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England must beat the Netherlands at Wembley to keep their hopes of topping their Women’s Nations League group and qualifying for next summer’s Olympics alive. The Lionesses suffered a shock defeat to Belgium last month, having also been beaten by the Dutch in September, and sit third in Group A1 after four games. It means Sarina Wiegman’s side face must-win games against the Netherlands tonight and Scotland at Hampden on Tuesday - but they also need results to go their way. England are three points behind the Netherlands and one point behind Belgium with two games remaining and the Lionesses must reach the Nations League final to secure Great Britain a place at next summer’s Games. Here’s everything you need to know and here are the England vs Netherlands latest odds. When is England vs Netherlands? The Nations League fixture kicks off at 7:45pm on Friday 1 December at Wembley Stadium. How can I watch it and what TV channel is it on? The fixture will be shown live on ITV 4, with coverage kicking off from 7pm. It will also be available to stream live on the ITV X website. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? England are without captain Millie Bright after the Chelsea defender withdrew from the squad due to a knee injury. The centre-back was replaced by Manchester United’s Millie Turner and goalkeeper Mary Earps will captain the Lionesses in her absence. Beth Mead is back in the England squad for the first time in over a year after returning from an ACL injury. The Euros golden boot winner adds to Sarina Wiegman’s options in the forward line, with Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly all in form. Vivianne Miedema is also set to return for the Netherlands after her own injury absence and could join Lieke Martens and Jill Roord in attack, but Andries Jonker is likely to stick with Juventus forward Lineth Beerensteyn. Predicted line-ups England: Earps; Bronze, Carter, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh, Stanway; Hemp, James, Kelly; Daly Netherlands: Van Domselaar; Dijkstra, Spitse, Janssen; Pelova, Groenen, Van de Donk, Brugts; Roord; Beerensteyn, Martens How can England finish top of Group A1? The Lionesses must win against the Netherlands. Any other result and they are out of the running to top the group. If England win, they will likely have to beat Scotland at Hampden next Tuesday: a draw at Hampden would only be enough if Belgium lose to Scotland and then draw against the Netherlands, and even then England would need to beat the Netherlands by two goals to take the head-to-head record. If England win both games, they will have 12 points and would need Belgium to drop points either against Scotland or against the Netherlands. If England win both games but Belgium win both games, they cannot top the group. If England win both games and the Netherlands beat Belgium, they will go through only if they win by two goals or better the Dutch’s 2-1 win from the return fixture. The Lionesses must do this to take the head-to-head record. If both England and the Netherlands both finish on 12 points and with identical head-to-head records (ie both games are 2-1 home wins), then it will come down to overall goal difference in Group A1. Coming into the final two rounds, England have a goal difference of 0 while the Netherlands have +5. What would the Lionesses then need to do to qualify for the Olympics? England must reach the Nations League final to be sure of their place at the Olympics next summer, as the nominated side for Team GB. Both Nations League finalists will qualify for the Paris Games - unless one of those teams is France, who qualify automatically. If France reach the Nations final, the automatic qualification spot will go to the winner of the third place playoff in the Nations League finals. France, Denmark and Spain are top of Groups A2, A3 and A4 ahead of the final two rounds of fixtures. How do the Lionesses avoid relegation, or a relegation play-off? Scotland will be relegated automatically if they fail to win both games. England will be forced to go through a relegation play-off if they finish 3rd in the group and fail to overtake either the Netherlands or Belgium. Read More What do the Lionesses need to do for Team GB to qualify for the Olympics? The Lionesses are back in ‘must-win’ mode: Here’s why it can suit them Sarina Wiegman dismisses concerns over inexperienced England defence Keira Walsh ‘feeling fresh’ before latest round of Women’s Nations League games Beth Mead: ‘The things I’ve dealt with have made me a stronger person’ England captain Millie Bright to miss must-win Nations League double-header

