Amorim Faces Crucial Clash, Premier League Buildup and More

The Parisian club are doing quite impressively in France's top division. The new kids on the block in the top tier of French football defeated their opponents 2-0 yesterday evening… they might not be prepared just yet to compete with their renowned local rivals, but they’re likely stay up – as three wins from their first seven matches after being promoted suggests.

Elsewhere in Europe last night there were 1-0 away wins for Sassuolo at Hellas Verona and the German club at Hoffenheim. The Spanish outfit snatched a late 2-1 win over their rivals in La Liga.

I very much enjoyed this piece by Barney Ronay, who poses an intriguing query: what do you actually know about Florian Wirtz. The eighth highest-priced player of all time has made an unimpressive beginning at the Merseyside club but is it shocking given his astronomic transfer fee?

It's important to consider the major games away from the English league today. Manchester City v Arsenal at midday (BST) takes centre stage in the Women's Super League; neither side has been at their best this campaign and that looks a difficult match to predict. Hearts v Hibernian is always big in Scottish football but today’s local rivalry (5.45pm) assumes even greater importance given that the home side are leading of the Scottish top flight. The Glasgow giants don’t play until Sunday.

In Spain, Los Blancos host the Yellow Submarine at 8pm with early campaign pacesetters Barça facing their Andalusian rivals tomorrow. Borussia Dortmund v RB Leipzig and Frankfurt against Bayern are key encounters in the Bundesliga. Italy's headline fixture comes Sunday night with the massive showdown between the Old Lady and the Rossoneri at one of the continent's many Allianz arenas.

Hearts fans, share your views: you could see your side go five points clear at the summit with victory today!

An early email has landed in my inbox via a reader:

“Good morning Dominic. Has Pope Leo spoken to Amorim? Do we expect a decent fight or another shoddy display?

“That makes me wonder – who will be dismissed first Ange or Ruben?”

It seems likely the Forest boss will be given leeway to implement his ideas at Forest, whereas a loss to Sunderland today could mean serious trouble for the manager.

Last night wasn't only about the Bournemouth forward netting a brace to enhance all FPL squads (except mine). The ‘Hollywood derby’ in the Championship finished 1-1 between the Welsh side and Birmingham while on-form Manchester United halted Chelsea’s perfect start to the WSL campaign as they tied 1-1 at their ground. The manager's side are currently just a couple of points off the WSL summit having started the campaign impressively.

Fulham will be questioning what on earth occurred with them at the Vitality Stadium last night. When Ryan Sessegnon put them into the lead a fifth of the game from time, their manager's side were in pole position, only to be undone by a late Bournemouth onslaught, which featured the striker's two goals and a Justin Kluivert scorcher from 25 yards.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has described his maiden selection to the senior France squad as “a dream come true” after the Crystal Palace forward was chosen by Didier Deschamps for the qualifying matches against their opponents and Iceland.

The player in his late twenties was one of France’s overage players at the previous Olympics and netted a handful of strikes as Thierry Henry’s team won a silver medal. He, who played the opening period of Palace’s win over Dynamo Kyiv on the previous Thursday in Poland, has also played for The French team at various junior categories.

He disclosed that he had viewed the team selection with his fellow Frenchman the defender in his accommodation in the city after the Palace defender had a hunch that the ex-Ligue 1 player's moment had come.

“I feel very, very happy; it feels like a fantasy realized,” stated Mateta. “I wish I will stay a prolonged period with the national side and assist them to succeed. I saw it on television. Lacroix remarked: ‘Today they will call.’ He came my accommodation and we viewed simultaneously the list. The coach was speaking and he uttered the player's name. He always told me to put in effort and you'd receive your call. I continued striving and I got my call.”

Inquired whether experiencing international football could help his performance at Palace, he commented: “Should I feature, I hope I will help the squad with the national side to win. Of course, I will come back self-assured. I perpetually possess self-belief. I believe it'll provide me more confidence.”

Good morning all! The Premier League schedule never stops and Bournemouth’s impressive victory over their London rivals last night got this matchday with a exciting beginning. The forward, eh… an exceptional talent.

Regardless, we're previewing Saturday’s action, typically, on Matchday Live, the countdown/news/interactive sports coverage where we invite you to get in touch with your thoughts, remarks, forecasts and any other you have planned for this soccer weekend.

Regarding live action, Leeds v Tottenham is the early top flight offering, along with several fixtures in the second division, while Arsenal v West Ham and Manchester United v Sunderland are the 3pm games. Will Nuno Espírito Santo revive the Hammers at the Emirates? And can we expect further difficulties for the manager against the in-form Black Cats? The late fixture of Chelsea versus Liverpool ought to be just as compelling, with Arne Slot hoping to prevent a third straight defeat and the Blues' manager seeking to avoid a third consecutive top division setback. Thus, there's current performance.

With our writers dropping in bits of colour from across the country and continent, there's plenty to stay tuned for. Let's begin…