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• Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava: Engels stars as Rodgers' men make dominant start

  Celtic placed down an early Champions League marker after hammering Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in Wednesday's opener.

  Arne Engels teed up Liam Scales' fierce headed opener in the 17th minute at Celtic Park, before the midfielder himself scored from the penalty spot in the second half.

  Kyogo Furuhashi had earlier added Celtic's second goal of the game just nine minutes before Engels' penalty, awarded for a needless pull on Alistair Johnson by Danylo Ignatenko.

  Switzerland defender Kevin Wimmer reduced the arrears on the hour with a delightful outside-of-the-boot finish, though Daizen Maeda soon restored the advantage 10 minutes later after linking up with Reo Hatate.

  Substitute Adam Idah rounded the scoring off with four minutes remaining, latching onto James Forrest's pass to complete a convincing triumph.

  Data Debrief: Celtic firing on all cylinders

  Engels' fine individual showing made him only the second player to both score and assist a goal on his Champions League debut for Celtic, after Sweden great Henrik Larsson against Juventus in September 2001.

  Brendan Rodgers' side were completely dominant in every aspect, too, accumulating a massive 3.22 expected goals (xG) tally to Bratislava's minimal 0.30.

  It was also just the second time Celtic have smashed four or more goals in one match in the competition, having also managed to do so in a 4-3 victory over Juve in October 2001.

  With goals coming from all over the place, Celtic had five different scorers in a European Cup/Champions League match (excluding own goals) for the first time since September 1973 against TPS Turku (Dixie Deans, George Connelly, Harry Hood, James Johnstone, Thomas Callaghan).

• Maresca urges Chelsea to ignore off-field noise ahead of West Ham trip

  Enzo Maresca will be hoping Chelsea can put their off-field issues to one side as they aim for back-to-back Premier League wins when they visit West Ham on Saturday.

  The Blues are facing a period of boardroom uncertainty with much of the focus remaining on the reported ownership rift between Bedhad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.

  That seemed to do little in the way of distraction last time out against Bournemouth as Christopher Nkunku scored late on to snatch a 1-0 victory for Chelsea.

  Maresca urged his players to continue to focus on the things in their control, rather than the speculation over the ownership.

  "The players read and see things on their social networks but I told them there's nothing they can do about it and we try to prepare our games in the best way," Maresca said.

  "In this kind of game you need to learn that it isn't just about the tactical part – you need something inside, to win duels and all the games are different.

  "To win the game, you have to win with the T-shirt dirty – probably [getting] some yellow cards because they had many yellow cards. These kind of games require these kinds of things."

  West Ham head into this London derby after a 1-1 draw at fellow capital-city rivals Fulham, with Danny Ings striking late at Craven Cottage to salvage a point with his stoppage-time leveller.

  Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui knows improvements are needed if his side are to end a two-game winless run in the early top-flight season.

  "We showed fight and we ran a lot but we can do better and that's my feeling," Lopetegui said.

  "I am happy for the reaction, the feeling and spirit of the team but we have to improve with the ball, we can do better."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  West Ham – Michail Antonio

  Michail Antonio is not a guaranteed starter for the home side, considering the recent signing of towering striker Niclas Fullkrug.

  However, Antonio has been involved in five goals in his last six Premier League games against Chelsea, scoring three and assisting two. His next goal involvement will also be his 100th in the competition, making him the first West Ham player to reach that milestone (67 goals, 32 assists).

  Chelsea – Christopher Nkunku

  Nkunku burst Bournemouth's bubble last time out and will hope to do similar on the road at London Stadium, though it remains unclear whether the France international will be in the side from the off for this one.

  In fact, all four of Nkunku’s Premier League goals for Chelsea have been as a substitute, including his winner against Bournemouth. It’s the joint-most goals a player has scored in the competition’s history with 100% of them coming from the bench.

  MATCH PREDICTION – CHELSEA WIN

  Chelsea are considered the favourites for this London derby on Saturday, taking into account their head-to-head record with West Ham and favourable Opta win probability from their data-based simulations.

  Indeed, the Blues have won 30 of their 56 Premier League meetings with West Ham (D10 L16), only winning more times against Tottenham in the competition’s history (35).

  Chelsea have also won each of their last four away games in the Premier League, though have not triumphed in five such matches in a row since December 2021 under Thomas Tuchel. 

  That impressive road run includes both league trips under Maresca this season, with Pep Guardiola in 2016 the last manager to win each of his first three away games in the Premier League.

  However, this result is by no means a foregone conclusion. West Ham have alternated between winning (five) and not winning (D2 L3) in their last 10 league home games against Chelsea, beating them 3-1 at the London Stadium last term.

  The Hammers last won consecutive home league games against the Blues in 2001-02/2002-03, though, with the hosts needing to buck the trend here if they are to succeed.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  West Ham win – 31.3%

  Draw – 24.6%

  Chelsea win – 44%

• Al-Nassr confirm appointment of former Milan boss Pioli

  Al-Nassr have appointed former Milan boss Stefano Pioli as their new head coach after parting company with Luis Castro, the Saudi Pro League club confirmed on Wednesday.

  Cristiano Ronaldo's side, who finished a distant second in the Pro League to unbeaten Al-Hilal last season, relieved Castro of his duties after taking five points from their first three games of 2024-25.

  Al-Nassr have played out frustrating 1-1 draws with Al-Raed and Al-Ahli in their first two home games of the campaign, either side of beating AL-Feiha 4-1.

  Pioli had been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after leaving his role as head coach of Milan at the end of 2023-24, when the Rossoneri finished 19 points behind Serie A winners Inter.

  "Pioli Is Nassrawi. We welcome Stefano Pioli as our new coach", read a post to the team's X account, with details of his contract not being announced.

  Pioli previously led Milan to a surprise Scudetto triumph in 2021-22, and his first match in charge will see him face off against Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq on Friday.