieson struck with his first ever St Mirren goal.

Montgomery said: “It’s another game we could have got three points out of, but we only have ourselves to blame.

“We can talk about managing the game and finishing it off and I thought we had plenty of chances to do that even in the first half. We were outstanding.

“But the equaliser is of our own doing. There’s a minute to go and we just need to see the game out.

“We had a breakaway and we somehow turn the ball over and the next thing it’s in the back of the net.

“It’s another game where we have led away from home, and it might be a good point come the end of the season but right now it’s a difficult one to take.”

Montgomery felt that St Mirren defender Richard Taylor had dived for the penalty that was converted by O’Hara.

He added: “I’m not here to talk about refereeing or VAR, but if that’s a penalty there are going to be 10 penalties in every game. I’m a little bit frustrated by that one as well.

“Look, the ball wasn’t even going in that area. I’ve watched it and the lad has got in front of Jordan Obita – but he’s six-foot-five and he’s just dropped to the floor with no contact.

“If players want to just throw themselves on the floor and they’re going to go and look at VAR, there are going to be a lot of stoppages.”

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson admitted his team had been defensively sloppy but felt they had created enough chances to win the match.

He said: “I thought it was a point we thoroughly deserved. We weren’t as defensively good as we could have been but our forward play and some of our movement and deliveries were excellent.

“I thought we were calm, we kept the ball, and we moved it well and got balls into the box. We should have been level before we were, we could have potentially been going for a winning goal.

“It wasn’t to be, but overall I think it’s one of our best performances this season, the way we played, the way we battled, the response we showed to adversity was excellent. I’m actually disappointed that we didn’t win the game.”

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Sociedad all booked their places in the knockout stages of the Champions League with two games to spare on a dramatic night of European action.

Bayern made it four wins out of four in Group A but only after a frantic finish in their 2-1 win over Galatasaray.

The visitors had the ball in the net just after the hour but Lucas Torreira was offside, and Bayern took the lead when Harry Kane flicked in Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick with 10 minutes to go, with the goal awarded following a VAR check after initially being ruled offside.

Kane then doubled the lead with his 25th career Champions League goal, turning in Mathys Tel’s cross in the 86th minute, and they needed the cushion as Cedric Bakambu scored for Galatasaray in stoppage time.

Despite defeat Galatasaray remain second in the group after Manchester United suffered a costly 4-3 defeat in Copenhagen, blowing a 2-0 lead after Marcus Rashford was sent off.

Rasmus Hojlund’s early brace against his former club put United in control despite the loss of Jonny Evans to injury, but the night changed when Rashford saw red for a challenge on Elias Jelert following a VAR intervention in the 42nd minute.

Ex-Southampton forward Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back before Diogo Goncalves levelled from the penalty spot after a Harry Maguire handball deep into first-half stoppage time.

Bruno Fernandes restored United’s lead with a 69th-minute penalty after Lukas Lerager handled, but the Copenhagen midfielder made amends with an 83rd minute equaliser before Roony Bardghji won it four minutes later, leaving United bottom of the group before their trip to Istanbul.

Real Madrid cruised through with a 3-0 win over Braga. They overcame an early scare when Alvaro Djalo missed a penalty for the visitors after Lucas Vazquez fouled Cristian Borja just four minutes in, but once Brahim Diaz put them in front in the 27th minute there was no looking back.

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo added to the scoreline with two goals in five minutes early in the second half, and there was no way back for the visitors.

The other Group C game between Napoli and Union Berlin ended 1-1 as David Fofana’s first Union goal – and the club’s first away from home in the Champions League – cancelled out Matteo Politano’s opener.

Inter edged out RB Salzburg 1-0 in Austria to secure their progress, with the game decided by Lautaro Martinez’s 84th-minute penalty after Mads Bidstrup handled in the area.

And that result also saw Real Sociedad go through from Group D after their 3-1 win over Benfica earlier in the evening.

Early goals from Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal had Sociedad in control after just 11 minutes and it was 3-0 10 minutes later as Ander Barrenetxea fired into the roof of the net.

Brais Mendez hit the post with a penalty just before the half hour and Rafa Silva pulled one back for Benfica early in the second half, but Sociedad comfortably took the points.

Arsenal are in control of Group B after goals from Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka earned a 2-0 win over Sevilla.

