18 h. ago Manchester derby Q&A, a big day for Frank and Nuno, and more – matchday live

News, buildup and discussion before day’s actionPost a question for Jamie Jackson BTL | Email us hereManchester City then. They’re having quite the January window, aren’t they?First Antoine Semenyo and now, seemingly, Marc Guéhi. The latter has not yet completed his move from Crystal Palace, so obviously won’t play in the derby today, but only the final formalities remain before he joins Pep Guardiola’s super-squad. Continue reading...

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20 h. ago Manchester derby buildup, a big day for Frank and Nuno, and more – matchday live

News, buildup and discussion before day’s actionPost a question for Jamie Jackson BTL | Email us hereSpeaking of the Women’s FA Cup, Suzanne Wrack chats to those connected with Ipswich, who are bottom of WSL2, but have big plans to turn their season around starting in the cup against Sheffield United tomorrow.Like most other competitions in women’s football, Chelsea have dominated the FA Cup in recent years, winning it in four of the past five years and six times since 2016. They’re in action in the fourth round at Kingsmeadow today (12.30pm), where they’re unlikely to be troubled by Crystal Palace. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago FA Cup third round buildup, Macclesfield magic, WSL and a big clash in Serie A – matchday live

⚽ All the latest ahead of Saturday’s football action⚽ Link in here | Fixtures | Mail usSpeaking of Scotland, Martin O’Neill returned as Celtic’s caretaker manager after the sacking of Wilfried Nancy and oversaw a 4-0 win against Dundee United yesterday. One Rangers fan is pining for the Nancy days already.There are another eight FA Cup third-round matches on the agenda today. Fratton Park will be rocking for the visit of Arsenal as Portsmouth host the Gunners for just the second time since 2009. Manchester United, still led by interim interim manager Darren Fletcher, are at home to Brighton, who usually enjoy a trip to Old Trafford.Derby v Leeds (12pm GMT)Portsmouth v Arsenal (2pm)Hull v Blackburn (2.30pm)Norwich v Walsall (2.30pm)Sheffield Utd v Mansfield (2.30pm)Swansea v West Brom (2.30pm)West Ham v QPR (2.30pm)Manchester Utd v Brighton (4.30pm) Continue reading...

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6 d. ago FA Cup third round buildup, WSL and a big clash in Serie A – matchday live

⚽ All the latest ahead of Saturday’s football action⚽ Link in here | Fixtures | Mail usAs for Crystal Palace, the defence of their FA Cup crown did not make it past the first hurdle. It’s fair to say Oliver Glasner was not pleased with their drab display:With all the respect [to Macclesfield] in a game like this you don’t need a tactic, you don’t need a manager who tells you what to do. You have to do the right things. We have to score five or six against a non-league team, but we didn’t show any kind of quality.We spoke about Ethan being here with us before kick-off. Seeing his parents after the game was something very special and I’m sure Ethan was looking down on us today.A lot of the lads said that at the full-time whistle when we managed to find each other that was for him. We try to do our best for him. It’s been such a difficult time, everyone has come together massively since that happened and that shows you how special this club is. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago FA Cup third round, Rosenior’s bow, Stanway to leave Bayern, Afcon and more – matchday live

⚽ All the latest ahead of Saturday’s football action⚽ Ten things to look out for | Fixtures | Mail usThe big transfer news has already begun today as England international and two-time Euros winner Georgia Stanway has announced she is leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season.In her announcement on social media she said it was a difficult decision to leave Bayern and thanked the club and fans. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Premier League buildup, EFL, Afcon last 16 and Paris derby – as it happened

News and buildup to the day’s action ahead of six Premier League games and more last-16 ties at AfconHave you played On the Ball – our new football game exclusive to the Guardian app? The daily puzzle involves guessing the identity of Premier League footballers, past and present.My score I fluked it a bit this time due to the answer being a player I was a big fan of. My score of 65 puts me in the top 10% of players today apparently. Better than yesterday’s abysmal effort with Emile Heskey. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Premier League buildup, EFL postponements, Afcon last 16 and Paris derby – matchday live

⚽ News, discussion and previews before Sunday’s action⚽ Get in touch by emailing us here or comment BTLHave you played On the Ball – our new football game exclusive to the Guardian app? The daily puzzle involves guessing the identity of Premier League footballers, past and present.My score I fluked it a bit this time due to the answer being a player I was a big fan of. My score of 65 puts me in the top 10% of players today apparently. Better than yesterday’s abysmal effort with Emile Heskey. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Premier League buildup, EFL postponement, Afcon last 16 and Paris derby – matchday live

⚽ News, discussion and previews before Sunday’s action⚽ Get in touch by emailing us here or comment BTLDoncaster have announced their Sky Bet League One clash with Luton has been postponed because of a partially frozen pitch at the Eco-Power Stadium. Second-bottom Doncaster announced on Saturday a pitch inspection would take place around 8:30am on Sunday morning, with frost sheets and lighting rigs used this week to offset the cold weather.However, despite “extensive efforts” to get the game on, Rovers announced it had been called off and a rearranged date will be announced in due course. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Premier League buildup, La Liga, Afcon last 16 and Celtic v Rangers – matchday live

⚽ News, discussion and previews before the day’s action⚽ Fixtures | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Get in touchHeading to a Premier League match today? Or perhaps you’ve made a maverick trip to the Afcon? Send your thoughts and hopes to matchday.live@theguardian.comHello. It’s (checks diary) Saturday. After the festive confusion, it’s now day three in the 2026 house although just four Premier League fixtures today suggests a routine hasn’t yet been established. Still, for many out there, this is the final weekend of the holiday so a chance to head to the match. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Premier League and Afcon buildup, plus latest news – matchday live

