The draw for the group stage of the Champions League will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday evening. Here the PA news agency explains how it will unfold. When is the draw? The draw is due to start at 5pm UK time on Thursday evening. How will it work? The 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four, with the four seeding pots not set to be confirmed until Thursday morning. The identity of the final qualifiers will not be known until Wednesday evening. Pot 1 will feature European champions Manchester City, Europa League winners Sevilla and six domestic champions. Pots two to four will be based on the UEFA club coefficient rankings. As usual, teams from the same country will be kept apart until at least the quarter-final stage. Pairings and any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw. What else do we need to know about the format? September 19 and 20 October 3 and 4 October 24 and 25 November 7 and 8 November 28 and 29 December 12 and 13 The teams play each other home and away between September and December as usual, with the top two progressing to the Champions League last 16. The teams finishing third enter the Europa League knockout round play-offs, where they will face the runners-up from the Europa League group stages for a place in the last 16 of that competition. What else should we expect on Thursday night? UEFA plans to announce the four winners of its 2022-23 awards – men’s player and coach, plus women’s player and coach – during the draw ceremony. There will be particular focus on the women’s awards amid the unfolding crisis in Spanish football – two of the country’s World Cup-winning team, Aitana Bonmati and Olga Carmona, are nominated for the player award while Jorge Vilda is nominated for the coach award. What else should we look out for this season? This season marks the final year of the group stage as we have come to know it. From next season the 32-team group stage will be replaced by a 36-team league phase, with each team playing eight matches on a seeded basis. It will be worth keeping an eye as the season progresses on the country coefficients, which are based on the collective performance of a country’s clubs in the three UEFA men’s club competitions. One team each from the two best-performing countries will secure additional places in the league phase, under changes agreed at UEFA Congress in Vienna last year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Savannah Marshall would relish rematch with rival Claressa Shields in MMA cage England Women to get same match fees as men after Ashes summer boosts profile Daniel James injury blow for Wales ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia

Mohamed Salah could leave Liverpool in the closing stages of the transfer window, according to former Premier League midfielder Jan Aage Fjortoft. The club have repeatedly made it clear they do not have the 31-year-old up for sale however with interest coming from the Saudi Pro League, and club Al-Ittihad in particular, a high bid may tempt Liverpool’s ownership into reconsidering their position. Elsewhere, Wolves are closing in on signing Paraguayan winger Enso Gonzalez on a £5m deal as they look to continue their rebuild under Gary O'Neil and Nottingham Forest are in talks over a deal for Fenerbahce striker Michy Batshuayi after the former Chelsea man missed out on a move to the midlands club late on deadline day last year. Meanwhile, Manchester United hope to solve their left-back issue after both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia sustained injuries. With three days left in the window Erik ten Hag is hoping to bring in a short-term replacement. Follow all the latest transfer news, rumours and done deals ahead of Friday’s deadline below. Read More Football rumours: Chelsea eye late move for Ivan Toney in transfer window Gary O’Neil expects Matheus Nunes to remain at Wolves with no fresh Man City bid Romelu Lukaku, a chessboard and the Jose Mourinho phone call that lured him to Roma

