Key events
So, that’s all the matches in pot one, but the new computer-powered draw format has wrong-footed me somewhat, and I’ll bring you the full run-down ASAP.
Marseille fixtures
Olympiacos H
Leverkusen A
Anderlecht H
Celtic A
Celta H
Sturm Graz A
Levski Sofia H
Besiktas A
Real Sociedad fixtures
Lyon H
Juventus A
Viktoria Plzen H
Union SG A
Bournemouth H
Crystal Palace A
Torreense H
Lillestrom A
Olympiacos fixtures
Milan H
Marseille A
Sparta Prague H
Rennes A
Jagiellonia H
Celje A
Hoffenheim H
Torreense A
AZ Alkmaar fixtures
Juventus H
Benfica A
GNK Dinamo H
Sparta Praha A
Sturm Graz H
Sunderland A
H. Beer-Sheva H
Ararat-Armenia A
Lyon fixtures
Leverkusen H
Real Sociedad A
Union SG H
Anderlecht A
Crystal Palace H
Jagiellonia A
Lillestrom H
Hoffenheim A
Matt Smith just mentioned that the full schedule will be confirmed by Sunday.
Milan fixtures
Benfica H
Olympiacos A
Ferencvaros H
Salzburg A
Sunderland H
Bournemouth A
Ararat-Armenia H
Levski Sofia A
Juventus fixtures
Real Sociedad H
AZ Alkmaar A
Rennes H
Ferencvaros A
Omonia H
Celta A
NEC H
H Beer-Sheva A
Benfica fixtures
AZ Alkmaar H
Milan A
Celtic H
Viktoria Plzen A
Lech Poznan H
Omonia A
OFI Crete H
NEC A
Leverkusen fixtures
Marseille H
Lyon A
Salzburg H
GNK Dinamo A
Celje H
Poznan A
Besiktas H
OFI Crete A
Here we go then. There are 144 fixtures to draw, so they say.
Jacob Steinberg
Chelsea finally have a shirt sponsor! They’ve been without a permanent one since 2023 but have today announced a deal with Circle Internet Group, an internet financial platform company.
A club statement says: “Founded in 2013, Circle is a pioneer in digital assets and is helping build the financial system for the internet. At its centre is USDC, the world’s leading regulated stablecoin. USDC is a trusted digital dollar that enables people and businesses to move money globally with internet speed and 24/7 availability.
“In the 2026/27 season, Circle and USDC brands will appear on the front of Chelsea’s Men’s, Women’s and Academy shirts, featuring for the first time at Chelsea FC men’s first Premier League home game of the season this Sunday against Brighton.”
Sebastian Rode, a man who needs no introduction, is the special guest. Or one of them.
Rode led Eintracht Frankfurt to the trophy in 2022. He had spells at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund before that.
Aston Villa did well to win it, of course, but those goals against Freiburg were some of the softest you will see in a European final.
The futuristic set looks like something off of Star Trek. Which, now I think of it, maybe isn’t futuristic at all.
Becky Ives mentions Aston Villa and Unai Emery and their triumph last season.
Run VT: a montage of LOADS of goals and stuff from last season.
Live band! Strings! Brass! Drums! No expense has been spared. Well, this is Monaco.
And it’s only Matt Smith and Becky Ives presenting!
The opening titles are rolling, and the draw is beginning in Monaco. Strap yourselves in.
Rangers, meanwhile, suffered their own ignominious defeat last night, a 1-1 aggregrate draw with Jabalonec and a 4-3 penalty shootout loss sending them crashing out of the Conference League.
Almost unbelievably, Celtic threw away a four-goal aggregate lead against Lask in Austria on Tuesday, hence they are in the Europa League pot, rather than the Champions League.
“We should have been out of sight by half-time,” said the manager Martin O’Neill. “We scored a goal, which was great, we missed two great, great opportunities. And then we give them a lifeline just before half-time and then one just after it. And they come roaring back. And obviously we conceded, from our viewpoint, not good goals at all. But that’s my team and that’s my responsibility.”
There is a full low-down on all things Europa League on uefa.com, including the league phase match dates, knockout dates, and a bit on the final in Frankfurt.
League phase:
Matchday 1: 16/17 September 2026
Matchday 2: 15 October 2026
Matchday 3: 22 October 2026
Matchday 4: 5 November 2026
Matchday 5: 26 November 2026
Matchday 6: 10 December 2026
Matchday 7: 21 January 2027
Matchday 8: 28 January 2027
Knockout phase:
Knockout phase play-offs: 18 & 25 February 2027
Round of 16: 11 & 18 March 2027
Quarter-finals: 8 & 15 April 2027
Semi-finals: 29 April & 6 May 2027
Final (Frankfurt): 26 May 2027
Where is the final?
