Cristiano Ronaldo was named among the substitutes as Erik ten Hag chose his first Manchester United starting XI in the Premier League.
The Portugal star's relationship with United was a constant sideshow during pre-season, as he did not go on their tour of Australia and Thailand owing to personal reasons, though at the time there was frequent speculation suggesting he wanted to leave for a Champions League club.
No such move materialised and he played the first 45 minutes against Rayo Vallecano last weekend, his only action of pre-season.
But that occasion only increased the spotlight on Ronaldo, as he was one of several players to leave Old Trafford early, conduct Ten Hag described as "unacceptable" in an interview on Dutch television.
Ten Hag subsequently tried to draw a line under the situation at his news conference on Friday, adamant Ronaldo had attracted unfair focus given how many players left early last Sunday.
Similarly, the Dutchman suggested there was to be no further punishment for the guilty parties.
As such, Ten Hag explained prior to Sunday's game that Ronaldo's presence on the bench is down to his lack of pre-season action, even though United are without a recognised striker with Anthony Martial injured.
Ten Hag told MUTV: "I already mentioned; short pre-season, he only started training last week.
"He only played 45 minutes and he's not on the fitness levels the rest of the team is.
"In the Premier League, the games I saw this weekend were really tough and a high intensity."
In Ronaldo's absence, Ten Hag opted to deploy Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho in attack, with support from Bruno Fernandes.
Elsewhere in the team, Lisandro Martinez – a pre-season arrival from Ten Hag's former club Ajax – was chosen to partner Harry Maguire at centre-back, while Christian Eriksen was also selected for his debut.
Ronaldo is joined on the bench by Ten Hag's first signing, Tyrell Malacia, as well as Raphael Varane, promising youngster Alejandro Garnacho and James Garner, who impressed on loan at Nottingham Forest last season.
Pochettino laments 'stupid rumours' over future as Chelsea speculation persists
Mauricio Pochettino blasted "stupid rumours" as speculation continues over his future at Chelsea.
Pochettino oversaw a 2-0 win over former employers Tottenham on Thursday, becoming the first manager to complete a Premier League double after previously managing them in the competition.
Yet a longer-term view on the plans under Pochettino remain unclear, with reports linking Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick and Roberto De Zerbi to Stamford Bridge should the Chelsea manager be moved on.
That comes after another heavy-spending season under the Todd Boehly-led ownership at Chelsea, who splashed once more on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku.
Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson were among the other arrivals amid another chaotic transfer window in west London, with Pochettino battling injury issues and managing a large squad.
Whether Chelsea pull the trigger for another manager may depend on how the Blues finish the season, with Pochettino's side eighth but just three points behind sixth-placed Manchester United.
A place in Europe could be the decisive factor, though Pochettino vented his frustration at the situation in an honest assessment of the media reports questioning his job safety.
"I wanted to say that it is enough with this type of rumours, that if I have one year more [under] contract here and no one says nothing [to me], [I] suppose I'm going to be here," Pochettino said.
"Only if then, the season finishes and someone says to me 'ciao'... Because we don't know at the moment.
"I suppose that I have one more year contract and that I am going to be here. Enough about the stupid rumours.
"You need to ask the club if they want me to keep going or not, not to write things that have no sense."
Pochettino has not been distracted by those rumours, though, with Chelsea winning eight of their last 10 home Premier League games (D1 L1), after managing just one win from the 14 before that (D7 L6).
The Blues will hope to continue that imperious run of form when they host London rivals West Ham on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
San Jose Earthquakes v Los Angeles FC: Hosts have 'nothing to lose' at Levi's Stadium
Los Angeles FC coach Steve Cherundolo expects the struggling San Jose Earthquakes to play with "nothing to lose" when the sides face off at Levi's Stadium on Saturday.
The Earthquakes have the worst record in MLS this year, taking just four points from their first 10 games to sit bottom of the Western Conference.
The New England Revolution also have four points at the foot of the East, but they have played one match fewer.
Los Angeles, by contrast, sit fifth in the West after sealing a last-gasp 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers last time out, and Cherundolo believes his team enter Saturday's game in a good spot.
"They're a very dangerous team, especially in the situation they're in," Cherundolo said of San Jose.
"I expect to see a team who play with nothing to lose, they'll be aggressive, invest a lot into it and definitely want to win their home game.
"That'll make it difficult for us, but we're also in a decent moment and have the tools to be dangerous as well."
Saturday's game will be played at Levi's Stadium – home to the NFL's San Francisco 49ers – as part of the 'Quakes' 50th-anniversary celebrations, and coach Luchi Gonzalez is looking forward seeing his team in action at the 68,500-capacity venue.
"It's going to be beautiful to us no matter what," Gonzalez said.
"The players love this field, they love the stadium, they love this locker room and they love the environment that we know we're going to have on Saturday.
"We want to show respect to it, we want to honour it with our heart, with our intensity and energy to perform and bring our best on Saturday."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Jose Earthquakes – Jeremy Ebobisse
Ebobisse has scored six goals against LAFC in regular-season play. The only opponent he has scored more against is the LA Galaxy (10 goals).
Los Angeles FC – Denis Bouanga
Bouanga has scored a result-changing goal in stoppage time in consecutive matches, netting a 95th-minute equaliser against the New York Red Bulls on April 20 then scoring the winning goal one minute into added time against Portland last week.
Could last season's Golden Boot winner be set for another decisive contribution?
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Los Angeles' 3-2 win over Portland last week took them to 14 points from six matches on their own turf this year (four wins, two draws), a league-high tally.
However, they have only taken one point on the road, recording one draw and three defeats. Only the New England Revolution, with zero, have earned fewer points away from home.
Given LAFC's Jekyll and Hyde performances, it's difficult to back them for an away win. However, San Jose are just the seventh team in MLS history to accumulate four points or fewer through 10 games of a season, so it may not be a surprise to see the points shared in a cagey draw.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
San Jose Earthquakes – 34.1%
Los Angeles FC – 37.8%
Draw 28.1%
Girona to give '200 per cent' against Barcelona in possible Champions League clincher
Barcelona will be favourites when they visit Girona on Saturday, but Michel says the hosts will give everything in a game which could see them confirm Champions League qualification.
Girona, third in LaLiga with 71 points, are two behind fellow Catalan side Barcelona, who they beat 4-2 in December's return fixture.
"For our fans, tomorrow is a historic match," Michel told reporters on Friday.
"In this match the motivation is top for everyone. Another challenge is to beat Barca for the first time at Montilivi.
"Barca are favourites in this match, but we are playing at home in front of our fans. We will give 200 per cent because it's the only way to win."
Girona, 13 points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, are looking to ensure a top-four finish and secure qualification for the Champions League this weekend.
Athletic go to Getafe on Friday, so a defeat for Ernesto Valverde's team will confirm Girona's place in the top four before they take to the field.
"We want to win tomorrow to reach the Champions League. It's about making Girona grow and achieving worldwide recognition for our club and our project," Michel said.
"We always have more objectives like overtaking Real Madrid as the top-scoring team. We only have two goals between us.
"What I want is to be protagonists in a league where Madrid have lost only one game."
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