Wales will be without Daniel James for their crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia next month. Leeds winger James has been sidelined with an adductor injury and misses the crunch clash in Riga on September 11, as well as the Cardiff friendly against South Korea four days earlier. The 45-times capped James has been a regular since making his debut in 2018, starting 34 consecutive competitive games before the run came to an end last November. Wales boss Rob Page has named a 25-man squad for the September double-header as he seeks to revive the Dragons’ Euro 2024 qualification hopes. Back-to-back defeats against Armenia and Turkey in June have left Wales with an uphill task to secure an automatic route to the tournament in Germany next summer. Nottingham Forest forward and Tottenham target Brennan Johnson is included, and Tom Lockyer returns to the squad for the first time since his heart scare in May. The 28-year-old Luton captain collapsed just a few minutes into the Hatters’ Sky Bet Championship play-off final win over Coventry at Wembley. Lockyer underwent an operation to address an irregular heartbeat but has since returned to action to lead Luton in their first Premier League campaign. David Brooks is also present after scoring for Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, his first senior goal since returning to action earlier this year following treatment for stage two Hodgkin lymphoma. Tottenham defender Ben Davies is available after missing the 2-0 Euro qualifying defeat to Turkey in June due to the birth of his first child. Page has named four goalkeepers in his squad – Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies and Tom King – but none of them have had any game-time this season. Kieffer Moore and Joe Morrell are both suspended for the Latvia qualifier after picking up red cards in June. The pair received two-game bans, with Bournemouth striker Moore serving the first part of his suspension in Turkey after being sent off against Armenia. Portsmouth midfielder Morrell saw red against Turkey in Samsun and will also miss the October qualifier with Croatia. Both players have been included in Page’s squad and can feature against Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea in Cardiff on September 7. Bolton midfielder Josh Sheehan returns to the squad for the first time since September 2021 and Wes Burns is also included. Midfield pair Luke Harris and Ollie Cooper drop out. Full squad: W Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), D Ward (Leicester), A Davies (Sheff Utd), T King (Wolves), B Davies (Tottenham), M Fox (QPR), J Rodon (Leeds, on loan from Tottenham), B Cabango (Swansea), C Mepham (Bournemouth), T Lockyer (Luton), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), C Roberts (Burnley), W Burns (Ipswich), E Ampadu (Leeds), J Sheehan (Bolton), J James (Birmingham), J Morrell (Portsmouth), H Wilson (Fulham), A Ramsey (Cardiff, captain), K Moore (Bournemouth), N Broadhead (Ipswich), B Johnson (Nottingham Forest), D Brooks (Bournemouth), T Bradshaw (Millwall), L Cullen (Swansea). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England Women to get same match fees as men after Ashes summer boosts profile Raphael Varane knock adds to Manchester United’s injury problems Football rumours: Chelsea eye late move for Ivan Toney in transfer window

Raphael Varane has been ruled out for a few weeks as Manchester United’s injury issues pile up ahead of the Premier League trip to Arsenal. Erik ten Hag’s side head to north London on Sunday for their final match before the international break without several key players. Luke Shaw and Mason Mount picked up issues in the first week of the season, while summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has yet to make his debut due to a back complaint. Tyrell Malacia, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Tom Heaton have missed the start of the season and now experienced Varane faces a spell on the sidelines. A club statement read: “Raphael Varane will be missing from the team when Manchester United face Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday due to injury. “The France international came off at half-time in our 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday due to the complaint, which is expected to keep him out for a few weeks.” The PA news agency understands that United are expecting Varane to be back in less than the six weeks reported by some outlets. The 30-year-old has dealt with a number of injuries since moving to Old Trafford in 2021 and, having retired from the France set-up in February, will have the international break to work towards his return. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Defending champions Manchester United are among the sides to enter the Carabao Cup as it reaches the third round. Erik ten Hag’s side secured their first trophy under the Dutchman by beating Newcastle at Wembley in February. While most of the Premier League’s clubs were involved in second round ties, those who will be featuring in European competition this year are afforded an extra round off. Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa therefore join last year’s winners in the draw. Here’s everything you need to know. When is the Carabao Cup third round draw? The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will be held tonight, Wednesday 29 August, at 10.15pm, after the conclusion of Doncaster Rovers’ clash with Everton. How to watch Sky Sports are the competition broadcasters in the United Kingdom, and will have live coverage of the match and the subsequent draw. Viewers can also watch a free live stream of the draw on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel. When will the third round fixtures be played? The Carabao Cup third round will be played in the week commencing Monday 25 September. When is the Carabao Cup final? The final of the competition is set to be played on 25 February 2024. Read More Points can’t mask Manchester United’s muddled start to Erik ten Hag’s second season Roberto Mancini appointed Saudi Arabia coach 2 weeks after quitting job in charge of Italy Police investigate after brick attack on Aston Villa bus after win at Burnley What time is the Carabao Cup third round draw tonight? Enzo Maresca hails Jamie Vardy as Leicester continue flying start to season Gary O’Neil expects Matheus Nunes to remain at Wolves with no fresh Man City bid

Megan Rapinoe will represent the US women’s national team for the last time on September 24, when the American side hosts Colombia at Soldier Field.

