GM football fans. It’s Friday, Jan. 9 - The FA Cup third round kicks off this weekend, Liga MX restarts for its Clausura tournament, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY RESULT
Premier League: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool. This was the first goalless draw between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League since August 2015. Arsenal go six points clear at the top of the Premier League table, while Liverpool stay fourth, eight points behind third-placed Aston Villa. See the Premier League table here.
Results…
Spanish Supercopa semi-final: Atletico 1-2 Real Madrid (Real Madrid will play Barcelona in the final on Sunday)
Serie A: Cremonese 2-2 Cagliari | AC Milan 1-1 Genoa (Table)
TOP TALKING POINTS
FA Cup Third Round
The FA Cup third round kicks off this weekend, with 32 ties scheduled between Friday (Jan 9) and Monday (Jan 12). See every fixture here.
Friday’s standout fixture sees Wrexham host Nottingham Forest. Wrexham, who remain in contention for a fourth successive promotion in their league campaign, are currently on a four-game winning run. The Welsh side have also won their last two FA Cup third-round matches, both against higher-division opposition. Forest are also expected to rest key players to focus on Premier League survival.
On Saturday, reigning champions Crystal Palace face the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, non-league Macclesfield, who play in the sixth tier of the English pyramid. No sixth-tier side has ever beaten a Premier League team, and 115 league places separate the two clubs.
Three all-Premier League ties—Tottenham vs. Aston Villa, Manchester United vs. Brighton, and Newcastle vs. Bou—are also on the schedule. Darren Fletcher will take charge of Manchester United on an interim basis as the club continues its search for a permanent manager. Elsewhere, Chelsea travel to Charlton Athletic on Saturday, Arsenal visit Portsmouth on Sunday, and Liverpool host Barnsley on Monday. See all the must-watch games from the FA Cup Third Round here.
Liga MX Restarts
The Liga MX Clausura 2026 tournament, the second half of Mexico’s top-flight season, begins on Friday (Jan 9). Toluca begin their title defence away to Monterrey, while another standout opening fixture sees Chivas host Pachuca. See the upcoming fixtures here.
The biggest storyline heading into the Clausura is Toluca’s pursuit of a historic three-peat, having won both the Clausura 2025 and Apertura 2025 titles. Should they complete the ‘Tricampeonato’, Toluca would match the modern-era achievement of Club America, who won the Apertura 2023, Clausura 2024, and Apertura 2024.
Liga MX clubs have been active in the winter transfer window, with Chivas drawing particular attention amid a major squad overhaul. Following a nine-year title drought, the club have moved on 11 players, including Javier Hernandez, and brought in three new signings. Their most notable arrival is Mexican-American midfielder Brian Gutierrez, who joined from Chicago Fire in MLS in a deal reportedly worth around $5m.
Dive deeper into why Liga MX is split into Apertura and Clausura tournaments here.
Mourinho Punishes Players
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho made his players sleep at the training ground following their loss against Braga in the League Cup semi-finals. The Portuguese manager said he hoped his players “don’t sleep and instead think a lot” as they remain at the club’s training base in Seixal for the foreseeable future. While club president Rui Costa claims the players were always going to stay at the training ground, Mourinho suggested it was punishment for their surprise elimination.
“I hope the players sleep as well as I do, which is to say that they don't sleep at all,” Mourinho said at the post-match press conference. "That's what I wish for them. That they don't sleep and instead think a lot, like I'm going to think." Benfica went into Wednesday’s game as favourites to win the tournament, after local rivals Sporting lost to Vitoria Guimaraes in Tuesday’s first semi-final.
In Mourinho’s second stint at the club where he began his career, he has won 14 of his 23 matches in charge. Wednesday’s loss to Braga ended the club’s 11-game unbeaten run. Benfica sit third in the Primeira Liga, 10 points adrift of leaders Porto.
POLL
Do you think club owners/executives are influenced too much by pundits/media?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Manchester City have signed Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo outside of the player's release clause in a deal worth £62.5m plus £1.5m, and 10% of any future sale profit going to Bournemouth (More) | Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus has been ruled out until after the international break in March with a thigh injury (More)
> Former Premier League referee David Coote has been given a suspended prison sentence after a child abuse video was found on his laptop (More)
> Former Leeds and Wales midfielder Terry Yorath has died at the age of 75 (More)
> Arsenal Women and Manchester United kick off Matchday 12 of the Women’s Super League on Saturday (Jan 10) (More); see every WSL fixture (More) | Manchester City are in advanced talks to sign the United States midfielder Sam Coffey from Portland Thorns (More)
> West Brom is set to name Minnesota United’s Eric Ramsay as their next head coach (More)
Americas
> Video clips of World Cup games will be broadcast live on TikTok this summer (More) | Brazil, Colombia, France, and Croatia will play each other in March in Boston, Orlando, and Washington, D.C., as part of their World Cup friendlies (More)
> Former Colorado Rapids coach and U.S. team midfielder Chris Armas has been named head coach of the Kansas City Current (More)
> NWSL’s Bay FC has signed 18-year-old forward Alex Pfeiffer to a 3-year contract through 2028 (More)
Rest of the World
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Has semi-automated offside technology made VAR better this season?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (57%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (38%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 M.V: “The biggest complaint I saw in VAR last year was the time it took for decisions, with this new semi-auto version, that is erased.”
👍 J.L: “The tech has quickened the decisions, which is better. The longer the game is delayed, the greater the impact of the play itself. Players having to stand around and wait lessens the quality of the action. It's important to get these offside calls right, but also important to maintain the flow of the game. It's not perfect yet (Newcastle), but it's definitely getting better.”
🙅♂️ J.K: “Get rid of the rule that stops linemen putting their flag straight up for offsides and leave it at that. Fans hate it, players hate it, and linemen hate it.”
✍️ S: “Deciding a football match by fractions of an inch may make sense in sports like athletics or swimming, but it undermines the very nature of football. VAR not only interrupts the game’s natural flow, but also raises serious questions about whether technology can—or should—serve as a catch-all solution for decisions that are fundamentally interpretive. VAR should be reserved solely for overturning clear violations or obvious errors made on the field, thereby preserving the referee’s authority and the spirit of the game.”
EXTRA TIME
Every transfer from Europe’s top five leagues.
Valverde’s incredible free-kick from the stands.
Canada’s leaked World Cup away kit.
This might be the best Championship season ever—here’s why.
When women’s football was banned. (explainer)
The latest winning goals in Premier League history.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who Am I…
I have played for Real Madrid and Barcelona.
I share the record for the most "African Player of the Year" awards (4 wins) with Yaya Toure.
I am the only player in football history to win back-to-back "Trebles" with two different clubs.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I’m surprised a Liverpool player hasn’t gone over and whacked Martinelli there
Answer
Samuel Eto’o