The Gunners top the group with nine points, four clear of PSV Eindhoven and Lens, who are level on five after Luuk de Jong’s 12th-minute header was enough for 1-0 win over Lens, who had substitute Morgan Guilavogui sent off late on.

The Los Angeles Angels are turning to a veteran to lead their ball club, hiring the 71-year-old Ron Washington to be their manager on Wednesday.

Washington, who becomes the old manager in major league baseball, hasn't managed a team since 2014, with the Texas Rangers.

His only previous experience as a manger in MLB came with the Rangers from 2007-14, as he directed the team to AL pennants in 2010 and 2011. He went 664-611 during his eight years at the helm in Texas, and also reached the playoffs in 2012, losing a one-game wild-card series to the Baltimore Orioles.

Washington spent the past seven seasons as the Atlanta Braves' third base coach, helping the franchise to the 2021 World Series title.

He becomes Los Angeles' fourth manager in the last six years and replaces Phil Nevin after the Angels decided to part ways with him after 1 1/2 seasons.

Despite having three-time AL MVP Mike Trout and 2021 league MVP Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles finished fourth in the AL West this past season with a 73-89 - its eighth consecutive losing season. 

It's been nine seasons since the Angels last made the play-offs, the longest postseason drought in MLB.

 

Harry Kane’s late brace earned Bayern Munich a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League after beating Galatasaray 2-1.

A frustrating first half saw Bayern have the better chances, with Kane and Leroy Sane testing Fernando Muslera, but Galatasaray began to grow into the game after the break and had a goal ruled out for offside.

The hosts earned their reward with Kane scoring twice in the final 10 minutes and they saw out the victory despite Cedric Bakambu’s stoppage-time strike.

Bayern progress to the knock-out stages having won all four of their matches in Group A so far, while defeat leaves Galatasaray third in the table.

Bayern had chances early on when Sane cut inside and had his attempted cross deflected out for a corner before Kane fired from outside of the box, but Muslera did well to tip the powerful strike over the crossbar.

The goalkeeper was called into action again, smothering Sane’s effort in a one-on-one and another Bayern attack saw the winger slice the ball wide.

A good move on the right flank saw Kingsley Coman cut inside to find Jamal Musiala, but his shot just whistled past the bottom left corner. Sane came close again, but was denied following pressure from Sacha Boey.

Bayern were forced into an early change when Musiala was taken off in the 40th minute through injury, with Thomas Muller coming on to replace him, before a rare break forward just before half-time resulted in Mauro Icardi being denied by Manuel Neuer.

The hosts had a great chance to take the lead seven minutes into the second half when a great cross from Coman was deflected by Leon Goretzka and Kane came flying in at the far post, but smashed the ball off the woodwork.

Substitute Baris Alper Yilmaz came close with his header going over the bar and the visitors had the ball in the net after Lucas Torreira poked home, but the goal was ruled offside.

Kane eventually broke the deadlock in the 80th minute after a great free-kick from Kimmich picked out the England captain, who rose highest to nod the ball home and despite initially being ruled out for offside, the goal stood following a VAR check.

He earned his second six minutes later after a brilliant move saw Muller thread the ball to Mathys Tel on the left and his low pass across goal allowed Kane to slot home his 19th Bayern goal on just his 15th club appearance.

Bayern nearly added a third when a neat ball from Serge Gnabry found Muller, but his shot trickled past a post.

The visitors pulled one back three minutes into stoppage time after an excellent pass from Sergio Oliveira picked out Bakambu, who made a great run cutting into the right and fired the ball into the bottom corner.

Inter Milan booked their place in the Champions League knockout stages with a dramatic 1-0 win away at RB Salzburg.

The in-form Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to secure the victory, netting from the penalty spot in the 85th minute to put the Italian side on 10 points in Group D, seven above their opponents.

Salzburg relied on the heroics of goalkeeper Alexander Schlager but they finally succumbed to Serie A leading scorer Martinez.

The hosts started strong and enjoyed touches in dangerous areas where they produced half chances through Roko Simic and Mads Bidstrup, whose 12th-minute shot failed to hit the target.

Inter were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Carlos Augusto appeared to bundle Simic to the ground from a corner but the referee did not award the hosts the spot-kick they searched for.

Inter went close after 35 minutes.

