Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on whether he has split his squad into two teams - one for the Premier League, the other for the Conference League: "It's not a problem in terms of the ones that are playing in the Premier League, they also played some games in the Conference League. The last one being Marc Cucurella.

"I have said many times, the ones that are playing in the Premier League doesn't mean they won't play in the Conference and if they play in the Conference doesn't mean they won't play in the Premier League. This season is so long, we have so many games and for sure they are all going to play Conference League, Premier League or FA Cup.

"I can understand from the outside you can see two teams, but we are just one team, one squad, 24 or 25 players when all fit. We are going to try and use all of them."

Manchester United

Manchester United interim boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy on Marcus Rashford being pictured training alone:

"He did a bit of extra work before the session on his own. No special news on that one."

Image source, PA Media

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Former Manchester City defender Benajmin Mendy has released a statement after a judge ruled the club will have to pay him around £8.5m after wrongly stopping his pay.

The French defender, who was charged with rape and sexual assault in August 2021, took City to an employment tribunal to claim around £11m before tax in unpaid wages after he was suspended without pay from September 2021 until he left the club in June 2023.

The 30-year-old was cleared in 2023 of a series of charges made against him.

Mendy said: "Today the Employment Tribunal upheld the main part of my claim against Manchester City Football Club for unpaid wages, finding that the club had unlawfully made deductions from my wages for a total period of 16 months and 23 days.

"Having had to wait for three years for my wages, I am delighted with the decision and sincerely hope that the club will now do the honourable thing and pay the outstanding amounts, as well as the other amounts promised to me under the contract, without further delay, so I can finally put this difficult part of my life behind me."

City have declined to comment.

Visit our dedicated Manchester City page for all the latest news.

Manchester United

Manchester United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy on Leny Yoro returning to training:

"He's been managed very well since his injury in pre-season. We knew it would be a long one. It's a big moment for him, that first time he is back in team training. Obviously we will get him back partially over the coming weeks and look to get him back as quickly as possible."

As we wait for Ruud van Nistelrooy to arrive, there has already been a welcome sight for United fans today.

Defender Leny Yoro was pictured being given a guard of honour by his team-mates as he returned to training for the first time since fracturing his metatarsal in a pre-season match against Arsenal.

The highly-rated 18-year-old, who was signed from Lille for £52m in the summer, is yet to make his competitive debut for the Red Devils.

Image source, PA Media

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was asked about Jadon Sancho's availability: "He is recovering from [illness], he had a knock in the session also. For sure tomorrow he is out and we will see if he can be available for Sunday's game, otherwise it will be after international break."

And on the rest of the squad: "The rest are available."

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was first asked about the fitness of Cole Palmer: "He didn't train yesterday, we will see today to see if he can train with us."

And on whether Palmer could play against Arsenal on Sunday: "Hopefully, we hope so. But we need to wait and see and decide."

England international Palmer was left out of Chelsea's squad for the initial phase of the Conference League.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United

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Manchester United interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy is also about to face the media before Thursday night's Europa League match against Greek side PAOK at Old Trafford.

United desperately need a win after drawing each of their opening three matches of the league phase.

Topics are likely to include Van Nistelrooy's future and the performance of incoming manager Ruben Amorim's Sporting, who beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Quotes to follow...

Chelsea

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will face the press shortly before their Europa Conference League match against Noah.

The two teams will play each other on Thursday night. The Blues have won both of their matches in Europe so far this campaign, while Noah have won one match and lost one.

Chelsea sit on top of the Europa Conference League table.

OK, we promised you some news conferences.

Manchester United and Chelsea are coming soon.

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Jason McAteer has predicted that a film made about the bust-up between Republic of Ireland skipper Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy at the 2002 World Cup in Japan is "going to be a blockbuster".

But Keane's former international team-mate told BBC Sport's Sacked in the Morning podcast that he did not believe Keane would "come out too well" in the film.

"It just got to the point where it was a slagging match," said former Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers player McAteer, who won 53 caps from 1994-2004.

"I'd been involved in fights in dressing rooms. I'd seen managers lose their temper. I'd seen players throw punches, but I'd never been involved in an argument which escalated to such a point where one of them was gonna snap - and they did. And it was Roy."

