Toulouse president Damien Comolli insists that his club’s use of data is the reason behind their success rather than “football wisdom”.

The entire football operation of the Ligue 1 club, who beat Liverpool in the Europa League last week, is entirely driven by data, from player and manager recruitment to which set-pieces to use in a match and when.

It is bearing fruit as promotion from Ligue 2 in 2022 was followed by success in last season’s Coupe de France, which earned them their ticket to European football this season. 

And Comolli, who worked at Tottenham and Liverpool as sporting director, believes all their success comes from their use and understanding of the data.

“Our whole football operation is driven by data, whether it his how we recruit a coach or sign a player, the way we play, the way we attack, the way we defend, from where we shoot, from where we cross, where we press,” Comolli said at Web Summit in Lisbon.

“We try to optimise the wage bill and transfer budget using data. Data is part of our culture.

“Where we gain a competitive advantage is we have decided to stick by data compared to the football wisdom. We are very disciplined at it.

“At the moment we are struggling in the league, doing well in Europe. But with underlying data, we don’t look at results.

“The day after the game, none of the pages of the match report will contain the result. It will show the underlying data, why we lost or why we won.

“We need a bridge between the mathematics and science and the football people. Those individuals that can translate the data that is applicable to coaches and understandable to everyone, that bridge is absolutely key.”

The use of data and artificial intelligence is quickly becoming more prominent in today’s game and Comolli believes it will have a big impact in the future of the game.

He thinks that it will be particularly important in injury prevention.

“In the last four seasons our player availability for per game has been at 95 per cent, the highest in France,” Comolli added. “We are constantly using data to measure player’s loads, we are are using AI to measure in-game data.

“In the future it will help coaches make better decisions, when to make a substitution, when to make a tactical adjustment or not make one.

“We played at Anfield, we were losing 4-1, our best striker was still on the pitch and we had a game a few days later. I messaged the analyst, ‘Why is he still on the pitch?’.

“His data was showing he was in the red, so we brought him off. He went on to score in the next four games, maybe if we played him for longer he would have got injured or fatigued.”

The Saudi Pro League will target players “of the highest level” in future transfer windows, its head of recruitment has said.

Top-flight Saudi Arabian clubs spent £701million to bring in talent from overseas in the summer,’ according to FIFA.

That figure could have been even bigger if bids from Saudi teams for Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah had been accepted.

Michael Emenalo, the league’s director of football and the man in charge of the country’s Player Acquisition Centre for Excellence (PACE), admitted the Saudi league had “competed aggressively” in the summer window and that the focus was now on top-quality additions.

“I’m hoping (the January transfer window) is not very busy, because I think the job that was done has been quite interesting and aggressive, and most of the clubs, I believe, have what they need,” the former Chelsea technical director said in an interview with the league’s in-house media team.

“And hopefully the attention will now turn to work within the training facilities to improve these players and to allow the time to adapt and perform.

“Now, whatever additional improvement that we need to do for any club, with time on our hands and preparation, we believe will be additions of the highest level.

“We will continue to support and to see every opportunity we have to bring more talented individuals that want to come to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is open for business.”

Saudi clubs have always traditionally been one of the top recruiters of talent in Asia but Al Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in January of this year marked a gear shift and paved the way for other superstars to join the league.

Neymar, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Neves and Sadio Mane are among the big names who subsequently moved to the kingdom in the summer.

Emenalo added: “These guys have been the best performers for a very long time in our industry. We’re very, very lucky to have them.

“I’ve always explained, privately and publicly, that top-level footballers are incredible and unique artists, and what they can do, you can only dream of until you try to do it, when you realise how difficult it is.

“Those guys are exceptional artists, and the artists as time goes on will be greatly appreciated and copied by youngsters in the country and that will be for the good of everyone.”

What the papers say

Newcastle are considering a January move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, according to The Sun. Manchester United and West Ham are also keen on the German international, 27.

RB Leipzig have opened the door for Timo Werner to exit the club, according to the Evening Standard. The former Chelsea forward, 27, has started only two games this season.

The Standard also reports that Chelsea are the latest club to take an interest in 18-year-old South American midfielder Gabriel Moscardo. The Corinthians teenager has already attracted interest from Arsenal and Liverpool.

