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Newcastle travel to Germany this evening to face Borussia Dortmund in a crucial Champions League contest that could decide the fate of both teams in Group F. Currently the Magpies are level on points with Dortmund though they sit behind the Bundesliga side in the group following their defeat at St. James’ Park last time out. An away victory tonight will push Eddie Howe’s men into the top two of the table and leave them on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages. Paris Saint-Germain sit top of the table with six points, two more than Howe’s side, and take on AC Milan in tonight’s other group stage clash. Howe will need to mastermind a victory against Dortmund without the services of some of his key players. Dan Burn, Matt Targett, and Jacob Murphy all have injuries while Sandro Tonali has been banned for 10-months. Follow all the Champions League action below and get the latest odds and tips right here:

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring the progress of Red Bull Salzburg starlets Karim Konate, Lucas Gourna-Douath and Oscar Gloukh.

Mikel Arteta has defended his criticism of referees after Arsenal's defeat to Newcastle United.

The Football Association will not take any action against Alejandro Garnacho over the Manchester United winger’s use of gorilla emojis in a post about Andre Onana. Two weeks ago the goalkeeper produced a stoppage-time penalty save to secure a key 1-0 victory against Copenhagen in the Champions League group stage. Garnacho later uploaded a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the United players celebrating with Onana, along with a caption featuring two gorilla emojis. The post was quickly deleted and the Cameroon international defended his team-mate, whom he said was trying to express “power and strength” and added: “This matter should go no further.” The FA has punished players in the past for making racial references on social networking sites but will not be taking any action against Garnacho. An FA spokesperson said: “We have concluded an investigation in relation to a recent post on Alejandro Garnacho’s social media. “We sought the player’s observations as part of our investigation, and he explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his team-mates – specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire – following the pivotal roles that they played in Manchester United’s win over FC Copenhagen. “We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho’s explanation and the context that it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occasion. (Garnacho) explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his team-mates FA spokesperson “However, we have reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular which can be interpreted in different ways. “We also intend to liaise with Kick It Out and the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) to discuss other potential issues around the use of emojis and similar forms of messaging, and education that can be provided about them.” Garnacho has been included in the 23-man squad for the reverse fixture against Copenhagen at Parken on Wednesday evening. Read More Luton threaten to ban fans involved in ‘tragedy chanting’ during Liverpool match Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: Spurs went down with flag held high but loss hurts a lot From Aguero winner to Keegan dismay, Spurs-Chelsea joins Premier League classics

The reason why Shakhtar Donetsk are playing Barcelona in Germany during their Champions League game with the La Liga side.

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is partnering with Hard Rock International on a proposal to build an

Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are pushing for the Turkish Super Cup on 29 December to be played on home soil rather than Saudi Arabia. There has been public pressure for the game to be staged at home because it marks the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish republic. Saudi Arabia has moved in recent years to stage more international games and tournaments ahead of the men’s World Cup it is all but certain to host in 2034. Fenerbahce put forward a motion at a board meeting on Sunday for the Super Cup to be played at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, where last season’s Champions League final took place, or the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadium, the home of Samsunspor. The proposal was accepted unanimously, the club said. Samsun, on the Black Sea coast, is where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk launched the war of independence and went on to establish the Turkish Republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire on 19 Ocober 1923. The issue was also on the main agenda of a Galatasaray board meeting on Monday, with the club saying it wants the game played “in the Turkish homeland, which our ancestors won and protected with their blood, lives, ideas and wisdom.” The club want young people to “watch the match in the lands they own and experience this feeling within the borders of the Republic of Turkey in the 100th anniversary of our Republic, with national consciousness, regardless of which team they support.” The Super Cup is a match between the league champions (Galatasaray) and cup winners (Fenerbahce). It is currently due to be played at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh. The Spanish and Italian Super Cups have also been held in Saudi Arabia in recent years. AP Read More Football rumours: Chelsea and Arsenal leading the race for Ivan Toney I know my worth – Rasmus Hojlund ready to build on promising start at Man Utd Erik ten Hag heaps praise on United goalkeeper Andre Onana after penalty heroics

Manchester United are interested in AS Monaco first team pair Vanderson and Youssouf Fofana as they plan to strengthen their squad in coming transfer windows.

Real Madrid talent Arda Guler was finally included in a matchday squad for his new club over the weekend after several months of frustrating injury troubles, although he didn't get on the pitch.