Set-piece specialist Hakan Calhanoglu stood over a free-kick and his whipped pass found the head of Alessandro Bastoni whose effort narrowly went wide.

Inter should have taken the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Marcus Thuram went forward and played a testing ball to Alexis Sanchez who acted quick and opted to pick out Davide Frattesi, but he blazed his effort over the bar.

Manager Simone Inzaghi cut a frustrated figure and must have motivated his men at half-time because they came out looking stronger in the second half.

In the 73rd minute they threatened again from a set-piece.

Federico Dimarco lined up the ball from a corner and delivered a perfect cross to Thuram who somehow failed to throw his head onto the ball inside the six-yard box.

Moments later Schlager saved Kristjan Asllani’s dipping long-range effort.

Inter’s players were up in arms when Thuram was denied a penalty in the 80th minute.

Substitute Martinez, who has 12 league goals to his name this term, glided with the ball and played in Thuram who took it around his marker before being brought down.

Inter’s appeals were waved off before Martinez’s header was sensationally tipped onto the bar by Schlager.

But Salzburg’s defence was finally breached when they conceded a penalty with five minutes remaining.

Nicolo Barella’s shot struck the arm of Bidstrup and Martinez stepped up to send Schlager the wrong way.

Manchester United’s Champions League hopes received a huge blow as Erik ten Hag’s side twice blew a lead following Marcus Rashford’s red card before super sub Roony Bardghji sealed a bonkers 4-3 win for Copenhagen.

A fortnight on from injecting hope into a faltering continent campaign by narrowly beating the Danish champions, Parken witnessed a scarcely believable comeback that leaves the Red Devils bottom of Group A.

Rasmus Hojlund’s brace had put United in control against his former club, but Rashford’s red card sparked an incredible turnaround as Copenhagen’s pre-match tifo reading “your theatre of nightmares” proved prescient.

This first half was as dramatic as it was action-packed. Hojlund’s third minute opener at the end of a fine team move was followed by several breaks in play, before the Copenhagen native scored his second and was denied a hat-trick.

Things soon spectacularly unravelled for United. Rashford was sent off for catching Elias Jelert after a VAR review, with Mohamed Elyounoussi scoring before Diogo Goncalves levelled from the spot after a Harry Maguire handball.

A wild first half was followed by a pulsating second period. Skipper Bruno Fernandes’ penalty put United back ahead, only for Lukas Lerager to level again and substitute Bardghji to seal an incredible Copenhagen victory.

Arsenal took a huge step towards qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League as Bukayo Saka starred in victory over Sevilla before limping off late on.

Saka set up the opening goal for Leandro Trossard before scoring the second himself as the Gunners secured a straightforward 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium that leaves them on the cusp of the last 16.

Mikel Arteta opted to play Trossard through the middle as his central striker with Eddie Nketiah joining Gabriel Jesus in the treatment room, with the Belgium forward the only change from Saturday’s contentious defeat at Newcastle.

There was not such drama here although four early fouls on Saka went unpunished as both Nemanja Gudelj and Kike Salas left their mark on the England international.

Kai Havertz, without a goal from open play since his £65million summer move from Chelsea, fluffed his lines with an early headed chance, but Arsenal set out their intent from the off.

Saka went down again under close contact from Salas, but this time Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs was unmoved as the hosts wanted a penalty.

Just moments later, however, and the deadlock was broken. The lively Saka unsurprisingly laying on the assist for Trossard to tap home – but Jorginho was the architect with a slide-rule pass to start the move.

It proved to be the only shot on target of a forgettable first half as Sevilla, without a LaLiga or Champions League win under head coach Diego Alonso since his appointment last month.

Havertz bent an effort inches wide as Arsenal went in search of a second after the break and Trossard should have done better soon after, but curled his strike the wrong side of the post.

It was Saka, though, who made the difference once again, beating the offside trap to race onto a Gabriel Martinelli pass before cutting inside Adria Pedrosa and tucking home with aplomb.

Gabriel Jesus had provided the goal and assist that ultimately saw off Sevilla in Spain a fortnight ago, but he was injured during the game and has not played since.

The same went for Saka here, who fell awkwardly and limped off with five minutes to go, with England manager Gareth Southgate – who announces his next squad on Thursday – watching from the stands.

Arteta had said on the eve of the game that Arsenal should “put to bed” qualification for the last 16 with two games to spare and his players did their bit.

