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Watch live as fans gather at Istanbul's Olympic Ataturk Stadium as Manchester City and Inter Milan prepare to face each other in the Champions League final on Saturday, 10 June. Guardiola’s side are favourites for the game that could see them crowned European champions for the first time and complete the treble. Inter beat Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final, securing their first silverware of the season. The Italian side secured third place in Serie A, ensuring a return to the competition they last won in 2010 under the management of Jose Mourinho. Speaking to reporters ahead of the final, Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne admitted that it is Manchester City's "dream and obsession" to win the Champions League. "It’s absolutely a dream, yes. To achieve things you always have to have the correct proportion of obsession and desire," Guardiola, who won the competition twice managing Barcelona, said. Read More Manchester City fans sing on streets of Istanbul ahead of Champions League final Man City owner to attend first match in 13 years at Champions League final Watch: Guardiola and De Bruyne on ‘dream and obsession’ of winning Champions League

The biggest club title in European football is on the line and either Manchester City or Inter Milan will be celebrating the greatest night in their recent history come tonight. Pep Guardiola and Simone Inzaghi go head-to-head in the dugout, with key battles across the pitch seeing Nicolo Barella and Kevin de Bruyne vying for midfield supremacy and goalkeeper Andre Onana attempting to keep out free-scoring Erling Haaland. Inter’s last Champions Leagu triumph came in 2010 under the management of Jose Mourinho; City have never won the competition but came runners-up two years ago. Both teams won their respective domestic cup competitions this term, the FA Cup and Coppa Italia, but while City also won the Premier League, Inter were only third in Serie A. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match including how to watch for free. When is the Champions League final? Man City play Inter Milan on Saturday 10 June. The match kicks off at 8pm BST in the Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul. How can I watch it? The match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, and can be streamed on the BT Sport app and desktop website. BT have also made it free for viewers to watch, on the BT Sport YouTube channel. What is the team news? Kyle Walker has been hampered in preparations for the final by a muscle injury, but he has vowed to be back fit and pending any late setbacks, he should be included in the squad. There are no other injury issues for Pep Guardiola to worry about. Milan Skriniar is back in training for Inter Milan after an injury, though it’s doubtful he’ll earn a place in the starting back three, with Simone Inzaghi’s plans already set. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Joaquin Correa are both hoping to be passed fit for the final too, with the latter probably having least chance after an injury in the Coppa Italia final. Predicted lineups MCI - Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Stones, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish, Haaland INT - Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Calhanoglu, Brozovic, Barella, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko Odds City 11/21 Draw 39/10 Inter 6/1 Prediction It’s a huge task for the Serie A side to stop this City juggernaut and it seems they’ll finally get their hands on the trophy which has thus far eluded them. Man City 2-0 Inter Milan. Read More One last wrong to right? Man City stand on the brink of complicated history The trick that made Erling Haaland the ultimate finisher – in more ways than one The rise, fall and rise again of Inter Milan’s Andre Onana

Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final tonight, with both teams hoping to aid the biggest trophy of all in club football to their respective objectives already attained this term. Pep Guardiola’s side have completed the domestic double with a Premier League title and the FA Cup already in the bag, following their recent Wembley win over rivals Man United. Now, though, they go looking for the last and most historic part of the campaign, looking to finish the treble. As for Inter, they beat Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final to land their first silverware of the season, while they secured third place in Serie A to ensure a return to this competition next term. All eyes will be on whether boss Simone Inzaghi opts for former City striker Edin Dzeko in the lineup or brings in on-loan Chelsea man Romelu Lukaku - while City are hoping Kyle Walker recovers to full fitness. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match. When is the Champions League final? Man City play Inter Milan on Saturday 10 June. The match kicks off at 8pm BST in the Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul. How can I watch it? The match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, and can be streamed on the BT Sport app and desktop website. BT have also made it free for viewers to watch, on the BT Sport YouTube channel. What is the team news? Kyle Walker has been hampered in preparations for the final by a muscle injury, but he has vowed to be back fit and pending any late setbacks, he should be included in the squad. There are no other injury issues for Pep Guardiola to worry about. Milan Skriniar is back in training for Inter Milan after an injury, though it’s doubtful he’ll earn a place in the starting back three, with Simone Inzaghi’s plans already set. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Joaquin Correa are both hoping to be passed fit for the final too, with the latter probably having least chance after an injury in the Coppa Italia final. Predicted lineups MCI - Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Stones, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish, Haaland INT - Onana, Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Calhanoglu, Brozovic, Barella, Dimarco, Martinez, Dzeko Odds City 11/21 Draw 39/10 Inter 6/1 Prediction It’s a huge task for the Serie A side to stop this City juggernaut and it seems they’ll finally get their hands on the trophy which has thus far eluded them. Man City 2-0 Inter Milan. Read More One last wrong to right? Man City stand on the brink of complicated history The trick that made Erling Haaland the ultimate finisher — in more ways than one The rise, fall and rise again of Inter Milan’s Andre Onana

Erling Haaland admits the pressure is on as he prepares for Manchester City’s Champions League date with destiny. The Premier League winners face Inter Milan on Saturday night bidding to claim the European crown for the first time. Victory would not only end years of frustration and near-misses in pursuit of the continent’s top club prize but complete a glorious treble. City’s outstanding season, which has also included winning the FA Cup as well as a fifth domestic league title in six years, has been fuelled by the goals of Haaland. The prolific Norwegian has scored 52 times in an outstanding first season at the Etihad Stadium and is well aware the club hope he proves the final piece in their jigsaw. “Of course I feel pressure,” the 22-year-old said. “I would lie if I said I didn’t. “It’s true – they won the Premier League without me, they won every trophy without me. So I’m here to try to do a thing that the club has never done before and I’ll do my best.” Winning the Champions League is also the chief reason manager Pep Guardiola was brought to the club. Victory for him would end a 12-year wait to reclaim the trophy since the second of his two triumphs as Barcelona boss. “It’s absolutely a dream,” said the Catalan. “What has happened in the past is in the past. It’s an incredible competition. “Inter Milan is bigger than us in terms of history but what’s important is at 10pm Istanbul time we do the best performance possible and that can make the difference.” Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who left the field injured in City’s final defeat to Chelsea two years ago, admits winning the competition has become an obsession as well as a dream. “Maybe it’s both,” said the Belgium international. “Every professional player wants to win the Champions League and be on top. “If you can win the Champions League, you’ve reached one of the biggest things you can.” City have a fully-fit squad for the clash at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, which was also the venue for Liverpool’s remarkable victory in 2005. Nerves and tension are likely to increase in the build-up to the match but defender Ruben Dias feels the team are ready to thrive in such circumstances. “We love the pressure, we love it,” he said. “The pressure will make you run faster, jump higher, be more focused. “That’s what these kind of games need and we need to embrace it. It’s another time for all of us to step up to the occasion.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Denver Nuggets with one hand on NBA trophy after taking 3-1 finals series lead Rory McIlroy boosts chances of third RBC Canadian Open title with flawless 67 Surrey record fourth highest T20 Blast total after scoring 258 in Sussex mauling

