The two match officials stood down from duty following Saturday’s incident that saw Liverpool wrongly denied a goal will not be involved in this weekend’s Premier League fixtures.
Darren England and Dan Cook were VAR and assistant VAR respectively when a “significant human error” resulted in Luis Diaz’s effort incorrectly being disallowed for offside in the Reds’ 2-1 loss at Tottenham.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) on Sunday announced the pair had been replaced for their next matches – England was due to be fourth official that day at Nottingham Forest v Brentford, with Cook to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash, but Craig Pawson and Eddie Smart stepped in.
And on Tuesday, England and Cook did not feature as the Premier League released its list of officials for matchweek eight this Saturday and Sunday.
Simon Hooper, the on-field referee for the Tottenham-Liverpool contest and fourth official for the subsequent Fulham game, is to be VAR when Everton host Bournemouth on Saturday.
After Diaz’s 34th-minute effort at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when the score was 0-0, was disallowed PGMOL put out a statement saying “a significant human error occurred” and that a goal should have been given but “the VAR failed to intervene”.
The PA news agency understands Liverpool have formally requested the audio from PGMOL of the conversation between Hooper and England related to the incident.
Liverpool issued a statement on Sunday night saying they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”.
Former Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic has announced his retirement at the age of 30 to focus on his family after revealing his wife is expecting twins following “struggles and heartache with fertility treatment”.
The ex-Australia international, who earned 53 for his country, joined the Hoops in 2013 from Central Coast Mariners and spent nine trophy-laden years at Parkhead before moving to West Brom in 2022.
During his time with Celtic, Rogic made 271 appearances for the club and helped them win six Scottish Premiership titles, five Scottish Cups and five League Cups.
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In calling time on his professional career in an emotional Instagram post, Rogic reflected on his achievements and also opened up on the fertility struggles he and his wife have faced over the last seven years and said he would be “forever grateful” for the support and help they received from Celtic.
“After careful consideration I have made the decision to retire from professional football,” said Rogic, who returned to Australia after being released by West Brom this summer.
“I have always been rather private with things in my personal life but I feel given the significance, I think it is important for people to understand why and how I have made my decision.
“Throughout the past seven years my wife and I have been on an immensely challenging journey with fertility issues. After years of trying and many failed rounds of IVF, my wife and I were fortunate enough to welcome the birth of our daughter in 2021.
“I have loved every minute of being a dad and consider it my greatest achievement in life.
“After experiencing some more struggles and heartache with fertility treatment, we have recently received the amazing news that our family is growing and we will be expecting twins in 2024.
“Given our past and how hard we have fought for this, along with the challenges that will come with having twins and a two-year-old now seems like the right time to give my focus and attention to what is the most important thing in my life – my family.
“I feel very lucky to have had a career where I spent the majority of my time playing at Celtic, one of the biggest clubs in the world, playing European football, winning many trophies and playing in front of 60,000 fans each week. I have also been lucky enough to represent my country with the Socceroos on over 50 occasions and experienced playing in major international tournaments.
“I feel very lucky to have formed some wonderful friendships through football and experienced so many special moments together. I would also like to thank Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond. Without their help all of this would not have been possible.
“Through Peter and Dermot, I was put in direct contact with one of the world’s leading medical experts, which eventually led to my wife and I being placed at the clinic that would give us the best chance possible to start a family. I will be forever grateful.
“To the managers who supported and guided me through some tough times, I’d like to say a big thank you to Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon, John Kennedy and Ange Postecoglou.
“Indeed I would like to thank everyone in football who has given me such great opportunity throughout my career to be part of the game I love.”
What the papers say
Arsenal are reportedly lining up Wolves winger Pedro Neto for a summer transfer. According to the Daily Mirror, the Gunners considered launching a bid for the 23-year-old in 2022 but nothing materialised. The club are believed to have maintained their interest however, and join Liverpool, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid in keeping tabs on the Portugal international.
Staying with Arsenal, the Daily Mail says negotiations have begun over a new contract for defender Ben White. The development comes despite the 25-year-old England international having three years left on his £120,000-a-week deal.
And The Sun says Manchester United have sent a scout to monitor 22-year-old Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio, with a view to a potential January deal.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Bryan Cristante: Calciomercato reports Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr are set to make a move for the Roma midfielder.
