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Chelsea travel to Spain to start their Women’s Champions League (WCL) campaign in what will be manager Emma Hayes’ last opportunity to win the European competition before she leaves the club at the end of the season. The WCL is the only piece of silverware that has eluded Hayes in her 11-year tenure at Chelsea but winning the tournament in her final year with the club will not be an easy feat. An opening clash against Real Madrid, runners-up in Liga F, will test the Women’s Super League (WSL) champions and the rise of Paris FC, who defeated Arsenal and Wolfsburg in qualifying, make a difficult tournament that much trickier at the group stage. Chelsea reached the semi-final stage last season before losing 2-1 on aggregate to Barcelona who went on to lift the trophy. Barca were also the team to stop the Blues on their only trip to the final, running out 4-0 winners in the 2021 showpiece to deny them the title. Adding the talented Ashley Lawrence and Catarina Macario this summer brings extra depth to Chelsea’s squad and they will need the experience of multiple WSL winners if they are to go far this time around. Follow all the action from the Women’s Champions League plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

Anthony Joshua will fight Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia on 23 December, on the same card as a bout between Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker. The fights are just two of several heavyweight clashes that will take place in the same ring in Riyadh, with Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic among the other boxers in action that night, while light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is also set to compete. The event was officially announced at a press conference in London on Wednesday (15 November). Joshua, 34, and Wilder, 38, have long been linked to one another, and there will inevitably be frustration among fans that the Briton and American will share a ring on 23 December but without boxing each other. Joshua will instead box Wallin, whose sole professional loss came against Tyson Fury in 2019. The Swede, 32, almost secured a victory that night after inflicting a severe cut over Fury’s right eye. Wallin has since won six fights in a row, and his professional record stands at 26-1 (14 knockouts). Meanwhile, Wilder will fight Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs), a teammate of Fury. The New Zealander is on a three-fight win streak, having bounced back well from a stoppage loss to Joe Joyce last year. Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) and Wilder (43-2-1, 32 KOs) both beat Robert Helenius last time out, with “AJ” stopping the Finn in Round 7 in August, after Wilder secured a first-round knockout in October 2022. Joshua’s victory over Helenius was his second straight win after his back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, who took the unified heavyweight titles from AJ in 2021 and retained the gold in their 2022 rematch. Meanwhile, Wilder’s win against Helenius saw him respond positively to back-to-back defeats by Tyson Fury, who won the WBC belt from Wilder in 2020 and retained it against the American in 2021. The pair previously fought to a controversial draw in 2018. "People are talking like I've peaked when they've never even seen a peak in their career, so I don't know what they're talking about,” Joshua said, referring to comments made by Wallin, whom he beat twice in the amateurs and with whom he later sparred. "I'm looking forward to relaying my message to Otto Wallin on 23 December. I can't predict the future, but I know where I wanna go, I know what I wanna do, and I'm sticking to my plan. “I'm a man of my word, and I believe in being a three-time champion of the world. This is what I like about the division: There's a roadmap with checkpoints, and I can't wait to get to the final destination. I'm fully focused on this fight, I'm determined to win, and I'm determined to get back to my 'peak'." Meanwhile, Wilder said: “Parker’s good at the end of the day, I think highly of him. He’s an amazing human being as a man, he’s a great fighter as well. It’s gonna be a remarkable feeling to finally share the ring with him. “The blessing is I have the ability to knock a single man out with one punch. This is something that’s been with me all my life, it’s not something I’ve developed. The curse is that it’s allowed people to shy away from me, to be fearful. Sometimes that can be harmful to the business of boxing.“ When asked whether any other fighter on the stage had ever ‘shied away’ from fighting him, Wilder said: “I don’t really have to say much, y’all have heard me many times throughout the years. I don’t feel the need to call out any names. At this time, my mind is focused solely on Joseph Parker. “It’s good to be in the same room [as Joshua], to see him face to face, it’s been a long time coming. I wish you nothing but the best, bro, and hopefully we can get in the ring some time soon.” Elsewhere on the 23 December card, Dubois will box Jarrell Miller, while Hrgovic fights Mark De Mori. Bivol will defend his WBA light-heavyweight title against Lyndon Arthur, and also in that division, Jai Opetaia fights Ellis Zorro. Meanwhile, Frank Sanchez will go up against Junior Fa at heavyweight, where Arslanbek Makhmudov boxes Agit Kabayel. Read More Boxing’s heavyweight saga sees biggest plot twist yet Joshua and Wilder in line to fight on same Saudi card – but not against each other Eddie Hearn makes surprising revelation about Anthony Joshua coach Anthony Joshua and Louis Theroux break into freestyle rap battle: ‘Fire in the booth’ Anthony Joshua relives fight with ‘six guys’ who attacked him in the street Anthony Joshua teases Tyson Fury fight during interview with Louis Theroux

