GM football fans. It’s Friday, August. 29 - An overview of the Champions League league phase draw, La Liga projections have been released, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
Premier League MD3: Liverpool vs. Arsenal, Sunday 31, 16:30 BST / 11:30 ET. Both sides have won their first two matches of the season, with Arsenal doing so without conceding a goal. Arsenal have failed to win on their last 12 trips to Anfield, though the last three have ended level. However, Liverpool are winless in six Premier League matches against Arsenal (D4 L2), their longest winless run against the Gunners since going eight without a win between October 2007 and April 2011. Mohamed Salah has netted 11 Premier League goals against Arsenal, with only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) ever netting more. See every Premier League MD3 fixture here.
TV Channels: Sky Sports (UK) | fuboTV (US) | DAZN / fuboTV (Canada)
Results…
UEFA Europa League Play-offs (All Results) | Europa League Phase Draw (More)
UEFA Conference League Play-offs (All Results) | Conference League Phase Draw (More)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Champions League Draw Overview
The 36 teams in the league phase of the 2025-26 Uefa Champions League now know their eight opponents following the draw. The first matches will be played on Tuesday, 16 September—see every team’s opponents for the league phase here.
Of the 36 teams, Manchester City and Liverpool have the fifth- and fourth-toughest schedules, respectively, based on Uefa’s coefficient of opponents. Both sides will face Real Madrid, while Liverpool will also play last year’s finalists Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, and City will face Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli.
Meanwhile, Tottenham and Arsenal have the easiest and third-easiest draws. While Arsenal will play Bayern Munich, Inter, and Atletico, they were also paired with low-seeded teams, including debutants Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. Tottenham received favourable draws from Pots 2 and 3, avoiding the likes of Leverkusen, Atletico, and Napoli.
Holders Paris Saint-Germain drew a tough fixture list. Bayern (H), Barcelona (A), Atalanta (H), Leverkusen (A), and Spurs (H) make for some heavyweight clashes, while Sporting CP and Athletic Club also pose difficult away trips.
Dive deeper into the must-see fixtures of the league phase here.
Saudi to Limit Spending
Saudi Pro League CEO Omar Mugharbel said that new safeguards have been put in place to make the league financially stable. While it’s not clear how stringent these rules will be, they will effectively limit the SPL’s free-spending ways as the league focuses on better governance and sustainability.
Oversight of financial sustainability, previously managed by the Ministry of Sport, has been transferred to the SPL under the newly established Financial Oversight Committee. Clubs will now have to answer to the league on meeting financial requirements. This follows a period of huge spending, with SPL clubs having spent over $1.5bn since 2023, offering record salary packages that made Cristiano Ronaldo top Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes three years running since joining Al Nassr.
Part of the strategy is that the SPL is also embracing privatisation. The league, whose top clubs are majority-owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund, is now welcoming private investment, with three clubs already transferred to investment entities. American money has recently entered the league, with investment company Harbur Group taking the first leap–read more on this trend here.
La Liga Projections Released
After two matches played in La Liga, holders Barcelona are 54% favourites to repeat last season’s success, according to Opta’s projection model. Real Madrid, who finished four points behind Barcelona, are given a 34% chance of winning the league.
Across the last 21 La Liga seasons, Atletico Madrid are the only other team to have won a league title (2021-22). Valencia were the last team to do it in 2003-04. Despite their relatively recent success, Atletico (3.1%) trail very slightly behind Valencia (3.8%) in the projections this year. Valencia currently lead the table on goal difference, with four other teams–Barcelona, Real Madrid, Getafe, and Athletic Club–all having a perfect start to the new campaign.
In Matchday 3, Valencia and Getafe will face off, meaning one side will lose their perfect start. Meanwhile, Real Madrid (at home vs. Mallorca) and Barcelona (away vs. Rayo Vallecano) are expected to continue their winning runs. See all La Liga MD3 fixtures here.
