And, with that, it’s time to wrap up matchday live. Thanks for all the comments and emails, it’s been a pleasure. Now to prepare for a big night out. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, party people.
WSL Manchester derby coverage begins
Our minute-by-minute coverage of Manchester United’s visit to Manchester City in the WSL is officially under way, in the capable hands of Billy Munday. City can go four points clear at the summit with a win, with Chelsea set to play Liverpool tomorrow. Third-place United, meanwhile, have an opportunity to reel in their rivals to a one-point margin. It should be good. Follow along here:
Paul Haynes has got in touch via email over Rob Edwards’s prospects at Molineux. “As a Wolves fan I think it is highly improbable anyone could avoid relegation as manager. Over the past few seasons we’ve lost half a dozen good players, part of a wider pattern of selling established players.
“Eventually the inevitable recruitment errors lead to the current situation. Rob Edwards is thus a good choice for getting us back in the Prem. He gets games this season, builds his top-flight experience without any real risk and gets to build a strong Championship team for next year and push for promotion. Better than getting promotion this year with Boro only to lose his job next year after a poor start to the season.”
Updated
Some perspective on Lincoln’s imminent meeting with Doncaster in League One. As a reminder, Lincoln can leap from sixth to top with a win. High stakes.
Another email has winged its way into the matchday live inbox, this time from Peter Greenwood. “Talking about lower-league action, it’s Bury v Lower Breck this afternoon. There will be around 3,000 to 4,000 spectators at Gigg Lane, as you would imagine for this must-win top of the table tussle.” The table in question is the Northern Premier League Division One West, for those who don’t usually delve so deep into the pyramid. Bury have a way to go to return to former heights, but they are climbing steadily and can cut the gap to table-topping Lower Breck to two points with a win.
Coming from the left field, here’s an interesting idea on reforming the League Cup. It’s so crazy, it might just work.
Here's a proposal re League Cup. Reform it so that only teams that finished in bottom half of the EPL in the last season are eligible entrants. Reduces fixture congestion for bigger sides and they don't really treat the competition with respect that other teams do. Lower league sides will have more of a shot at taking down the EPL teams.
There’s another significant friendly taking place this evening: the Basque Country take on Palestine at San Mamés, the home of Athletic Club, in a show of support, with Ibone Bengoetxea, the vice-president of the Basque government, saying: “The Basque Country, through football, responds with empathy and solidarity to the suffering of the Palestinian people. Saturday’s match will be between two peoples that recognise each other and shake hands.” For background on how the match came to be, here’s a report from El País.
Talk of England’s trip to Tirana has sent a fresh jolt of electricity through the comments section. You can’t deny that is some midfield …
Of course the match v Albania is critical. I reckon Tuchel will want to see at least 65 minutes of Anderson-Rice-Bellingham on a (rainy) Sunday evening in Tirana. everyone knows this is ENGs best 6-8-10 option
NB people talking about Bellingham's performance on the ball on Thursday evening are missing the point. This was all about his attitude. Note the absence here was no preening, chest puffing, 'who else' theatrics..
Could Jude take to the pitch as a sub with humility and respect for the manager's system? Yes. And he will start from now on as long as that trend continues.
More thoughts on Neymar here, via (unattributed) email: “I thought last World Cup was hard luck for Neymar. In extra time he scored a solo effort wonder to go one up against Croatia. When he scored that goal he looked like he believed redemption was shining on him (dramatic reconstruction, probably all in my head). It was incredible and everyone is thinking: this is it! But then Croatia score a hardcore team goal and win on pens.”
If you thought the Bellingham Discourse was intense, wait until we get into bowing etiquette …
Don't you usually bow at the end of things, not the beginning?
Any England fans in the house? What should Thomas Tuchel be looking to get out of tomorrow’s game in Albania?
England have a chance to finish their qualifying campaign with a perfect record and no goals conceded, but the match also represents an opportunity for Tuchel to tweak his lineup and fine-tune certain things. Should Bellingham start this time? Is the Bellingham Discourse overblown? And who among the unused substitutes against Serbia deserves game time in Tirana and a chance to show what they can do?
Updated
Thanks Billy, and yes, the caffeine is flowing through my veins, meaning I can again perform basic cognitive and motor functions. Another Scotland fan has been in touch, this time to give the long view on tonight’s game against Greece.
Scotland have played greece three times so far this year. We have won twice, which is quite impressive as we have been half-decent for about 20 minutes across the three games combined.
The last international break showed scotland get an absurd amount of luck, where we were terrible for 70 minutes against greece and 90 minutes against belarus yet somehow won both games. Scotland simply just do not get this sort of luck so I am worried the universe will try to redress the balance this weekend.