But PSV Eindhoven’s win over Lens leaves Group B open, although a draw against the Ligue 1 side at the Emirates Stadium in three weeks time would be enough for Arteta’s side to advance.

Real Madrid cruised into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 3-0 win over Braga.

After overcoming an early scare when Alvaro Djalo missed a penalty for the visitors, the 14-time European champions took the lead through Brahim Diaz in the 27th minute and then seized control early in the second half as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo added to the score line.

A fourth win out of four in Group C, and ninth straight game at home without defeat in the Champions League, saw Real book their place in the last-16 with two games to spare.

With the hosts needing only a point to be sure of progression, Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to rest a number of regulars.

Jude Bellingham was on the bench after suffering a blow to the shoulder at the weekend, while David Alaba and Dani Carvajal were also among the substitutes.

It was a dramatic start to the match as Braga were awarded a penalty just four minutes in, with Lucas Vazquez pulling Cristian Borja back by the shirt and earning a yellow card for his troubles.

But Real avoided further punishment with goalkeeper Andriy Lunin equal to a weak spot-kick from Djalo.

The home side wanted a penalty of their own moments later when Rodrygo went down under a challenge from Sikou Niakate but the referee waved play on.

Diaz, who replaced Bellingham in the side, thought he had scored in the 12th minute following a mistake from Niakate, sweeping home Rodrygo’s pass, but the Brazilian was deemed guilty of a foul in the build-up.

Braga were appealing for another penalty in the 20th minute when Vazquez barged into Bruma, but the winger had already lost control of the ball as he tried to punish a wayward header from the defender.

The hosts went straight to the other end where Federico Valverde blazed over but the goal was coming and arrived in the 27th minute when Rodrygo pulled the ball back for Diaz to lift into the roof of the net.

Rodrygo had a chance to double the lead before half-time but shot straight at Matheus from the left.

Diaz was close to a second 10 minutes into the second half after Vinicius cut the ball back, but his first effort was stopped by the goalkeeper and his follow-up shot blocked by Jose Fonte.

Real were turning up the heat, and the second goal came in the 58th minute as Vinicius finished off a neat move, cutting past Fonte and finding the bottom corner.

And they killed the game off three minutes later, hitting Braga on the break as Rodrygo exchanged passes with Vinicius before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.

Braga dropped back in numbers to ensure there was no fourth on the night and almost got a goal of their own in stoppage time through Abel Ruiz’s header, which was well saved by Lunin.

Lewis Jamieson’s stoppage-time strike earned St Mirren a battling 2-2 draw at home to Hibernian in the cinch Premiership.

Joe Newell’s second-half goal looked to have earned Hibs a first win in seven games after Josh Campbell’s opener had been cancelled out by a Mark O’Hara penalty.

Jamieson, though, grabbed his first goal for Saints, who remain in third but have now won just one of their last six games.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson made just one change from the team beaten by Celtic a week earlier, with Mikael Mandron coming in for Toyosi Olusanya.

Hibs were looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their Viaplay Cup semi-final loss to Aberdeen and made two changes to their line-up.

Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller both dropped to the bench, their places taken by Rory Whittaker and Campbell, the former making his first league start at the age of 17.

The home side had the first chance when Scott Tanser shot well wide from just outside the box but it was Hibs who moved in front after 12 minutes.

Alex Gogic misjudged Jordan Obita’s ball forward and allowed it to run under his foot. Dylan Vente took advantage to play in Campbell who finished well.

St Mirren rallied from the setback but it was Hibs who looked more likely to score again.

Richard Taylor did well to block an Elie Youan goalbound effort before Vente tried his luck from a tight angle, his shot only narrowly off target.

Saints responded with a hopeful O’Hara long-range header that was easily held by David Marshall, before Youan was twice denied at the other end, the second by a smart Zach Hemming save. The winger then thrashed a shot wide of the far post when he ought to have hit the target.

At the other end, Caolan Boyd-Munce tried his luck from distance but failed to hit the target to leave Saints trailing at the break.

They started the second half again on top and Marcus Fraser’s volley went just wide.

Hibs nearly doubled their lead after another Gogic mistake. The defender was weak with a back pass allowing Campbell to nip in but Hemming did brilliantly to save the forward’s shot.