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Chief executive Richard Arnold is leaving Manchester United as they begin their search for a new CEO for the Jim Ratcliffe era. Patrick Stewart, the club’s general counsel, is taking over as interim CEO, with Arnold remaining involved for the rest of 2023. But, with Ratcliffe and Ineos set to buy a 25 percent stake in United for £1.3bn, Arnold will end a 16-year stay at Old Trafford after less than two years as chief executive. The petrochemicals billionaire Ratcliffe wants control of football operations when he takes a minority stake. The lifelong United fan was bidding against Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim after United’s owners, the Glazer family, revealed last November that they were open to investment. Much of Arnold’s time in charge has come amid uncertainty about United’s future and he said: “It has been an incredible privilege to serve this great football club for the past 16 years. Through highs and lows, the constant has been the dedication of our employees and fans. I would like to thank all of them for their loyalty and commitment, and wish everyone associated with the club the very best for the future.” Executive co-chairman Joel Glazer added: “I would like to thank Richard for his outstanding service to Manchester United over the past 16 years, and wish him all the best for his future endeavours. We are fortunate to be able to call on the deep knowledge and experience of Patrick Stewart to provide interim stability and continuity as we embark on a search for a new permanent CEO.” A close ally of former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, Arnold was criticised for his attempts to bring Mason Greenwood back into the team. Arnold, who was previously commercial director at Old Trafford, played a significant part in transforming United’s commercial and sponsorship revenue. In his time as chief executive, the club signed lucrative partnership deals with Adidas and Qualcomm. After Woodward had become more involved in sporting decisions, he delegated more of the responsibility to football director John Murtough and helped build a structure inside the club. Director of football operations David Harrison, director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves, head of women’s football Polly Bancroft and deputy football director Andy O’Boyle all joined the club during Arnold’s reign. His tenure also included the appointment of Erik ten Hag and United’s first trophy in six years, in the 2023 Carabao Cup, plus greater investment in the women’s team. Stewart, who has been at United for 17 years, already works closely with governing bodies such as the Premier League, the FA and Uefa. He said: “Together with my leadership team colleagues, my job will be to ensure that the club’s foundations remain stable while we embrace changes that can make us stronger over the long term, on and off the pitch, and to support the search for a new permanent CEO.” Further changes are expected at Old Trafford with Sir Dave Brailsford, the cycling boss, likely to play a major role. Brailsford has worked closely with Ineos chairman Ratcliffe both with the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team and at Ligue 1 club OGC Nice. Read More Chelsea set for more Premier League scrutiny over Roman Abramovich era Chelsea face fresh scrutiny over secret payments made under Roman Abramovich Referees chief Howard Webb backs VAR decision on Anthony Gordon goal against Arsenal Chelsea set for more Premier League scrutiny over Roman Abramovich era Chelsea face fresh scrutiny over secret payments made under Roman Abramovich Referees chief Howard Webb backs VAR decision on Anthony Gordon goal against Arsenal

