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Breaking down the top start 'em, sit 'em options for Week 9 of the fantasy football season.

Liverpool have won the EFL Cup once under Jurgen Klopp and they travel to AFC Bournemouth in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.

Ipswich Town who are flying high in the Championship take on Fulham of the Premier League in the EFL Cup Round of 16.

Five-time winners of the EFL Cup, Chelsea, take on Blackburn Rovers who have won the competition once, in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.

Eddie Howe denied Newcastle are on a revenge mission against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup as the Magpies boss weighs up his diminishing options for the fourth-round clash. Newcastle’s long wait for a first domestic trophy since 1955 was extended by Erik ten Hag’s United, who claimed a 2-0 victory in last season’s final between the teams at Wembley in February. United have been in patchy form this season and come into Tuesday’s encounter at Old Trafford reeling from being outclassed in the Manchester derby at the weekend as City walked away with a 3-0 win. But Howe anticipates Premier League form can be parked to one side for now, with both sides set to ring the changes, and he was adamant vengeance for eight months ago is not a motivation ahead of the trip. Howe said: “That’s not our emotion as I sit here now. Our emotion is just to try to prepare and win the game. One win and we’re into the quarter-final of the competition. We loved our run in it last year. “Manchester United are a top team with top players. One of the key tests of any team is how you respond to setbacks. That’s always what you’re looking to do when you’re in the manager’s position. “They’ve got some very good results lately and have won some games late. Whenever you play Manchester City, as we know they’re very, very difficult games. “When you go into a cup tie, to a degree you leave that form behind. This is a one-off game and I’m sure both teams will be motivated to try and win.” Injuries to several first-team players – including Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy – have been exacerbated by Sandro Tonali being handed a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules. Joe Willock has made a couple of substitute appearances since a long injury lay-off and Callum Wilson and Joelinton have shrugged off issues of their own, but Howe is wary of overburdening some players. Howe admitted he is uncharted territory as the Champions League has increased Newcastle’s workload – they play Borussia Dortmund next week after welcoming Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday. He said: “You just have to roll with the punches, absorb the hits and that’s what we’re going to try to do. It’s not ideal for us, especially with the season to last year – it’s a totally different feel. “We’re not in that position now so we’re going to need everybody in the squad to step up. The key message is everyone has to give a bit more. To not use our squad (on Tuesday) would be really foolish. “(Last season) whet the appetite for us, we want this on a more regular basis, we’re determined to get back there. That’s the challenge for us – can we? Tomorrow will dictate what we do in this competition. “It’s going to be a bit of a juggling act for us, but we do have the players that can be flexible and can play different positions. It’s one of the strengths of our squad.” Anthony Gordon could be up front in place of Wilson while Lewis Hall may start, having struggled for minutes since moving to Tyneside, initially on loan with an obligation to buy, from Chelsea. Howe added: “He has a big role. He’s a talented player, he can play various positions for us which in our current position we’re going to need. The best is yet to come, without a doubt. “He’s been training well and adapting to quite a big change in his life so for such a young player to move from London and settle in here, I think he’s done it well.” Read More Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova joins in with criticism of WTA Finals On this day in 2011: Graham Henry steps down as New Zealand coach Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combine to keep Boston Celtics perfect Detroit Lions bounce back to beat Las Vegas Raiders Iga Swiatek recovers from slow start for opening win at WTA Finals Corey Seager fires Texas Rangers to win in World Series game three

Megan Fox violated SAG-AFTRA Halloween costume rules, James Harden traded to the Clippers, Lionel Messi wins the Ballon d'Or and more in the Roundup.

Lionel Messi has revealed that he'd like to return to Barcelona in the future following his record-breaking eighth Ballon d'Or triumph.

With the college basketball season about to start, here are the best freshman to watch from an NBA Draft perspective.