Jadon Sancho is unlikely to be allowed to leave Manchester United on the cheap. The Daily Mirror says the club will not sanction a cut-price January deal for the England winger, 23.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Ferran Torres: Newcastle are interested in the Spanish forward, with Barcelona keen to sell the 23-year-old.

Evan Ferguson: Manchester United are keeping an eye on the 19-year-old striker, despite him signing a new deal with Brighton.

Emma Hayes felt her Chelsea side had been “robbed” after they were held 2-2 at Real Madrid in their Champions League opener.

In a contest with no VAR in operation, Real equalised through a 79th-minute Olga Carmona penalty awarded by referee Frida Klarlund for a Jessie Fleming challenge on Athenea del Castillo – which Hayes had no doubt took place outside the box.

The Chelsea manager was also unhappy about Niamh Charles’ finish being disallowed in stoppage time, seemingly for offside, stressing that Charles had been onside and Sam Kerr had not interfered with goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez.

Hayes told reporters in Spain: “I could see from the bench that the tackle (for the penalty decision) was outside the box. So I’m absolutely shocked that those managing the game couldn’t see that.

“Of course maybe Jessie shouldn’t lunge in that area, but it happens clearly outside the box. At this level when you are in control of a game and important decisions like that go against you, it makes it difficult.”

Regarding the stoppage-time incident, she added: “We score a really legitimate goal with Niamh Charles three or four yards onside.

“It is embarrassing. I had to check why it was disallowed. Was it Niamh? No. Was it Sam (Kerr) interfering with the goalkeeper? She was about seven yards away, no way near the keeper.

“I cannot understand the decision whatsoever. I think we’ve been robbed of what was a 3-1 game.

“You can’t (ask the referee for clarity at full-time). You’re not allowed to speak to the officials. Can’t speak to them there (on the pitch), can’t speak about it here (to the media).

“For me I am going to focus on the performance, I can only control that. Everybody saw the decisions, you don’t need me to comment on them any further.”

Real took the lead at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium through a deflected 10th-minute shot from Carmona – scorer of Spain’s winner against England in the summer’s World Cup final – before Chelsea hit back through two headers, Charles equalising in the 41st minute and then setting up Kerr in the 74th.

After Carmona levelled from the spot, Lauren James hit the crossbar before the late disallowed effort as the visitors were unable to secure a winning start to what is to be their final Champions League campaign before Hayes leaves at the end of the season for the United States job.

Hayes said: “I think the performance was well controlled by us, especially away from home in Europe. We had so much more of the ball and it was comfortable.

“(There was) just a tactical adjustment that we had to make (at half-time) – the pivots weren’t carrying out a small detail there. Overall it had to be better in the final third, either the last pass or whatever it might have been.

“I think the team did better with that (in the second half). We hit the bar as well, we should have scored from that. We had chances, so we should be disappointed with ourselves.

“I can’t remember the last time we were in a game like that when two humongous decisions like that have gone against us – that is a lot tonight.”

Wednesday’s earlier game in Group D saw Paris FC – who Chelsea play in their next pool game at Stamford Bridge next Thursday – beaten 2-1 at home by Swedish side BK Hacken.

Charlton striker Alfie May admitted he had personal inspiration for scoring twice in his side’s 6-1 FA Cup first-round replay win over Cray Valley at the Artic Stadium.

Now 30, May played in non-league football until he was 23 and demonstrated the hunger that has allowed him to make the transition to the professional game.

May said: “I was so excited to come back here. I’ve been like a big kid all day.

“I looked at the programme and saw Cray’s league table in it with the likes of Hythe Town and Erith & Belvedere, who were teams that I played for. Now I’m playing for Charlton in League One, which is crazy.

“I didn’t get to the first round of the FA Cup when I was in non-league. I was one round away, but you could see tonight how much it means to these type of teams.”

Charlton manager Michael Appleton praised his side’s attitude, but admitted that his team might have been reduced to 10 men just before half-time.

The League One outfit’s keeper Sam Walker brought down Kyrell Lisbie just outside the area, but referee Charles Breakspear awarded a penalty, meaning that under the double jeopardy rule, he could not send off Walker and instead gave him only a yellow card.