“If you don’t improve I’m selling you.” A young Jess Carter is sat in the middle of a white-walled room at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, a tactics board behind her, a fleet of analysts and fitness staff, all armed with laptops, positioned on the outside, quietly looking in. Carter is chewing gum and looks bored, frustrated to have been hauled aside to hear the same old message. Facing her is Emma Hayes. “I want you to show every f***ing day that you give a f*** about yourself,” Hayes says. “It’s up to you to decide your future.” Four years later, it is clear what future Carter decided to choose. Now 26, the Chelsea defender is an established England international, having just played a key role in the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final this summer. When Carter first arrived at Chelsea, Hayes found a player who struggled to keep herself fit or follow a regimented diet. Chelsea’s fitness staff were exasperated and Carter’s confidence was on the floor: she did not think she was good enough to play for her country, but Hayes saw and believed in her potential and, crucially, how it could be brought out. What followed won’t be included on Hayes’s list of honours or medals when the manager leaves Chelsea at the end of the season. “Highly decorated” does not even begin to cover what Hayes has achieved at Chelsea, or the legacy she will leave behind after the shock news that this season will be her last at Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow, with the glamour of the USA job calling. Under Hayes, the days of triumph and glory Chelsea have celebrated since her appointment in 2012 have been unrivalled, stretched across an unprecedented decade of dominance. Yet if the dynasty Hayes built can be measured in titles, its foundations are in success stories like Carter’s – and the manager who set the environment where she could become the player she is today. “If you sleepwalk your way through life, you won’t survive,” Hayes goes on to say in the DAZN documentary One Team, One Dream. Certainly, it reveals some insights into the ruthless trophy-winning machine that has dominated women’s football in England over the last decade, claiming six Women’s Super Leagues, five Women’s FA Cups and two League Cups, and which in recent years has barely given anyone else a sniff. That could change now Hayes will be leaving the WSL, heading towards a position that is outside club football altogether. The 47-year-old will take up the vacancy at the United States women’s national team, with the four-time World Cup winners appointing her as successor to Vlatko Andonovski after their disastrous last-16 exit from this year’s tournament. Hayes was said to be US Soccer’s first choice for the job and reports in the US suggest she will receive an equal salary to the men’s head coach Gregg Berhalter, at £1.3m per year – making her the highest-paid women’s football coach in the world. Given Hayes’s record in women’s football, such an offer from US Soccer should only be considered the minimum. The English manager is the outstanding club coach in the women’s game and the only area that Chelsea have fallen short in has been in their pursuit of a first Champions League title, after reaching the final in 2021 and the semi-finals last season. It would be fair to include this as a criticism, given how Hayes has been backed by Chelsea and the resources available to the club. After all, it was that support that led to Chelsea signing Sam Kerr, the striker who took Hayes’s side to another level and whose taste for the big moments came to mirror their own sense of inevitability. But in dominating the domestic scene, Hayes created a culture where the values of graft and grind were placed on a pedestal. Over the years, much of their trophy procession felt self-fulfilling. It came from the top, where Hayes reinforced the message and stamped out complacency at the start of every season, sustaining Chelsea’s superiority in a league that was so often decided by fine margins. If the history of team sports shows there are often natural, unavoidable drop-offs in performance and motivation following periods of success, there has been little hint of that at Chelsea in recent years. Which is what makes Hayes’s move to the USA so fascinating. “Arrogance” and “complacency” were the very words used to describe how the USA ceded their position as the dominant force in international women’s football, as illustrated by their disastrous defence of their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. Their performances up to and including that last-16 defeat to Sweden highlighted a squad that was long past its best, and a system where players had the power and were picked based on their reputations. Naturally, many of the issues that Hayes inherits will lie below the surface and could take years to resolve, primarily how the US has fallen behind Europe in the production of young talent. Hayes’s previous experience before arriving at Chelsea is set to be beneficial, given she started her coaching career in the US college system in the early 2000s and landed her first professional managerial position with the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League. As Hayes will remain with Chelsea until the end of the season, there is time to assess what is required ahead of what would be her primary goal of recapturing the World Cup in 2027. But it is in the dressing room where Hayes’s immediate targets and her strictest standards will be made clear – just like she told Carter all those years ago. “Get better or I’ll get someone else.” Perhaps the USA have not heard enough of that in recent years. Now a team in need of a reset will be charged with the ultimate cultural makeover. Before then, though, there are more trophies with Chelsea to win. Read More Emma Hayes: Winning Champions League would be fairytale end to time at Chelsea The ‘crazy’ debate once again at the heart of the Women’s Champions League Chelsea defeat Everton in WSL as Manchester City slip up against Brighton Emma Hayes says ‘time is right’ to move on from Chelsea after 12 years Emma Hayes to take charge of USA after final season at Chelsea Candidates to take over as Chelsea boss after Emma Hayes decides to move on