Emiliano Martinez was booed at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night as he collected the best goalkeeper’s Yashin Trophy. Martinez thwarted France in the 2022 World Cup final, making a crucial one-on-one save from Randal Kolo Muani in extra time to take the game to penalties, before making two more saves in the shootout to help clinch Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was criticised in the aftermath of the final, however, for his overzealous celebrations when he was pictured carrying a doll of France captain Kylian Mbappe during the trophy parade in Buenos Aires. Martinez arrived at Ballon d’Or ceremony to chants of “Mbappe!” outside the venue. Later, after receiving his award from his father on stage, boos could be heard as he was interviewed by host Didier Drogba while a video played his famous save from Kolo Muani in the background. Martinez’s teammate Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world, beating Norway's Uefa player of the year and treble winner Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious prize. The 36-year-old is now three Ballons d’Or clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last of his five trophies in 2017. Messi has now finished among the top three a record 14 times in total, finishing runner-up on five occasions. “I couldn’t imagine having the career that I’ve had. Everything that I’ve achieved. The fortune I’ve had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history. It’s nice to win these individual trophies. To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing,” Messi said. “All of them (Ballon d’Or awards) are special for different reasons,” he added. “I’m happy to get that recognition that I'm getting thanks to what we have achieved with the national team,” Messi told Reuters. “This (World Cup) title we had been aiming for for so many years makes it even more special.” Asked if he would carry on until the 2026 World Cup, Messi said: “I don't think about it. I’ll enjoy (my career) day by day. There will first be the Copa America in the United States (in 2024). (The World Cup), I don’t think about it.” Spain’s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or. “It’s an individual trophy but it can’t exist without a team,” she said. Messi, who won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 and claimed four in a row until 2012, finished second to Haaland at the Uefa awards in August. Haaland, 23, was one of the firm favourites for his first Ballon d'Or after scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions last season as City won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. But Argentina's magical run at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi earned the Golden Ball for best overall player and Silver Boot (seven goals and three assists), helped him pip the Norwegian striker to the award. The World Cup was the only major trophy missing from Messi's resume as Argentina made amends for losing the 2014 final to Germany while in March he became only the third player in history to score 100 international goals. Messi also won the Ligue 1 title with Paris St Germain before moving to Inter Miami, where he helped the Major League Soccer side win the Leagues Cup -- their first major trophy. Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player, while club team mate Vinicius Jr was awarded the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work off the pitch. Additional reporting by Reuters Read More Lionel Messi leaves the Ballon d’Or stage with his legacy complete Football is about to enter the ‘Jude Bellingham era’ Messi wins record eighth Ballon d’Or as Bonmati and Bellingham also pick up awards Ballon d’Or Awards LIVE: Latest updates as Messi and Bonmati win Georgia Stanway disappointed to miss ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Ballon d’Or ceremony Sir Bobby Charlton: England’s greatest ever player and the artist of 1966

Football Australia on Tuesday said it won’t bid for the World Cup 2034, clearing the way for Saudi Arabia to host the men's marquee tournament. The chances of Australia hosting the 2034 event appeared unlikely after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) backed the Saudi bid on 5 October. Fifa paved the way for a Saudi victory given the 2034 event would only be open to countries from the Asian Football Confederation and Oceania Football Confederation after the three-continent, six-country bid for the 2030 World Cup. Indonesia’s football association initially showed interest in a joint bid with Australia, potentially alongside Malaysia and Singapore, but that faded when Indonesia instead backed Saudi Arabia. “We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the Fifa World Cup and — having taken all factors into consideration — we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” Football Australia said in a statement. Australia will instead attempt to secure hosting rights for the 2029 Club World Cup and the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. “We believe we are in a strong position to host the oldest women’s international competition in the world, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup," the FA statement said. Australia and New Zealand successfully co-hosted the Women's World Cup in July and August. Brisbane, Queensland state, is due to become the third Australian city to host the Olympics when it stages the 2032 Summer Games. Read More Aryna Sabalenka ‘really disrespected by the WTA’ after poor organisation Francis Ngannou rematch or Oleksandr Usyk showdown? – Tyson Fury’s future plans Tyson Fury hints at next steps after Francis Ngannou victory

Manchester City have no intention of parting ways with Kevin De Bruyne anytime soon, with the Belgian playmaker also in no rush to leave the Etihad Stadium.

England will travel to Belgium for their second match of their double-header against the side in the Women’s Nations League in just five days. At the King Power Stadium on Friday night, the Lionesses secured all three points after Lauren Hemp struck early, but despite dominating possession and having numerous chances, they were unable to kill off the game. The Netherlands sit top of the group on goal difference, having beaten Sarina Wiegman’s side, and England will want to make sure they stay level on points with the top-placed team, who travel to Scotland on Tuesday. A place in the Olympics is at stake, with the four group winners in League A (which England are in) meeting in the semi-finals and the two finalists joining France as the 2024 Olympic Games’ European representatives. England have been nominated as the nation to secure qualification on behalf of Team GB. Here’s everything you need to know about the match: When is it? England take on Belgium at the King Power at Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven on Tuesday 31 October at 7.30pm GMT. How can I watch it? The Nations League match will be shown live on ITV4 and on the streaming service ITVX, with coverage starting at 6.45pm GMT. Team news Fran Kirby pulled on an England shirt for the first time in a year when she was brought on as a substitute against Belgium in Leicester. Kirby missed the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery in March. Lauren James was ruled out of both games against Belgium with a concussion. Odds Belgium 8/1 Draw 4/1 England 3/10 Prediction As they did in Leicester England will just sneak through, although they will have to be wary of Belgium’s direct threat. England 2-1 Belgium. Read More When is the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw? A good break-up? How Tottenham and Harry Kane are thriving apart Search for Luis Diaz’s abducted father sees police search cloud forest When is the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw? A good break-up? How Tottenham and Harry Kane are thriving apart Search for Luis Diaz’s abducted father sees police search cloud forest