Lucas Beraldo: Liverpool are keen on the 19-year-old Sao Paulo centre-back, according to website 90mins.
Mauricio Pochettino promised Chelsea will continue to show belief in their young stars after Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first goal for the club in their 2-0 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Armando Broja, making his first start since injuring his ACL in December, also netted as the visitors gave their most convincing performance yet of the manager’s reign and ended a run of three Premier League games without a goal.
Chelsea took the lead after 18 minutes when Mudryk chested down Levi Colwill’s expertly-flighted cross and nudged the ball past Bernd Leno as the Fulham goalkeeper advanced.
And within a minute it was two, Cole Palmer dispossessing Tim Ream who was careless with the ball at his feet and feeding Broja, who deflected the ball home off Ream’s attempted clearance.
It was a dominant first half from Chelsea with Palmer, making his first Premier League start for the club after impressing in the EFL Cup win against Brighton last week, making a critical difference coming deep to collect the ball and starting the visitors’ attacks.
Ian Maatsen, on at half-time in place of Mudryk, struck a post after the break as Pochettino’s side threatened a third, and it was not until 14 minutes from time that a lacklustre Fulham threatened a response when Robert Sanchez blocked Sasa Lukic’s close-range shot.
Pochettino pointed to the patience the club have shown in waiting for their expensively assembled but young side to come good, particularly Mudryk who finally broke his scoring duck nine months after jointing from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88million.
“The difference (tonight) is the result,” said the manager. “The performance was really good. First half I think we played really well, second half we controlled the game.
“I’m pleased for Mudryk, and for Armando. For Misha because he has scored his first goal in the Premier League and then for Armando, after a long period out he’s scored again. The competition is really good for the team.
“It’s about maturity, adaptation. We need to understand that young people need time, need to settle. Massive change for him when he arrived here. I think when you arrive in a team, it’s not easy to settle because there were too many young players that arrived in a team (that) was not solid.
“They need to add something to the team, to build something important. Always it’s difficult, but it’s about time and to have patience, to trust these guys and these young, talented players, and to build their confidence.
“It’s a massive job. It’s step by step. Sometimes people have not the patience, but for us it’s about being patient. Even when we were losing and when we didn’t win from the beginning of the season, we were calm and kept the belief.
“Now that we’ve won two games in a few days it’s (still) important to stay calm.”
It was the fourth game in a row in which Mudryk had started, having not been in the starting XI for any of Pochettino’s first five matches in charge.
He was withdrawn at half-time with what the manager said was an issue with his quad, but he is expected to be fit for Saturday’s trip to face Burnley.
“He played because he deserved it, and he showed in training that he deserved it,” said the manager. “He was really focused in training and had the confidence to go on the pitch and play.
“Normally it’s the player that needs to show us that we can trust in them.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva reflected on a game in which he felt his team lacked the required aggression as they fell to a third league defeat of the season.
“Disappointing result for us,” he said. “At certain moments, performance-wise as well. They started intense from the first moment, winning some individual challenges that gave the boost they needed.
“Our first half was not aggressive enough on and off the ball. We were sloppy in some moments. We did not bring the dynamic that we should. Even our first pressure didn’t work very well.”
Vincent Kompany is refusing to put any extra emphasis on Tuesday’s trip to face fellow Premier League new boys Luton as his side look to end their winless start to the season.
Kompany has spoken repeatedly about the tough start Burnley have faced – they have already suffered defeats against Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Aston Villa – and many fans have been looking to the postponed trip to Kenilworth Road for a much-needed victory.
But the 37-year-old Kompany said it would do his side no good to treat this match differently to any other.
“It’s a mental exercise for me to really try and make no distinction,” he said. “It’s how I have been brought up, it’s how I know football.
“When you’re at the very top and you underestimate the small sides, you lose points. When you’re at the bottom and you overestimate the big sides…you don’t stand a chance.
“So I want to have consistency in every game, doing what it takes to get a result. I understand Luton is someone we faced last season so we’re looking forward to meeting our old friends again.”
This fixture was originally due to be played in the second week of the season but was postponed while Luton worked to upgrade their ground following promotion and Kompany said he felt the delay had benefited both sides in terms of their improvement since the campaign began.
But while Luton’s work was rewarded with a first win when they beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park on Saturday, Burnley have taken only one point from their opening six games.