That save became even more significant when St Mirren were awarded a penalty after a VAR intervention. Obita fouled Taylor at a corner and, after referee Steven McLean confirmed the decision, O’Hara stroked home the spot-kick.

Hibs responded with a Youan strike that Hemming did well to tip around the post before forging back in front after 69 minutes.

Youan spun away from Taylor to send Vente clear and the Dutchman’s cross was finished at the back post by Newell.

That looked like being the winner until Jamieson’s finish from close range earned his team a point.

Napoli still have work to do to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages after Union Berlin ended 12 consecutive defeats by securing a 1-1 draw at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana cancelled out Matteo Politano’s earlier strike as Union, bottom of Group C, picked up their first Champions League point.

Serie A champions Napoli, who knew a win would leave them needing one point from their final two games to guarantee a last-16 spot, had two chances to go in front after 15 minutes.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did well to beat his marker before playing in Piotr Zielinski who was denied from close range by Union keeper Frederik Ronnow.

Ronnow kept his side in it again when he saved Giacomo Raspadori’s chance moments later.

Napoli, still without injured star striker Victor Osimhen, also came agonisingly close after 23 minutes.

The creative Zielinski produced a wonderful whipped cross with his left foot which found the head of Natan whose header cannoned off the post.

Napoli also had a goal ruled out when VAR deemed Giovanni Di Lorenzo to have put two hands on Jerome Roussillon’s back before his header found Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa at the back post.

However, Napoli did go ahead in the 39th minute.

Full-back Mario Rui’s powered cross took a heavy deflection off team-mate Politano’s chest.

The goal, Politano’s second Champions League strike, was his sixth in all competitions this season.

The visitors, third bottom in the Bundesliga, came out fast and they snatched an unexpected equaliser in the 52nd minute.

Sheraldo Becker glided past his marker before goalkeeper Alex Meret parried into the path of Fofana who drew the visitors level.

Napoli were made to pay for their lethargic start to the second half and Union threw men forward in numbers to grab a second.

Kvaratskhelia had two chances to score a winner, but he could not beat Ronnow.

Napoli travel to Real Madrid next with Union heading to Braga.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk will miss the Europa League tie in Toulouse due to illness but his place could be filled by a youngster whose rapid rise this season initially took manager Jurgen Klopp by surprise.

When 20-year-old Jarell Quansah joined the squad for pre-season training there was not a lot of consideration given to him playing much of a role in the current campaign and there were even discussions about sending him out on loan.

Klopp decided against that and after making his debut in the 10-man win at Newcastle in August, the academy graduate has made seven appearances, including a Premier League start at Wolves and back-to-back appearances in Europe, and will be looking to add to that in Toulouse, whom Liverpool thrashed 5-1 last time out.

“Virgil is a little bit ill, it will not be a big thing but we didn’t want him on the plane and maybe others have it a little bit as well,” said Klopp.

“That’s why we left him at home. It should be all right for the weekend.”

Asked about Quansah’s prospects, the German added: “If you would have asked me pre-season (if) he would be that good I would have been surprised but since then I saw him every day and I am not surprised any more.

“It’s great to have a boy from our own academy with that potential and quality. We will see where he ends up but it is extremely promising. There was talk about him going on loan and we said ‘no’, that was obviously a very good decision.”

Klopp’s biggest selection problem appears to be in midfield as he has also had to leave Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones behind.

“Ryan got a little niggle in the knee. He was running already today but there was no chance for this game,” he added.

“We hope there is a chance for Brentford and he will definitely be back after the international break.”

Jones missed Sunday’s draw at Luton with a “low-grade” hamstring problem which Klopp said would keep him out for a couple of weeks but with Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic long-term absentees, it means midfield resources are being stretched.

Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott look certain to start as Liverpool look to book qualification to the knockout stages with two matches to spare and Alexis Mac Allister could be favourite for the third spot as he is suspended for Sunday’s game against Brentford, although Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and 19-year-old James McConnell could also play there.

Sunday’s goalscorer Luis Diaz has also travelled as he awaits further news on the status of his father after his kidnapping in Colombia.

“Always positive signs but not real news. He decided (to rejoin the squad) last week because he cannot go to Colombia – that will not be the case in the moment – and when he is here training and around matches it is a safe place,” said Klopp.

 

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“He wants to be with us, he has travelled and is available.”