Aaron Rodgers very close to playing again.

It is a big game, but then they all are now for Newcastle. By Christmas, they will have played Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund twice each, and Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brighton once apiece. The definition of a major match can shift according to reason, to the quality of the opposition – despite the size of their fanbase and stadium, Newcastle may not have been underlined on the fixture list by the elite during their wilderness years – but the sight of the massive Signal Iduna Park is another reminder they are back in the big time now. Whether they remain there in spring is still to be determined. Dortmund may have always been the biggest game of perhaps the biggest week thus far for Newcastle – a triple header of Manchester United, Arsenal and last season’s Bundesliga runners-up – but Eddie Howe’s side arrive in Germany having proved masters of brinkmanship. Short of players, but high on spirit, they are looking to complete a famous hat-trick. In four days, they could have exited the Carabao Cup and been distanced from the Premier League’s top four; instead, they overcame United and Arsenal. Now for the side who inflicted their only defeat in their last 12 matches. Three points would put Newcastle on course for the knockout stages. “Every game is a must-win,” said Howe. “The term is probably overused in football.” And if he was right to note that too much of the language can be hyperbolic – certainly some was at St James’ Park on Saturday – a setback could be very damaging. With a trip to Paris next, defeat in Dortmund could mean Newcastle are out of the Champions League after five games. Howe will have to navigate the rest of the group stage without the symbolic hero of their demolition of Paris Saint-Germain. Dan Burn’s aerial ability brought a goal then, but he landed awkwardly on his back after going up for a header on Saturday. “A long-term problem, a couple of months is a speculative number,” said Howe. “He has been gigantic for us.” It was not just a reference to Burn’s height and, with Matt Targett out for around three months, Newcastle are now short of left-backs. They were already missing the spine of a side, in the flagship signings Sven Botman, Sandro Tonali and Alexander Isak. With Burn, Targett and Harvey Barnes absent as well, Newcastle are shorn of players who have cost more than £200m of their £400m outlay in Howe’s reign. Big numbers have given way to small ones. Newcastle have too few players. There was no room in the Champions League squad for Emil Krafth and Matt Ritchie, two fit players. Selection could be a process of elimination. “You just see who is fit and who is available,” Howe said. “The games have come at a cost.” Nor is there much respite for the overworked. “The problem we have is a lot of the injuries are on a longer-term scale, which means there’s no relief coming around the corner,” he said. The last men standing will have to carry on running for quite some time. It is something depleted groups managed to do against United and Arsenal. But, deprived of some of the players who brought stardust, Newcastle feel still more reliant on hard work. Certainly, it is harder to outclass teams. And, while a 4-1 scoreline against PSG was spectacular, otherwise Newcastle are yet to score. The statistics are explained in part by the toughness of a pool without a minnow who can be thrashed but of the 32 teams in the Champions League, so far Newcastle have the third-lowest expected goals and the fourth fewest shots. They rank fourth from bottom for completed passes and have had the third-fewest touches. Only three goalkeepers have made more saves than Nick Pope; of those who have played two or more games, only one has a higher save percentage than his 86.7; as he is Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel, it could add to a struggle to score. They drew a blank at home two weeks ago and the realist in Howe was apparent when he reviewed Dortmund’s victory at St James’ Park. “It was a tight game but they deserved to win,” he said. The sense is the rematch could be tight; so, too, the pool. At the start of the competition, Opta’s predictive statistics gave Newcastle a 54 per cent chance of qualifying from Group F. Halfway through it, their supercomputer now thinks there is a 54 per cent likelihood they will go through. That said, Opta gave Newcastle a 78 per cent chance of a top-two finish before the defeat to Dortmund two weeks ago. It could shape up as the pivotal result of their European campaign. And yet, as Howe is very aware, there are worse problems than being deprived of key players for a marquee match against one of Germany’s great clubs. Wednesday marks the second anniversary of his appointment. Dortmund were not on his agenda then. “The vision was short-term. It was, can we stay in the Premier League?” he recalled. Now the question is whether Newcastle can stay in the Champions League. Read More Sporting director Dan Ashworth believes Newcastle are on ‘an upward trajectory’ How Anthony Gordon became central to Newcastle’s Champions League hopes Arsenal lose unbeaten start as Newcastle keep their heads in the battle of St James’ Park

With college basketball back on the schedule, here's a look at the evolving NBA Draft landscape in early November.