Phil Neville has described his role with Portland Timbers as a “dream” after being appointed manager of the Major League Soccer (MLS) club. Neville has replaced Giovanni Savarese at the Oregon side on a deal that runs until 2026. It is the former England international’s first managerial role since leaving Inter Miami in June. The 46-year-old has worked with Canada’s men’s national team since his departure from a club owned by ex-Manchester United teammate David Beckham. And Neville has insisted that he chose his new job with the Timbers from a number of appealing options. “I was lucky to have plenty of coaching opportunities to take,” Neville explained at his unveiling. “But my gut said straight away I had to follow this dream to become the Portland Timbers head coach.” Neville’s appointment has been cricitised by fans of the Timbers, who finished 10th in the Western Conference and missed out on the 2023 MLS play-offs. The Timbers Army fan group said in a statement that it was “deeply disappointed” that the club had appointed a manager with “a history of sexist public statements”. Neville has previously apologised for a series of posts on X, then known as Twitter, made more than a decade ago that resurfaced after the former full-back was appointed as manager of the Lionesses in 2018. The 59-cap international has reiterated that his social media posts were “wrong” and said he hopes to build “incredible trust” with Portland supporters. “The big part of this city is the supporters, and the statement they put out showed that this club cares about their people,’ Neville said. “In reference to the tweets I made in 2011, I addressed these in 2019 when I was named the head coach of the England women’s team. [They are] by no means a reflection of me as a person, of my character, and without a shadow of a doubt, the way I was brought up by my mother and father in terms of the values they instilled in me. “The tweets I put out were wrong in 2011, and they’re wrong today. I want to get to know the Timbers Army, I want to get to know everybody in the city, and I want them to get to know me as a person, as a character. And I want to make sure there is an incredible trust between us.” Read More Dortmund won the battle but are losing the war for the future of football Man City in Champions League knockouts as Celtic embarrassed and Shakhtar stun Barca Matildas join Australia men’s football team on commercial pay deals Dortmund won the battle but are losing the war for the future of football Man City in Champions League knockouts as Celtic embarrassed and Shakhtar stun Barca Matildas join Australia men’s football team on commercial pay deals

Manchester City duly booked their spot in the Champions League knockout stage after cruising to a 3-0 win over Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland’s 23rd-minute penalty sent them on their way and superb strikes from Phil Foden and Haaland again sealed victory over the Swiss side, who had Sandro Lauper sent off early in the second half. Also in Group G, goals from Xavi Simons and Lois Openda proved enough to give RB Leipzig a 2-1 win at Red Star Belgrade, as Leipzig joined City in sealing a last-16 spot with two games to spare. Atletico Madrid served up another Champions League nightmare for Celtic with both Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata bagging braces in a 6-0 win at the Metropolitano. Celtic were left incensed by the sending off of Daizen Maeda after just 23 minutes following a VAR review of his challenge on Mario Hermoso. Atletico’s win moved them top of Group E after previous leaders Feyenoord fell 1-0 at Lazio, for whom Ciro Immobile scored the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time. The result of the night came as Shakhtar Donetsk delayed Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages after claiming a shock 1-0 win in their Group H clash in Hamburg. Danylo Sikan headed the only goal in the 40th minute from a cross by Giorgi Gocholeishvili, while Shakhtar had a second effort from 18-year-old Newerton ruled out for offside. The defeat ended Barcelona’s 100 per cent start to the group and enabled Porto to pull level on nine points at the top after they beat 10-man Royal Antwerp 2-0. Evanilson’s early penalty and a late strike from Pepe sealed victory for the hosts and left the Belgians, who had Jurgen Ekkelencamp sent off in the 52nd minute, still hunting their first points. Goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt proved enough for Borussia Dortmund to sink Newcastle 2-0 in Germany and move to the top of Group F as Paris Saint-Germain dropped down after a 2-1 defeat at AC Milan, despite former Inter defender Milan Skriniar firing them in front after just nine minutes. Rafael Leao equalised for Milan within three minutes and Olivier Giroud hit what turned out to be the winner five minutes into the second half. Read More John Stones injury leaves Manchester City ‘in trouble’, says Pep Guardiola Newcastle discover brutal truth - it’s so much harder in the Champions League Stones injury dampens Manchester City joy at Champions League progress Erling Haaland back with a bang as Man City cruise into Champions League knockouts Celtic suffer Champions League embarrassment as Atletico Madrid show gulf in quality Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive

Sunderland defender Niall Huggins has won his first Wales senior call-up for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey. York-born Huggins qualifies for Wales through his Bangor-born father and has won four caps at Under-21 level. The 22-year-old former Leeds full-back has been rewarded after some excellent performances for Sunderland which included his first senior goal, a stunning solo effort against Watford at the Stadium of Light. Brennan Johnson returns after injury for two games that will determine whether Wales qualify automatically for next summer’s European Championship in Germany. Tottenham forward Johnson missed last month’s 2-1 victory over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia with a hamstring injury. Johnson’s Spurs team-mate Ben Davies is named in Rob Page’s 23-strong squad, despite missing his club’s 4-1 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Monday with an ankle problem. Portsmouth midfielder Joe Morrell is also included after serving a two-game suspension. Morrell, who was sent off in the 2-0 away defeat to Turkey in June, replaces Hibernian’s Dylan Levitt. Regan Poole and Wes Burns were both involved in last month’s friendly against Gibraltar but miss out this time after picking up respective knee and shoulder injuries. Charlie Savage, Josh Low, Luke Harris and Owen Beck are also absent and set to return to the under-21 set-up for their Euro qualifiers against Iceland and Denmark this month. Tom King is third-choice goalkeeper, with Adam Davies yet to recover from the injury which forced his departure from the Wales camp before the Gibraltar game. Skipper Aaron Ramsey is unavailable because of a knee injury that has sidelined him for the last two months. Wales meet Armenia in Yerevan on November 18 before welcoming Turkey to Cardiff three days later – and two wins would see them qualify for a third successive European Championships. Group leaders Turkey have already booked their spot at Euro 2024 with Wales, Armenia and Croatia contesting the second automatic place. If they fail to make the top two, Wales are guaranteed a play-off place in March through their top-tier status in the last edition of the Nations League. Full squad: W Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), D Ward (Leicester), T King (Wolves), B Davies (Tottenham), J Rodon (Leeds, on loan from Tottenham), T Lockyer (Luton), C Mepham (Bournemouth), B Cabango (Swansea), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), C Roberts (Burnley), N Huggins (Sunderland), E Ampadu (Leeds), J Sheehan (Bolton), J James (Birmingham), J Morrell (Portsmouth), H Wilson (Fulham), D Brooks (Bournemouth), D James (Leeds), N Broadhead (Ipswich), L Cullen (Swansea), B Johnson (Tottenham), K Moore (Bournemouth), T Bradshaw (Millwall). Read More John Stones injury leaves Manchester City ‘in trouble’, says Pep Guardiola Kevin Sinfield to run seven ultramarathons in support of Rob Burrow Never-say-die attitude gives Newcastle Champions League belief – Kieran Trippier On this day in 2004: Jason Robinson named as England’s first black captain Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive Jacob Neestrup: Parken atmosphere is 100 times more intense than Old Trafford