Results are needed now, but Kompany said there had been no loss of confidence within his squad despite the tough start.
“What we did is we went into this with eyes wide open,” he said. “We did a lot of work on managing expectations.
“I can draw a little bit on my own experience. When you get to a certain level, year one or the first three or four months might not feel straightaway when you feel you belong in a place.
“But they’ll battle themselves through it and then they’ll see soon enough that a lot of these players, most of these players, are good enough to play this at this level and actually enjoy success at this level. But you know you’ve to learn the tough way sometimes.”
Kompany insisted he has not been losing any sleep himself, other than during a brief illness last week.
“No chance, on the contrary,” he said when asked if his own confidence had been dented. “I’ve seen enough to believe in the squad.
“But to the point as well, like I’ve said, I’m conscious that it’s not the words ‘I’m happy’. I’m not happy but I’ve seen enough in terms of habits and how these guys approach it to know that they’ll come out stronger from this. They’ll come out a good team.”
Lyle Foster is likely to go straight back into the side after serving a three-match ban for his late red card at Forest and could bring a much-needed boost to a Burnley side who are the lowest scorers in the league.
Foster had scored two in five for Burnley, also netting for South Africa, before his ban.
“I think he was on a trajectory where he showed good signs to be a good player in this league,” Kompany said.
“I think the guys who filled in did well, but you know when you have someone with momentum, you want to keep him as much as you can involved.
“Hopefully tomorrow we can have the Lyle that we had before the suspension and and then everybody knows he is a threat and he scores goals as well.”
Wales are in talks to play world champions Argentina.
Lionel Messi and company have been lined up as potential opponents for the Dragons with Wales keen to play Argentina in Cardiff or Patagonia, where thousands of Welsh emigrants settled in the 19th century.
“There is an ongoing discussion between us and them,” Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said about a possible friendly between the two nations.
“We spoke to them in the last few days about playing in Cardiff.
“I met the Argentinian ambassador when he was in Cardiff talking to the Welsh Government.
“I used the opportunity to talk to him about the opportunity for Wales to go down to play in Argentina. He was excited by the idea, although he obviously he doesn’t decide who plays who.”
Wales have played only once at Cardiff’s 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium since 2011 – a friendly against former European and world champions Spain in October 2018 – and many Dragons’ fans dislike the idea of playing at the home of Welsh rugby.
But Wales will return to Principality Stadium should UK and Ireland win their bid to host Euro 2028 in Switzerland next month – and the Dragons qualify for the tournament.
The Principality Stadium is among 10 venues to be used across five nations should the UK and Ireland bid be successful.
Mooney said: “You’d have to assume we’d need to play some matches there before the competition to get spectators and players used to it.
“We haven’t thought that much about it, but what I can say is that we know who we’d like to play if we had to – World Cup winners Argentina.
“We may not be at the very top of their queue, but if you look at Patagonia and the relationship between the two countries it would be great. We’d love to do it.
“There is a connection and history between us and Argentina because of the Patagonian links and the Welsh people who settled there.
“I could feel from the Argentine ambassador that warmth they have behind Wales and I’d love to see Lionel Messi playing in Cardiff.”
Patagonia is at the southern end of Argentina – around 1,000 miles from the capital Buenos Aires – and in 2006 the Wales rugby team played at Puerto Madryn, a city founded by Welsh settlers in 1865.
Wales and Argentina have only met twice before, with their last fixture being a 2002 friendly at the Principality Stadium when Craig Bellamy scored in a 1-1 draw against the South Americans.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja were on target as Chelsea claimed west London derby bragging rights with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Mudryk opened the scoring before Broja doubled their tally – one minute later – to give the Blues an important three points on the road.
The win brought Chelsea’s three-match winless run in the league to an end and relieved some pressure from the shoulders of Mauricio Pochettino as his side began to turn a corner.
Chelsea started with intent. The visitors enjoyed touches of the ball in dangerous areas and looked positive through the likes of Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez, who fed the pacey Mudryk, who blazed over his first attempt in the 10th minute.
But the Ukraine international did not have to be asked twice when he put Chelsea ahead after 18 minutes.
Levi Colwill’s curled pass unleashed the rapid Mudryk, who calmy finished past Bernd Leno to score his first-ever Chelsea goal.