POLL
Do you think moving the Champions League final to an earlier kick-off time is a good idea? (see On the Ball)
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The final of the men’s Champions League will now kick off earlier than usual at 18:00 CET (17:00 BST / 12:00 ET) instead of 21:00 CET (20:00 BST / 15:00 ET) to accommodate families and children attending the game and watching on TV; it also presents an opportunity for the Asian market, with the match starting at 21:30 in India instead of 00:30 (More)
> Newcastle United have agreed a deal with Stuttgart for forward Nick Woltemade in a deal worth €75m plus €5m in potential add-ons; the 23-year-old scored 17 in 33 matches for Stuttgart last season (More) | Chelsea have agreed a deal with Manchester United to sign Alejandro Garnacho for £40m (More)
> Russell Martin has retained the backing of the Rangers board, but the oldest and biggest supporters group of the club have called for the head coach to be sacked (More); see Scottish Premiership fixtures (More)
> AC Milan are close to signing Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku for a fee of around €35m (More)
> Swiss federal prosecutors finally ended their case against former Fifa president Sepp Blatter and former Uefa president Michel Platini after 10 years and acquittals after two trials (More)
Americas
> Lionel Messi scored two as Inter Miami beat Orlando City in the Leagues Cup semi-final (More); Miami will face Seattle Sounders (2-0 vs. LA Galaxy in the semis) in Wednesday’s Leagues Cup final (More)
> Kansas City Current, who are 12 points clear at the top of the NWSL, will play North Carolina Courage on Saturday at 19:30 ET; see a full NWSL Matchday 18 preview (More)
> Liga MX leaders Monterrey will face bottom of the league Puebla on Friday (Aug 29) on Matchday 7; full list of fixtures (More)
Rest of the World
> The Saudi Pro League’s all-time top scorer Omar Al Somah has joined Al Hazem (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think that Ruben Amorim should be sacked after Manchester United's EFL Cup exit?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (53%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (44%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 R.M: “After having hope for Amorim, I am getting strong Jose vibes from him after last night's match. Playing with your magnet board like Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" while the game is going on, and refusing to watch your team take the match-deciding penalty kicks, is really hard to justify as proper, mature behaviour for any coach at any level. Amorim showed his true colours. He is an ego-driven fellow who is in it for his success, not the club or his players… Congrats to Grimsby Town, great win, and great spirit. Sometimes the big boys need to be reminded of what it means to play at the highest level. From a lifelong MUFC supporter.”
👍 J.L: “Absolutely. He talks about how it'll take time to change the culture more than a season in, while refusing to budge off of a 3-4-3 his lineup isn't suited for. He seems to be saying, ‘This club will be terrible until I get exactly the players I want,’ which is nonsense. Flirting with relegation for the next few seasons is not a gamble Man U should be expected to take.”
🙅♂️ E.S: “If he’s sacked, it’s the same situation as last year. Spend hundreds of millions backing the manager to fit his system, then sack him and endure another banter season. It’s not the manager. It’s the players. Beating a team three leagues below you has nothing to do with how the manager set you up.”
✍️ K.I: “Does it really matter who they bring in. I see a team that has no drive, when you see them play you wonder what it is they’ve been working on during training sessions throughout the week. Fernandes has to go; all he does is complain to others instead of leading by example. Some good signings over the last year, but they play like a bunch of misfits.”
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues.
Haaland has changed the name on his Norway shirt.
Can Wrexham’s playbook be translated for Mexico’s Nexaca?
Is the Premier League getting younger?
Allan Saint-Maximin scores on his Liga MX debut.
The top 10 away kits released so far.
GAME FACE ON
Question: The 2021-22 Champions League Round of 16 draw was initially considered null and void after which two teams were accidentally drawn against each other?
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Championship
Leicester City vs. Birmingham City (20:00)
La Liga
Elche vs. Levante (18:30)
Valencia vs. Getafe (20:30)
Bundesliga
Hamburger SV vs. St Pauli (19:30)
Serie A
Cremonese vs. Sassuolo (17:30)
Lecce vs. AC Milan (19:45)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Manchester United and Villarreal. Read more on that story here.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
If you cut Jamie Carragher open, he'll bleed red.