The 2026/27 Europa League final will be staged at Stadion Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany, on 26 May 2027.
Europa League: League phase draw pots
Pot 1
Leverkusen
Benfica
Juventus
Milan
Lyon
AZ Alkmaar
Olympiacos
Real Sociedad
Marseille
Pot 2
Ferencváros
Viktoria Plzeň
Union SG
GNK Dinamo
Salzburg
Celtic
Sparta Praha
Rennes
Anderlecht
Pot 3
Sturm Graz
Lech Poznań
Crystal Palace
Bournemouth
Sunderland
Celje
Jagiellonia
Omonia
Celta
Pot 4
Hoffenheim
Beşiktaş
Torreense
H. Beer-Sheva
N.E.C.
OFI Crete
Lillestrøm
Levski Sofia
Ararat-Armenia
In theory Aston Villa supporters should have been rubbing their hands together at the prospect of a Champions League season. Equally, Tottenham fans could have been despondent after a relegation battle that went to the wire. A 17th-place finish meant Spurs earned about £35m less in Premier League merit payments, which are based on final league position, than Villa.
Yet the mood in the two camps is reversed. Spurs have spent an estimated £322m in the transfer window, and that excludes the loan of Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush, for whom they are committed to paying £55m after this season. Sales have reduced the outlay to a net £140m, but Spurs fans seemed buoyant, at least until the first match, when they were soundly thrashed by one of the data scientists’ teacher’s pets, Brentford.
Next up, a piece by Kieran Maguire about the financial rules and Aston Villa.
The Euro draws, by the way, will commence in about 20 minutes: the Europa League, then the Conference League. I will bring you ball-by-ball coverage, and include as much of the first-class banter emanating from the stage as possible.
Courtesy of Julien Guyon, Professor of Applied Mathematics, École nationale des ponts et chaussées and NYU: see below some Europa League draw probabilities fun.
I wish I could say I understand the workings, but it looks extremely clever to me.
And finally, on Thierno Barry, who has already hit the onion bag four times in two games, Moyes said: “He’s tried to improve himself. Of course, we give him confidence and we do every game, but ultimately, you have to get it yourself.”
Injury-wise, Hayden Hackney is “touch and go” for this weekend after rolling an ankle, while Christian Nørgaard is “still not making great progress at the moment. It’s not something where we’re going to get him back quickly, so we need to see how that develops.”
“It’s very early days but we’re really pleased with the opening two games. We need to try to keep building that momentum,” Moyes added of Everton’s early form.
“We still need to be stronger than we are at the moment.”
Everton shut out Crystal Palace in a 2-0 win to open the Premier League campaign, then hammered Preston North End 4-0 in the Rumbelows Cup.
What’s the latest on any potential arrivals at Everton: and will Jack Grealish return after last season’s loan?
“We’ve not made any final decisions, but we are in the recruitment business and we want to see if we can bring in players if possible,” Moyes said.
“I wouldn’t talk about individual players at other clubs. Jack was brilliant for us, a great boy, but he’s at another club. And we’re not in a hurry to sell our best players, that’s for sure.”
And on the general recruitment policy during this window:
“We have lots of scouts who are out working. They’re the ones who’ll bring people in which we wouldn’t know so well – maybe from South America.
“I’ve certainly got an idea of a lot of the players throughout Europe and the UK. So, getting the right ones, bringing them to the table at the right price, it gets through the recruitment team who break them down, and we’ll make decisions on them.”
Quotes via EvertonFC.com
Sir David of Moyes has just been speaking to the media before Everton’s 3pm kick-off away against Bournemouth tomorrow in the Premier League. I’ll bring you the highlights shortly.
Thanks Sarah, hello everyone.
Well with that my first watch is over, Luke will be taking the reins for the next few hours including the Europa League and Conference League draws. Enjoy!
The rumours will continue in the transfer window until it is closed on 1 September. So who has everyone’s chins wagging today? Have a read:
Man Utd, Aston Villa and Spurs press conferences are all expected to happen after 1.30pm BST and we will bring you any top lines from those.
Oliver Glasner has also spoken to media before Nottingham Forest travel away to Liverpool on Sunday. Here’s what he had to say:
-
Morgan Gibbs-White and Ryan Yates are available for the game
-
Ibrahim Sangare will miss the game due to calf strain
-
On the potential signing of Daniel Munoz: “No comments on any names. When the ink is dry, you will be informed.”
-
On new signing Liam Delap: “He is hungry, he wants to improve, he wants to make a step forward and this is what we are looking for when we sign players – that they are hungry, ambitious. So the entire package looked great.”
-
Manager expects one more signing this window
Fabian Hürzeler has spoken before Brighton play Chelsea on Sunday. Here are his top lines:
-
On a Yankuba Minteh potentially leaving: “He is a player for Brighton and at the moment there is nothing else to say.”