Steve Coogan has been cast as Republic of Ireland manager McCarthy in the film, with Éanna Hardwicke taking on the Keane role as they depict the fallout, which took place on the small Japanese island of Saipan and resulted in the captain leaving the camp.

McAteer added: "It soured the situation, to be honest. I'd been involved in World Cup '94, which was the best six weeks of my life.

"The World Cup is amazing and we'd earned the right to be there again. It was there to be enjoyed and unfortunately this overshadowed everything."

• Read the full story.

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Uefa has fined the Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland after the national anthems were booed before the Republic of Ireland played England in the Nations League in September.

European football's governing body imposed a £10,500 fine (12,500 euros) on the Football Association (FA) following England fans' booing of Amhran na bhFiann at Aviva Stadium.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) received a fine of £8,400 (10,000 euros) after home supporters booed God Save The King.

The FA's punishment is greater because the England fans' booing was deemed a repeat offence.

• Read more the full story.

In case any Chelsea fans are wondering about Thursday's opponents in the Conference League, Noah are a side from Armenia.

Ranked 284th in Europe by Uefa, they play at the 3,300-capacity Abovyan Stadium in Armavir and were second in the Armenian Premier League last season.

They are taking part in the league phase of a European cup competition for the first time and have won one and lost one of their two games in the Conference League so far.

Here is a reminder of this week's remaining European fixtures involving British clubs:

Wednesday

Champions League

• Club Brugge v Aston Villa (17:45)
• Inter Milan v Arsenal

Wednesday's full fixtures.

Thursday

Europa League

• Galatasaray v Tottenham (17:45)
• Olympiakos Pireaus v Rangers (17:45)
• Man Utd v PAOK

Conference League

• Shamrock Rovers v The New Saints
• Chelsea v Noah
• Hearts v Heidenheim
• Larne v St. Gallen

Thursday's full fixtures.

Right, we will continue to bring you the latest breaking football news and also look ahead to tonight's Champions League fixtures.

We will also bring you the best lines from today's planned news conferences involving Manchester United and Chelsea.

Both clubs are in European action on Thursday night, with United hosting PAOK in the Europa League and Chelsea at home to Noah in the Conference League.

Representatives from both sides are expected to face the media after 13:00 GMT.

Five days after being cleared of rape and attempted rape at a retrial in July 2023, Mendy signed for then Ligue 1 side Lorient on a two-year deal.

Mendy made 15 appearances in the 2023-24 season as Lorient were relegated to Ligue 2.

The 30-year-old is yet to feature this season for Olivier Pantaloni's side.

• Read more on this story.

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Benjamin Mendy became the world's most expensive defender when Manchester City paid Monaco £52m for him in 2017.

The France international had just played a key role in Monaco winning the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title and was one of the most highly-rated full-backs in European football.

He won the Premier League in his first season with City before being part of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, he struggled with persistent knee problems and found it increasingly difficult to establish himself as a regular starter under Pep Guardiola.

Mendy played his last competitive football in August 2021, appearing for City at Tottenham. He was arrested later that month and remanded in custody for five months before going to trial for the first time in August 2022.

He was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against four young women after a six-month trial. Jurors failed to reach verdicts on two counts of rape and attempted rape, prompting a re-trial at which he was acquitted in July 2023.

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Benjamin Mendy will receive "the majority of his unpaid salary" from Manchester City, a judge has ruled.

"The fact that Mr Mendy’s contract contained no provision permitting the club to withhold wages where an FA suspension and/or bail conditions prevented the player from performing his obligations was an important part of the reason for this decision," a summary judgement said.

"The result of this decision is that Mr Mendy will be entitled to receive the majority of his unpaid salary, although not all of it."

Mendy's basic wage at Manchester City was £6m a year.

In the judgement of the case, the judge added: "I found that Mr Mendy was 'ready and willing' to work during the non-custody periods, and was prevented from doing so by impediments (the FA suspension and bail conditions) which were unavoidable or involuntary on his part.

"In those circumstances, and absent any authorisation in the contract for the employer to withhold pay, he was entitled to be paid."

Judge Joanne Dunlop said the exact amount Mendy will receive will be calculated between the two parties or at a future hearing if it cannot be agreed.

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