I would be very surprised if we won both games. But we have to stay positive, so lets say a 1-0 victory for Scotland today. I mean if we are going to mess this up then we wil do it in style, with a last minute own goal for denmark on tuesday..
Will Magee is back, fully caffeinated. He’ll take you through.
Houston, we have a problem. Australia didn’t exactly show much promise on American soil last night as they continue their preparations for the World Cup. Not even Watford’s Nestory Irankunda (two goals in his last three games) could find a way past Venezuela in Texas.
Updated
Andyouwillknowme says: “That must be the 100th article Barney Ronay has written about the genius of Neymar and 99 are about the sad decline of Neymar. His peak was arguably in the undeniably amazing Barcelona MSN front three with Suarez and Messi, both of whom outshined him really, overall.”
The melodrama of the 2014 World Cup – the standout group-stage performances, the home pressure, the back injury – is what I’ll remember most from Neymar’s career. That and his reaction on the touchline at Manchester United winning a late penalty in that Champions League tie in 2019.
Please don’t let me know your darkest secrets. It’s too early.
Now seems like a convenient time to point you towards the minute-by-minute report we have coming up for the Manchester derby in the WSL between City and United at the Etihad, partly because these two teams often produce goals but mainly because I will be helming it.
City have won seven in a row in the league, United six in a row in all competitions. Something’s got to give – it’s a 1.30pm (GMT) kick-off.
I’m going to grab a quick coffee – I’m out raving later – so Billy Munday is your man for the next half an hour or so. More emails! More feverish conversing below the line! Let Billy know your darkest secrets! (Not really!)
Another plug: if you haven’t played our new daily puzzle, On the ball, now is your chance. The premise is beautiful in its simplicity: guess the Premier League player, past or present, with the fewest clues possible, earning massive social kudos (possibly) or at least some personal satisfaction.
In the week’s other big managerial news, Celtic seem to be edging closer to appointing Wilfried Nancy as the successor to Brendan Rodgers. Any thoughts, Celts?
On top of all the competitive action, there’s a glamour friendly on the way today: Brazil take on Senegal at the Emirates this evening. Anyone going to be in attendance?
It’s been a mixed bag for the Seleçao under Carlo Ancelotti so far with three wins, a draw and two defeats – including a surprise 3-2 loss to Japan in a friendly last month – and this is one of precious few opportunities for him to fine tune things before the World Cup next year. Whatever happens, there should be a lively atmosphere. It will be Brazil’s ninth game at the Emirates since it opened in 2006, making Arsenal’s home ground a home away from home, while there will be a familiar face among Ancelotti’s players in the form of Gabriel Magalhães.
Updated
Done with your first tranche of morning reading? Here’s another feature from Suzanne Wrack on Alessia Russo’s new foundation designed to boost girls’ participation in sport and promote female health.
To pose another question: looking back at one of the big news stories of the week, what do we reckon about Rob Edwards’s chances of keeping up Wolves? There’s been a lot of chatter about the wisdom of swapping a Championship promotion push with Boro for a seriously steep uphill relegation slog in the Premier League. Let’s get some hot takes cooking.
Updated
Anyone planning to use the international break as an excuse for a bit of groundhopping? Always an excellent time to watch your local club, or strike out on a lower-league adventure, even if you have “big club” corporate-ball loyalties.
Oh, come now. As if we would forget about non-league. Bath v Bracknell? Chester v Clitheroe? FC United of Manchester v Darlington? An embarrassment of riches.
In proper football its FA Trophy 2nd round day when the 2nd tier sides enter the competition.
(The mighty) Tonbridge Angels welcome Worthing and their two ex-angels - one of whom Nicky Wheeler hangs up his boots at the end of the month after a distinguished career with a number of clubs at this level
All the best Nicky.
Let’s revisit World Cup qualifying, given we have rightly been called out on our anti-Group H bias. A comprehensive summary here, though Romania’s late goal against Austria was actually the winner:
Since the G won’t tell you, let me.
Crucial games in Group H today.
Bosnia conceded a very, very late equaliser to Cyprus which, in my now nine years of supporting them, still doesn’t hurt any lesser.
That pretty much made me wanna play safe and get the playoff spot, but Romania equalised late against Austria. Quite late.
Austria face a tricky trip to Cyprus while Bosnia host Romania.
Defeat for Bosnia today would pretty much end all hopes of qualifying, which sounds crazy because of how long we were actually at the top.
A victory for Bosnia and Austria dropping points in Cyprus would however set up a Bosnia V Austria finale on the last matchday. Strap in.
