Wales

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Wales captain Aaron Ramsey has been “back on the grass” in his recovery from a hamstring injury that could see him back for Cardiff City within a month.

Ramsey, 33, was ruled out for up to 10 weeks after suffering the problem in Wales’ 2-1 Nations League win in Montenegro at the start of September.

It saw him ruled out of this week’s game with Iceland and the return fixture with Montenegro, as well as missing the Bluebirds' last five Championship matches.

But Cardiff's interim manager Omer Riza has provided an update on the midfielder’s return, saying: “He’s been out on the grass a couple of times. He has still got three or four weeks of rehab. It’s a slow process.

"He’s very professional, he wants to get himself fit and does it in the way he needs to do it. He’ll follow the guidelines to get himself back to full fitness.”

Ramsey - who has won 86 caps for Wales scoring 21 goals - has linked up with the rest of Craig Bellamy’s squad in the build-up to this month's international double header.

Northern Ireland

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Northern Ireland coach Michael O'Neill has called up ADO Den Haag striker Lee Bonis and Motherwell defender Kofi Balmer to reinforce his team ahead of their upcoming Nations League matches.

Balmer, 24, will add some defensive stability after Daniel Ballard had to withdraw due to injury, while Bonis, 25, scored a hat-trick in his side's 5-1 over TOP Oss at the weekend. Both players are uncapped but have been included in squads before.

They have already joined up with their international team-mates at camp. The squad flies to Hungary on Thursday ahead of Saturday's Nations League clash with Belarus.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland have called Mansfield Town goalkeeper Christy Pym into their squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Belarus and Bulgaria.

The 29-year-old has not played for his country before, but trained with his new team-mates on Tuesday after regular keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell withdrew from the squad on Monday with a shoulder problem.

With Plymouth Argyle's Conor Hazard already absent through injury, manager Michael O'Neill was left with just two keepers in his squad, Bolton Wanderers' Luke Southwood and Pierce Charles of Sheffield Wednesday.

Pym, who has featured regularly for Mansfield in League One this season, was born in Exeter and previously played in a friendly for England Under-20s but qualifies for Northern Ireland through his Belfast-born grandmother.

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Scotland

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Scotland assistant John Carver says it's as if Craig Gordon has "never been away" from the international side as the 41-year-old eyes his 76th cap.

The Hearts goalkeeper was left out of Scotland's Euros squad in the summer and many believed his international career may be up.

But Gordon, who has reclaimed the number one spot at Tynecastle from Zander Clark, is now in line to start Saturday's Nations League game in Croatia after Angus Gunn added to the lengthy list of injury absentees.

"It's as if he has never been away," Carver said. "He just walked in as if he is part of the fixtures and fittings.

"If you think about the last conversation with Steve [Clarke] was after he had just had his 75th cap and he said to Steve, 'I want back to get 76 and 77'. That is his attitude.

"Although he's 41, he has had three years out injured so in the football world he is really 38."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland assistant manager John Carver has spoken to the media before the upcoming Nations League games against Croatia and Portugal.

Here are the main points:

• Carver said Scotland may have to "suffer" in the Nations League top division but he can "guarantee" the team "will be better" in the long term as a result.
• He added: "You can see what we are trying to do and there is a clear identity there, how we are going to play in and out of possession. I think we will continue with that and the results will come."
• Carver also insisted fans are "more positive" about Scotland's fortunes despite just one win in 14.

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Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet has been called up to Steve Clarke's Scotland squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Portugal.

The 27-year-old has not played for his country since a substitute appearance in a 2-0 win over Georgia in June 2023, but replaces Lawrence Shankland in the squad after helping Aberdeen to 13 consecutive wins at the start of this season.

Nisbet joined the Pittodrie club on loan from Millwall over the summer, and has scored three goals in seven outings for Jimmy Thelin's side.

Nisbet joins Aberdeen team-mates Nicky Devlin and Jack MacKenzie in the squad, while Shankland's withdrawal - after he missed training on Tuesday - adds to an ever-growing injury list.

• You can read more on Kevin Nisbit's Scotland call-up here

England

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke says it "means so much" to make his return to the England squad following a seven-year absence. The 27-year-old was last included in a Three Lions squad when he made his one and only appearance as a substitute against Brazil in 2017.

"I've worked very hard to get back to this moment," Solanke said on Tuesday. "It's just part of football. Everything happens at the right time for you. Everyone's journey is different.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel like this is the way it had to be for me and I feel like my game is clicking now."

Solanke was signed by Spurs in a deal worth up to £65m this summer after he scored 19 goals in 38 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth last season.

He has netted three goals in eight games for Tottenham so far, after the start of his career in north London was disrupted by an ankle injury, and could be in line to start for England on Thursday with captain Harry Kane a doubt to face Greece.