In Manchester City training sessions, the staff can already sense the same mood that was so striking before the games against Arsenal and Real Madrid. There is that “right kind of conviction”, that is so specific to the circumstances of the fixture. For the 4-1 over Arsenal, it was the aim of reclaiming the title they felt was theirs. For the 4-0 over Madrid, it was revenge for what happened at the Bernabeu last season. Now, it is the memory of 2021, and finally putting right what has always gone so wrong in the Champions League. That focused intensity can be seen in the players, above all Kevin De Bruyne. The feeling is that City will come out at thFce Ataturk Stadium with full fury, and not give Internazionale even a chance to settle, let alone get on the ball. If that is the case, it could well be worse than either Arsenal or Madrid. The 68th Champions League final could even be one that surpasses the four-goal victories of 1960, 1989, 1994 and the 1974 replay. It’s hard not to think City could render it a procession by the first half-hour, just as they have done so often in the last three months. What Simone Inzaghi is banking on, though, is if that doesn’t happen. If it gets to even 25 minutes and Inter have dug deep to not let City in, there is the chance that doubt could creep back in; that it could feel like it's going to be another of those nights; that there is something about this competition that is now fated for Pep Guardiola. That is when we might see one of those occasions when players like Alessandro Bastoni and Andre Onana stand defiant, when Inter display the kind of emotional intensity that characterised their own last victory in the Champions League, in 2010. That is when we might have a game, rather than a last formality to be fulfilled for City. It says much, however, that so much of the discussion around whether Inter can win ultimately goes to the nebulous; to football’s inherent capacity for unpredictability. City have already done quite a job of brutalising that concept this season, just as they have brutalised most of the best opposition. That has been just one factor in making this the most mismatched final since at least 2002 and that between Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, but probably even much further back. Inter may be one of the great European names, aiming for their fourth Champions League, but they can only be described as a good team at best. That has meant they have defied a lot of modern football norms to even get this far. By contrast, City are the most lavishly funded project the sport has yet seen, to the point a feat as traditionally elusive as the treble now almost seems an inevitability. The club’s hierarchy have certainly planned it like that since the 2008 takeover. While the first decade was intended to provide the platform to win repeat Premier Leagues, the second has been intended to win repeat Champions Leagues. City now stand on the brink of the club’s first European Cup, and becoming the 23rd different name on the trophy. That will be celebrated with relish and relief by a group of superb players who have been through a lot. The club and Guardiola may have a long history of frustration in the Champions League, but the depth of feeling has partly been because they have so often been the best side in Europe. City should have lifted the trophy in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and in 2020 certainly shouldn’t have lost to Lyon. The wider point is that a feat of this scale could have easily happened in almost any of those years. And if it doesn’t happen this year, it could well happen next year. Or the year after that. It would still be wrong not to admit that 2023 is as good a chance as City will ever have to win it, certainly in this way. And if the Champions League final is itself an occasion that naturally serves as a barometer for where the game is, few bring together as many strands as this one in Istanbul. The time and place are telling, especially as regards the use of the game by political and financial influences. President Recep Erdogan’s government finally gets its grand showpiece after two Covid-enforced postponements, but amid criticism for “democratic backsliding”. Uefa had no confirmed guest list as of Friday evening, but it was understood that invitations were extended to several heads of state. One of those who was reported to have accepted, to congratulate Erdogan on his election win, is United Arab Emirates president Mohamed bin Zayed. He is the elder brother of City’s named owner Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, although the club is now widely seen as an Abu Dhabi “sportswashing” project. It would be a historic landmark for a state club to finally win the European Cup. It also wouldn't necessarily be for the good of the sport. This is very different to the City that historically charmed the sport, or even their great title winners of 1968. Many have raised related issues about Inter, though, since financial issues of the past few years have ensured the club is part-owned by the Chinese state through a holding company. That may not be for reasons of “soft power” or “sportswashing”, and there is no influence, but it should feed into an ongoing debate about the ownership of football clubs and where the game is going in that regard. For this final, it has created another strand that reflects so much about the state of the sport in 2023. That is a huge financial gap, of the type that has now economically tiered