After their hammering at Anfield last time out, Toulouse coach Carles Martinez is looking for a degree of improvement.

“It’s true that 5-1 is a pretty heavy score. The result is severe but we have gained experience,” he said.

“We don’t keep this match in mind. We think about what we can improve. It is mainly the mental qualities that will be the most important.”

John Stones’ injury has given England manager Gareth Southgate the chance to explore his centre-back options in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

The City defender was forced off with a problem in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Young Boys with boss Pep Guardiola admitting it is “deep bad news”.

Stones only returned to action in October after a two-month absence with hamstring and hip problems but Southgate had no hesitation in starting him in the important qualifying win over Italy.

But with qualification for the summer’s tournament in Germany already secured, Southgate – who names his squad on Thursday – can afford to look at his back-up options.

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk and AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori started together in last month’s friendly win over Australia but Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi was the man Southgate opted to replace Stones for the final 27 minutes against Italy and has the most caps of the trio.

Injuries to Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw meant Kieran Trippier filled in at left-back against Italy but Chelsea’s Levi Colwill started against Australia and could be another one to benefit from any experimentation.

Colwill’s club captain Reece James could be in for a recall having returned from injury while Chelsea team-mate Raheem Sterling will be hoping two goals and some improved form in his last five matches will earn him a call-up for the first time since the World Cup.

Those chances could be enhanced depending on the extent of the ankle injury sustained by James Maddison during Tottenham’s loss to Chelsea on Monday and how significant the hamstring problem which forced off Callum Wilson in Newcastle’s Champions League defeat against Borussia Dortmund.

But Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka should return after withdrawing from the squad in October.

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips’ 49 minutes of action since his international start against Italy is unlikely to count against him, but James Ward-Prowse is knocking on the door of a first call-up in 14 months after a number of good performances for West Ham.

Enqarde has a date with Haydock’s Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase after getting back to winning ways at Warwick on Wednesday.

Trained by Dr Richard Newland, the nine-year-old gave David Pipe’s Remastered a 10-length beating in the well-known staying handicap in 2021 but has struggled to hit the same heights since.

However, he booked a return to the Merseyside contest on December 23 when making a long-awaited return to the winner’s enclosure in the Ignite Incentives Handicap Chase – with the 10-1 shot showing plenty of guts to get the better of Docpickedme in a pulsating finish.

Charlie Skinner, member of joint owners Off The Clock Partners, said: “He had a wind operation over the summer and he has come right again. He had not been right since winning the Tommy Whittle, so that is why he had his third wind operation. 

“First time out he is not normally so good, so we didn’t have thousands on him! Jumping the last we thought at least he has got third, but he is a really tough horse and he was given a peach of a ride (by Charlie Hammond). 

“Haydock Park suits him, and I think the plan will be to go back to the Tommy Whittle after that.”

The future could be bright for Alan King’s Helnwein (10-11 favourite), who put his bumper experience to good use to oblige favourite backers in the Watch On Racing TV Novices’ Hurdle.

King said: “He is a horse that we like and he has done everything so easily at home. He does everything on the bridle at home and it would have been no surprise if he got beat today as a lot of mine have needed a run.

“He has done a lot of strengthening through the summer and the boys did a great job last season in only letting me run him in bumpers.

“There is a lot more to come from him and he is very much a work in progress. Hopefully he will build on that.

“I think we will stick at two miles for the time being, but he will get further in time. We could look to see if we can find one of those valuable introductory hurdles, but he will need between three and four weeks between his races.

“I needed to find some good horses, but last season’s bumper horses are the best I’ve had for a long time and he is one of the nicer ones.”

Johnny Burke enjoyed a double on the card, steering Henry Daly’s Rockinastorm (4-1) to victory in the Visit racingtv.com Novices’ Handicap Chase before adding to his tally aboard Ben Case’s Annie Day (7-1) in the Visit racingtv.com Novices’ Handicap Chase.

There was also a sighting of the Grand National-winning colours of Earth Summit as Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Supasunrise (4-1) claimed the 100% Racing TV Profits Back To Racing Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase in the hands of Finn Lambert.

“That was good as he really kept on plugging away,” said Twiston-Davies.

“The last day at Southwell everything just went wrong and he was jumping out to the right. We gave him a bit of physiotherapy and here we are. 

“I think we could step him up to three miles back on better ground, so we have options with him going forward.”

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