Title odds shift

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering Rodri’s replacements, Ronaldo not up to United’s standards and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

EUROPA LEAGUE STATS

Tottenham vs Qarabag (20:00 UK). Spurs are the fourth favourites to win the competition, according to Opta. Meanwhile, Qarabag have lost all six of their previous meetings with English clubs. Roma vs Athletic Club (20:00 UK). Roma have lost three of their last 18 European League matches, but they’ve won just one of their last eight against Spanish sides. Fenerbahce vs R. Union SG (17:45 UK). Fenerbahce have lost just one of their last nine Europa League games (W5 D3), and they remain unbeaten against Belgian sides in this competition. Full fixture list for tonight’s Europa League games here.

Plus…

• Europa League results (More)

• Pep says he’s not going to “waste energy” on the Carabao Cup (More)

• Jermaine Jenas breaks social media silence after scandal (More)

• Arsenal to appoint Southampton’s recruitment analyst (More)

• Rodrigo Bentancur ‘almost cried’ when apologising for comments, says Heung-min Son (More)

PREMIER LEAGUE

Man City confirm Rodri will be out for a while, as supercomputer boost Arsenal’s title chances

Manchester City confirm that Rodri suffered a knee ligament injury with Pep Guardiola fearing the midfielder will be out for a “long time”. A timeline has not been confirmed yet. Matheus Nunes, who scored for City in their 2-1 victory over Watford in the Carabao Cup, believes he can step in for “massive loss” Rodri. While the Portuguese international has played more as a 10 for City, he played as a defensive midfielder during his time at Sporting Lisbon.

In the context of the league title, Arsenal have been given a boost by a new predictor supercomputer. With Rodri, the Standard supercomputer projected City would finish the season with 91 points. But without him, it predicts they will secure 80 points. Two seasons ago, the Gunners ended up on 84 points, while last season they picked up 89 points — enough to pip City to the top spot if the predictor proves to be accurate.

City have only lost 11 per cent of their games with Rodri in the team since his 2018 arrival. But when the Spanish midfielder hasn’t been involved, the Citizen’s loss rate climbs to 24 per cent. But City still have Ruben Dias and Phil Foden who have a lower loss percentage than Rodri, 9 and 10.8 per cent, respectively. Dias actually has the lowest rate in Premier League history. So, while it’s arguable that Rodri is the most valuable player in the Premier League, the numbers can put Guardiola at ease – somewhat.

POLL

HEAD START

👋 Varane retires aged 31. Raphael Varane has retired from football after suffering a knee injury on his debut with Italian club Como. The 31-year-old opened up on suffering a concussion in multiple football matches and how his body has been damaged due to the congested football schedule. He joined Real Madrid in 2011, where he won 18 trophies including three La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

🤕 Mbappe out injured. The 25-year-old has sustained a thigh injury which means he will be out for around three weeks. It will mean he misses the Madrid derby on Sunday and likely the trip to Lille in the Champions League on October 2. But he should be back in time for the first El Clasico of the season.

🧤Szczesny out of retirement. Barcelona sign goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny on a one-year deal to replace the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, bringing the Polish player out of retirement. Medical tests will take place in Spain over the coming days.

CR7 VS ETH

Cristiano Ronaldo fell short of Erik ten Hag’s standards at Man United, says Steve McClaren

Former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren says that Erik ten Hag rightfully dismissed Cristiano Ronaldo as he didn’t meet the Dutchman’s standards. The now Jamaican head coach suggested that there wasn’t space in the team for those who “didn’t run” – a dig at the five-time Champions League winner.

It’s no secret that Ten Hag and Ronaldo didn’t see eye to eye. Tensions reached a boiling point when Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute and left the stadium early during a match against Tottenham. The Portuguese forward recently criticised the ambition of his former boss, arguing that United’s manager should "not say that you're not going to fight to win the league or Champions League”. Ten Hag later dismissed Ronaldo’s comments stating that “he is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester”.

