Massimiliano Allegri told his Juventus players to internalise their frustration and focus on training harder after defeat to Benfica put their Champions League hopes in peril.

A 2-1 loss in Turin followed last week's defeat by the same scoreline at Paris Saint-Germain, leaving the Bianconeri six points behind both of their early conquerors after two rounds of Group H games.

Allegri, in the second season of his second spell as Juventus head coach, appeared to point to the mental fragility of his team after the final whistle, saying they "collapsed" after going 2-1 behind in the 55th minute.

He has said he does not fear for his job, nor is he willing to engage in drawn-out public discourse about how the Turin giants might get back on track.

It is simple, according to Allegri, who believes working beats talking in a time of crisis.

"I knew when I came back that it would take time to rebuild," he said. "But unfortunately I did not think that at this moment we would lose two games in a row [in the Champions League]."

Juventus won nine consecutive Serie A titles before failing to make it 10 in a row during Andrea Pirlo's single season in charge.

They laboured to fourth place under Allegri last term, and the coach says finding an instant winning formula was always going to be difficult.

"But this is something the club knows, we all know it, but the important thing is to try to do well, to stay in the Champions League," Allegri said. "And these two games p***** us off.

"This does not mean that everything is compromised in the Champions League, but at the moment talking is useless. Plus the less we talk, the better it is, because we waste less energy."

With his team sitting eighth in Serie A after two wins and four draws so far this season, Allegri's words sounded worrying after Wednesday's defeat.

Juve had no response to the dominance of Benfica, who had previously lost 10 of their last 12 visits against Italian clubs.

"In these moments I think there are few explanations to give," Allegri said, "because in any case after we went 2-1 down, the game was over because it was in their hands. On a psychological level we had collapsed and therefore, in this moment, we can only remain silent, work and take little step after little step to get back up."

He pinpointed Sunday's Serie A game against Monza as a chance to bounce back, but whatever the result of that game it will do nothing to repair the early damage to Juve's European hopes.

"At this moment, going to look for and talk about the problems that exist does not make sense," Allegri said.

"The Champions League in this moment is complicated. This doesn't mean that it is already over, but at the moment the closest thing is Monza. So we have four days to better prepare for the match in Monza at a mental level."

He added: "I don't want to blame the lads for anything. It is normal that there must be a sense of responsibility on the part of everyone and everyone needs to do something more – not overdo, but do."

Massimiliano Allegri insisted he has no fears for his Juventus job as he urged the Bianconeri to put worries aside to respond to their Champions League defeat to Benfica.

Juve are without a point in the Champions League after two Group H games, falling to a 2-1 defeat after Joao Mario cancelled out Arkadiusz Milik's opener before David Neres scored a second-half winner.

That marked the first time Juve have opened a Champions League group stage with two losses, while they suffered three straight defeats in Europe's premier club competition for the first time since September 1972.

With just one win in seven games amid a poor run in Serie A, pressure continues to grow on Allegri but the Juve coach remains confident he is the right man to take the Bianconeri forward.

"Absolutely yes, we have a bit of difficulty but there are a few players missing," Allegri responded to Amazon Prime Video when asked if he felt he could turn things around.

"We must work with calmness and with the responsibility of all."

Juve have won just one of their last seven games in Europe against Benfica, who moved level at the top of Group H with Paris Saint-Germain after the Ligue 1 side downed Maccabi Haifa 3-1 on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri had no response to the dominance of Benfica, who had previously lost 10 of their last 12 visits against Italian sides, leading Allegri to call on a response from his players.

"It is difficult to explain what happened but after going 2-1 down, the match is over. The performance would have been bad too [even if we got] a draw," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"Now we don't need to talk, just work and think about on the pitch. I told the team that in football these moments happen and you have to get out of them as a collective.

"In the Champions League it's hard, but it's not finished. I understand the difficult moment for the team. We don't have to think about worries, we just have to do."

Juve will hope to respond when they visit Monza in Serie A on Sunday, with their next Champions League clash coming against Maccabi Haifa at home on October 5.

Leonardo Bonucci conceded the jeers from Juventus fans were deserved in the Champions League defeat to Benfica, leaving the Bianconeri captain "worried" by a situation that "needs to be changed".

Juve needed just four minutes to take the lead in Turin as Arkadiusz Milik headed in, only for Joao Mario to restore parity with a first-half penalty.

