Tomorrow brings the first La Liga Clasico without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since December 2007 — but that is not even close to the strangest talking point ahead of the game.

Tottenham will not move into their new stadium until 2019 after the club said “critical safety systems” must be sorted out at White Hart Lane.

Jose Mourinho believes striker Romelu Lukaku is about to vent his goalscoring frustrations on an unlucky opponent.

So how was your Gameweek 9? If your honest answer is 'Meh', you've done exceptionally well.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek fired a hat-trick for his first Chelsea goals in 30 months to seal the Blues’ 3-1 Europa League win over BATE Borisov at Stamford Bridge.

"Sometimes things are not just in the manager’s hands..."

Winning in Fantasy Premier League all about bringing in players who are performing well and getting rid of the ones who aren't - it's as simple as that. Except when it isn't.

Alfredo Morelos' double ensured Rangers marked the return of group stage action to Ibrox with a 3-1 win over Rapid Vienna.

There is unlikely to be much sympathy in Ireland for the emotional turmoil Declan Rice is going through over whether to choose England over the Boys in Green for his international future, but the rules surely need revision, as all involved reflect on what is becoming an increasingly unseemly battle for young talent on the global stage, writes Chris Hatherall

Spain coach Luis Enrique has dismissed questions over why he has called up only one Barcelona player for next week's matches against Wales and England.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the Portugal squad for their October internationals against Poland and Scotland.

Roy Keane has said that many of the current Manchester United players are "cry babies" who are not playing for their pride.

Football has a way of making co-incidences seem eerily like fate, whether that is strikers scoring vital goals against their former club, big-name transfers facing their ex-teammates on their debut or bitter rivals drawn together in the cup.

Just five days shy of his third anniversary as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp was given a nasty reality check with this difficult, late defeat in Naples, just when his team was meant to be preparing for champions Manchester City.

Lionel Messi proved once again the tormentor-in-chief of an English side at Wembley as the maestro gave the sort of match-winning performance that conjured images of his role in Barcelona’s Champions League final victory here seven years ago.

"Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde stayed silent on Paul Pogba but was happy to big up Harry Kane ahead of the Champions League clash with Tottenham.

Paul Scholes may have been premature last night when he suggested that Jose Mourinho’s services should have been dispensed with at the weekend but, after the boos that greeted this insipid and wholly uninspiring goalless Champions League draw with mid-table Spanish opposition, it is hard to see any other fate befalling the Manchester United manager, sooner rather than later.

Manchester City’s Champions League is back on track from what could have been a perilous position.

An aspect of Brexit that has been overlooked until it came to my mind with the change of manager and failure of the Republic of Ireland football team to score in the past number of matches — or indeed to make a success of any of the recent competitions in which they have been involved.