And a minute after the restart, the Blues doubled their lead.
Palmer – who started in his first league game for the away side – pounced on a misplaced pass and slipped through Broja, who found a gap and fired home to give Chelsea a 2-0 advantage.
It was two big chances and two goals for Pochettino’s men, who finally began to show signs of being clinical, having gone three English top-flight games without finding the back of the net.
Fulham were anonymous for much of the first half, but they had a half-chance when the misfiring Raul Jimenez jumped highest at a corner and directed his effort wide of Robert Sanchez’s post in the 41st minute.
Marco Silva brought midweek scorers Carlos Vinicius and Alex Iwobi on at half-time in search of a response and Nigeria international Iwobi started bright when he got on the end of Willian’s cross – but his effort fell kindly into the gloves of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
And Carlos Vinicius was lucky to avoid red when he appeared to strike Thiago Silva with his hand before he combined with Iwobi on the hour, where he was stopped in his tracks by Chelsea’s tight defence.
The visitors sought a third on the break when Broja and Palmer worked together to find substitute Ian Maatsen. But his first-time effort cannoned off goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s post before Fernandez’s rebound was denied by the German in goal.
Craven Cottage cried for a goal in the 73rd minute as time ebbed away.
Timothy Castagne marauded down the right flank and did well to beat his man before his driven cross found the head of Vinicius, who again failed to test Sanchez.
The Cottagers looked flat all game and were in clear need of an strong outlet up front to challenge Axel Disasi and 39-year-old Thiago Silva, who were making light work of any Fulham attack.
This was summed up in 12 minutes from time when Sasa Lukic missed a golden opportunity from six yards after Willian’s well-weighted pass.
Chelsea continued to nullify any threats from the hosts and held on to seal victory during five added minutes to move up to 11th in the table.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering changing his bid and buying a minority stake in Manchester United, according to reports.
Ineos founder Ratcliffe, who had attempted to buy Chelsea last year, joined the race to purchase United in January and had been the sole bidder before Sheikh Jassim entered the running a month later.
A lengthy takeover saga has followed with numerous bids entered by both boyhood fan Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim, but no progress has been made over any potential change of ownership from the Glazer family, who announced in November they were open to selling the club.
Manchester United’s valuation on the New York Stock Exchange plummeted by more than £500million last month in the wake of reports the Glazers may not sell.
It is now being reported that Ratcliffe, the second-richest person in the UK according to the Sunday Times Rich List, could decide to buy a minority stake in the Premier League giants.
Sky News report Ratcliffe may seek a stake in the region of 25 per cent as part of a proposal to try to bring the drawn-out sale process to an end, having initially wanted to complete a majority takeover.
If the Glazers accepted this new reported offer, it would see the American family still retain majority control of the club they first bought in 2005.
United fans have protested against the Glazers for years and thousands took part in an hour-long sit-in at Old Trafford after a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in August.
It has been 18 years since the Americans’ controversial leveraged takeover and over 10 months since they announced a strategic review.
Ratcliffe’s team declined to comment when contacted by the PA news agency.
The Jamaica Football Federation has reportedly identified potential candidates to fill the head coaching vacancy with the Senior Women’s National Team.
The position was opened after the JFF decided not to renew the contract of former head coach, Lorne Donaldson, after the team lost a pair of Olympic Qualifying fixtures to Canada in September.
“The interviewing process will begin this week, as we have received a number of applications from experienced and qualified individuals. Soon, a short list will be selected for final interviews. Importantly, this also includes the reengagement of members of the coaching and technical staff,” a post on the federation’s Instagram page stated on Monday.
“The JFF is committed to ensuring that the women’s program is given the best opportunity to succeed and continue the significant accomplishments that have brought much pride to Jamaica,” the statement continued.
Donaldson was appointed Reggae Girlz head coach in June 2022 and led the national women’s team to their second consecutive qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. At the World Cup, he took Jamaica to a historic round of 16 after drawing with France and Brazil and defeating Panama in the group stage.
VAR is now at a “crisis point”, according to pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
Liverpool had a Luis Diaz goal incorrectly ruled out for offside during Saturday’s Premier League defeat at Tottenham due to miscommunication between VAR Darren England and on-field referee Simon Hooper.