“If you don’t improve I’m selling you.” A young Jess Carter is sat in the middle of a white-walled room at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, a tactics board behind her, a fleet of analysts and fitness staff, all armed with laptops, positioned on the outside, quietly looking in. Carter is chewing gum and looks bored, frustrated to have been hauled aside to hear the same old message. Facing her is Emma Hayes. “I want you to show every f***ing day that you give a f*** about yourself,” Hayes says. “It’s up to you to decide your future.” Four years later, it is clear what future Carter decided to choose. Now 26, the Chelsea defender is an established England international, having just played a key role in the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final this summer. When Carter first arrived at Chelsea, Hayes found a player who struggled to keep herself fit or follow a regimented diet. Chelsea’s fitness staff were exasperated and Carter’s confidence was on the floor: she did not think she was good enough to play for her country, but Hayes saw and believed in her potential and, crucially, how it could be brought out. What followed won’t be included on Hayes’s list of honours or medals when the manager leaves Chelsea at the end of the season. “Highly decorated” does not even begin to cover what Hayes has achieved at Chelsea, or the legacy she will leave behind following Saturday’s shock news that this season will be her last at Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow. Under Hayes, the days of triumph and glory Chelsea have celebrated since her appointment in 2012 have been unrivalled, stretched across an unprecedented decade of dominance. Yet if the dynasty Hayes built can be measured in titles, its foundations are in success stories like Carter’s – and the manager who set the environment where she could become the player she is today. “If you sleepwalk your way through life, you won’t survive,” Hayes goes on to say in the DAZN documentary One Team, One Dream. Certainly, it reveals some insights into the ruthless trophy-winning machine that has dominated women’s football in England over the last decade, claiming six Women’s Super Leagues, five Women’s FA Cups and two League Cups, and which in recent years has barely given anyone else a sniff. That could change now Hayes will be leaving the WSL, heading towards a position that is outside club football altogether. The 47-year-old is expected to take up the vacancy at the United States women’s national team, with the four-time World Cup winners yet to appoint a permanent successor to Vlatko Andonovski after their disastrous last-16 exit from this year’s tournament. Hayes is said to be US Soccer’s first choice for the job and reports in the US suggest she is set to be offered an equal salary to the men’s head coach Gregg Berhalter, at £1.3m per year. Given Hayes’s record in women’s football, such an offer from US Soccer should only be considered the minimum. The English manager is the outstanding club coach in the women’s game and the only area that Chelsea have fallen short in has been in their pursuit of a first Champions League title, after reaching the final in 2021 and the semi-finals last season. It would be fair to include this as a criticism, given how Hayes has been backed by Chelsea and the resources available to the club. After all, it was that support that led to Chelsea signing Sam Kerr, the striker who took Hayes’s side to another level and whose taste for the big moments came to mirror their own sense of inevitability. But in dominating the domestic scene, Hayes created a culture where the values of graft and grind were placed on a pedestal. Over the years, much of their trophy procession felt self-fulfilling. It came from the top, where Hayes reinforced the message and stamped out complacency at the start of every season, sustaining Chelsea’s superiority in a league that was so often decided by fine margins. If the history of team sports shows there are often natural, unavoidable drop-offs in performance and motivation following periods of success, there has been little hint of that at Chelsea in recent years. Which is what makes Hayes’s potential move to the USA so fascinating. “Arrogance” and “complacency” were the very words used to describe how the USA ceded their position as the dominant force in international women’s football, as illustrated by their disastrous defence of their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. Their performances up to and including that last-16 defeat to Sweden highlighted a squad that was long