David Neres secured a deserved three points for Roger Schmidt's side after the interval, with Dusan Vlahovic seeing a goal ruled out for offside and Bremer blasting over as Juve looked to snatch a late equaliser.

That left Juve with just one win in seven European outings against Benfica, who sit level on points with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Group H after the Ligue 1 side overcame Maccabi Haifa 3-1 on Wednesday.

Defeat also marked the first time Juve have lost their opening two games in the competition's group stage, while it is the first occasion they have lost three games in a row in the European Cup or Champions League since September 1972.

Pressure continues to mount on coach Massimiliano Allegri after just one win in Juve's last seven games, and Bonucci offered an honest appraisal after yet another frustrating performance at the Allianz Stadium.

"The whistles are right. There is little to say. We have lost a game that we absolutely shouldn't have lost," the Italy international told Amazon Prime Video. 

"It is right that we are booed. I am the captain who must put my face to it. We are going through a moment where we find it hard to do everything.

"I'm worried, there is nothing to hide. Unfortunately, we leave the game too often. I don't know why and that's the thing that worries me the most.

"We struggle to keep the games constant. Now there is little to say, we just have to shut up, work and look forward.

"I think it is a situation that needs to be changed certainly. We have many players out, we are always playing the same ones and you feel the fatigue. It is everyone's fault."

Juve remain without a point after two Group H games in the Champions League, and will look to make amends on the return to Serie A action at Monza on Sunday.

David Neres scored a second-half winner as Juventus continued their poor start to the season with a 2-1 defeat at home to Benfica in the Champions League.

Having seen a late winner ruled out in Sunday's ill-tempered draw with Salernitana, Arkadiusz Milik took just four minutes to open the scoring, flicking past Odisseas Vlachodimos to seemingly put the hosts in control.

However, Joao Mario levelled things up with a first-half penalty and Neres volleyed in the winner after 55 minutes, putting Benfica joint-top of Group H alongside Paris Saint-Germain.

There were chances for a late equaliser, Dusan Vlahovic seeing an effort disallowed and Bremer squandering a golden opportunity to leave the pressure mounting upon Massimiliano Allegri.

Juve raced out the blocks in a frantic start, with Milik's glancing header from Leandro Paredes' right-wing cross finding the bottom-left corner to open the scoring.

Filip Kostic drilled just wide from Juan Cuadrado's looping delivery before Goncalo Ramos should have restored parity but directed straight at Mattia Perin with a close-range header.

Rafa struck the right-hand post with a curling effort but Benfica's dominance soon paid dividends when Joao Mario converted his penalty, which was awarded after a VAR check for a Fabio Miretti foul on Ramos.

Vlachodimos parried away a swerving Milik shot after the interval before Neres smashed a left-footed volley into the bottom-left corner following Perin's save from Rafa's drive.

Perin was again required to push away a fizzing Rafa strike before the Juve goalkeeper showed smart reflexes to keep out a Neres strike as Benfica threatened to extend their lead.

Vlahovic thought he had snatched a late equaliser, only for the offside flag to go up after Mattia De Scigilo's cross from the left, before Bremer blazed a golden opportunity over with just three minutes left.

What does it mean? Juve struggles against Benfica continue

Juve have now won just one of seven European meetings with Benfica as their uninspiring form in both the Champions League and Serie A continued at the Allianz Stadium.

Benfica had lost 10 of their last 12 away games against Italian sides, with their only win coming against Fiorentina in the 1996-97 Cup Winners Cup, but responded emphatically to Milik's opener to collect a rare victory in Italy.

Defeat left Juve without a point to their name in Group H and Allegri's side have ground to make up on Roger Schmidt's side, who are level on points with PSG after their perfect start.

Rafa shines

Rafa was a constant menace to the Juve defence as he repeatedly found space in between the lines to operate behind the dangerous Ramos.

While he was denied by the woodwork and by Perin in the build-up to Neres' goal, Rafa also created a game-high four chances (level with Paredes) in a brilliant attacking display.

More needed from Miretti

Injuries to the likes of Paul Pogba, Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot have offered Miretti a chance in Allegri's starting line-up.

But the youngster struggled as he gave away the first-half penalty, while winning less than half of his 12 duels and completing just 11 passes before his 58th-minute removal.

What's next?

Juve return to Serie A action at Monza on Sunday, while Benfica host Maritimo in the Primeira Liga on the same day.

Massimiliano Allegri believes coaches who are shown red cards should pay fines that are then passed to charities, rather than face touchline bans.