The cup specialists have so far struggled with the new league. After winning the Euros and reaching the World Cup final, the Lionesses face the prospect of a rare failure in the inaugural Women’s Nations League. England must beat Netherlands at Wembley on Friday and then Scotland at Hampden on Tuesday to have any chance of topping their group. But given Sarina Wiegman also won the Euros and reached the World Cup final with her native Netherlands, allowing the Dutchwoman to claim the title of the ultimate tournament manager, perhaps the return to must-win, knockout football will suit the Lionesses ahead of a decisive week. Qualification for the Olympics is on the line, after all. But that has also been the case throughout England’s Nations League campaign and after hitting great heights in each of the last two summers, Wiegman’s side have suffered their first real dip in form. Now they must shake off their World Cup hangover, after they were beaten by the Netherlands in September and following last month’s damaging defeat in Belgium. Wiegman’s side have been unusually flat and their performances have featured too many errors: now hit by further injuries to the defence and without captain Millie Bright, England’s backs are against the wall. Though there is also an argument that such a mindset can benefit them, making their task clearer. It was at the World Cup where the Lionesses used their resilience in overcoming injuries and unforeseen hurdles, to adapt their plans and reach the final. They face a similar situation now with elimination from the Olympics qualification process on the line – even if they also require Belgium to drop points against either Scotland or the Netherlands. “I think it suits us; we’ve got the character to do that,” said midfielder Keira Walsh. “I think the team is ready,” Wiegman said. “We’re very clear on how we want to play and what we want to do.” There remains a question over the centre of defence, however. Bright has started England’s last 11 games since the start of the World Cup but has been ruled out of the matches against the Netherlands and Scotland because of a recurrence of the knee injury that threatened her place in Wiegman’s World Cup squad before the summer. In her absence, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter will form a new centre-back pair. But behind those two in the pecking order, there is a lack of experience: Lotte Wubben-Moy, Esme Morgan and Maya Le Tissier have 12 caps between them. Millie Turner, called up to replace Bright, has yet to play for her country. Even with Bright in the side, England’s defensive record since the World Cup has been poor and what was a strength in Australia can no longer be relied upon in the same way. The Lionesses conceded twice in Utrecht, three times in Louven. England still continued to control the ball and create chances but they failed to take them – and paid the price. “I think it was maybe just a slight lack of concentration at times,” Walsh said. “I think it happens and most of the time you don’t get punished. I think it was just one of those games where we did. But let’s not catastrophise it.” There were still positives to be taken, Walsh continued, and to add to that there is now the welcome return of Beth Mead. The Euros Golden Boot winner and player of the tournament is back with the Lionesses for the first time in over a year, after returning from her ACL injury. Mead feels she is sharp after scoring twice for Arsenal at the weekend, playing with freedom after withstanding the hardest year of her life. Wiegman, who was patient in bringing the forward back, says she is training like she “hasn’t been away”. Her return adds to England’s remarkable depth in the forward positions, and the international window arrives with those options hitting form in the Women’s Nations League as well. On Sunday, Mead hit her first goals since her injury return; Lauren James has five in her last two WSL starts for Chelsea; Rachel Daly has scored in two games in a row for Aston Villa; as has Lauren Hemp with Manchester City. Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly are competing for places among the forward line as well. “This time of the season, everybody has already played a lot of games and they feel more settled within their environments,” Walsh said earlier this week. “I think you can see that with our forward players creating and scoring. Training today was the first session that everyone was on the grass and it was really competitive. It was a really good intensity. So for me, playing behind those players is really exciting.” Mead offers something fresh as well, to add to the true No 9s of Russo and Daly, the touchline-hugging wingers of Hemp and Kelly, and the all-round, dynamic threat of James. “She’s a little bit different to the rest,” Walsh said. “She has much more of a striker’s mindset in terms of the way she wants to finish and get on the end of things. I think Hempo [Lauren Hemp] and Chloe [Kelly] are very direct. They like the balls to go one v one, whereas I think Beth comes inside a little bit more, I think it’s good to have such a variety.” Under Wiegman, the Lionesses haven’t got much wrong, but now Walsh says England “want to put things right”. It starts at Wembley. Read More Is England vs Netherlands on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Lionesses What do the Lionesses need to do for Team GB to qualify for the Olympics? Sarina Wiegman dismisses concerns over inexperienced England defence