Appleton said: “We maybe got a little fortunate that the referee didn’t give them a free-kick because if it’s not a penalty, Sam could have potentially been sent off. But I thought we earned our fortune with the attitude we showed tonight.

“The only thing we lacked in the first half was that killer pass or touch. But we had a great attitude for the whole 95 minutes.

“There was a real focus in the group, we moved the ball really well and once the game opened up in the second half we got our rewards.”

After Lisbie cancelled out May’s opener, Charlton ran riot with Miles Leaburn, May, George Dobson, Tyreece Campbell and Micah Mbick all finding the net.

Cray Valley manager Steve McKimm was far from disappointed with the performance of his part-time players, whose FA Cup run through five qualifying rounds and two televised ties against Charlton has generated around £200,000 for the Isthmian League South East Division club.

McKimm said: “I’m super-proud of my players. They have been beaten by a top League One club.

“My players worked all day today until 4.30 or 5 o’clock, then came here and had to chase shadows at times. Trust me, the Charlton players didn’t have to work today before they came here.

“But the most pleasing thing was that we got a goal for our fans to cheer. The boys have had their moment on the TV twice and done themselves proud because Charlton had to bring out their big guns to come here and win.

“That’s our FA Cup story over and now our focus is on the FA Trophy and the league. The cup run has made the club thousands of pounds. The ground needs a couple of things doing to it to be able to go up if we were to get promoted.”

Marc Guehi is aiming to be England’s ‘Steady Eddie’ after overcoming doubts during a loan stint at Swansea to become a regular in Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The Crystal Palace centre-back, 23, has seven senior caps and has featured in three of the previous four games ahead of the final Euro 2024 qualification double-header against Malta and North Macedonia.

Having come through the ranks at Chelsea, where he credits Claude Makelele as a mentor, Guehi never made a Premier League appearance for the Blues but is now a fixture in the division in south London.

Guehi was also capped at every England age group from Under-16s upwards until making his senior debut last year.

Asked how he has dealt with every step up in his career, Guehi replied: “The trait is, that in my life everything has been quite steady. Growing up I was never pushed on too soon, or left behind.

“It was always quite steady and my career has been exactly the same. In the academy, going out on loan, steadily playing game after game and gaining confidence. Getting the move to Palace and finding my feet in the Premier League and now coming here with England.

“So when you talk about those steps and progression, everything for me has been quite natural. I just see things how they are and take things how they come.

“When I said about the steadiness, along that pathway there is those setbacks. I think it’s your job as an individual to just learn from those as quickly as possible. And not allow them to drag you from behind.

“There’s been many setbacks and always will be. It’s about learning from them and using those moments to prove yourself.”

The main setback for Guehi was during his time on loan at Swansea, a move which coincided with the start of the coronavirus pandemic that shut down football for over three months during the 2019/20 season.

Guehi was away from home and had fallen out of favour in the Swansea team, not featuring in the final four matchday squads before football was halted – although he returned to get back into the side before spending another campaign on loan at the Liberty Stadium.

“Not many people know, it was tough for me at Swansea,” he said.

“I have not spoken about it, everyone thinks it was plain sailing, great. I played the first four games and then I didn’t play up until after lockdown. Being away from home, in Swansea, different country, on your own, there’s going to be challenges, going to be tough.

“Those moments were difficult, you take those moments, learn from them, try to move on and put them right. I was just out of favour. Not anything in particular. I came from Chelsea, came with a lot of confidence, and my confidence almost gets knocked.

“Thankfully, I did get back home, just in time before (lockdown), it was so strange to say it, for so many people around the world it was horrible, for my family, and so many people around.

“For me, it was probably the best moment, I could get away from football, be with my family, and just focus on myself. How can I now if football does come back – thankfully football did come back – if we do get back to playing, how can I get back in this team?

“I genuinely enjoyed Swansea. It was good. Swansea was a great place for me to play. I had a great view from an apartment looking out onto the beach although it was not sunny but it was still a decent view.”

Guehi, who plays drums at his church when time allows and whose father is a pastor, has used setbacks such as his experiences in south Wales, to build a stronger mentality.

“It is like building calluses but in your mind,” he added.

“Going through those moments does help you in everyday life, everyday situations. You might have a bad game but you remember what you’ve gone through before, and you almost put that to bed and go I just need to prove myself the next game. Moving steadily.”