football to an unprecedented degree, and fed into the very erosion of unpredictability that makes a City victory feel so likely. The game is meanwhile facing a series of legitimacy issues, one of them involving the potential European champions. City have been charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules, to go with Barcelona being charged regarding payments to former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and Juventus having 10 Serie A points deducted in a new ruling by the Italian football federation’s court after an investigation into the club’s transfer dealings found evidence of false accounting. Such complicated stories are a long way from the elemental glory this grandiose fixture has traditionally conjured. This is where we are. The current players and managers would of course say that all they can do is go out and perform “on the pitch”. That is where there is still some intrigue to a fixture so many see as a foregone conclusion. Guardiola has after all undercut foregone conclusions in the past by overthinking. Back in 2021, the final that frames so much of this, Thomas Tuchel was “shocked” when he got the City team sheet on the Chelsea bus and saw there was no defensive midfielder on the screen. It has this week led to some jokes among the City players and staff for Guardiola not to do similar. The Catalan even acknowledged this with a laugh on the club’s media day. It just shouldn’t be an issue this time. Guardiola has never been so clear on his team. This is, despite 52 goals, maybe the main value of Haaland. It is so obvious where he has to play that Guardiola ultimately worked back from that to come up with a formation that has made City almost unstoppable. It fittingly involved going back to the Catalan’s football roots, too. After hours in front of screens, Guardiola realised the way to maximise his attack with Haaland was to introduce the “defensive box” that Johan Cruyff did to win Barcelona their first Champions League in 1992. The current City manager played at the top of that. It gave him his only Champions League medal as a player and may now give him his third as a manager, bringing so much full circle. That is, of course, unless Inter square that circle. While it would obviously be preposterous to say Inzaghi’s side are the last that City would want to face, they do have qualities that pose very specific challenges to Guardiola’s approach. The Catalan and his staff always seek to impose their game on any team but with very specific adaptations for the opposition within that. Inzaghi has made that difficult because Inter are almost a throwback in how they constantly adapt to the opposition to such an extreme degree. The manager never plays the same way twice, in the words of those within the squad. Inzaghi knows this game is only really going to go one way, and probably quite furiously from the off. The vast majority of the match will take place within 30 metres of Onana’s goal. That is where Haaland may prove his most symbolic value, as he offers that finish that City have so often lacked on such occasions. It is also why one of Inter’s main defensive approaches will be to draw the Norwegian into physical battles so as to distract him. Inzaghi does have plenty of individuals who can stand up in such ways. There are a lot of “old warriors”, ready to rise to the occasion or looking for some kind of redemption. Much will revolve around two forwards with so much knowledge of the Premier League, in former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and the on-loan Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian was lampooned for his World Cup performances but they were a product of rushing back too quickly. The flip side is that he is now in his best form since leaving Inter the first time. Lukaku is one player who is capable of wreaking havoc in the space left by City. Federico Dimarco is then capable of suddenly surging in out of nowhere. This is all what Inzaghi is seeking to play on, as he gets his team to focus on their own qualities rather than fixate on City’s. Inter certainly aren’t looking at this as an occasion they should just be happy to be involved in again. They are enjoying a real momentum from this run, going right back to an extraordinarily difficult group, and see themselves as a classic Champions League team. That means they see themselves as winners. Most people looking on can’t see anything other than a City victory. Judging from the atmosphere around Istanbul compared to previous finals, it is difficult to remember one where there was so little sense of contest, if not occasion. That might all just be set-up, though. This stadium’s only other Champions League final offered up the greatest sensation in the competition's history, with Liverpool's 3-3 comeback against Milan in 2005. This one might similarly display football’s eternal ability to amaze us. Or, it might be a landmark for how it’s going in the future. Read More The trick that made Erling Haaland the ultimate finisher – in more ways than one How to cure ‘City-itis’? Pep Guardiola has new template to end Champions League woe Inter and the impossible task of the Champions League final Erling Haaland’s best time of all comes in the competition Man City signed him to win The fresh perspective driving Kevin De Bruyne to Champions League glory How John Stones sparked his Man City revival by looking in the mirror

Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani has agreed a deal to sell his controlling stake in the club to co-owners 49ers Enterprises. As a result the American investment group, owner of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers and a minority shareholder in Leeds since 2018, will take full ownership. “Leeds United can confirm an agreement has been reached between Aser Ventures and 49ers Enterprises for the purchase of the club,” said a statement. “Both parties continue to work through the details, and further updates will be provided soon. “All of our focus remains on a quick return to the Premier League.” 49ers Enterprises increased its stake in Leeds to 44 per cent in 2021 with the option of buying Radrizzani’s remaining 56 per cent before January 2024. The Americans had been keen to push through a full takeover this summer, but that agreement, which had valued Leeds at around £400million, was contingent on the club remaining in the Premier League. Leeds’ relegation last month forced both parties back into intense negotiations and a valuation of close to £170m has been agreed. The deal marks the end of Radrizzani’s six-year ownership of Leeds. He completed a full takeover from fellow Italian Massimo Cellino in 2017 and initially proved hugely popular. Radrizzani bought back Elland Road stadium, which had been in private ownership since 2004, and brought in fresh investment when 49ers Enterprises purchased its first 10 per cent stake in 2018. The appointment of Marcelo Bielsa soon after proved a masterstroke as Leeds won promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years. 49ers Enterprises has steadily increased its stake, while Radrizzani’s relationship with the Leeds fanbase began to sour when Bielsa was sacked in February 2022. Leeds escaped relegation on the final day of the 2021-22 season under Bielsa’s successor Jesse Marsch and Radrizzani promised that the club would not be involved in another survival fight. But results this past season failed to improve and after Marsch was sacked in February, his replacement Javi Gracia and then Sam Allardyce, appointed with four games remaining, failed to halt the slide. When relegation was confirmed with a final-day defeat to Tottenham, Radrizzani was absent from Elland Road, opting instead to remain in Italy to finalise his takeover of Sampdoria. He later admitted Leeds’ board had made mistakes and apologised for the club’s relegation in a personal statement posted on social media. But after it emerged he had offered to use Elland Road as collateral when securing a £26m bank loan to buy Sampdoria – one of his companies and not Leeds owned the stadium – his legacy was further tainted. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Keely Hodgkinson sets new British record at Paris Diamond League Andy Murray targets the next step after reaching Surbiton semi-finals again French Open day 13: Djokovic reaches final as Alcaraz struggles with cramp

Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne admit winning the Champions League has become both a dream and an obsession for Manchester City. City stand on the brink of glory as they prepare to face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on Saturday. Guardiola’s side are strong favourites for a game that could not only see them crowned European champions for the first time but complete the treble. The Premier League winners are hoping to put years of frustration behind them after several near misses in their pursuit of the prize they covet most. De Bruyne gave his feelings on the matter when he was asked if victory was a “dream” or an “obsession” as City held a pre-match press conference at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Friday. “Maybe both, it depends who you ask,” said the Belgium playmaker. “Every professional player wants to win the Champions League and be on top. “If you can win the Champions League, you’ve reached one of the biggest things you can.” “To compete every year is amazing, and I’ve been able to compete against the best, but we’ve got a chance to close that if we are good enough.” City have reached the knockout stages of the tournament in each of Guardiola’s seven seasons as manager but they are yet to fulfil their ambition. Their runners-up finish two seasons ago, when they were beaten by Chelsea in the final, is the closest they have come. Guardiola, who won the competition twice as Barcelona boss, said: “It’s absolutely a dream, yes. “To achieve things you