The Cardinals have a secret weapon in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto hunt. Blake Snell wants to come home. And, the Reds sign an impactful reliever for $16 million.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp declared himself satisfied with the 4-0 victory over LASK which secured top spot in their Europa League group with a match to spare. Two goals from Cody Gakpo and one apiece from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, his 199th for the club, saw them coast past the Austrians at Anfield. Toulouse’s draw with Union Saint-Gilloise meant Klopp’s side cannot be caught at the top and crucially that means avoiding the play-off round when the competition restarts in February. “Two top results for us tonight in the group,” said Klopp. “It was clear, with the defeat at Toulouse (last time out) we made it a bit more tricky but because of our result and their result we are now top of the table and that will not change. “That’s good, very important in the busy schedule we have from now on. “A lot of positives in the game, a lot of good football. The thing I didn’t like too much, and told the boys at half-time, (was) this game should have been put to bed already at half-time. “You cannot play better, you cannot set it up better, (but) you can finish it better obviously – but we didn’t. “Caoimhin (Kelleher) worked for his clean sheet, which he desperately wanted, and that’s good. “We scored a fourth goal in the last minute or whatever, so result top, performance really good (and) nobody got injured. All good.” Liverpool are favourites for the Europa League but having put themselves firmly in the title race the demands on Klopp’s side are likely to be significant when the competition resumes. However, the Reds boss refused to relegate Europe to a second-tier ambition. “Unfortunately, my career is not like this where I can choose, to be honest,” he added. “I have to take what I get. When we play the competition it’s the most important competition on the planet. Easy as that. “But now we play Premier League on Sunday (at home to Fulham) and so that is then the most important competition, definitely. “We want to go as far as somehow possible (in the Europa League).” Gakpo said the squad were determined to compete in all competitions they were in. “We have to keep going because we have big goals for the season. That’s it,” he told TNT Sports. “We just have to keep going and win as much as possible. We have a lot of quality in the group and I think with this quality we can win a lot of games.” Read More Unai Emery eager to top group after Aston Villa reach ECL knockout stages You’ve got to dream big: Lewis Dunk eyes Europa League glory with Brighton David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes

Unai Emery urged Aston Villa to finish the job after they booked their spot in the Europa Conference League knockout stages. The manager wants to seal top spot in Group E following Thursday’s 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw. Alex Moreno’s winner – on his first appearance since May following a hamstring injury – earned victory after Moussa Diaby’s opener was cancelled out by Ernest Muci in the first half. Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police before the game – injuring three officers – which saw the supporters barred from Villa Park. Villa moved above Legia at the top of the group and need a point in Mostar, the final group game, next month to guarantee their last 16 spot. Emery said: “I’m really happy because we started this competition losing in Warsaw. We wanted to show how we have improved after that match and we played well. “We were professional, feeling good, feeling strong and we want to finish first. It’s not complete yet but we are close to it. “This competition is very important, it’s a trophy and trying to get minutes for some players. Alex Moreno has come back, Jacob Ramsey, Jhon Duran got 90 minutes and as a team we had to get performances with every player.” Diaby struck after four minutes when he was sent scampering down the right by Youri Tielemans before cutting inside and finding the corner. Jhon Duran went close to adding a second before Legia cashed in on a terrible error by Boubacar Kamara after 20 minutes. The midfielder received the ball from Robin Olsen on the edge of the box but passed straight to Muci, who found the top corner. Encouraged, Legia settled and went close three minutes into the second half when Gil Dias’ header hit the bar. But it sparked Villa back into life and, after Kacper Tobiasz denied Diaby, Moreno netted a 59th-minute winner when he volleyed in Douglas Luiz’s free kick. Legia, who beat Villa 3-2 in the opening game in September, are three points behind and are now facing a last 32 tie against a side dropping down from the Europa League in February. Boss Kosta Runjaic said: “It’s the expected result but we faced it in a pretty good way. Villa have a lot of power at home and are unbeaten since February. “The first half was equal, we tried to play with courage and scored a fantastic goal. Villa played a good game but we could have defended their free-kick better and in the end it was a deserved win for Villa. “Now we have one game left, we will be well-prepared.” Read More You’ve got to dream big: Lewis Dunk eyes Europa League glory with Brighton David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header