Pep Guardiola has claimed Manchester City could be “in trouble” following John Stones’ latest injury setback. The treble winners are awaiting assessments of the England defender after he was forced off with a knock in Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League stroll against Young Boys. Stones only returned to action in October after a two-month lay-off with hamstring and hip problems. Manager Guardiola said he feared the 29-year-old could be out “for a while” with the muscular problem and described the blow as “deep bad news”. Stones has been revelatory for City playing in a hybrid defence-midfield role and Guardiola feels he complements central anchor Rodri perfectly. Much was made of the fact Rodri was suspended when City lost three successive games earlier in the campaign, but Guardiola believes the absence of Stones was equally crucial. He said: “The problem is we play John and Rodri at the same time – now we are in trouble, because we have to play a bit differently, like happened in Arsenal. “We do not feel comfortable still, we are not prepared to change many variations.” City hardly broke sweat as they brushed past the Swiss champions to secure their place in the last 16 for an 11th consecutive year. The holders have won all four of their matches in Group G and are through with two matches to spare. Erling Haaland made light of the ankle problem that curtailed him against Bournemouth last weekend to open the scoring with a penalty and added the third goal with a powerful long-range strike. It was yet another dominant performance from the Norway striker, who has now scored 39 goals in 34 career Champions League appearances and 15 in all competitions this season. Opposition captain Mohamed Ali Camara even asked to swap shirts with the 23-year-old at half-time, something which drew criticism in some quarters. “I’m a little bit surprised about that right now,” admitted Young Boys coach Raphael Wicky, whose side failed to muster a single shot and had midfielder Sandro Lauper sent off in the second half. “I’ll probably have a word with him.” None of this worried Guardiola, whose side looked comfortable with Phil Foden also on the scoresheet. “It’s not normal, but I don’t know the reason why it happened,” he said. “It’s not a big subject for me right now.” City’s remaining task in the group will be to secure top spot, and a theoretically favourable draw, in the first knockout round. They face second-placed RB Leipzig at home later this month before wrapping up the stage at Red Star Belgrade. Midfielder Matheus Nunes said: “We cannot look at those two games as spare because we want to get through as first place, and that’s what we will try to do now. “We will focus on Chelsea now, but when those games come we will be ready because we want to win both of them.” Read More Kevin Sinfield to run seven ultramarathons in support of Rob Burrow Never-say-die attitude gives Newcastle Champions League belief – Kieran Trippier On this day in 2004: Jason Robinson named as England’s first black captain Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive Jacob Neestrup: Parken atmosphere is 100 times more intense than Old Trafford FA asks Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for observations after referee comments

Football Australia says the Socceroos will play Palestine in a second-round 2026 World Cup qualifier at the neutral venue of Kuwait on 21 November. “As a result of current circumstances in the region, the Asian Football Confederation formally requested that this designated home fixture for Palestine be held at a neutral venue,” Football Australia said in a statement. Australian football administrators said the match would be played at Jaber Al-Ahmed International Stadium in Kuwait, five days after the Socceroos open the second round of Asian qualifying against Bangladesh in Melbourne. Hamas militants killed 1,400 people during a 7 October rampage in southern Israel, sparking the ongoing war. Some 240 people Hamas abducted during the attack remain in Gaza, and more than 250,000 Israelis have evacuated homes near the borders of Gaza and Lebanon amid continuous rockets fired into Israel. A month of relentless bombardment in Gaza has killed more than 10,300 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, according the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run territory. More than 2,300 are believed buried from strikes that reduced entire city blocks to rubble. AP Read More What do Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Newcastle need to reach last UCL 16? Newcastle discover brutal truth - it’s so much harder in the Champions League Never-say-die attitude gives Newcastle Champions League belief – Kieran Trippier