News, discussion and buildup to the day’s actionGet in touch! Email us with your thoughts hereWissa needs more time to get over knee injuryYoane Wissa is still not ready to make regular starts for Newcastle but Eddie Howe is keen to find the Congolese striker more opportunities in the coming weeks.I think with Yoane, we’ve got to look after him, he’s still relatively early in his return. He did really well in his one start against Fulham, I was really pleased with him that day and there’ll be other opportunities.The problem for us is with our schedule playing every three, four days, I don’t think he’s in a condition where he could start regularly at the moment. Hopefully we can manage him to that point at some stage. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Premier League buildup, tributes to John Robertson at Forest and latest news – matchday live

News, discussion and buildup to the day’s actionGet in touch! Email us with your thoughts hereA few Optas ahead of today’s 12:30pm kick-off between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. The Dyche v Guardiola one doesn’t bode well for those hoping for an upset.● Nottingham Forest won their last Premier League match against Man City 1-0 in March last season, last winning consecutive league games against the Citizens in September 1995. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Premier League buildup, Old Trafford reaction and latest news – matchday live

News, discussion and buildup to the day’s actionGet in touch! Email us with your thoughts hereA few Optas ahead of today’s 12:30pm kick-off between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. The Dyche v Guardiola one doesn’t bode well for those hoping for an upset.● Nottingham Forest won their last Premier League match against Man City 1-0 in March last season, last winning consecutive league games against the Citizens in September 1995. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Birmingham v Derby, Premier League and Afcon buildup and John Robertson tributes – matchday live

⚽ All the latest ahead of today’s festive fixtures⚽ John Robertson, Forest and Scotland legend, dies aged 72⚽ Fixtures | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail TomA reminder that this is what CFG’s chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, said back in 2019 when they bought Mumbai City:We believe this investment will deliver transformative benefits to Mumbai City FC, to City Football Group and to Indian football as a whole. City Football Group is committed to the future of football in India and to the potential for Mumbai City FC within that future. We are very much looking forward to playing an active role in Mumbai City FC’s fan and local communities, and working with our co-owners to further develop the club as quickly as possible. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Premier League, EFL and Afcon buildup and John Robertson tributes – matchday live

⚽ All the latest ahead of today’s festive fixtures⚽ John Robertson, Forest and Scotland legend, dies aged 72⚽ Fixtures | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail MichaelFirst they come for Boxing Day, now the 3pm blackout. Do these people have no respect?The relative lack of Premier League football does however give the Football League (and non league) a festive time to shine. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Hearts v Rangers, European action and Afcon begins – matchday live

⚽ Discussion, news and buildup to all Sunday’s action⚽ Live scores | Tables | Saturday’s reports | Mail us hereThere’s some interesting debate raging below the line about the tempestuous meeting between Tottenham and Liverpool last night, where Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero were sent off but Micky van de Ven, whose challenge ended Alexander Isak’s involvement was not.Thomas Frank was certainly of the view that Simons sending off was unjust. “I don’t like those types of red card because I think the game is gone if that’s a red card,” he told the BBC soon after the game finished. “I don’t think it’s a reckless tackle. I don’t think it’s exceptional force. We have the referee’s call and that was a yellow, so that’s why I don’t think that’s a red.” Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Aston Villa looking for 10th consecutive win, European football and more – matchday live

⚽ Discussion, news and buildup to all Sunday’s action⚽ Live scores | Tables | Saturday’s reports | Mail us hereThere’s some interesting debate raging below the line about the tempestuous meeting between Tottenham and Liverpool last night, where Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero were sent off but Micky van de Ven, whose challenge ended Alexander Isak’s involvement was not.Thomas Frank was certainly of the view that Simons sending off was unjust. “I don’t like those types of red card because I think the game is gone if that’s a red card,” he told the BBC soon after the game finished. “I don’t think it’s a reckless tackle. I don’t think it’s exceptional force. We have the referee’s call and that was a yellow, so that’s why I don’t think that’s a red.” Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Aston Villa looking for 10th consecutive win and Afcon begins – matchday live

⚽ Discussion, news and buildup to all Sunday’s action⚽ Live scores | Tables | Saturday’s reports | Mail us hereGood morning reader and welcome to Sunday’s matchday live! While there may only be one Premier League game today there is no shortage of action elsewhere, including the opening game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The hosts, Morocco, take on Comoros at the newly opened Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. It doesn’t take an expert to tell you that will be a hell of an atmosphere.In the Premier League we have (title challenging?) Aston Villa hosting Manchester United, in a fixture that should provide a decent measuring stick for both sides. There is also a slate of Women’s League Cup quarter-finals to look ahead to, plus three of the top four in the Scottish Premiership in action. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Premier League buildup and latest football news – matchday live

⚽ All the latest in the buildup to Saturday’s action⚽ Ten things to look out for | Tables | Mail us hereGood morning all and welcome to another of our matchday live blogs. It’s Saturday morning so that can only mean one thing – buildup! And we can safely called it a bumper day of action with no less than eight Premier League games, starting with Newcastle v Chelsea at 12.30pm, heading into the four 3pm kick-offs, Tottenham v Liverpool at 5.30pm and then two 8pm games: Everton v Arsenal and Leeds v Crystal Palace (all times GMT).There is also a full schedule of games in the Scottish Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two, plus lower down the pyramids and in Spain, Germany and beyond too. See – bumper. Continue reading...

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