Chelsea had to settle for a point in their Champions League opener as Olga Carmona’s penalty saw Emma Hayes’ side held 2-2 at Real Madrid.

After Carmona put Real ahead in the 10th minute, the Blues turned things around via two headers either side of the break, Niamh Charles equalising and then setting up Sam Kerr.

But moments later Carmona – scorer of Spain’s winner against England in the summer’s World Cup final – converted from the spot after Jessie Fleming was judged to have fouled Athenea del Castillo in the box.

Chelsea substitute Lauren James rattled the crossbar before Charles controversially had an effort ruled out in stoppage time as the visitors were unable to secure a winning start to their final Champions League campaign before Hayes leaves at the end of the season and becomes United States head coach.

The west London outfit – who have not won this competition among the glut of trophies they have claimed under Hayes, going closest as runners-up in 2021 – return to Women’s Super League action against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before continuing their Group D games by taking on Paris FC at the same ground five days later.

Wednesday’s earlier game in the pool saw Paris FC beaten 2-1 at home by Swedish side BK Hacken.

Real grabbed the lead with the first real effort on goal as Ann-Katrin Berger’s attempted clearance came to Claudia Zornoza and she passed to Carmona, whose strike from 25 yards flew in via a deflection off Chelsea skipper Millie Bright.

While the hosts offered little more in the way of attacking threat for the rest of the first half, Chelsea looked increasingly likely to hit back.

And after Kerr had seen a rising shot well turned behind by Misa Rodriguez just prior to the half-hour mark and Erin Cuthbert fired off-target, the equaliser four minutes before the break when Charles headed in from Ashley Lawrence’s cross.

Further Chelsea pressure in stoppage time included a Cuthbert free-kick going wide off a white shirt and Sjoeke Nusken’s shot being caught by Rodriguez.

The opening stages of the second half saw Rodriguez deal with a Kerr header and do superbly to divert a shot from the same player wide moments later.

Hayes introduced James for Fran Kirby and after Charles blocked a Del Castillo strike, the substitute put a shot into the stand at the other end.

Chelsea got themselves in front with Charles once again involved as her 74th-minute cross was nodded in by Kerr.

But only five minutes later, the score was back level after Fleming made a challenge that started outside the box on Del Castillo, she went down in the area and – with no VAR in operation – referee Frida Klarlund pointed to the spot, with Carmona powerfully dispatching the penalty past Berger.

As Chelsea pushed to regain the lead, Rodriguez produced another good save to deny Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and James sent a wonderful shot crashing against the bar.

The visitors then had the ball in the net again deep in stoppage time through Charles’ finish, but the effort was chalked off – seemingly for offside, although replays showed she had not been – to leave Hayes looking frustrated and Real breathing a sigh of relief.

Cray Valley’s FA Cup adventure was finally ended following a 6-1 first-round replay defeat by League One Charlton at the Artic Stadium.

Having come from behind to force a replay in a 1-1 draw at the Valley 11 days earlier, the Isthmian League South East Division side were dreaming again late in the first half when Kyrell Lisbie cancelled out an Alfie May goal with a 44th-minute penalty.

That renewed hope was snuffed out when Charlton scored three goals in the opening 13 minutes of the second half.

The effervescent May, who played non-league football himself until the age of 23, scored a dazzling solo effort to add to a Miles Leaburn header before George Dobson drove a majestic 20-yard shot into the top corner.

Two Charlton substitutes completed the scoring in the final 13 minutes. Tyreece Campbell side-footed home a Dobson pass before Micah Mbick steered in a rebound.

Despite the heavy defeat, Cray Valley estimate that they have generated around £200,000 from their cup run, which started in August and took in five qualifying rounds before this first round proper tie.

The catalyst for Charlton’s victory was May, whose pace, urgency and hunger befitted a player with such deep non-league roots.

He had already fired off six shots by the time he gave Charlton a 35th-minute lead, controlling a Lucas Ness long ball sublimely on the outside of his right foot before adding a delightful dinked lob over Cray Valley keeper Sam Freeman.

The non-league side equalised when Lisbie was felled by Charlton keeper Sam Walker and then converted his spot-kick to the joy of the Cray Valley fans as well as his father Kevin, who played for both clubs and who was watching on from the nearby TV gantry.