"I always believed that I would get back here, so that was my mindset, and that's one of the things I was working towards," Solanke added.

"I'm thankful to be back here now, and hopefully I can stay here. That's what the dream is, to represent your country, no matter how many times, it's always the same."

Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter

Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento have been added to the England senior men’s squad.

The pair checked in at St. George’s Park on Tuesday before the forthcoming fixtures against Greece and Finland.

Liverpool midfielder Jones, a 2023 U21 Euro winner, was first called up to the seniors in May 2024 but is yet to be capped.

The similarly uncapped Livramento has moved across from the Under-21 squad after the Newcastle full-back received his first senior call-up last month.

Lee Carsley now has a squad of 23 players heading into the next round of Nations League games.

Harry Kane continued his individualised programme at St George's Park on Wednesday while Jack Grealish also sat out of training as a precaution with a minor knock.

Carsley will be joined by John Stones for a media conference from 20:45 BST on Wednesday.

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Celtic

Celtic head coach Elena Sadiku: "I've said it to the girls, being in the group stage, being in the top 16 teams, it's a big difference to playing in Scotland.

"They should be confident, but there are errors we need to fix. What we’re doing right now is we’re going to fight. We’ll try to do everything to get as many points as possible.

"In January or in the summer I don’t think anyone expected us to be where we are right now. I think we can really put in a better performance for our next game."

Amy Canavan
BBC Scotland at ZLX Stadium

Fine margins. It is a phrase used often, but with good reason.

That’s all that really separated the Scottish and Dutch champions, with the latter carrying a clinical edge to capitalise on Celtic's brief moments of vulnerability.

At the other end, Celtic only managed to hit the target with three of their 10 attempts, and those three ought to have been buried.

It’s a tough lesson to take especially ahead of a trip to face Real Madrid next week amid a hectic schedule.

Celtic manager Elena Sadiku will hope Scotland striker Amy Gallacher, who was absent from the squad entirely, will be back in the mix and winger Lucy Ashworth-Clifford, who was deemed not fit enough to come on as a second-half substitute.

Their absence was felt, although summer signings Shannon McGregor, Morgan Cross and Emma Lawton, all of whom were recruited from smaller Scottish clubs, showed they are ready to test themselves at a higher level.

A rare defeat will sting Sadiku and Celtic, as will the fact they missed an opportunity to take points in their easiest Group B fixture on paper, but there are some positives to take before heading to Spain next week.

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BBC Radio 5 Live

On Chelsea under new women's team manager Sonia Bompastor, former England and Chelsea goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain added: "I want to see them play against a big team. Chelsea haven’t played Arsenal or Manchester City yet, they’re the games that will give us a little bit more insight into where they are at the moment but they’ve got a great squad.

"Sonia Bompastor is a brilliant manager. She’s brought in some good players so I don't doubt they'll be flying."

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BBC Radio 5 Live

Former England and Chelsea goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain on BBC Radio 5 Live after the Blues' 3-2 win over Real Madrid in the Women's Champons League: "They won the game, which is the most important thing. When you’re in a business like football, the scoreline at the end of the 90 minutes is the most important thing, but it wasn’t the most convincing of performances.

"Real Madrid played well and got back into the game. After being 2-0 up, it should have been quite comfortable, but Chelsea made it quite nervy at the end for their supporters at Stamford Bridge.

"Real Madrid have strengthened, they’ve got some fantastic players. We all know Caroline Weir from the WSL, she’s a brilliant player. Perhaps Chelsea got complacent being 2-0 up early on, but ultimately they won the game and they're in a positive place."

Now let's have a quick recap of what happened in the Women's Champions League on Tuesday as Chelsea got their group campaign under way with a 3-2 win at home to Real Madrid while Celtic lost 2-0 at home to Twente as they made their debut in the competition.

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Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas speaking about Cole Palmer on the Planet Premier League podcast: "When someone is that special, when someone makes you see and feel that whatever happens in the team he is a game changer, I believe so [you can build a team around them].

"It is fair to say it could be the right thing to do, even if as coaches we hate to say this kind of thing because we want to protect the team and the collective, but when you have someone that good and with such an impact on the pitch, I think the team see that themselves and they want Palmer to get on the ball as much as possible.

"When he has the ball it feels like everything is slow and everything becomes very clear in his eyes. He is able to play any pass at any angle on the pitch. I think it is possible when a player is that special to create a team around him."

Click here to listen to the Planet Premier League podcast.

Is Cole Palmer now an automatic starter for England? If so, where exactly would you play him?

Do you think Palmer should be one of the three players behind the striker? And who should be alongside?

You can have your say on all that by clicking here, and select your best England XI too.

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