The match was goalless at the time of the incident, with the Reds – who were eventually reduced to nine men – going on to lose 2-1 to an own goal from Joel Matip deep into stoppage time.
Liverpool issued a statement on Sunday night saying they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”.
The PA news agency understands the Reds have now formally requested the audio of the conversation between the two from referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).
Former Liverpool and England defender Carragher was analysing the incident ahead of Monday night’s live Premier League game between Fulham and Chelsea at Craven Cottage.
The Sky Sports pundit believes the whole system is now under more pressure than ever.
“I don’t think the feeling around VAR has ever been lower – I do feel as if this is almost like a crisis point for VAR in this country,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“It is not just on the back of this decision, it is what has been happening all season, like when there was a situation with Wolves against Manchester United (in the first Monday night televised match of the new season).
“I don’t want to pile on to an official or (PGMOL chief refereeing officer) Howard Webb, I could imagine they feel absolutely awful (over) the last couple of days.
“I am not into the conspiracy theories, that this one favours that team or another – no-one gains anything from this in terms of the officials.
“We have all been there in our jobs and made mistakes, so I feel for them – but it is an horrendous mistake, that is unprecedented and you can’t actually quite believe the explanation that has been given.”
PGMOL issued a statement on Saturday night acknowledging a “significant error” had occurred. Hooper and his assistants had given offside against Diaz on the field, and PA understands that although England followed the correct procedure in drawing lines, he lost focus and mistakenly thought the initial on-field decision had been onside.
This resulted in him issuing a ‘check complete’ notice to Hooper, rather than advising of an intervention and the goal being awarded.
Once the officials realised an error had been made, play had restarted and VAR protocols state that once that has happened, there is no way back to revisit a decision.
Carragher, though, believes the incident could have been quickly resolved at the time.
“They were saying they were staying with protocol about not allowing to stop the game. I don’t believe that. They panicked. They froze,” he said.
“I know that’s the rule, but that’s a red-tape rule. If they had reversed it, we’d have been praising their leadership.
“There’s talk that the officials didn’t know until half-time that a mistake had been made, when that ball goes out of play [after the incident] the look on that referee’s face, it’s a look of something has gone wrong.
“I think it’s unbelievable that all the parties involved haven’t released the audio. I find it unfathomable.
“The only way Howard Webb and PGMOL will gain any sort of credibility back was to get it out there.
“The problem they have now is the explanation is so random and bizarre, the longer this goes on, the more people will think they’re trying to put a story together.”
Arsenal’s preparations for their first away Champions League game in six-and-a-half years were thrown into chaos due to travel delays.
Mikel Arteta’s side face Lens in their Group B clash at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Tuesday night but had to cancel their pre-match press conference on the eve of the game.
The Arsenal boss was due to speak to the media with France defender William Saliba at 1900 local time but their chartered flight was grounded at Luton airport.
The Gunners had trained at London Colney at 1130BST before being due to travel to France on Monday afternoon but bad weather saw those plans cancelled.
The PA news agency understands Arsenal will not face a fine as the cancellation was out of their control – with the squad waiting over three hours at Luton before being able to make the short hop over the channel.
Among the travelling party stuck at Luton were Bukayo Saka – who was passed fit to travel despite limping off injured at Bournemouth on Saturday – and fit-again midfielder Thomas Partey.
Partey had been sidelined since August with a groin injury and the club hoped to have him back for the visit of Manchester City on Sunday.
“He’s progressed really well in the last two weeks and he managed to train in the last two or three days with the team and that’s great news for us, obviously,” Arteta said of the Ghana international.
“I think his progression in the last week has been very good. He might have some exposure tomorrow depending how the game goes.”
Both Arteta and Saliba later spoke to a small number of reporters over the phone and the latter insisted everything would be fine heading into the game.
Asked if he was confident the team would still be at their best, he replied: “Yes, of course. We have to arrive first but tomorrow is another day and we will give our best against Lens.
“It is a really good feeling. My second game in the Champions League with Arsenal. I can’t wait to play in France so it is a good feeling.
“We know it won’t be an easy game. It is a really good team who finished second last season.
“They didn’t start well but in the last two or three games, they are better so we have to be focused on tomorrow and give our best.”
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti would not be drawn on whether he thinks Jude Bellingham is currently the best midfielder in the world.