That was before Charlton assumed total control in the second half to set up a second-round tie along the A2 at League Two side Gillingham.

Scotland take on Georgia in their penultimate Euro 2024 qualifier in Tbilisi on Thursday night.

Steve Clarke’s side have already qualified for Germany after winning five of their first six Group A games.

Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the game at the Boris Paichadze Stadium.

Pots not prizes

Scotland are highly unlikely to top the group given they sit on 15 points with Spain, who are seven goals better off and finish with games against Cyprus and Georgia. An unfortunate slip from Aaron Hickey late on in Seville last month led to a second Spanish goal and wiped out Scotland’s head-to-head advantage. However, good results against Georgia and Norway will boost Scotland’s hopes of landing in the second pot of seeds for next month’s Euro 2024 draw as well as regaining momentum after three consecutive defeats.

Breaking the spell

Scotland have twice come unstuck in Tbilisi before – their Euro 2008 and Euro 2016 campaigns suffered fatal blows against Georgia. Having beaten France home and away, Alex McLeish’s side lost 2-0 against a side featuring three teenagers, including 17-year-old goalkeeper Giorgi Makaridze and 17-year-old goalscorer Levan Mchedlidze. Gordon Strachan was also on the end of a defeat in Tbilisi as the hosts frustrated Scotland in a 1-0 win. Despite being unbeaten against qualification rivals Poland and Republic of Ireland, Scotland missed out on a play-off.

A chance to shine

Scotland are without about half a team of likely starters – Angus Gunn, Kieran Tierney, Grant Hanley, Hickey, Andy Robertson and Che Adams are all absent. The game could give the likes of Nathan Patterson, Greg Taylor, Anthony Ralston, the uncapped Josh Doig and late call-up Lawrence Shankland the chance to impress.

Who is in goal?

Clarke gave nothing away on who would replace Gunn, who has only conceded three goals in six qualifiers. Motherwell captain Liam Kelly and Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark are looking for their competitive debuts after both won their first caps in last month’s 4-1 friendly defeat by France. Rangers number two Robby McCrorie replaced Gunn in the squad.

Motivated opponents

Georgia cannot finish in the top two but they can still go to Euro 2024 through the Nations League play-offs. Willy Sagnol’s side were the top ranked team in Group C after winning emphatically away to Bulgaria and North Macedonia, and will take their place in the play-off tournament in March.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente insists his side have plenty of room for improvement and they are not taking for granted their final Euro 2024 qualifiers against the weakest opponents.

Despite having secured qualification, along with Scotland, the games against Cyprus and Georgia still carry significance as they will decide who finishes top of Group A.

And if De La Fuente needed any extra incentive to stress the need not to be complacent, he was reminded of Spain’s shock 3-2 defeat to Cyprus 25 years ago.

“I get a chill when I think about it, it was bad news,” he told a press conference.

“The results of the past are the past, we want to look to the future and play all the games without half-measures.

“Experience tells me that any game can turn ugly and many times it is due to lack of concentration. Tomorrow that will not be the case.”

Spain’s only defeat in the current campaign came against the Scots, but they have won their other five and, boosted by the 6-0 win over Cyrus in September, have a superior goal difference.

“We now have two games against Cyprus and Georgia that are very important,” added De La Fuente in Limassol.

“This is more than a test, this has to help us be better than previous games. That is the goal, to be better every day.

“We have a lot of room for improvement, they are very good players with a great willingness to do so.

“In that medium term that will be the next Euros. We have to be mature to be able to compete at the highest level.”

Asked whether his team should be considered one of the Euro 2024 favourites, he said: “We work to be able to fight to win the tournament but there are some teams like Germany, France, Portugal or England that have the same level as us. Then, winning it is a matter of details.”

Cyprus coach Temuri Ketsbaia, whose side have scored just two goals in their seven successive defeats, is hopeful his players can find the motivation in their final match – despite being hammered 6-0 by the same opponents in September.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the first day or the last. You always have to give your best when you play with the national team,” he said.

“I think that in another group we would have gotten more points, but we have had to play against a team with the potential of Spain or against candidates for the Ballon d’Or like (Erling) Haaland.”