The Juventus head coach was sent off in stoppage time of his side's dramatic 2-2 draw with Salernitana on Sunday after protesting the referee and VAR overturning what would have been a last-minute winning goal from Arkadiusz Milik, who was also dismissed for taking his shirt off during the initial celebrations.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Bianconeri hosting Benfica in the Champions League group stage, Allegri said he considers the chapter "closed", but raised his idea that coaches pay fines rather than face bans following such incidents.

"I have never expressed any judgements of the referees," he said. "It's not up to me to express my opinion on that. I closed that chapter on Sunday.

"I don't know whether I will be able to take part in Sunday's game [at Monza]. Rather than being sent off, maybe it would be better to pay a fine for coaches so we can help charities, but I would like to be on the pitch.

"This is something that should be taken into consideration that could be food for thought, in my opinion." 

Juve have had an underwhelming start to the season, drawing four of their six Serie A games so far, while they lost their opening game in Group H of the Champions League 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain last week.

Allegri expects his team to improve, but pointed to a lack of experience at the top level for several of his players, singling out new arrival Bremer, who signed from Torino in July.

"We certainly have experience, but at the same time we have other players who have not played in the Champions League very often, and have not played in Serie A very often, so they have less experience," Allegri said.

"Playing for Juventus is not easy at all, the players are always under pressure. Obviously we want to win all the time so we are pushed from the outside.

"Bremer, I believe, will only be playing his second match in the Champions League if I'm not wrong. He's an extraordinary signing for the club of course but in terms of experience... he has to deal with some psychological pressure.

"We would like to have a different situation in Serie A. We have lost some points and I am sorry for that. We have time to recover, but as for the match, it will be a difficult and complicated match and we must be focused on it."

The former Milan boss did have some good news for Juve fans, saying Angel Di Maria has returned from injury and could start at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, while first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is also back in training.

"Di Maria has recovered," he said. "I don't know if he will start, but he has been training with the team. Szczesny has also been training so may be available, I will know after this press conference.

"Alex Sandro had a problem after Sunday, he might be back for the Monza game, and [Adrien] Rabiot and [Manuel] Locatelli are out."

Leonardo Bonucci has insisted Arkadiusz Milik's header against Salernitana should have stood as he was "not involved in active play".

Sunday's Serie A clash at the Allianz Stadium saw the hosts fight back from two goals behind and almost take all three points, with Milik scoring in added time.

Further drama would follow as Milik would be shown a second yellow card for taking his top off in celebration, while the goal was controversially ruled out by a VAR check.

Antonio Candreva's position looked to have played Milik onside but Bonucci believes that is irrelevant as he did not interfere with play.

"The explanation was that I was involved in active play, but Sepe would have never caught that, my position didn't interfere with his potential save," he told DAZN.

"That's what the rule says. And then, there is the doubt that Antonio Candreva keeps everyone onside.

"I am less than a metre behind the goal area, Candreva seems to be above. If you see the colour of the turf, Candreva could keep me onside.

"I hope they [referees] considered his position, but I guess we'll never know it. Regardless of that, I was not involved in active play and the Salernitana defender even took my shirt off."

Juventus now turn their attention towards the Champions League fixture against Benfica, then travelling to Monza in the final Serie A match before the international break.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri lamented his team's fortune with VAR after they saw a late winner chalked off in a 2-2 home draw with Salernitana.

Arkadiusz Milik looked to have won the game with a 94th minute header from a corner, but VAR disallowed the goal after the ball took a slight nick off Leonardo Bonucci, who was stood in an offside position.

Bonucci had levelled the match just a minute previously with a rebound from his own missed penalty, as Juventus came back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to earn a point.

In addition to Milik's goal being ruled out, the striker was given a second yellow card for his overzealous celebration. A scuffle ensued which saw Juve's Juan Cuadrado and Salernitana's Federico Fazio given straight reds, while Allegri also received his marching orders for his part in the altercation.

Allegri spoke on his VAR frustrations after the game, telling reporters: "I can't give interpretations because I'm not a referee, you have to accept the decisions. I think the referee was good.

"On the goal I would like to see the image where you can see [Antonio] Candreva who is in front of the ball where the corner is taken. I would like to know if there is an image where Candreva is seen.

"Since the beginning of the season we are a bit unlucky with this VAR, we can say this."

Allegri, in his second spell as Juve head coach, was disappointed with his team's first-half reaction to going a goal behind through former Bianconeri wide-man Antonio Candreva, before Krzysztof Piatek doubled the visitors' lead just before the break.