The Champions League group stage has reached the halfway point and by now teams know whether they’re in a great spot to qualify for the last 16 knockouts - or face an uphill battle in their final three fixtures. Tuesday and Wednesday nights from this point onwards can go from exciting to stressful very quickly, with results elsewhere also impacting on whether clubs might need a positive result on the road or a surprise upset in one of their hardest games. Here we focus on what the Premier League quartet of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United need to do in their respective groups to go through, along with Scottish side Celtic and the rest of Europe’s elite. Group A Bayern Munich are flying at the top and a win on matchday four (MD4) will guarantee progression. It’s still up for grabs for a top-two finish between the other three clubs. Man United are third, one point behind Galatasaray who beat them at Old Trafford, so job No.1 is to make it a double over Copenhagen on MD4. If they do that and Bayern win against the Turkish side, a draw in Istanbul next time out will ensure United go into the final game in second place. Group B Arsenal are top despite slipping up at home to Lens on MD2. If they can beat Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium this week, they’ll be within touching distance of the last 16. Behind them, Lens are second but there’s not much to choose between themselves, PSV and Sevilla. The Dutch side realistically need to beat the French outfit in MD3 to bunch up the race. Group C The group which looks the most set at this stage. Real Madrid are top and unbeaten, with Napoli second. Braga and Union Berlin, who are pointless, are likely fighting for third and a Europa League spot. Group D Another clear hierarchy group, with Real Sociedad and Inter Milan tied at the top on seven points apiece. Salzburg and Benfica will fight for third, unless a shock result or two crops up quickly. Group E Celtic earned a point at home to Atletico Madrid on MD3 but a thrashing in the reverse means their hopes of any European football in the new year are all but extinguished. Celtic need to win both their last two and hope Feyenoord lose them both, otherwise they’ll finish last. Atleti are now top, with Lazio one point back and Feyenoord sitting a further one behind in third, so games between the Spanish club and those two rivals will still dictate the top two. Group F The tightest quartet of all, but it’s looking very tough for Newcastle United, who sit bottom after MD4, though only three points off Borussia Dortmund in first. Back-to-back wins for the Germans over the Magpies means Eddie Howe’s team realistically need to beat both AC Milan and PSG, while the MD5 Milan vs Dortmund clash will almost certainly dictate who goes through from that pair. PSG have work to do themselves but winning at home to Newcastle will go a long way towards putting them through. Group G An easy ride so far for Man City, who have already guaranteed themselves passage to the last 16. RB Leipzig are also through and just top spot remains to fight for, with Red Star and Young Boys earning just one point each through MD4. Group H Porto and Barcelona are the top two with three wins from four each, but Shakhtar’s surprise win over the Spanish club on MD4 keeps them in the running, three points back in third. Antwerp are out of the running after four straight defeats. Read More Newcastle discover brutal truth - it’s so much harder in the Champions League Stones injury dampens Manchester City joy at Champions League progress Man City into Champions League knockouts as Celtic embarassed and Shakhtar stun Barca Erling Haaland back with a bang as Man City cruise into Champions League knockouts Celtic suffer Champions League embarrassment as Atletico Madrid show gulf in quality Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive

Kieran Trippier is refusing to give up on Newcastle’s Champions League dream after a bruising night in Dortmund left them with a mountain to climb. The Magpies, playing in the competition for the first time in 20 years, sat proudly at the top of Group F on October 4 after a thumping 4-1 victory over Paris St Germain. A little more than a month on, back-to-back defeats a the hands of Borussia Dortmund – the second of them a 2-0 reverse at the Signal Iduna Stadium on Tuesday evening – left them at the bottom of the pile with just two games to play, although former Tottenham full-back Trippier knows from personal experience how quickly things can change. The 33-year-old, who swiftly turned his attention to Saturday’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth, said: “When I was at Tottenham, we had Barcelona and Inter Milan in our group and everyone said it was done, but never say never. “We got to the final that year, so it is a never-say-die attitude from us. We can’t control what happens, we just have to focus on Bournemouth and forget this.” Newcastle’s current haul of four points from four games is equal to what Trippier’s Spurs had managed by the same point in 2018-19, when defeats by Inter and Barcelona were followed by a draw at PSV Eindhoven and then a 2-1 home win over the Dutch outfit. Everybody has to stand up. There are always going to be injuries in football Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier They eventually secured second place in Group B by beating the Italians in north London and then drawing at the Nou Camp, where substitute Lucas Moura’s late equaliser ensured they edged out the Serie A giants before going on to reach the final in Madrid, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool. Five years on, Trippier and his current team-mates will travel to Paris later this month ahead of AC Milan’s December visit to St James’ Park, knowing they may need to win both games to make it out of the group and their chances of doing so could depend largely on how far their injury problems have abated. Head coach Eddie Howe was without Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Matt Targett, Elliot Anderson and Javier Manquillo, as well as the suspended Sandro Tonali, in Germany and returned with Callum Wilson nursing a tight hamstring. He will hope key defender Botman and striker Isak at least can play a part in the remaining group games, although Trippier was in no mood to use the selection crisis as an excuse. He said: “Everybody has to stand up. There are always going to be injuries in football. “The good thing about us is that as a team and a manager, we don’t make excuses. Everybody feels valued in this team and we have a strong bond as a team. “The reality is we are missing a lot of key players. But you look at Manchester United away and Arsenal at home and we’ve got good results, so there are no excuses from us. Whatever team the manager picks, we give everything.” Newcastle headed back to Tyneside wondering what might have been after passing up opportunities to cancel out Niclas Fullkrug’s opener when Lewis Hall’s driven cross from a short corner move evaded all his team-mates and Joelinton sent a close-range header wide, and they were made to pay when Julian Brandt cemented the win late on. Trippier said: “These are the fine margins. We had a great chance from the set-piece routine – on another day it is a tap in, Joelinton’s header. “There was nothing in the game, but at this level, it is about being clinical.” Read More On this day in 2004: Jason Robinson named as England’s first black captain Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive Jacob Neestrup: Parken atmosphere is 100 times more intense than Old Trafford FA asks Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for observations after referee comments Tragedy chanting causes ‘unbearable pain’ and must stop – Margaret Aspinall ‘Just ridiculous’ – A closer look at Glenn Maxwell’s remarkable double century