If the confidence exuded by Neveal Hackshaw and Reon Moore is anything to go by, then Trinidad and Tobago are poised to give United States a tough run in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.

Both Hackshaw and Moore, declared the Soca Warriors intentions of taking a positive result off their highly-fancied opponents in their first-leg encounter at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on Thursday.

The return-leg fixture is scheduled for four days later at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

The Angus Eve-coached Trinidad and Tobago secured their quarterfinals berth after they finished second in the six-team Group A on nine points. Their last two meetings with United States ended in 0-6 and 0-7 losses.

Despite the United States holding a significant advantage over Trinidad and Tobago based on those scorelines and others in the past, both Hackshaw and Moore rate their chances of upsetting the applecart, highly.

Hackshaw, who has 39 caps and two goals for Trinidad and Tobago, first expressed satisfaction with the preparation heading into the encounter.

“These sessions have been very important as we try to get match fit with these games we have been playing here and I think the guys are playing and doing pretty good. Now we're just waiting to meet up with the rest of the guys and I think it's going to be fun,” Hackshaw said prior to their departure.

“I think with the bunch of guys we have now; I think we're going to give them (United States) a good fight. It's not going to be easy both ways for us and for them, and I think we are going to do good.

“This team we have here is a fighting team. It's a younger group, but I think everyone is always up for the fight, and with the addition of Levi (Garcia), I think we are going to do great,” he added.

Should they pull a surprise in Texas, the midfielder pointed out that it would be a significant boost to ensure local fans are entertained when they return home for the second leg.

"It's not going to be easy for us, but we are going there to give them a show, and we are not going to step short, and we are going to go full hundred,” Hackshaw declared.

Meanwhile, Moore, 27, who has scored seven goals in 24 appearances, echoed similar sentiments.

“I think we will do well in Texas. The training session with the boys have been high intensity so far, we are fully enthusiastic about the task at hand, and we are going to go there and show that we have what it takes to beat the USA,” he stated.

The striker also welcomed the return of captain Levi Garcia, who missed all four matches for the Soca Warriors in the six-team League A qualifiers.

“It will be a big plus for all the guys and the technical staff to have Levi back in the team because what he brings to the table for us is great,” Moore noted.

The other quarterfinals fixtures will see Canada against Jamaica, Mexico against Honduras, and Panama against Costa Rica.

At the end of the two-leg ties, the four winners will progress to the Nations League semi-final in March next year, as well as the Copa America tournament.

The four losing quarterfinalists will engage a single-match direct elimination play-in for the final two spots to next year’s Copa America, which will be hosted in the United States.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke is focused on finishing their Euro 2024 qualification campaign on a high after sealing their place in Germany amid a hat-trick of defeats.

A 2-0 loss in Spain was sandwiched by friendly defeats against England and France, but five wins from their opening five games in Group A proved enough for a second successive qualification for the European Championship finals after the Spaniards won in Norway.

With a five-month international hiatus to follow, Clarke is eager to ensure Scotland come away from their final competitive matches with points against Georgia and Norway before next summer’s tournament in Germany.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s clash in Tbilisi, Clarke said: “The idea with the friendly matches against England and France was to test ourselves against the best and see where we measure up.

“Obviously with the results we had, we still have a bit of work to do. We will try to stay humble, respect our opponents and just try to improve all the time.

“Listen, we want to get back to winning ways. It’s not very often in the reign that I have had, apart from the early stages, that we have had consecutive defeats like we have had recently.

“It would be nice to think in the remaining two games we can pick up more points.

“I have always said we want to get as high a points tally as possible and (we have) two more games to try and do that.”

Scotland have lost their previous two games in Georgia, defeats which ultimately prevented them from qualifying for Euro 2008 and 2016.

Clarke’s side have shown the ability to break such negative runs, for instance securing the first play-off success and ending a 23-year wait for a major tournament appearance.

“Listen, in sport what’s past is past, there is nothing we can do to affect that,” Clarke said of the history in Tbilisi. “All we can do is affect the future, the next game we play.

“We have always tried to improve results no matter who we are playing against.”

Georgia lost 7-1 at home to Spain in September but they beat Cyprus 4-0 in their most recent qualifier and are assured of a Euro 2024 play-off place thanks to a Nations League campaign which included big wins in Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Clarke said: “When you go away from home against a team like Georgia, it’s going to be a difficult environment, a difficult game for us, because they are a very good side.