Brighton secured a place in the knockout stages of the Europa League after Joao Pedro’s second-half penalty earned an unconvincing 1-0 victory away to 10-man AEK Athens. In-form forward Pedro converted his fifth goal of the competition in the 55th minute to guarantee the Seagulls a top-two finish in Group B. Albion were second best before the VAR-awarded spot-kick and fortunate not to fall behind in the closing stages of the first half when AEK forward Steven Zuber struck a post. The lively hosts were forced to play the final 25 minutes a man down following Mijat Gacinovic’s dismissal for a second yellow card. Roberto De Zerbi’s men will vie for first place in the pool – and automatic qualification for the last 16 – when Marseille visit the Amex Stadium in the final round of fixtures in two weeks’ time. Brighton’s maiden European campaign was launched with an underwhelming 3-2 defeat to the Greek champions in September. Yet the Premier League club arrived at the AEK Arena in control of their own destiny thanks to a battling comeback draw in Marseille and back-to-back wins over Ajax. Head coach De Zerbi made four changes from Saturday’s 3-2 success at Nottingham Forest, including recalling match-winner Pedro, and saw his injury-hit side start in the ascendancy. Evan Ferguson was twice blocked as he threatened inside two minutes, while AEK defender Domagoj Vida came close to a calamitous own goal with a firm back pass which had goalkeeper Cican Stankovic scampering across his line. But the disjointed Seagulls faded from the encouraging start and were in regular danger of falling behind. AEK forward Zuber forced Albion keeper Bart Verbruggen to turn over a powerful drive before heading narrowly wide from the resultant corner. Brighton were then lucky not to concede just before the break amid relentless home pressure. Switzerland international Zuber worked space inside the 18-yard box with quick feet before seeing his angled drive deflect off Lewis Dunk and rattle the left post, with Gacinovic unable to head home the rebound. Verbruggen was forced to save from Gacinovic after the restart before Brighton snatched the lead against the run of play during a pivotal spell in the contest. Swiss referee Sandro Scharer initially waved play on when Pedro went to ground under pressure from AEK captain Damian Szymanski before pointing to the spot after viewing a replay of the incident on the pitch-side monitor. Brazilian forward Pedro duly dispatched his sixth penalty of the season – and third against AEK – by sending Stankovic the wrong way from 12 yards to back up his weekend brace at Forest as a substitute. Brighton had barely threatened before the opener and their cause was further strengthened just 10 minutes later when Serbia midfielder Gacinovic over-ran the ball and raked his studs into Joel Veltman to receive a second booking. Seagulls striker Ferguson threatened to double the lead before being repelled as he tried to round Stankovic having been sent clear. AEK midfielder Orbelin Pineda then flashed wide as the home side pushed for a leveller but Brighton, despite an uninspiring display, held on relatively comfortably to ensure their European adventure continues. Read More Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham all reach the Europa League knockout stages Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? Is AEK Athens vs Brighton on TV? Kick off time and how to watch Europa League fixture Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Forest investigating allegations of homophobic abuse by fans at Brighton game

Only one to go now. Mohamed Salah is a goal away from becoming the fifth player to score 200 for Liverpool. The Egyptian showed few signs he finds the 190s nervous, driving in a penalty to reach 199 as he captained Liverpool at Anfield for the first time. Jurgen Klopp delayed another kind of celebration, taking off Salah with 35 minutes remaining and the opportunity to bring up his landmark against an outclassed LASK side. It may simply prove a case of postponing the inevitable. Salah has 13 goals for the season, seven of them in his last five outings at Anfield, and Sunday’s match against Fulham could see him join Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell in a select group. In the list of Salah’s achievements, qualifying from a Europa League pool ranks fairly lowly but victory over LASK ensures there will be European football on Merseyside in 2024. With Toulouse being held by Union Saint-Gilloise, Liverpool won the group to spare themselves a play-off round against a team that drops out of the Champions League. While they head straight for the last 16, the immediate benefit is next month’s game in Brussels becomes meaningless. And, as it is three days before they face Manchester United, Klopp could leave several regulars at home. So defeat in Toulouse did not come at a cost. This result was not in doubt after a quarter of an hour, progress clinched by Salah’s spot kick early in the second half. It all felt predictable, Liverpool taking their return on home soil this season to 10 wins out of 10. But there was a twist on a familiar theme. Many a victory in the Klopp years has seen each of his forward trio on the scoresheet and