past its best, and a system where players had the power and were picked based on their reputations. Naturally, many of the issues that Hayes may inherit will lie below the surface and could take years to resolve, primarily in how the US has fallen behind Europe in the production of young talent. Hayes’s previous experience before arriving at Chelsea is set to be beneficial, given she started her coaching career in the US college system in the early 2000s and landed her first professional managerial position with the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League. As Hayes will remain with Chelsea until the end of the season, which would surely be too late to be considered available to lead the US at the Paris Olympics next summer, there will be time to assess what is required ahead of what would be her primary goal of recapturing the World Cup in 2027. But it is in the dressing room where Hayes’s immediate targets and her strictest standards will be made clear – just like she told Carter all those years ago. “Get better or I’ll get someone else.” Perhaps the USA have not heard enough of that in recent years. Now a team in need of a reset will be charged with the ultimate cultural makeover. Before then, though, there are more trophies with Chelsea to win.

Conor Gallagher is accustomed to finding himself the odd man out in hugely expensive midfields, the everyman among the extravagant purchases. He is often part of a £222m trio at Chelsea, a number made all the more remarkable by the reality that the Londoner cost nothing. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, however, commanded prices in excess of £100m and if Chelsea were the trailblazers, taking the cost of midfielders into previously uncharted territory, Gallagher could prove the sidekick to four men with nine-figure transfer fees. “Training and playing alongside midfielders worth £100-plus million pounds is good,” he said, with an element of understatement. Arguably, no one else has more experience of it. While Jude Bellingham has withdrawn from the England squad to face Malta and North Macedonia, the sum Real Madrid paid to buy him could reach £114m. Declan Rice cost £105m. Such is Gallagher’s swift improvement that a player who has spent some of this season captaining Chelsea could be their regular partner in Euro 2024. Certainly, with Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia and Kalvin Phillips on the bench at Manchester City, Gallagher is presenting a more compelling case at club level. Wednesday marks a year to the day since he boarded the plane to Qatar. With disarming honesty, Gallagher had admitted during the World Cup that he wasn’t quite sure why he was in the squad. “I wasn’t playing much for Chelsea and we were going through a tough period, so that’s why I said that in an interview,” he reflected. A bit-part role at Stamford Bridge gave him imposter syndrome on international duty. “Last season, it was not really knowing if I was starting or not, not really sure what was going on, what team we were going for,” he said. He could have been collateral damage of the spending spree and arrivals of expensive midfielders. He feared for his place. “Of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he said. “When top players come in your position, you think you have less of a chance of playing as much as I’d like.” But if confusion has seemed to envelop Chelsea for much of the subsequent year, for now Gallagher is a beneficiary of the chaos. As a homegrown player, he assumed a particular value to Todd Boehly: he would count as pure profit in the books if sold. There were Financial Fair Play reasons to cash in on Gallagher. Mauricio Pochettino saw footballing grounds to keep him. Tottenham and West Ham were among those to express an interest. Even as late as deadline day, his own future appeared uncertain. “It was a crazy period in terms of ins and outs at Chelsea and I had conversations with the manager and he expressed that he liked me as a player and I was in his plans and I was really happy with that,” Gallagher said. Pochettino has ways of illustrating Gallagher’s importance. He has started every league game; whereas Fernandez and Caicedo, the £100m men, were both substituted in Sunday’s frenetic 4-4 draw against Manchester City, Gallagher completed the match. He has spent much of the season as stand-in skipper, a Chelsea supporter leading his boyhood club when Reece James and Ben Chilwell are absent. “I love it when I get to wear the armband,” he said. It means he gets to captain the great Thiago Silva, to follow in the footsteps of John Terry and Frank Lampard, both inspirations to him. “More so Frank, because he was my manager last season and he helped me a lot,” Gallagher said. Lampard had longevity at Stamford Bridge. Gallagher has been on Chelsea’s books for 15 years. It remains to be seen if his association with them will last for much longer. He is in the final two years of his contract; Chelsea may yet look to cash in, though Gallagher is optimistic he will sign a new deal. “I’m sure that will get sorted out,” he said. “Everyone