“The one game they lost heavily was against Spain and that’s a little bit of an anomaly in recent games, because all their games have been very competitive. And we expect that on Thursday night.”

Clarke is without the likes of Angus Gunn, Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Aaron Hickey and Che Adams, but he hopes players such as Josh Doig and Lawrence Shankland can seize the opportunity that injury list presents.

“Over the course of my tenure I have always tried to look a little bit deeper,” he said.

“There will be some squads like this one where we have a number of players missing. But I always say it’s a chance for someone else.

“If everyone else can do better it makes my selection more difficult going into next year. The selection will be difficult. I have to find the right 23 for next summer.

“For now, some boys are in the squad with the chance to make a big impression, not just on me but the rest of my staff and the rest of the country. Let’s see how they perform in the game.”

Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark and Motherwell captain Liam Kelly are vying for competitive debuts after both played 45 minutes against France to win their first caps.

Clarke, who also has Rangers reserve Robby McCrorie in his squad, was not giving anything away on his stand-in choice.

Speaking from Scotland’s training camp in Antalya, Turkey, he said: “The three goalkeepers have trained very well, as they always do, and between now and kick-off I will obviously have to choose one.”

The Premier League has arguably never been more competitive than it is this season, with just three points separating the division’s top five teams.

Manchester City sit top of the table on 28 points, with Liverpool and Arsenal one behind on 27, Tottenham on 26 and Aston Villa on 25.

It is the first time in Premier League history that five teams have amassed 25 points or more in their first 12 matches.

However, the level of competition extends beyond the top few sides, as demonstrated by several of the weekend’s results including City’s thrilling 4-4 draw at Chelsea and Spurs’ injury-time loss at Wolves.

Just 12 matches into the 2023-24 campaign, it is already possible to create a continuous ‘victory loop’ from English top flight results.

A victory loop is made by arranging results so that Team 1 beats Team 2, Team 2 defeats Team 3, and so on until Team 20 beats Team 1.

Sheff Utd 2 Wolves 1 (Nov 4)
Wolves 2 Tottenham 1 (Nov 11)
Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1 (Sep 30)
Liverpool 3 West Ham 1 (Sep 24)
Brighton 1 West Ham 3 (Aug 26)
Brighton 3 Bournemouth 1 (Sep 24)
Bournemouth 2 Newcastle 0 (Nov 11)
Newcastle 1 Arsenal 0 (Nov 4)
Arsenal 1 Man City 0 (Oct 8)
Man City 2 Nottingham Forest 0 (Sep 23)
Nottingham Forest 2 Aston Villa 0 (Nov 5)
Aston Villa 3 Crystal Palace 1 (Sep 16)
Man Utd 0 Crystal Palace 1 (Sep 30)
Burnley 0 Man Utd 1 (Sep 23)
Luton 1 Burnley 2 (Oct 3)
Everton 1 Luton 2 (Sep 30)
Brentford 1 Everton 3 (Sep 23)
Chelsea 0 Brentford 2 (Oct 28)
Fulham 0 Chelsea 2 (Oct 2)
Fulham 3 Sheff Utd 1 (Oct 7)

In a bid to secure maximum points and boost their chances of qualifying for the next Concacaf Gold Cup, the St Kitts National Senior Football Team, affectionately known as the Sugar Boyz, is gearing up for two crucial CONCACAF Nations League matches. The team, under the guidance of Coach Austin 'Dico' Huggins, is set to face St. Lucia at the SKNFA Technical Center on Thursday at 7 pm, followed by an away clash against Guadeloupe on Sunday, November 19, at 3 pm.

Coach Huggins, expressing confidence and optimism ahead of the matchups, shared insights into the squad's preparations on Tuesday evening. Major changes have been made to the squad, with the inclusion of players who were unavailable during the previous Gold Cup encounter. Coach Huggins highlighted the importance of having a full-strength team, stating, "A few of the guys that we brought in were with us when we went to the Gold Cup in the last encounter...for whatever reason, with their clubs (overseas) they were not able to make the trip with us. But they are here now, and we are thankful for that, so hopefully, we will be at full strength."