if this is not the classic Liverpool front three – not with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in the distinctly warmer climes of Saudi Arabia these days – a different group were on the scoresheet together. They dovetailed beautifully, too, for the second goal, Luis Diaz and Salah setting up Cody Gakpo. If Liverpool’s attackers have been sufficiently prolific that none exactly needed a goal, Diaz and Gakpo were outscored by the other three. Diaz got his fifth of the campaign, Gakpo’s brace took him to six and each was a terrific goal. First Diaz plunged to head in Joe Gomez’s volleyed cross. The Colombian had scored in the reverse fixture, too, and as LASK left him unmarked, it felt too easy. Then came a combination of the attacking trident. Diaz fed an overlapping Salah whose cross was so inviting that Gakpo had a tap-in. The Dutchman turned provider in a way for Salah’s strike: his burst into the box was interrupted when he was upended by the goalkeeper Tobias Lawal. Salah struck the penalty with sufficient force that the goalkeeper did not dive. He departed soon after but it was typical of his hunger that he played: if Europa League campaigns can afford chances to rest players more accustomed to Champions League finals, Salah is an ever present, either as a starter or a substitute. With Liverpool’s pace and movement too much for LASK, a fourth goal could have arrived before injury time, when the substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold picked out Gakpo with an incisive pass and he powered a shot in. As he had struck the post earlier, it was almost a first Liverpool hat-trick. Kostas Tsimikas, who rattled the bar with a thunderbolt, was also thwarted by the upright. There were a host of other opportunities. Gakpo skewed a shot wide. Diaz skied one after being released by Gomez, with a ball over the visitors’ defence. Able to venture forward from right-back, Gomez sought a belated first goal of his career and drilled a shot just wide. The overworked Lawal denied Harvey Elliott and the substitute Darwin Nunez. Liverpool were sufficiently open that, with a better final ball and a finer appreciation of the offside law, LASK could have had more chances. As it was, Marin Ljubicic skied a shot and Ibrahim Mustapha was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher. It was one of three fine late saves by the Irishman, starting his spell standing in for the injured Alisson; if Liverpool kept him too occupied, it may help him. LASK’s vocal, scarf-twirling fans did not have a goal to cheer but enjoyed the night, however. Liverpool’s three home games have been a reminder that, for clubs who rarely qualify for the Champions League and who are unaccustomed to visiting Anfield, such matches are special. For Salah, however, the special occasion may come on Sunday if he enters the 200 club. Read More Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham all reach the Europa League knockout stages Mohamed Salah ‘a completely different animal’ for Liverpool before Man City clash Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages

Liverpool cruised into the Europa League knock-out stages with a match to spare as a 4-0 victory over LASK confirmed their place as group winners. Early goals from Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo were enhanced by a second-half Mohamed Salah penalty – his 199th goal for the club – and an added-time strike by Gakpo as Toulouse’s draw with Union Saint-Gilloise means a dreaded round-of-32 play-off was avoided. That mere fact alone will have delighted manager Jurgen Klopp, whose pre-match press conference had been littered with references to the intense December period ahead, but a club-record 12 points in the group stage shows how dominant the tournament favourites have been. The Reds’ 100 percent home record was extended to 10 games and a third successive Anfield clean sheet for the first time since October 2022 means they have only conceded four times in front of their own fans while scoring 30. In reality, that record was never in danger as the Austrians are the weakest side in the group and that frailty was exposed twice inside three minutes early on by a home side registering nine changes, with only Salah and left-back Kostas Tsimikas retained from the weekend draw at Manchester City. A move which started on the left ended up on the right from where Joe Gomez crossed for Diaz to stoop and power home a twisting header. The second goal came from the same flank as Salah, teed up by Diaz, picked out Gakpo at the far post for the simplest of close-range volleyed finishes. Tsimikas smashed a fierce drive against the crossbar and the overwhelming confidence of the hosts was exemplified by Gomez, who has never scored in eight years at the club, drilling a 25-yard shot just wide. Much of the half appeared to revolve in getting Salah to his double century as the team tried to pick him out at every opportunity, whether he be menacingly poised on the shoulder of the last defender or inside the penalty area. Two chances went begging when his angled shot turned into more of a cross but still evaded Gakpo before he fired tamely at the goalkeeper. Six minutes into the