knows Chelsea is my club and I love playing for them.” If he is learning from the World Cup winner Fernandez and the biggest ever Premier League buy Caicedo, he has been shaped by non-league midfielders as well. His own career has involved spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace before breaking through at Chelsea. His brothers – Dan, Jake and Josh – are more accustomed to turning out for Dorking, Welling, Leatherhead, Aylesbury and Maidstone. “They have a great understanding of the game even though they’re playing at a lower standard,” the more successful sibling said. “They are all midfielders so there’s parts of their games I’ve taken off them and put in mine.” That said, there was a harsh start to the learning process. “They chucked me in goal,” Gallagher recalled. “They gave me the goalie gloves and just battered balls me at me.” He is not the only England call-up in the family: Jake attracted attention from the England C team, representing the non-league game. The levels may be different but the aims can be the same. “Hopefully I can start to play more for England,” said Conor. It isn’t quite the same as teaming up with Caicedo and Fernandez, Bellingham and Rice, but it could be a breakthrough season for Gallagher with country as well as club. Read More England head to Indonesia inspired by Under-17 World Cup winner Phil Foden Mauricio Pochettino will not take risks with Chelsea captain Reece James Man City post record annual income although potential breaches hang over club

Manchester City have announced the biggest annual income ever recorded by an English club by bringing in £712.8m in their treble-winning season. The club made a profit of £80.4m for the 2022-23 financial year, nearly double the previous year’s total of £41.7m, as they topped the previous highest income by a Premier League club – the £648m recently declared by neighbours Manchester United. However, they would still have made a loss without a £121m profit on player sales, including Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Their costs included a wage bill of £368m although it was increased by bonuses for winning three competitions. City reported a rise in each of their commercial, broadcast and matchday revenue for a year when Pep Guardiola’s side secured the Premier League, the FA Cup and the club’s maiden Champions League. City’s broadcast revenue went up by more than £50m to £299.4m, principally due to income from Uefa for their successful Champions League campaign. Their commercial revenue was up by more than 10 percent to £341.4m while matchday income went up by £17.4m to £71.9m. But City also referenced the 115 charges the Premier League levelled for allegedly breaching financial regulations. Potential punishments if found guilty include points deductions or even relegation but City maintain there is “irrefutable” proof of their innocence. The club said: “On 6 February 2023, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4. “In February 2023, in response to the charges, the club issued a public statement that it welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.” Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, concentrating on the on-field results and the financial report, said: “In short, last season saw Manchester City achieve the greatest football and commercial year of its storied history.” CEO Ferran Soriano added: “Winning the treble – the Champions League (for the first time), the Premier League (the third title in a row) and the FA Cup. Achieving record revenues and record profits. Winning the Ballon d’Or for best men’s club of the year and being named the most valuable football club brand in the world. We can certainly say that the 2022-23 season was the best in the history of Manchester City.” City noted that, after the end of the 2022-23 financial year, they made a number of transfers which will add a net expenditure of £84m. That involved buying Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku while selling Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, James Trafford, Shea Charles and Cole Palmer. Read More England new-boy Cole Palmer: My decision to go to Chelsea is paying off Anything is possible – Eric Dier on Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge Virgil van Dijk backs Liverpool to challenge Manchester City for Premier League title