-
On Georginio Rutter and Jack Hinshelwood’s fitness: “With both, we will have to be patient. There might be a chance for one of them to be in the squad [against Chelsea].”
-
Promise David and Jaouen Hadjam are available
There has already been some Premier League press conferences this morning with Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Nottingham Forest’s Oliver Glasner already in the hot seat. We are also expecting Everton’s David Moyes and Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa later today. We will bring you the top lines from those who have already spoken now…
There was some football on yesterday in the EFL Cup with two matches played. Fulham beat AFC Wimbledon 3-0, while Chelsea defeated Luton Town 2-0. It was Danny Welbeck’s debut after signing from Brighton this summer and he scored, catch up with the action here:
Sticking with women’s football for just a moment, newly promoted Birmingham City have signed Japan youth international Suzu Amano from Swedish club Växjö DFF.
Birmingham have made some astute signings this window, including Millie Turner from Manchester United.
Brighton women’s manager Dario Vidosic said of his time at the club:
I have loved my time at the Albion and am proud of what we have achieved together. Leaving has been a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right time for me and my family to begin a new chapter.
I would like to thank the players, staff and supporters for their support throughout my time at the club and wish everyone associated with Albion every success in the future.
Brighton women manager steps down
In the WSL, the big news is Brighton’s manager has stepped down just a week before the return of the domestic season. Brighton are due to play Arsenal on 6 September.
Dario Vidosic had led Brighton to their first FA Cup final last season and it is thought he is heading to Angel City. This is a breaking story but read more here from our story from yesterday:
Alvarez left out of Atleti training
Julián Alvarez is not in Atlético Madrid training for a third day in a row, according to Sky. This comes after the club refused to transfer him to rivals Barcelona and you can read more about it below. It is also thought Arsenal are interested in the Argentine star. Maybe they should Atléti him go… I’ll get my coat.
Do you think you’ve missed out on the biggest transfers in the last 24 hours? Fear not, we have you covered. From Liam Delap’s move to Nottingham Forest to Ipswich Town pursuing a loan for Tammy Abraham, it’s all here:
There are always so many storylines heading into a Premier League weekend and so we thought we would condense them into the 10 things you should know:
As we transition slightly more into Premier League chat, here are who the English top-flight teams will play in the Champions League:
-
Manchester City: PSG (home), Barcelona (away), Sporting (h), Porto (a), Napoli (h), Leipzig (a), AEK Athens (h), Lens (a).
-
Liverpool: Atlético Madrid (h), Inter (a), Porto (h), Club Brugge (a), Villarreal (h), Fenerbahce (a), Lens (h), Lask (a).
-
Arsenal: Real Madrid (h), Bayern Munich (a), Borussia Dortmund (h), Real Betis (a), Lille (h), Napoli (a), Sabah (h), Slavia Prague (a).
-
Aston Villa: PSG (h), Barcelona (a), Dortmund (h), Club Brugge (a), Fenerbahce (h), Galatasaray (a), Viking (h), Slavia Prague (a).
-
Manchester United: Bayern (h), Atletico (a), Roma (h), Sporting (a), Leipzig (h), Villarreal (a), Sabah (h), Como (a).
If you are wondering when the Champions League draw will happen, well it has already taken place. Have a read here to catch up with all the headlines from that:
So when are the European draws taking place? Well the Europa League draw is happening at 12pm BST / 1pm CEST and the Conference League will happen directly after the Europa one has taken place.
Premier League fixture list (all times in BST):
-
Crystal Palace v Man City, Friday, 8pm
-
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest, Saturday, 12.30pm
-
Coventry v Hull, Saturday, 3pm
-
Bournemouth v Everton, Saturday, 3pm
-
Tottenham v Newcastle, Saturday, 5.30pm
-
Chelsea v Brighton, Sunday, 2pm
-
Leeds v Brentford, Sunday, 2pm
-
Sunderland v Fulham, Sunday, 2pm
-
Man Utd v Ipswich Town, Sunday, 4.30pm
-
Aston Villa v Arsenal, Monday, 8pm
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the build-up to the second round of the Premier League. We will not only be hearing from managers across the top-flight, with press conference times TBC, but we will bring you any transfer news, the European league draws or breaking stories.
The second round begins today with a match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City with the London club looking for their first win of the season after losing 2-0 to Everton. City, meanwhile, opened their 2026/27 account with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
There is also the small matter of the Europa League and Conference League draws taking place today. Those will happen in a few hours and we will bring you all of the updates as they happen.
We will bring you a full list of fixtures next, followed by any transfers you may have missed and we will track down those press conference times. Let’s get this show on the road.
