GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 11 - A huge betting probe suspends over 1,000 players, Man City’s Premier League projections have risen dramatically, and everything else you need to know.. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
UEFA Women’s Champions League (Nov 11): St. Polten vs. Chelsea, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. St. Polten are on a run of 11 straight group stage/league phase defeats, whereas Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 20 such matches. Real Madrid vs. Paris FC, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Madrid have started the league phase in superb form, following up their 6-2 defeat of Roma with a 2-1 victory at Paris Saint-Germain. Paris FC have one point, though they overcame Madrid home and away in 2022-23. Lyonnes vs. Wolfsburg, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Lyonnes are on an overall run of six straight UWCL wins against Wolfsburg. Both sides have begun the league phase with two wins from two. See the Women’s Champions League league phase standings here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Huge Betting Probe Continues
Turkish authorities have arrested eight people, including a top-tier club chairman, in a probe into alleged betting on football matches. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has also suspended 1,024 players from all leagues, with 27 players from the country’s top-tier Super Lig, pending disciplinary investigations. State-owned publication Anadolu reported that a court ordered the arrest of Eyupspor chairman Murat Ozkaya and seven others.
The TFF is negotiating with Fifa to grant clubs an extra 15-day transfer and registration window on top of the upcoming winter window to address squad shortages. Additionally, matches in Turkey’s second- and third-tier leagues have been suspended for two weeks.
This investigation is part of a wider national crackdown on betting violations in Turkish football. Earlier this month, the TFF suspended 149 officials after an investigation found that officials working in the country’s professional leagues were betting on football matches. One referee allegedly placed 18,227 bets, while 42 others wagered on more than 1,000 matches each.
Premier League Projections
Following the conclusion of Matchday 11, Manchester City’s chances of winning the Premier League have risen from 12% to 22%, according to Opta’s prediction model. Pep Guardiola’s side now sits four points behind leaders Arsenal following their 3-0 win over Liverpool. See the Premier League table here.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League have dropped slightly to 63%, having been at 67% after Matchday 10. This follows the Gunners dropping points in a 2-2 draw with fourth-placed Sunderland. As well as being huge favourites in the Premier League, Opta places Mikel Arteta’s side 22% favourites to win the Champions League, with Bayern Munich at 15%. Liverpool (7%), Chelsea (2.75%), and Aston Villa (1.3%) are the only other sides with a higher than 1% chance of winning the Premier League.
At the other end, Wolves (90%), Leeds (51%), and Burnley (49%) are the most likely to be relegated, followed by West Ham (41%) and Nottingham Forest (35%).
Atlanta Awarded Expansion
The NWSL has awarded Atlanta its 17th franchise for a record reported expansion fee of $165m. The Georgia-based club is expected to debut after the 2026 season and will be the first expansion team since Denver Summit FC was announced earlier this year. The team’s name, crest, and colours will be revealed at a later date.
The Atlanta club will be owned and operated by Arthur Blank’s AMB Sports + Entertainment, the holding company of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, MLS’s Atlanta United, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the new side will play home matches. The expansion further strengthens Atlanta’s position as a U.S. soccer hub—it will also soon host the new U.S. Soccer Federation headquarters and previously staged the SheBelieves Cup in front of 50,000 fans.
While financial terms haven’t been officially disclosed, the reported $165m fee is more than 50% higher than the $110m Denver paid in January and triple the $53m paid by Bay FC and Boston Legacy.
POLL
Pep Guardiola has taken charge of 1,000 matches in his managerial career. Is he the best manager of all time?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Liverpool FC have complained to the BBC over its choice to feature a former Sun editor Kelvin Mackenzie in its coverage about journalistic standards (More); dive deeper into the history for more context (More) | Germany manager Julien Nagelsmann says Liverpool’s strikers are to blame for Florian Wirtz’s struggles (More)
> A majority stake of La Liga’s Atletico Madrid has been bought by Apollo Sports Capital in a deal that values the club at £1.9bn ($2.5bn) (More)
> Serie A side Atalanta have sacked manager Ivan Juric after 11 matches of the new season, as they sit 13th in the league with just two wins (More)
Correction on yesterday’s edition: Inter and Roma are level on points at the top of the Serie A table. Inter are superior on goal difference. See the Serie A table here.
Americas
> Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has said that federal infrastructure projects will be completed in time for the start of the 2026 World Cup (More); see what the iconic Azteca Stadium will look like (More)
> San Diego clinched the last Western Conference semi-final berth after a 4-0 rout of Portland Timbers (More); San Diego will face Minnesota United; see the MLS Cup play-off bracket (More)
> Atletico Ottawa are the Canadian Premier League champions with a 2-0 win over Cavalry in the final (More) | See highlights of the game, which was played in the snow (More)
> Neymar walked straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the 85th minute when Santos were losing 3-0 at Flamengo (More)
Rest of the World
> Auckland FC maintained their one-point lead in the A-League despite finishing their 2-1 win over fellow New Zealanders Wellington Phoenix with nine players (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think this is the most competitive Premier League season ever?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (51%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (45%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (4%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 D.W: “Other than Arsenal at the top and Wolves at the bottom, it would seem any of the other teams could beat each other on the day.”
👍 T.J: “There are three points between 12th and fourth, so in terms of competitiveness for European spots, I can’t remember another time that the race was so close between so many clubs. The better standard of newly-promoted sides has also really pushed the level up this season. Arsenal are really the only outliers, but if I were a City fan, I’d be quietly confident that another title was very possible.”
🙅♂️ N.W: “The most competitive seasons to me are when there are more than two clubs fighting for each place, which I don’t think will the case with this seasons title run. I think the league is Arsenal’s to lose.”
EXTRA TIME
Puma unveil Moroccan-inspired AFCON ball.
Alex Iwobi shows off the Nigerian national team's hotel.
What the future holds for the Champions League final.
Does a change in manager lead to more injuries?
NWSL announce 2025 award finalists.
Is this the best ever goal scored in the snow?
Uncapped player earns Australia squad call-up.
The difference between Klopp and Pep’s tactics.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who became their nation’s most expensive player when they joined Chelsea in 2011?
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.
Maybe Liverpool could help him by scoring some of the chances he creates.
Answer
Fernando Torres.