Chelsea begin their final Women’s Champions League campaign under Emma Hayes with a blockbuster trip to Real Madrid in Group D. The Blues reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season but lost to eventual winners Barcelona, who also defeated them in the 2021 final. Hayes has won every domestic trophy with Chelsea but the Champions League has eluded them. The English manager has confirmed that she will be leaving the club at the end of the season and it has now been revealed that she will manage the USA national women’s team. Chelsea and Real Madrid were also in the same Champions League group last season, with the English champions progressing to the quarter-finals as the Spanish side were knocked out after finishing third behind Paris Saint-Germain. But Real Madrid will be hopeful of qualifying for the last eight this season, with Paris FC and Swedish side Hacken joining them in Group D. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Real Madrid vs Chelsea? The match will kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 15 November. How can I watch it? All group stage games will be available to stream for free in the UK. Fans will be able to watch the UWCL group stage up to and including Matchday 4 on DAZN’s YouTube channel, with coverage then moving to the DAZN app and platforms. You can watch Real Madrid vs Chelsea for free, here: TNT Sports will also be showing Real Madrid vs Chelsea. Read More How to watch the Women’s Champions League for free this season The ‘crazy’ debate once again at the heart of the Women’s Champions League Man City post record annual income for English club after treble season

Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill will play no part in England’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, becoming the latest pair to withdraw from Gareth Southgate’s squad. Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham and Chelsea defender Colwill were both ruled out of action over the weekend due to shoulder injuries and have returned to their clubs for further assessment. It comes after James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk withdrew from England duty due to injuries on Monday, with the trio replaced by Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa. This time Southgate has not called up any new faces, leaving the England manager with a 23-player squad for the matches against Malta at Wembley on Friday and the trip to North Macedonia on Monday. In a further update, both Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips will meet up with the England squad later this week. An England statement said this was due to “personal matters”. England are already assured of their place at next summer’s Euro 2024 finals in Germany after last month’s win over Italy secured qualification. However Southgate will be targeting victories in both games to make sure England are one of the top seeds when the Euro 2024 is made in Germany next month. Updated England squad for Malta and North Macedonia fixtures Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) Defenders: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayi Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City) Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Barcelona are favourites to defend their Women’s Champions League title as the group stages of the tournament kick off this week. The Spanish side came from two goals down to defeat Wolsfburg in a thrilling final last season in Eindhoven. There have already been several big upsets before the start of the group stage, with Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus all knocked out in qualifying. But the likes of Chelsea, Lyon, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will be out to stop Barcelona from winning a third title in four seasons. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the start of the new Women’s Champions League season. How can I watch it? All group stage games will be available to stream for free in the UK. Fans will be able to watch the UWCL group stage up to and including Matchday 4 on DAZN’s YouTube channel, with coverage then moving to the DAZN app and platforms. TNT Sports will also be showing one Champions League group match a week, before showing the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. What matches are on this week? (All times GMT) Tuesday 14 November Barcelona vs Benfica (KO 8.00) Rosengard vs Eintracht Frankfurt (KO 5.45) Slavia Prague vs Lyon (KO 8.00) St Polten vs Brann (KO 5.45) Wednesday 15 November Ajax vs PSG (KO 8.00) Bayern Munich vs Roma (KO 5.45) Paris FC vs Hacken (KO 5.45) Real Madrid vs Chelsea (KO 8.00) What are the Women’s Champions League groups? Group A Barcelona Benfica Rosengard Eintracht Frankfurt Group B Lyon Slavia Prague St Polten Brann Group C Bayern Munich Paris Saint-Germain Ajax Roma Group D Chelsea Real Madrid Paris FC Hacken Read More The ‘crazy’ debate once again at the heart of the Women’s Champions League Luis Diaz reunited with kidnapped parents after returning to Colombia The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea Luis Diaz reunited with kidnapped parents after returning to Colombia The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea LaLiga president says Jude Bellingham ‘like he’s from a different planet’