After rejoining United in 2021, Ronaldo scored 27 goals in 54 appearances. And while he had good individual performances, some argued that he took away more than he gave the team. On average, United scored just 1.2 goals when he started, compared to 2.0 goals when he didn’t start. That said, Ronaldo scored 31.6% of United’s goals in the 2021-22 season and scored crucial goals against Villarreal and Atalanta in the Champions League group stage. But, ultimately, it seems that United’s coaching staff thought the five-time Ballon d’Or winner didn’t fit into their system.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

🇸🇪 Superettan: Landskrona's goalkeeper climbs into stands to confront fans (More)

🇫🇷 France: France face match-fixing allegations at Futsal World Cup (More)

🇸🇦 Saudi Pro League: Al Hilal’s head coach Jorge Jesus says Neymar is not ready for return after spending 12 months out with a knee injury (More)

🌍 Africa: The Confederation of African Football’s general secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, could be suspended after he was accused of “whitewashing” (More)

WEEKDAY RESULTS ROUND-UP

Carabao Cup Third Round

Liverpool breeze past West Ham in a 5-1 thrashing. Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo each scored two goals as Liverpool began their defence of the Carabao Cup. Arsenal advance to the next round in 5-1 win over Bolton. Ethan Nwaneri, 17, scored two goals, while Raheem Sterling scored his first goal for the Gunners since joining from Chelsea.

The fourth round draw:

• Brentford vs Sheffield Wednesday

• Southampton vs Stoke City

• Tottenham vs Manchester City

• AFC Wimbledon/Newcastle United vs Chelsea

• Manchester United vs Leicester City

• Brighton vs Liverpool

• Preston North End vs Arsenal

• Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

Europa League - league phase

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Twente. United have now failed to win their opening major European match in each of the last four seasons, losing in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 and drawing 1-1 last night. Galatasaray secure three points in 3-1 win over PAOK. A strong start to the league stage as Victor Osimhen gets his third assist in as many games for Galatasaray. But Lazio sit top of the Europa League table after the first matchday with a 3-0 over Dynamo Kyiv. Boulaye Dia netted a brace and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored and assisted. Find the full Europa League results here.

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Do you think time-wasting tactics are clever strategy or bad sportsmanship?

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🧠 Clever strategy, it’s part of the game... (21%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🚫 Bad sportsmanship, it ruins the flow... (75%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (write in!)... (4%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🧠 S.N: “It's excellent for winding up opposing fans and players, all part of the game. You hate it when it's done to you, but love it when you do it to the opposing team!”

• 🚫 D.N.B: “It’s frustrating for players and supporters alike. It’s supposed to be a beautiful game – play it as it should be played. Book the time wasters on a regular basis, everyone knows who’s play acting. It’ll soon stop, just as delaying a free kick restart is starting to do this season.”

• ✍️ T.A: “It's a strategy that is seen as bad sportsmanship if it's happening to your team. However, a simple fix is to put 30 minutes on the clock each half. Then stop the clock every time the ball is out of play.”

Editor’s note: Thanks for all of the submissions – yesterday’s question received a huge number of responses. Please include initials so we can properly credit your comments!

EXTRA TIME

The lowest points totals in Premier League history.

Arsenal third kit 2025-26 to bring back white, maroon and gold.

Who could Man City sign to replace injured Rodri?

Meet the group investing in women’s football.

Simon Jordan reveals his ‘rude’ encounter with Erling Haaland.

The Overlap dissect City’s alleged 115 charges with fans.

How Leverkusen recruited a title-winning team.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Everton’s Ashley Young is one of only five players aged 39+ to assist a Premier League goal. Name all of the other four.

Clue: A striker, a left-midfielder, a goalkeeper and a centre-back.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Europa League league stage

• Fenerbahce vs R. Union SG (17:45)

• Roma vs Athletic Club (20:00)

• Tottenham vs Qarabag (20:00)

• All Europa League fixtures on today here.

Women’s Champions League 2nd Round

• PSG vs Juventus (17:45)

• Man City vs Paris FC (19:00)

• Real Madrid vs Sporting (19:00)

• Arsenal vs Hacken (19:30)

• All Women’s Champions League fixture on today here.

La Liga

• Espanyol vs Villarreal (18:00)

• Las Palmas vs Betis (18:00)

• Celta Vigo vs Atletico (20:00)

*All times in UK. EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

Teddy Sheringham, Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Thiago Silva.