"Let's analyse the game. We played 20 minutes very well, then after the goal we stopped," Allegri added.

"Sooner or later it had to happen to go behind, I wanted to see the reaction. It was the first time we were at a disadvantage and my curiosity was to see how we would react. We didn't react well.

"Then in the second half we played a good match. Salernitana played a good game and I have to congratulate [Davide] Nicola."

Juventus came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 home draw against Salernitana in a game that saw three red cards dished out after a potential winner for the hosts was ruled out by VAR deep into stoppage time.

Antonio Candreva scored against his former team to put Salernitana in front, before Krzysztof Piatek rifled home a penalty to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at half-time.

Bremer's powerful header cut the visitors' advantage and Leonardo Bonucci scored the rebound from his own missed penalty to equalise in the 93rd minute. 

There was more drama to come, though, as Arkadiusz Milik thought he had netted a 94th minute winner, only for it to be chalked off by VAR for offside. Before that, he received a red card for his celebrations, while Juan Cuadrado, Salernitana's Federico Fazio and Juve head coach Massimiliano Allegri were also dismissed for their roles in a massive melee on the pitch.

Former Juventus coach Fabio Capello thinks the Bianconeri enjoyed the best transfer window of any Serie A club, but still believes they are not favourites to lift the Scudetto.

Juventus have claimed two wins and three draws during a solid if unspectacular start to the new season, and have faced criticism for their ponderous style of play under Massimiliano Allegri.

Their underwhelming performances have come in the aftermath of a window in which the Turin giants acquired Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Gleison Bremer, Filip Kostic and Leandro Paredes.

Capello was impressed by their recruitment, particularly with the decision to replace Matthijs de Ligt with Bremer, but does not believe they will win their first title since 2019-20 this season.

Speaking to SportWeek, Capello said: "Looking at the names, Juventus were the winners. 

"They had a top summer with Di Maria, Pogba, Paredes, all champions that other teams don't have. Bremer is better than de Ligt on a defensive level. 

"Juve have invested in quality, catching up with Inter and Milan. Without the new players they're already among the top teams, while the others lost players."

However, when asked for his title favourites, Capello added: "It's still Inter, even though they lost [Ivan] Perisic and have [Romelu] Lukaku injured. The Belgian is the market coup of the summer. 

"Milan made an important effort for [Charles] De Ketelaere, whom I confess I don't know. 

"Napoli have replaced the departing players with good alternatives. Lazio will also be one to watch."

Juventus spent an estimated €105million during the transfer window, more than any other club in the Italian top-flight.

However, they have been beset by injury troubles in recent weeks, with a knee injury threatening to rule Pogba out of the upcoming World Cup and a thigh problem continuing to plague Di Maria.

Massimiliano Allegri called for Juventus to become more "unpleasant" as he said the Bianconeri must remain in Scudetto contention by the time Serie A breaks for the World Cup in November.

Juventus have made a solid if unspectacular start to the new campaign, taking nine points from their first five Serie A matches while remaining unbeaten.

But Allegri's men have faced criticism for their tepid style, and were outplayed by Paris Saint-Germain when they suffered a 2-1 defeat in their Champions League opener on Tuesday. 

That result means the Bianconeri have started a Champions League campaign with a loss for just the second time in their 23 participations in the competition (W13 D8), also losing to Barcelona in September 2017 (3-0).

Allegri believes Juventus were too "nice" on their trip to France and called for them to toughen up ahead of Sunday's match against Salernitana.

"After 2-0 there was a good match, a good reaction. I don't like that Juve played well after the 2-0, and we have also become nice," Allegri said on Saturday.

"That's not good. I am very angry, you have to be unpleasant, so we are successful. Otherwise we get used to being nice and pretty and losers, and that's not good! 

"You have to take the positives from the game. The boys know it, we have a game to face with the right seriousness.

"We work day-by-day to create conditions to achieve goals. But it takes something else. You don't have to be nice or pretty."

Juventus have been beset by injuries – including those suffered by new arrivals Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria – in the season's early weeks, and are also waiting on the recovery of Federico Chiesa, who has not featured since undergoing surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January.

With Serie A set to pause for almost two months from early November, Allegri believes remaining in contention until the World Cup starts will be crucial for their Scudetto hopes.

"At this moment, with the numerical difficulties, we need to arrive in November in the best possible ranking condition," Allegri said.