The Champions League is nearly upon us for the new 2023/24 season, as treble-winners Manchester City try to retain their crown as the kings of Europe following their 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul in June. For the final time before the competition takes on a new format next season, 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four. Each group will contain one team from each of the four seeded pots, and clubs from the same national league will not be drawn together in the same group. Pot 1 will consist of the Champions League winners, the Europa League winners and six domestic champions of the highest ranked leagues. The remaining pots will be decided by Uefa’s club coefficient rankings. The final will take place at London’s Wembley Stadium on 1 June 2024. When is the Champions League draw? The draw for the group stage will take place in Monaco on Thursday 31 August, at 5pm BST. Which clubs have already qualified? There are 29 clubs already qualified for the Champions League group stage, and three play-offs still to be decided. England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig, Union Berlin Italy: Inter Milan, Lazio, AC Milan, Napoli France: Lens, Paris Saint-Germain Portugal: Benfica, Porto, Braga Netherlands: Feyenoord Austria: Salzburg Scotland: Celtic Serbia: Red Star Belgrade Switzerland: Young Boys Turkey: Galatasaray Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk Who are still in the play-offs? PSV Eindhoven 2-2 Rangers, AEK Athens 0-1 Antwerp, Copenhagen 1-0 Rakow Czestochowa. What are the Champions League group stage dates? Matchday 1: 19/20 September 2023Matchday 2: 3/4 October 2023Matchday 3: 24/25 October 2023Matchday 4: 7/8 November 2023Matchday 5: 28/29 November 2023Matchday 6: 12/13 December 2023 Read More On this day in 2015: Manchester City sign Kevin De Bruyne for club-record fee Chelsea’s Academy stars can rise to Carabao Cup challenge – Mauricio Pochettino Atletico Madrid run riot in demolition of Rayo Vallecano Vinicius Jr facing lay-off after hamstring injury Points can’t mask Man United’s muddled start to Ten Hag’s second season Liverpool lucky with availability of centre-backs this season – Jurgen Klopp

Tottenham suffered their first on-pitch setback of the Ange Postecoglou era after they exited the Carabao Cup in the second round at Fulham after Davinson Sanchez crucially had an effort saved in a 5-3 defeat on penalties. Richarlison had opened his account for the season to cancel out a 19th-minute own-goal from Micky van de Ven, which had given the hosts a deserved half-time advantage despite being without boss Marco Silva, who was serving a touchline ban. No further goals were forthcoming and the 1-1 scoreline at 90 minutes meant spot-kicks were required and after five successful penalties a low effort from Sanchez which was saved by Marek Rodak proved the difference. Kenny Tete fired Fulham’s fifth penalty past Fraser Forster to book their place in the third round and leave Tottenham with only one realistic option of trying to end their trophy drought, which stretches back to 2008. Both of these Premier League teams had exited this competition at the first opportunity last season, but 15 changes were made overall with Spurs making nine after entering at the second round stage for the first time since 2009. Fulham went with largely their first-choice back four and left-back Antonee Robinson created the opening opportunity when he burst past Sanchez and crossed to the back post, but Rodrigo Muniz headed wide. It was a sign of things to come from Sanchez, who had been expected to leave this summer but instead has moved up the defensive pecking order ahead of Eric Dier under Postecoglou. Sanchez continued to be troubled and was at fault for the opener in the 19th minute. Tom Cairney turned Sanchez inside out on the edge of the penalty area and his floated cross was deflected beyond Forster by Spurs’ centre-back Van de Ven. Postecoglou had brought a feelgood factor back to Tottenham after a difficult first half of 2023, but the away fans at Craven Cottage turned their frustration to chairman Daniel Levy with chants calling for him to leave the club. Forster had to be alert soon after to deny Muniz’s snapshot before Spurs did finally threaten but Richarlison’s effort was blocked by Tim Ream and Ivan Perisic had a free-kick deflected wide. The lively Muniz went close again on the stroke of half-time with a header from Adama Traore’s cross, but Forster saved well to keep it 1-0. Spurs boss Postecoglou had still seen enough and teenage forward Dane Scarlett was introduced for Giovani Lo Celso. It had an immediate impact with Richarlison forcing Marek Rodak to tip over his deflected shot before Scarlett’s presence created a chance for Manchester United-linked Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who side-footed wide from 10 yards. The leveller did arrive with 56 minutes played and it was a moment to savour for Richarlison, who stooped low at the back post to head in Perisic’s cross for only his fourth goal for Tottenham since a £60m move last summer. Fulham were unhappy that Perisic was able to make the most of the hosts’ absent right-back Tete, who had to leave the pitch to get a new boot after a fine tackle on Scarlett moments earlier. The hosts improved after conceding with Bobby Decordova-Reid slicing wide from inside the area and substitute Harry Wilson had an effort blocked by Sanchez. Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min were on by this point and Manor Solomon nearly won it for Spurs with a curled effort but Rodak saved, before Forster denied Wilson with his legs to ensure penalties were required. Fulham were picture perfect from 12 yards with Andreas Pereira, Raul Jimenez, Wilson, Joao Palhinha and Tete all able to score while Sanchez’s tame effort ensured Tottenham exited in the second round for the first time since 2005. Read More Who the so-called ‘big six’ still want before the transfer deadline James Maddison and new-look Tottenham impress in win at Bournemouth Mike Dean refused to send wrong decision to VAR as referee ‘is a mate’ Spurs face transfer talks deadlock over £40m Brennan Johnson move Ange Postecoglou makes winning start at home as Tottenham beat Manchester United Tottenham vs Manchester United LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