second half Salah finally found the net but he owed it all to Gakpo. The Netherlands international’s short through-ball to Diaz missed his intended target but the Dutchman was alert enough to chase his own pass and somehow get there before goalkeeper Tobias Lawal, who brought him down. Lawal showed a similar lack of reaction in watching Salah tuck the penalty into the corner of the net without even attempting a dive. That was enough to put the result beyond doubt but the feeling was there were more goals to be had as Gakpo hit the base of a post from outside the area, although the Dutchman eventually got a deserved second in added time. The arrival of Darwin Nunez, and to a lesser extent Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones, livened up proceedings, with the former putting in one of his now typical all-action hit-and-miss performances. It erred more towards the latter as, after Harvey Elliott’s deflected shot was repelled by the goalkeeper’s legs as he dived the other way, the Uruguay international had one effort diverted wide and then shot straight at Lawal from eight yards. Marin Ljubcic blazed over the visitors’ best chance with only Caoimhin Kelleher to beat and the Liverpool goalkeeper, set for his longest run in the side due to Alisson Becker being sidelined for a fortnight with a hamstring injury, did not have anything to do until the last 20 minutes. When he was called upon he was not flustered, coming out to smother Ibrahim Mustapha, repelling Moses Usor’s shot and producing a reaction stop from LASK’s top scorer Robert Zulj, but even Sunday’s shot-shy visitors Fulham – scorers of only 13 goals in as many games – will provide a sterner test. Read More Alex Moreno stars as Aston Villa progress in Europa Conference League You’ve got to dream big: Lewis Dunk eyes Europa League glory with Brighton David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett

Alex Moreno fired Aston Villa into the Europa Conference League knockout stages after a 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw. The defender’s first goal, on his first appearance of the season following a hamstring injury, sent Unai Emery’s side top of Group E. Moussa Diaby opened the scoring before Ernest Muci seized on Boubacar Kamara’s defensive gaffe to level. Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police pre-match, launching missiles and injuring three officers to ensure there were no visiting supporters inside Villa Park. Around 2,000 fans had gathered, despite Legia having a restricted allocation of 1,000 following supporters’ behaviour in Alkmaar, and were barred from entering the stadium, sparking a row between the clubs with both issuing statements criticising each other. There was no love lost between the clubs, yet it was a fairly forgettable game. Four years ago this week Villa boss Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal after overseeing their longest winless run since 1992. He lasted just 18 months after replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates but recovered to win the Europa League with Villarreal, the fourth time he had lifted the trophy. Having taken Villa back into Europe for the first time in 13 years, they reached the knockout stage of the newest competition with a game to spare, although need a point in Mostar in two weeks to book top spot. Legia beat them 3-2 in Warsaw in the opening game in September, opening the scoring after just three minutes, but this time it took the hosts 60 seconds longer to take the lead. Youri Tielemans sent Diaby clear down the right and with the freedom to cut inside, with Artur Jedrzejczyk rapidly backpedalling, he curled into the bottom corner. Emery’s side went for the kill and Jhon Duran’s pace saw him tear past Steve Kapuadi and Jedrzejczyk, only to be denied by Kacper Tobiasz before Clement Lenglet nodded the resulting corner wide. The hosts were in control – with no Legia fans in the stadium – but Villa Park was silenced after 20 minutes. It was all of the hosts’ own making when Robin Olsen, handed a rare start, found Kamara on the edge of the area only for the midfielder to play a blind pass straight to Muci. The Albania international, who scored twice against Villa in September, still had plenty to do but kept his cool to lift a fine effort over the stranded Olsen from the edge of the box. With it, Villa lost their mojo and Legia flourished although it took until three minutes after the break for them to go close to adding a second. Pawel Wszolek crossed and Gil Dias stooped to send a looping header onto the top of the bar with Olsen beaten. The escape roused Villa and Tobiasz thwarted Diaby before Moreno grabbed the winner after 59 minutes. The left back, making his first appearance since May, latched onto Douglas Luiz’s free-kick to hook in from close range. From then, Villa saw the game out and could have even had a third with three minutes left when Leon Bailey hit the bar after lobbing Tobiasz. Read More You’ve got to dream big: Lewis Dunk eyes Europa League glory with Brighton David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community