"I know that there is a great desire to work, to return to winning even if it is not easy. We were missing players from the beginning, important players.

"In January we will recover everyone but we cannot ruin everything this month.

"[What] if we take away the equivalent of Pogba, Di Maria and Chiesa from the other teams? 

"We must be happy with what we are doing, knowing that the prospects are rosy."

On Chiesa, Allegri added: "I hope to have him before the World Cup break. He will be at 100 per cent in January, now there is a month left, he is working on the field alone. 

"We hope to have him as soon as possible with the team in a partial role."

Juventus are looking to defend a strong record against Salernitana when they host Davide Nicola's men on Sunday; the Bianconeri have won four of the teams' previous six Serie A meetings (D1 L1), keeping five clean sheets.

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were spoken to privately by Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier following their latest on-pitch contretemps.

The PSG forwards have begun the season in fine scoring form, but their relationship has faced intense scrutiny after appearing fractious at times.

It has again come under the microscope after Neymar's upset reaction to Mbappe ignoring the chance to feed him a pass for a likely tap-in in the 2-1 Champions League win over Juventus.

That moment early in the second half of Tuesday's game saw Mbappe charge in from the right flank after receiving a pass from Lionel Messi and blaze a shot wide, rather than square the ball for the advancing Neymar. With two goals already in the game, the France international was chasing a hat-trick.

Mbappe faced criticism earlier in the season for his actions during the 5-2 win over Montpellier, which included a public argument with Neymar.

Frenchman Mbappe missed a penalty in that game but felt he should have another chance from 12 yards when PSG were awarded a second spot-kick, only for Neymar to disagree, taking responsibility and scoring.

A seemingly sulky Mbappe then did not celebrate a goal of his own, and after the Juventus game Galtier had a familiar topic on his hands once more.

The PSG head coach said on Friday: "The relationship is very good. That is the truth. They are often together in training.

"Yes, there is a situation in a match, but having spoken to Kylian Mbappe yesterday – and I have also spoken to Ney – but from the discussion with Kylian Mbappe there were two moments: there was the first acceleration when there was possibly a chance to pass the ball but it was more difficult, and the second time was when Kylian Mbappe got into the box and did not see Ney.

"When you see the clip it looks simple, but at the time he had to make a decision. Kylian Mbappe was focused on the ball for shooting. I am convinced that Kylian Mbappe will get assists for Neymar, just as Neymar is capable of performing assists for Kylian Mbappe.

"There is nothing else negative about that since that piece of play in the game."

Neymar has seven goals and six assists from five starts and one substitute appearance in Ligue 1 this season, while Mbappe has seven goals from five starts but has yet to set up a goal for a team-mate.

Mbappe said ahead of the Juventus game that his relationship with Neymar had in the past "been colder or hotter" with moments where they have been "best friends" and others where they have been more distant.

Galtier could rest one or more of his strikeforce when PSG play Brest in Ligue 1 on Saturday, ahead of Wednesday's Champions League trip to Maccabi Haifa.

Asked whether he could considering resting all three of his star forwards – Messi, Neymar and Mbappe – Galtier's response was a punchy "No!".

But he confirmed one could miss out, saying: "That is possible."

PSG have taken 16 points from six games so far, scoring 24 Ligue 1 goals already, with only Manchester City's Erling Haaland (10) scoring more league goals than Neymar and Mbappe in Europe's top five leagues.

Brest are the only team Neymar has played against in Ligue 1 without registering either a goal or an assist; however, he has faced them just once in his career to date.

Anything other than a convincing home win for the leaders against their 17th-placed visitors would be a surprise, with PSG having won each of their last nine Ligue 1 matches against Brest. Among current Ligue 1 sides, they only have a longer winning run against Angers (12 games).

Chelsea have reportedly held an emergency call with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to reassure him of his future with the club after Thomas Tuchel's surprise sacking.

Tuchel was removed from his position after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener, in a move that will carry a heavy financial cost, according to reports from the Daily Mail and The Mirror.

Tuchel and his backroom staff are said to be receiving £15million in pay-outs, and Brighton are set to claim £20m in compensation after Graham Potter took over.

One of the main selling points for Aubameyang to come to Stamford Bridge was his relationship with Tuchel, who had coached him at Borussia Dortmund, and the Telegraph claims Chelsea's ownership group went out of their way to reassure the 33-year-old striker about his decision after cutting ties with Tuchel.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA OWNERS REASSURE AUBAMEYANG OF HIS ROLE AFTER TUCHEL FIRING

According to the Telegraph's report, controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbali addressed the Chelsea squad on Wednesday after Tuchel's sacking took place that morning, but there was also a separate individual chat with Aubameyang.