What the papers say Arsenal’s Thomas Partey reportedly wants out of the Premier League club with Italian giants Juventus considering tabling an offer in the January transfer window, the Daily Mail reports. The 30-year-old has played 85 games for Arsenal since his arrival in 2020. Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries but – according to the Daily Mail via Italian newspaper CalcioMercato – the club has slapped a £43million asking price on the 27-year-old Netherlands international. Social media round-up Players to watch Lloyd Kelly: The 25-year-old Bournemouth defender has attracted interest from Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and AC Milan, but his club will reportedly turn down any approaches for him, Teamtalk reports. Andre: Liverpool, Arsenal and Fulham have sent representatives to watch the 22-year-old Fluminense midfielder in the Copa Libertadores final. The Brazilian reportedly has an agreement to leave the South American champions in January for around £30million, Portuguese outlet Globo Esporte says. Read More On this day in 2004: Jason Robinson named as England’s first black captain John Stones blow dampens Manchester City joy at Champions League progress Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive

Arsenal look to return to winning ways in the Champions League tonight as the Gunners host Sevilla at the Emirates. Mikel Arteta’s side have lost their last two matches following their Carabao Cup exit at West Ham last week and a controversial first defeat of the Premier League season away to Newcastle on Saturday. Arsenal are in a strong position in their Champions League group after securing an important 2-1 win in Seville last time out - a result that left the Gunners top of Group B, a point ahead of second-placed Lens and four clear of both Seville and PSV. Qualification for the last-16 could be secured tonight should Arsenal beat last season’s Europa League winners and PSV fail to beat Lens at home. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League fixture; get the latest match odds and tips here. When is it? Arsenal host Sevilla on Wednesday 8 November with kick-off at 8pm at the Emirates Stadium. How can I watch it? The match will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage getting underway on TNT Sports 2 from 7pm. TNT Sports customers can also stream the match live on Discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Martin Odegaard missed the defeat at Newcastle due to injury and is a doubt - while Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey remain out. Spain great Sergio Ramos is a major doubt for Sevilla due to a calf injury. Predicted line-ups Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Rice, Jorginho, Havertz; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli Sevilla: Nyland; Navas, Gudelj, Bade, Acuna; Sow, Soumare, Rakitic; Ocampos, En-Nesyri, Lukebakio Odds Arsenal 1/3 Draw 19/4 Sevilla 9/1 Full odds here Prediction Arsenal 2-1 Sevilla Read More FA asks Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for observations after referee comments Arteta vows to ‘talk loudly’ about VAR as he stands by outburst after Newcastle loss What do Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Newcastle need to reach last UCL 16? Mikel Arteta doubles down on VAR comments and vows to ‘talk loudly’ after criticism Always need to improve – Nicolas Jackson keen to push on after hat-trick heroics Ange Postecoglou appears to aim barb at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta over VAR controversy

Greg McElroy questions the rankings of Oregon, Texas, and Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Read more.

The Selection Committee was once again gathered in a Marriott conference room on Tuesday as they prepared the Top 25 College Football Playoff rankings, which th

On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee revealed the latest CFP rankings ahead of Week 11. Frankly, there wasn't a lot that changed i