The first of the two matches will be hosted at home, and Coach Huggins called upon the fans to play a pivotal role. "Home fans are always beneficial to the home team. We call them the 12th player, so we are hoping that they will give us their support, cheer on the team, encourage the guys positively, and let us all win this game together," Coach Huggins emphasized.

The Sugar Boyz are aware of the significance of securing victories and maintaining a superior goal difference in the Nations League to enhance their chances of qualifying for the prestigious Concacaf Gold Cup.

The upcoming matches are crucial for St. Kitts and Nevis, and the squad is set to face St. Lucia on Thursday, November 16, at the SKNFA Technical Center (7 pm) and then take on Guadeloupe on November 19 at 3 pm. The selected squad for these vital matches includes:

Julani Archibald – CD Victoria, Zaykeese Smith – Village Superstars FC, Xander Parke – Leek Town FC, Gerard Williams – Trau FC, Andre Burley – Oxford City FC, Ethan Bristow - Minnesota United FC, Lois Maynard - Ratcliffe FC, Jalden Myers – Bath United FC, Jameel Ible – Guiseley AFC, Ezrick Nicholls - University of Tampa, Romaine Sawyers – Cardiff City FC, Tyrese Shade - Swindon Town FC, Omari Sterling-James – Ebbsfleet United, Ronaldo Belgrove - FC Miami City, Nequan Browne – United Old Road Jets FC, Yohannes Mitchum – Newtown United FC, Raheem Somersall - North Carolina FC, Harry Panayiotou – F.C. Bruno’s Magpies, Tiquanny Williams - United Old Road Jets FC, Diego Edwards – Notts County, Kimaree Rogers – Village Superstars FC.

The Sugar Boyz and their supporters are ready for an intense battle on the field, and the entire nation anticipates thrilling encounters in the upcoming Nations League matches.

Wales newcomer Niall Huggins is ready to step onto the international stage after expressing fears that a mystery injury which left him with weak bones would end his career.

Huggins joined up with the senior Wales squad for the first time this week ahead of decisive Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey after what the Sunderland defender called a “horrendous” period.

The 22-year-old made just a couple of league starts in his first two seasons at Sunderland after joining from Leeds in August 2021, with the full-back becoming increasingly concerned over his football future.

“The last two years have been horrendous, awful to be honest,” said York-born Huggins, whose father was born in Bangor.

“When I first joined Sunderland, I suffered an initial stress fracture in my back and that put me out for four or five months.

“I had the same sort of issue but in different places when I was doing my rehab and it was something we struggled to get to the bottom of.

“There was never a reason for why it was happening. All the tests we did, nothing ever seemed to stand out.

“It was just that the bones were weak, which made it tough.”

Asked if he felt his career was at risk at the time, Huggins said: “Yes, 100 per cent. It got to the point where every time I was doing the rehab, the first few steps back on the grass, it was always there in the back of my mind.

“I would think: ‘Is this going to happen again?’ And you do start to worry. The years are going by on the contract and you are worrying about it.

“When I did finally start to get fit, it helped so much mentally. But it is still hard to look back on.”

Huggins said the issue was eventually resolved by “having an injection every morning for three months”, strengthening his bones and allowing him to return to training.

But the physical demand of matches took a toll on his body, with muscular issues and a knee problem ruling him out until Sunderland’s Championship play-off games in May.

It has not been until this season that Huggins has been able to show the potential that persuaded Marcelo Bielsa to hand him a Premier League debut for Leeds at Arsenal in February 2021.

“It literally feels like I’m starting my professional career,” said Huggins, who has started 11 Sunderland games this term and scored his first senior goal – a Championship goal-of-the-month contender – against Watford in October.

“This is the first year where I can really show what I can do and what level I can play at. To have the call-up to the senior team shows that even more.

“It wasn’t even at the back of my mind, but it felt amazing.

“To represent a country feels unbelievable. It means as much to the lads who were born outside Wales as those born in the country and who have lived there for a long time.

“It just shows the culture that the set-up creates for the players. You can see how amazing the fans are and how much it means to the country to make it to the Euros.

“The previous results show how much the lads want to play for the badge, including the lads born in England – and me being one of them. I’m just excited to one day hopefully put on the shirt and play for the country.”