They reportedly told the signing from Barcelona that they "believe he can flourish under new head coach Graham Potter", and the Gabon international is said to have no second thoughts about his decision.

While he was clearly a player Tuchel pushed for, Aubameyang was assured he was "a club signing", and the report claims he "is thought to have been appreciative of the explanation".

In his one game for Chelsea under Tuchel, Aubameyang was substituted in the 59th minute.

ROUND-UP

– BILD has confirmed once again that Liverpool have their sights set on a massive move for Borussia Dortmund's 19-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham in 2023. 

– A report from Sport claims the rise of 18-year-old Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde has complicated the arrival of Marcos Alonso, who was brought in to be the main competition to Jordi Alba, but he is now behind Balde as well.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk wants a move to Arsenal alongside his Ukrainian compatriot Oleksandr Zinchenko, and that it could be possible in January.

– JuveLive claim Juventus are prepared to offer 22-year-old striker Moise Kean to Aston Villa in a straight swap for 24-year-old midfielder Douglas Luiz.

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says the injuries sustained by Paul Pogba and Karim Benzema are a worry for Les Bleus ahead of their World Cup campaign.

The world champions could be without key midfielder Pogba when they travel to Qatar in November after he was forced to undergo surgery on a knee injury this week.

Pogba originally opted to undergo conservative therapy to solve a lesion to the lateral meniscus in his right knee, but doctor Roberto Rossi has since declared that choice "worsened" his injury, leaving his World Cup place in doubt.

France were also left concerned when Benzema hobbled off during Real Madrid's 3-0 Champions League win over Celtic on Tuesday, although the striker's thigh injury is not thought to be serious.

Speaking after helping Tottenham to a 2-0 win over Marseille on Wednesday, Lloris said: "What worries me the most are the small physical glitches they are having.

"We will need our best players in November and I hope they will all recover. I hope it's not too serious for Karim."

Lloris was less hopeful on Pogba's injury, however, adding: "For Paul, we know that his chances are compromised."

France begin their World Cup title defence against Australia on November 22 in Al-Wakrah.

Chelsea dismissed Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday following their 1-0 Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb.

New Blues owner Todd Boehly wielded the axe after a slow start to the 2022-23 season for the London club.

Several names have been linked with the vacant post already, including Mauricio Pochettino and Graham Potter.

TOP STORY – VERBAL AGREEMENT IN PLACE FOR CHELSEA AND POTTER

Chelsea will formally offer their vacant manager role to Brighton and Hove Albion's Graham Potter, according to several UK reports.

Brighton had granted Chelsea permission to speak to Potter, with the two parties locked in talks on Wednesday evening following Thomas Tuchel's dismissal.

Ben Jacobs from CBS Sports claims that a verbal agreement is agreed between Chelsea and Potter, with Sky Sports' Rob Dorsett stating he could be unveiled as their new boss on Thursday.

ROUND-UP

– The Sun claims that Manchester United are ready to open discussions with Marcus Rashford on a new deal. Rashford, who has three goals this season, is contracted until mid-2023.

– The Sun also reports Wilfried Zaha is set to be offered a new deal by Crystal Palace. Zaha, who has been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea, is into the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park.

– Juventus are preparing for a straight swap deal in January with Aston Villa, which would see Moise Kean and Douglas Luiz trade places, according to JuveLive. Douglas Luiz's contract at Villa Park expires at the end of this season.

–  Everton and Arsenal both remain interested in Mykhaylo Mudryk but Shakhtar Donetsk want more than £30m (€34.5m) for the 21-year-old Ukrainian winger, claims Gianluca di Marzio.

UEFA has launched an investigation into alleged "discriminatory behaviour" from Juventus supporters during their Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

A Kylian Mbappe brace condemned Juventus to defeat in their Champions League opener at the Parc des Princes, with Weston McKennie scoring a second-half consolation for the Bianconeri.

After the match, video footage was circulated on social media which appeared to show visiting fans making offensive gestures, prompting an inquiry. 

A UEFA statement released on Wednesday read: "In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding allegations of discriminatory behaviour by Juventus supporters at the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage match between Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus played on 6 September in France.

"Information on this matter will be made available in due course."

Juventus are set to host the reverse fixture on November 2.