always have to have the correct proportion of obsession and desire. “It’s a positive word for the desire and will to win it. It is of course a dream for us.” City’s outstanding season has been fuelled by the goalscoring of Erling Haaland. The prolific Norwegian has netted 52 goals in an outstanding first campaign at the Etihad Stadium. Haaland admitted this week has was brought to City to win the Champions League and Guardiola – whose two previous successes came in tandem with Lionel Messi at Barcelona – hopes he proves the final piece of the jigsaw. Asked what he would advise managers hoping to emulate his achievements, Guardiola said: “Have good players – have Messi, have Haaland. This is my success. I’m not joking. “Every manager who has had success has had strong institutions and exceptional players. I’ve never scored a goal as a manager.” Haaland actually goes into the game having scored just once in his last seven outings but this is not a concern for Guardiola. “I don’t have doubts,” he said. “If you have doubts about Erling scoring you are a very lonely person. “Tomorrow he will be ready to help us win the Champions League.” Haaland has formed a potent attacking partnership with De Bruyne. De Bruyne was cheekily asked at the press conference if it had been “love at first sight” between the pair. De Bruyne said: “No. I’m happy with my wife!” Elaborating more, he added: “You have a feeling with a player and I understand what he wants. It clicked really well. He’s scored at an incredible rate and settled really easily.” De Bruyne has been chasing Champions League success with City since 2015. He said: “We have been consistent, we have been good enough, but we need to find a way to win the first one. It would be immense for the club and the fans, something amazing.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live We love the pressure – Ruben Dias confident Man City will thrive in final Republic of Ireland name 31-player training squad ahead of Women’s World Cup West Ham charged by UEFA over fan behaviour at Europa Conference League final

Ruben Dias is confident Manchester City will thrive on the pressure in the Champions League final. The City defender has no doubt his team-mates will step up to the challenge as they face Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday. City have already claimed the domestic double after an outstanding late-season charge and they now stand just one win away from becoming European champions for the first time. Dias said: “We love the pressure, we love it. The pressure will make you run faster, jump higher, be more focused. “That’s what these kind of games need and we need to embrace it. We enjoy the moment and we know what it means to our club, the fans, our families and we never forget to enjoy it.” After an inconsistent spell either side of the World Cup, City hit form in the spring to reel in Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and retain their title. We love the pressure, we love it. The pressure will make you run faster, jump higher, be more focused. Ruben Dias They then powered through to the Champions League final with stunning victories over Bayern Munich and holders Real Madrid. After beating rivals Manchester United to win the FA Cup last weekend, momentum seems very much to be on their side. Dias said: “I’ve been saying this for a long time – when we get to February and the decisions come up, that’s the sweet spot. “You can see the character of a team when you arrive on these stages, you can see whether a team wants to move forward or starts hiding. “Since that moment we’ve been showing up every time and tomorrow will be no different. It’s another time for all of us to step up to the occasion.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Republic of Ireland name 31-player training squad ahead of Women’s World Cup West Ham charged by UEFA over fan behaviour at Europa Conference League final Australia on course for world title despite fielding woes against India

West Ham have been charged by UEFA following the behaviour of their fans at their midweek Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina. The Serie A side’s captain Cristiano Biraghi sustained a cut head after being hit by one of several plastic cups hurled at him from the end containing Hammers supporters as he went to take a first-half corner. West Ham have also been charged with an invasion of the field of play. The Italian club have landed two charges relating to the lighting of fireworks and throwing of objects. UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) will decide on the matter in due course. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Matt Rhule is going back to the basics when it comes to what Nebraska football's fall camp will look like.While we all Remember the Titans, maybe one day soon we will Remember the Huskers?With Matt Rhule taking over in Lincoln, the Nebraska football head coach is having his players and ...