Emma Hayes is the last manager of an English club left standing in the Women’s Champions League, which, given the group stages are only just kicking off this week, makes difficult reading for Jonas Eidevall and Marc Skinner. While Chelsea and Hayes go again in their quest to win a first European honour, in what is their final season together, Arsenal, last year’s semi-finalists, are already out. As are Manchester United, Chelsea’s closest challengers last season. Yet Arsenal and United were not even the biggest casualties of the Women’s Champions League’s notoriously tricky qualifying process. Last season’s beaten finalists Wolfsburg, the German giants and two-time European champions, are already out as well. Paris FC were responsible for the exits of both Arsenal and Wolfsburg, who played each other in last season’s semi-finals but this year fell victims to the dreaded ‘league path’, criticism of which has reignited the debate around the tournament’s format. Skinner was particularly angry. His United side finished runner-up to Chelsea in both the Women’s Super League and FA Cup but their season was a success as they celebrated their first-ever Champions League qualification. Yet, in qualifying, United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, perennial contenders in the knockout stages but also runners-up in France, and were beaten over two legs. United’s European adventure lasted two games but Skinner insisted they “deserved” a longer run. “There are teams going through [to the group stage] that are not good enough,” he said after United’s 3-1 defeat by PSG at the Parc des Princes. “Our standard is better than that standard, and it’s crazy that we have to play PSG at this qualifying round, crazy. It needs to be something that’s addressed.” Perhaps Skinner had a point. There is an argument that this season’s Champions League would be stronger if Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus, who were another big name to fall in qualifying, were among the 16 teams in the group stages. As major clubs with large fan bases and talented squads, they have the potential to drive the growth of the competition, as Arsenal showed when they hosted Wolfsburg in front of a sold-out Emirates in last season’s semi-finals. But the Manchester United manager was also accused of being disrespectful after suggesting clubs who won their domestic leagues did not deserve to be in the Champions League. It is particularly harsh on those sides like Brann from Norway and FC Rosengard from Sweden, not to mention Ajax of the Netherlands, Portugal’s Benfica, the Czech Republic’s Slavia Prague and Austria’s St Polten, who all did what Manchester United could not do and become league champions. Their spaces within the Champions League and route into it should be protected. As a 16-team tournament, one of the key differences between the Women’s Champions League and the 32-team men’s tournament is the greater proportional spread of countries within the competition. While the teams in this year’s Women’s Champions League represent 11 different European countries, the men’s Champions League features just 15 – despite having a field that is twice the size. That in itself should be one of the selling points of the Women’s Champions League, and is something many will say the men’s competition has lost. Through that, it has created an environment where only a small handful of teams from three or four countries have a chance of winning the competition and has widened the financial inequalities between leagues and clubs across the continent. Though some would argue that the Women’s Champions League has already reached that point. In the past two seasons since the introduction of a group stage, the eight quarter-finalists have been made up of teams from Spain, England, Germany, France and Italy. Those sides from elsewhere have not been close to qualifying from the group phase in that time, either. But that is also an argument for the Women’s Champions League continuing to offer domestic title winners a separate route into the competition, even with the potential exclusion of runners-up like Wolfsburg and Manchester United. Such representation can have a positive effect within those domestic competitions, which would be increased across the continent if a proportional spread remains when the Champions League does eventually expand in size. Yet for stakeholders like streaming platform Dazn, who hold the exclusive rights for the Women’s Champions League, the early exits of Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus would have been a blow to their viewership figures. There is a chance that the group stages are a procession for defending champions Barcelona and Lyon, while Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s draw looks a little tougher. Barcelona are the team to beat, and the Spanish champions will hope their title defence is less dramatic than last season’s final, when they had to come from two goals down to defeat Wolfsburg. They remain the outstanding team in the competition, with Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati its best player and her fellow Spain star Salma Paralluelo expected to take another step up this season after her breakout campaign last year. As for Chelsea, the Champions League has been the only trophy to elude the club under Hayes. For all the debate around the Women’s Champions League format, there is no debate that there could not be a better way for the 47-year-old to sign off as Chelsea manager than the Blues becoming the first English team to win a European title since Arsenal in 2007. 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