And now to League One and League Two. There are a few postponements in the former, with Wimbledon v Stockport, Barnsley v Northampton, Mansfield v Peterborough, Stevenage v Bolton and Wigan v Reading all pushed back owing to international callups. There are still some spicy plotlines, however: can Jack Wilshere keep up Luton’s mini-revival with a win against Rotherham? Can Lincoln go top, albeit temporarily, with victory over Doncaster? Can Exeter emerge from their 425-mile round trip to Leyton Orient triumphant, with the pair level on points and uncomfortably close to the relegation zone?
In League Two, the leaders, Walsall, host Colchester, while second-place Swindon – level on points with Walsall but with a marginally inferior goal difference – travel to Fleetwood. There are razor-thin margins at the other end of the table, too: rock-bottom Newport travel to second-bottom Shrewsbury, two points above them, in dire need of a win.
Returning to World Cup qualifiers, Wales take on Liechtenstein this evening in a must-win match for Craig Bellamy’s side. Bellamy will not be on the touchline, having been booked for dissent for the second time this campaign during Wales’s 4-2 defeat to Belgium last month. “It’s not ideal but you want to give information to the fourth official and sometimes you overstep the mark,” Bellamy said in his pre-match press conference in Vaduz. “Rightly so, the referee has the option to give you a yellow card. It’s something I’m very conscious of and it’s a suspension I absolutely deserve.
“It’s nice having someone on the side yelling absolute nonsense that no one can understand, because I never did when I was on the pitch. I seem to be that type of person, so I might actually enjoy it more being upstairs where I see more of the game.”
Updated
There’s also Women’s Super League action on the cards today in the form of the Manchester derby. City are top of the table going into Andrée Jeglertz’s first derby as manager, while Jess Park and Grace Clinton will be reunited after swapping clubs in September. For more talking points on the match, best to read Sophie Downey’s preview:
How are Scotland fans feeling about this evening? It would be a serious worry if it was all boundless positivity and optimism. Finger crossed, though, they should be OK.
I foresee headlines of "Greek Tragedy" on the cards for tomorrow.
Hopefully not, but having a goalie who we had to call back from his Saga holiday to go between the sticks is worrying.
There’s also a big game coming up for Scotland, who travel to Greece with top spot in World Cup qualifying Group C within reach. The hosts have had an underwhelming qualifying campaign, but it’s still a tricky fixture and Scotland weren’t at their best during the last international break despite grinding out two wins. Ewan Murray has the lowdown from Athens:
Despite recent setbacks, Potter still seems to have a fair amount of goodwill among the neutrals. The Sweden job definitely feels like a more natural fit after he struggled to put the mangled jigsaw pieces together at Stamford Bridge and the London Stadium.
That said, do we reckon he’s kept his tracksuits from Chelsea and West Ham? I think I’d be quietly putting them on Vinted.
That Graham Potter is beginning to amass quite a collection of tracksuits …
There’s a slate of intriguing international matches to come today, not least Graham Potter’s debut as Sweden head coach. It’s been a bruising few years for Potter after his ill-fitting spells at Chelsea and West Ham but, as Nick Ames points out, he will have a sense of belonging after returning to the country where he built his reputation with Östersund:
Looking for more early morning reading? Here’s a selection, from Barney Ronay on Neymar to David Hytner’s chat with Han Willhoft-King and Suzanne Wrack in conversation with Millie Bright.
What else has been going on, then? Thomas Tuchel has been talking about the rationale behind his team selection for England’s 2-0 win against Serbia at Wembley, urging those on the bench to channel their anger into fighting spirit which can benefit the team. He has also addressed the Bellingham Discourse, albeit reluctantly:
Meanwhile, despite shocking everyone by racking up four wins in qualifying, the Faroe Islands’ 3-1 loss to Croatia has ended their hopes of a World Cup fairytale. Shame, that, as it would have been a lot of fun.
There was bad news and good news for Northern Ireland last night. The bad news: they lost 1-0 to Slovakia in injury time thanks to a goal Michael O’Neill, the manager, felt “should clearly have been disallowed”, ending their hopes of progressing from World Cup qualifying Group A. The good news: they still nabbed a qualifying playoff place via the Nations League after Croatia beat the Faroe Islands. In other words, they may not be going to the World Cup, but they aren’t not going to the World Cup, at least as things stand. Make sense?
Preamble
All right, all right, all right! Welcome to matchday live, where we’ll be building up to the day’s football, running through all the big stories and generally having a Nice Time. Readers, what are your plans for the day? What’s caught your eye during the international break? Anyone planning an epic League One, League Two or non-league away day? Let me know in the comments. Otherwise, let’s get the ball rolling with a look back at last night’s World Cup qualifying action:
Updated
My team Lincoln will be playing in League One today against Doncaster, both teams having recently been in very poor form. This period of the season is normally where we tend to be the weakest so I'm nervous if we will get anything, but we have some returning players back so hopefully they will make an appearance at least.