Are Bayern back in business?

A post-mortem examination has confirmed Emiliano Sala died from head injuries.

The search for the missing plane taking Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala to his new team in Wales was called off for the night last night with authorities not expecting to find any survivors in the English Channel.

It may not have been quite as dramatic or memorable as that Steven Gerrard goal almost 14 years ago to the day but, as Mohamed Salah clinched Liverpool’s place in the Champions League knockout stages, this important victory certainly carried echoes of that famous night.

Even at a club where there are many great European nights to choose from, this feels a bit special. Liverpool’s match against Napoli tonight, for a place in the Champions League knockout stages, has the potential to be one of those great occasions that will be talked about for years.

Petr Cech has given another indication that he is planning to stay at Arsenal by declaring himself ready to step up and be one of the club’s five captains.

The ideal scenario for the club where Paul Pogba played football as a kid might go something like this: The France midfielder shines so brightly at the World Cup that a money-no-object club — for argument’s sake, let’s say Real Madrid — decides that it cannot live without him and pays a nine-figure fee to shake him loose from Manchester United.

It has all been about records this season in European football: records broken and records that remained tantalisingly out of reach.

It’s quite a state of affairs when Real Madrid wield the sword of righteous justice in any particular contest. This is, after all, the club of General Franco’s favour, shady training ground construction deals, and gaudy Galactico excess, writes Tommy Martin.

Liam Mackey takes a look at the top five signings for 2018.

Daniel Storey reviews the football year.

Having made the breakthrough, the first woman referee in any of Europe’s top soccer leagues is asking how long it will take for other countries to follow Germany’s example.

Daniel Storey shares the weekend’s storylines...

In 2011, when Qatar Sports Investments acquired Paris Saint-Germain, they established a five-year plan to become a major European footballing powerhouse that involved competing at the business end of Europe’s premier club competition.

ARSENAL 3-0 BOURNEMOUTH: AFTER his players resumed normal service on the pitch, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was pressed into a chat about loyalty and why he once turned down Man Utd and had just stopped Alexis Sanchez leaving.

Ousmane Dembele has formally completed his €146m move to Barcelona and been paraded on the pitch at the Nou Camp.

Alexis Sanchez will miss Arsenal's opening two Premier League games through an abdominal injury as manager Arsene Wenger refused to reveal if the club had received any bids for the forward.

Cristiano Ronaldo is due to answer charges of a €14.7m tax fraud in a Spanish courtroom this morning, the latest event in a busy few months for the Real Madrid superstar.

You could call this a breakthrough season for Austrian football, but it is a breakthrough with a catch, writes David Shonfield.

Home debutant Kevin Long admitted he was eager to lay down a marker in his first duel with Edison Cavani as Uruguay were swept aside with ease last night.

The sight of the battleship England hoving into view, all guns blazing and with plenty of ammunition still left to unleash, might remind Irish supporters of when the All Blacks landed in Chicago last November.

The Champions League scripts department has been doing some clever rewrites lately.

The modern Champions League format has little space for romance or novelty — as seen by this week’s fixture list as Arsenal and Bayern Munich, and Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, met again for the upteenth time in recent years.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani is relishing coming up against countryman Luis Suarez at the Parc des Princes tonight.

Barcelona and Real Madrid both won over the weekend but received mixed fitness news ahead of their return to Champions League action this week — while Arsenal’s opponents Bayern Munich continued their impressive form.

Is Ligue 1 becoming fashionable again? France Football asked its readers in an internet poll last week.

Liverpool 2 Swansea 3

With Chelsea forging clear in the Premier League, James Whelan casts his eye over the pacesetters and chasing packs in Europe’s top flight competitions.

French football packs up for its two-week winter break tomorrow with its flagship clubs in a mini-crisis. The super-rich are no longer having things entirely their own way.

FIFA 17’s demo will be released tomorrow, the same day as PES 2017 hits shelves in some territories, and EA has revealed what it will feature.

We have a look back at the transfer window, including the strangest piece of business and the potential dark horses...

Manchester United 2 Southampton 0: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Jose Mourinho kicked off life at Old Trafford with a comfortable Friday night victory over Southampton.