Bellingham, 20, scored his eighth goal in eight appearances in all competitions for Real in Saturday’s 3-0 LaLiga win at Girona.
He scored the winner in the Spanish giants’ opening Champions League game against Union Berlin two weeks ago and will aim to maintain his dream start for Ancelotti’s side in Italy against Group C rivals Napoli on Tuesday night.
Ancelotti told a press conference: “I think Bellingham has adapted very well to his new team. He’s doing very well and is showing all of his quality.
“If someone thinks he’s the best in the world then great. I think we have the best team in the world.”
Ancelotti is under no illusions as to the size of his side’s task on his return to the club who sacked him after 18 months in charge in 2019.
“Coming back here makes me remember the time I lived in the city. In this wonderful city,” Ancelotti added. “There were good moments, others less so, but the experience was positive.
“The match is the toughest for us in this group, but the reality is that we are used to it. The Real Madrid shirt weighs on us and will also weigh on the opponent.
“We are playing against one of the strongest teams in Italy, who did very well a year ago.”
Napoli, who beat Braga 2-1 in Portugal in their opening group game, sit third in Serie A, four points behind top two Inter and Milan.
Head coach Rudi Garcia, whose side appear to be hitting top form after back-to-back 4-1 and 4-0 wins against Udinese and Lecce, described Ancelotti’s squad as “unique”.
Garcia told a press conference: “They were good at signing Bellingham to replace (Karim) Benzema although they don’t cover the same position, but they were also good at signing Joselu.
“They have many valuable players technically, but also tall and strong players for set pieces.
“They have many strong footballers with technique and physicality. I don’t know who Carlo Ancelotti will play, but we must be focused on ourselves and know who we face.”
Garcia said there was nothing to compare with the Champions League, adding: “The Champions League is the best competition, it’s a special moment for coaches and players.
“Just listening to the music is enough to get motivation. Napoli must play in the Champions League every season.”
Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has urged his side to “stick with the positive things” ahead of their Champions League clash against Copenhagen.
His comments came following Bayern’s second-half turnaround against RB Leipzig at the weekend, where they were suddenly 2-0 down from two goals within six minutes of each other in the first half.
England captain Harry Kane then sparked the comeback before Leroy Sane snatched a point to draw 2-2 and Tuchel is determined to take the positives forward into future fixtures.
“We analyse it all and are drawing our conclusions, which we’ll discuss with the teams,” he told a pre-match press conference.
“We’re trying to develop a better plan and fill it with more life. We’re still finding a way to get into games, which is the positive. We’ll stick with the positive things.”
Bayern’s next game takes place in the Champions League as they travel to Denmark to face Copenhagen, who earned a point against Galatasaray in their opening fixture.
Speaking ahead of the game, Joshua Kimmich echoed his manager’s sentiments, adding that Bayern need to retain concentration for the task ahead on Tuesday night.
“We weren’t in the game against Leipzig in the first half, invited the opponent with too many simple mistakes,” he told a press conference.
“That can’t happen tomorrow. We have to go about our business with concentration over 90 minutes, then I believe we’ll win the game.”
Munich got off to a winning start in the competition last month after an eventful clash against Manchester United, which ended 4-3 at the Allianz Arena.
Sane, Serge Gnabry, Kane and Mathys Tel were all on target for Bayern, who shot to the top of Group A after the first round of fixtures.
The Danish side took a 2-0 lead through Mohamed Elyounoussi and Diogo Goncalves against Galatasaray, but after Elias Jelert was sent off in the 73rd minute the Turkish Super Lig champions staged a comeback with two quick goals in the final 10 minutes.
Another tough test lies ahead for Bayern away to Copenhagen, who managed to draw all of their home games in the Champions League last season and Tuchel knows not to underestimate any side in the competition.
He said: “I’ve never seen an easy group stage, every game has its own character, Galatasaray scored two late goals. The focus is 100 per cent on Copenhagen.
“I’ve watched their games, we’ll prepare seriously. We first wanted to conclude the Leipzig game.
“We’ll limit it to two meetings, keep the info to a minimum. I have the greatest respect for every opponent in the Champions League, it’s the toughest club competition in the world.
“Copenhagen didn’t lose a home game in the Champions League last season against Manchester City, Dortmund and Sevilla. The drive to be the top team is big, but the facts are in our favour.