What the papers say Ivan Toney is looking rather popular right now, with The Independent reporting that Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has his eyes set on the banned Brentford star. Toney’s forced football hiatus for betting breaches runs out in January, and it seems Chelsea are keen to snap up the one-cap England striker. Word on the sideline is that a deal could be struck in the frantic final days of the transfer window but Brentford would want a cool £80 millionfor the 27-year-old, who has two years left on his current deal with the Bees. Speaking of Chelsea, the Daily Mail reports that Arsenal has rebuffed an approach from the Blues for 23-year-old attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. But Chelsea are said to still be eager for his signature, and may be willing to include players as a sweetener in any deal. Just across the road from Chelsea, there has been transfer activity at Craven Cottage. It is now up to Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos to decide on a move to Fulham after The Telegraph reported that the two clubs have agreed on a deal for his switch. And the i says that Turkish side Besiktas may be willing to give Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood a chance to revive his career after United announced last week that club and player had mutually agreed his future lies away from Old Trafford. Social media round-up Players to watch Hugo Ekitike: Sky Sports says West Ham are in talks with Paris St Germain over the 21-year-old striker. Nicolas Tagliafico: Manchester United have chased Lyon over a loan move for the 30-year-old defender, reports French outlet Le Parisien. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2015: Manchester City sign Kevin De Bruyne for club-record fee Andy Murray leads perfect day for Brits at US Open Injury withdrawal hands Carlos Alcaraz quick route into US Open second round

Manchester City signed Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg, on this day in 2015. City paid a then club-record fee, reported to be in the region of £54million, for a man who has been at the heart of what they have achieved since. The 24-year-old, who arrived in the Premier League as Germany’s footballer of the year, signed an initial six-year contract to launch the latest, spectacularly-successful phase of his career. Born in the Drongen district of Ghent, De Bruyne began his professional career at Genk and was a Belgian title-winner in 2010-11, prompting Chelsea to invest £6.7million in his services in January 2012, although he remained at his first club for the remainder of that campaign before joining Werder Bremen on a season-long loan deal. The midfield schemer finally made his Blues debut in a 2-0 Premier League victory over Hull in August 2013, providing the assist for Oscar’s opening goal in an impressive display. However, that proved to be one of only nine senior appearances for the club and he was sold to Wolfsburg in the January of the following year. I just want to win Kevin De Bruyne Speaking shortly before his £18million departure for the Bundesliga, then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said: “We know that Kevin didn’t adapt very well to the difficult life a Chelsea player has.” If English football had proved testing for the blossoming Belgian, he found his feet in style in Germany and returned to the Premier League as one of the most promising talents in the world game when he arrived at the Etihad Stadium. He said at the time: “I just want to win. I won two cups at Wolfsburg and I just want to keep on winning and I think here’s a good chance to win some titles with a team who have a lot of quality players.” That has proved something of an understatement. Since making his City debut as a substitute in a 1-0 league win at Crystal Palace on September 12, 2015, De Bruyne has helped the club win the Champions League, five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the League Cup on five occasions. Twice named PFA footballer of the year, he has also been capped 99 times and scored 26 goals for Belgium, whom he has represented at three World Cup finals tournaments. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray leads perfect day for Brits at US Open Injury withdrawal hands Carlos Alcaraz quick route into US Open second round Venus Williams knocked out by Greet Minnen in first round of US Open