Republic of Ireland boss Vera Pauw has named a 31-player pre-World Cup training camp squad again to be captained by Arsenal’s Katie McCabe. The Republic will face co-hosts Australia in their World Cup opener on July 20, a contest which proved so popular that in January it was relocated to the tournament’s largest venue, Sydney’s 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia. Pauw’s World Cup debutants have three scheduled warm-up games before that fixture, beginning with a sold-out June 22 encounter against Zambia at Dublin’s Tallaght Stadium. McCabe along with three US-based players – Denise O’Sullivan, Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva – will link up with the squad after the Zambia game. Manchester United defender Aoife Mannion is a notable absence after tweaking her knee in training for her club last month, but the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) on Friday confirmed she will continue to be monitored ahead of the final squad selection of 23 players, to be whittled down by June 29. The training camp schedule will factor in when players finished their respective club seasons to determine workload and recovery time and ensure they will be in line with each other for the final stage of tournament preparation. Other Women’s Super League players to make the training squad include Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, Brighton shot-stopper Megan Walsh, and Liverpool defensive duo Niamh Fahey and Megan Campbell, with their Reds team-mate Leanne Kiernan among the forwards. Brighton’s Megan Connolly and Aston Villa’s Ruesha Littlejohn join McCabe in the pack of midfielders hoping to make Pauw’s final 23-player squad to travel to Australia, where they will also meet Canada and Nigeria in Group B. Grace Moloney and Diane Caldwell represent recently relegated Reading, while Chloe Mustaki plays for newly promoted Bristol City. Full Republic of Ireland pre-World Cup squad: Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes) Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham), Aine O’Gorman (Shamrock Rovers), Louise Quinn (Birmingham), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Claire O’Riordan (Celtic), Megan Campbell (Liverpool), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Tara O’Hanlon (Peamount United) Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Jamie Finn (Birmingham), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Sinead Farrelly (NY/NJ Gotham), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United) Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers), Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Amber Barrett (Potsdam Turbine), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live West Ham charged by UEFA over fan behaviour at Europa Conference League final Australia on course for world title despite fielding woes against India Andy Murray fights back from set down to reach Surbiton semi-finals

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez is determined to seize the moment as he looks to follow up his World Cup triumph with Champions League success. The Italian side take on favourites Manchester City for Europe’s top prize in Istanbul on Saturday and Martinez is hoping to round off a memorable campaign that also saw him help Argentina to international success in December. Martinez said at a press conference at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium: “These are the two major finals a footballer can play. “It has certainly been a very positive season for me. I am pleased with how it has gone and how I have done. Now we hope to finish off in the best possible way. “If you want to achieve your goal this is the very last step and we must be ready to take it. It will be a very important game for everyone at Inter and the club.” Saturday’s match will see Martinez come up against his Argentina team-mate Julian Alvarez, with whom he shared glory in Qatar. Martinez said: “I have not been in contact with Julian. I got married recently and invited him but he was unable to attend.” Inter, who finished third in Serie A, are rated as the underdogs against a City side bidding to complete a treble. Coach Simeone Inzaghi said: “After reaching the final we didn’t have time to think about it as we still had games to play. “Only now are we realising what we have achieved but we are not relaxed. We are concentrating very much and we will fight for every inch of the pitch against an excellent team. “We must be fully focused and make no mistakes.” Stopping the prolific Erling Haaland, who has scored 52 goals for City this season, will be key to Inter’s hopes. Inzaghi said: “We know who we have to play. We know Manchester City are probably the best in the world. They have proved that, they have been defeated very few times. “We know what a player Haaland is. Clearly we will have a special eye on him. “I have prepared something but it will be all of Inter that have to defend, trying to limit not only Haaland but all of City.” Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, the Turkey international, hopes to have the locals in the crowd on his side even though City captain Ilkay Gundogan also has a proud Turkish heritage. Calhanoglu said: “I think it will be a very special game for me. It is special for a Turk to play in Istanbul. “I want to enjoy this moment and I don’t know if I will play another final. We will give it our very best shot. “I know Turks will support me. Gundogan is on the other team but he plays for Germany, so for our people it is perhaps more important I win. That is my dream.” Former Manchester United forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan has returned to training for Inter after a thigh injury but remains a doubt. Inzaghi said: “We have a positive feeling but he is not 100 per cent. I will have to decide whether to field him from the beginning or send him on during the match.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live FA and PFA study finds increased dementia risk in ex-footballers Naby Keita joins Werder Bremen after leaving Liverpool Georgia Hall hopes Ryann O’Toole relationship helps others be true to themselves