“(Jacob Neestrup) is a very young and successful coach, Copenhagen are the club winning all the titles in Denmark.
“He’s got a clear style. We’re expecting Copenhagen in a 4-3-3 formation, they’re very compact, very dangerous on the counter, and we’re expecting a mix of long balls and passing play.”
Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi has warned his side must match Benfica’s high intensity when they go head-to-head again in the Champions League.
The Nerazzurri drew their opening Group D match with Real Sociedad, while Benfica lost at home to Red Bull Salzburg having played most of the match with 10 men.
Inter beat the Portuguese side at the quarter-final stage of last season’s Champions League as they went on to finish as runners-up to Manchester City.
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Inzaghi knows just what to expect when they face Roger Schmidt’s men again at San Siro on Tuesday night.
“It will be a tough match – we will be facing a team that play at a very high intensity and won the Portuguese Super Cup (in August),” Inzaghi said.
“They are a well-established team because they have had the same head coach for a while now.
“They lost their first Champions League match, but played the vast majority of the match with 10 men. Despite that, they had several chances and deserved a different result.”
Inzaghi told a press conference: “They possess more quality (this season), but their playing principles remain the same. We need to display intensity because Benfica are a great side.
“Benfica are coming into this game on the back of a victory over Porto, while we managed to win in Salerno.
“We are convinced we can produce a big performance. I am happy with how we’re progressing, and we promise to always give everything and win as many matches as possible.”
Inter’s veteran wing-back Juan Cuadrado, a summer signing from Juventus, has been recovering from tendinitis since early September, but could be back in contention for the European tie after being able to return to full training with the rest of the squad.
“I still have to make my assessments as far as who will play from the start,” Inzaghi said.
“We were without him after the first matches (of the season), and I am counting on him in the next matches.”
Midfielders Stefano Sensi and Davide Frattesi, though, are still not under consideration while forward Marko Arnautovic remains sidelined by a hamstring strain.
Schmidt feels Inter have carried on from where they left off last season.
“They are at the top of the (Italian) league and they play good football,” the Benfica coach told a press conference.
“They haven’t lost key players, they are used to each other and have the same coach, so it is a challenge to play against them. They are a complete team.
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“We are not afraid. We know it is difficult, but we believe in ourselves.
“We have experience in European games and what we try to do is show our best football, maintain our approach and fight for the three points, so that is the objective for tomorrow.”
Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva will be suspended having been sent off after just 13 minutes against Salzburg, while Brazilian defender Joao Victor has been left out of the travelling squad for disciplinary reasons.
St. Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS), Browns Town, and Wycliffe Martin High were all big winners in their ISSA/Wata DaCosta Cup games on Saturday.
STETHS, the five-time DaCosta Cup champions, had the biggest win of the season so far when they crushed Roger Clarke High 20-0 in their Zone E game played in Santa Cruz.
DeAndre Barnett scored six times to lead STETHS while Justin McPherson also had a hat trick and D’Andre Hibbert scored in his sixth consecutive game.
BB Coke High moved into second place on 13 points after their 2-1 win over Munro College, who were losing for the first time. Lacovia High beat Sydney Pagon 5-1 and Maggotty High beat Newell High 3-1 in the days other Zone clashes.
Browns Town High were 12-1 winners over Discovery Bay High in Zone C, where Cedric Titus High’s winning streak also ended, coming from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against York Castle High in a top-of-the-zone clash.
William Knibb Memorial beat Aabuthnott Gallimore 5-0 with two goals each from Theonjae Bennett and Koran Henriques as Ocho Rios High were 6-0 winners over Ferncourt High.
Wycliffe Martin whipped Iona High 8-1 but Tacky High just managed to stay on top in Zone I despite being held 2-2 by St Mary High, Horace Clarke High moved up to second place after beating Annotto Bay High 2-0.
Other results from Saturday:
Cornwall College 1 Maldon 0
St. James 2 Green Pond 1
Spot Valley 0 Irwin 1
Cambridge 0-Merlene Ottey 1
Green Island 0 Frome 6
Carron Hall 2 St. Mary Tech 3
May Day 1 Manchester 3
Belair 12 Cross Keys 0
Mt. St. Joseph 0 DeCarteret College 6
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