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca hailed the contribution of veteran striker Jamie Vardy as the Foxes continued their flying start to the season with a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at Tranmere. Second-half strikes from Wilfred Ndidi and former England international Vardy proved the difference as the Championship side ran out 2-0 victors against their League Two opponents. It was a sixth win out of six for Leicester in all competitions this season and saw 36-year-old Vardy open his account for the campaign after returning to the starting line-up. Maresca said: “I’m happy to continue in this competition and I’m happy for the players, especially the young players who don’t play every week. “I’ve been really happy with Jamie Vardy because when a striker scores they are always happy for them as well as the team. “He’s been performing well when he starts and as well when he’s been on the bench and his contribution has been amazing.” The Foxes enjoyed large amounts of possession in the opening stages of the second-round clash at Prenton Park and had a number of chances to open the scoring with Harry Winks coming the closest after seven minutes. But the 2016 Premier League champions did not have it all their own way with Rovers growing in confidence and, after defending resolutely for half an hour, created some decent openings through Dan Pike and Josh Hawkes. The deadlock was finally broken nine minutes after the break when Ndidi’s effort from the right side of the box found its way into the net via both posts, and just four minutes later Vardy put the result beyond doubt with a close-range header from an Ndidi cross. Further chances fell to the visitors as Rovers pushed forward with Vardy and Ndidi who were both foiled by Joe Murphy, a veteran of the meeting between these two in the final of this competition at Wembley 23-years ago. Maresca added: “I was not happy at half-time so made some changes and we’ve played six games in around 20 days and we have one more to go before the international break. “We’ve won six from six now and all the attention now turns to the game on Saturday before the international break when some of the players can conserve their energy.” Despite the defeat, Tranmere manager Ian Dawes was keen to focus on the positives from the encounter. He said: “We knew going into the game today that they don’t make many changes, they go really strong and the manager takes the competition seriously. “We knew we had to get our defensive organisation right and we knew we needed to limit their chances on goal and push up as the game went on. “We had to stifle the game a little bit, keep possession and then make opportunities ourselves and I thought we did that really well and it all went to plan and they probably scored the first goal when we were on top. “We’ve got to be positive at the end of it, it still hurts getting beat and we obviously wanted to go through, but you’ve got to look at what they’ve got on the pitch. “You look at their team and they’ve still got Premier League players in their team and taking things into context we can be nothing but positive and we have to take that into Saturday against Wrexham.”

Republic of Ireland women’s coach Vera Pauw will not have her contract renewed when her current deal expires this week. The Football Association of Ireland board has decided it does not want to retain the Dutchwoman’s services despite leading the country to their first World Cup this year. “On behalf of the Football Association of Ireland, we would like to thank Vera for her hard work and commitment over the past four years and wish her well for the future,” said FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill. “In particular, I wish to acknowledge the role she played in leading Ireland to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 where our women’s team made history and inspired a nation.” Ireland failed to make the World Cup knockout stages after defeats to co-hosts Australia and Canada and a goalless draw with Nigeria. There were also reports of a strained relationship with captain Katie McCabe and in the build-up to the tournament Pauw was forced to address – and deny – long-standing allegations of “abusive and inappropriate” methods during her time as manager of Houston Dash. “The future is bright for women and girls’ football and our focus now is building upon the work done by Vera and the historic achievements of our women’s team, which we see as a platform to support the next phase of the journey for the team, and more broadly the development of women and girls’ football in this country,” added Hill.