Captain Lewis Dunk says Brighton are dreaming of Europa League glory after securing a spot in the knockout stages on a historic day for the club. Albion guaranteed a top-two finish in Group B with a game to spare thanks to an unconvincing 1-0 victory away to 10-man AEK Athens. Joao Pedro’s 55th-minute penalty proved the difference against the Greek champions as the Seagulls set aside a disjointed display to progress ahead of a final-round fixture at home to Marseille on December 14. Defender Dunk is determined to finish in first place in the pool in order to advance directly to the last 16 and avoid a knockout round play-off against a team falling out of the Champions League. “The next game, we’ve got to win, we’ve got to top the group,” he told Brighton’s website. “I think that’s massive, you miss a round out. “That’s our next aim in this competition but who knows how far we can go? “We want to win it and you’ve got to dream big to achieve it. We’re going to set our sights on reaching the final and winning it.” Brighton, who are enjoying their maiden European adventure, were second best in the first half at AEK Arena and fortunate not to fall behind when Steven Zuber’s shot deflected off Dunk and struck a post. The contest turned during a pivotal 10-minute second-half spell in which Pedro converted a VAR-awarded penalty after being fouled by AEK captain Damian Szymanski and Mijat Gacinovic was dismissed for a second booking. Following back-to-back successes over four-time European champions Ajax, Albion jubilantly celebrated another famous win with the travelling fans. England international Dunk, who made his senior debut when the Seagulls were a League One side, acknowledged the visitors were forced to dig deep. It's a historic day for the football club. Lewis Dunk “It’s massive,” the 32-year-old said of the result. “I think you can see in the celebration at the end what it means. “It’s a historic day for the football club. “We came into this tournament to qualify out of the group and we’ve done that tonight. “It wasn’t the prettiest of our performances but sometimes you’ve got to win like that and it’s all credit to us.” Pedro’s successful spot-kick was his fifth goal in the competition and backed up his match-winning brace as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League victory at Nottingham Forest. Dunk, whose right shoulder was taped up at full-time, was sent off at the City Ground and will miss Sunday’s trip to Chelsea due to suspension. “(I’m) just nursing a few injuries but you just get on with them,” he replied when asked about the strapping. “Frustrating not to be out there (at Stamford Bridge), it’s my fault and I’ve got to deal with that myself.” Read More David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes

Liverpool are back in Europa League action as they host Austrian side LASK an Anfield this evening hoping to get back to winning ways after a shock defeat to Toulouse in their last European outing. The Reds are top of Group E with nine points from their four matches and have a two-point buffer over the French side in second. Jurgen Klopp will have his sights set on topping the table and moving straight into the round of 16. Victory tonight would secure Liverpool’s place in that stage if Toulouse also lose to Union Saint-Gilloise but that is not a guarantee. First the need to get past LASK who are currently third in the Austrian Bundesliga. They will come to Anfield with some confidence having beaten Union Saint-Gilloise 3-0 last time out but that was their first win of the Europa League this season. Can they cause a shock on Merseyside tonight? Follow all the action as Liverpool host LASK plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

David Moyes wants West Ham to finish the job off and top their Europa League group. Tomas Soucek struck late on yet again as the Hammers secured their passage into the knock-out stages with a 1-0 win against Backa Topola in Serbia. Now they need to avoid defeat to Freiburg at the London Stadium in a fortnight to ensure they top Group A and avoid a two-legged play-off in February. “We’re thrilled at West Ham that we’re going to play in Europe after Christmas time for the third season,” Hammers boss Moyes said at his post-match press conference. “Even playing Freiburg in the last game to win the group is hugely important. But I’d have taken this at the start of the season, if you’d said we’ll finish second I’d have taken that. “Freiburg are a good side and we are going to have to play well.” Czech midfielder Soucek, who struck with an 89th-minute volley to settle a poor match, has now scored in his last five matches for club and country. Soucek also hit the late goal which secured a 2-1 win at Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. “Tomas is in great form, not only for us but for his country as well,” added Moyes. “Let’s continue. His first season he got 10 goals for us and it’s seven now so he has a chance to reach that figure again. “We made a few changes, some with illness, we were always going to try some other players tonight to give them game time.” “We scored two late goals on Saturday to beat Burnley and as a manager sometimes it’s good to win game late.” Read More Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header