Newcastle United

Image source, Reuters

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe on Sandro Tonali: "I think Sandro is in a much better place, the international games really helped him. He’s certainly pushing to start but I want everyone pushing to start. He was very good against Wolves. We have really good competition for places in midfield."

On Harvey Barnes, who has only started once this season but scored a fine winner at Wolves last weekend: "Starting regularly is up to him. There is no guarantee. Harvey has a real coolness in front of goal, he has this way he strikes the ball, his positioning is very good. You don’t score the amount of goals he does if you are not in the right areas.

"He is a really humble lad and he is prepared to work for the team. I am delighted with how he has started the season."

Newcastle United

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe on the fitness of striker Alexander Isak, who was taken off in last weekend's win at Wolves: "It was a strange one with his eye, the ball just grazed it. We felt at the time that was the main reason for him coming off the pitch. He took a knock to his foot as well and it’s a combination of the two. We’ll make a decision today."

On Callum Wilson's fitness: "Callum won’t make the game. We’re looking and hoping to have him back in full training for the international break, to be ready hopefully for the games afterwards."

Howe added that Lewis Miley is "back on the grass" but still "a long way off" a return.

Image source, Reuters

Liverpool

That's all for now from Arne Slot ahead of facing Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday.

You can read more from what the Reds' boss said on our dedicated Liverpool club page.

Liverpool

Liverpool boss Arne Slot on the fixture schedule and his team selection: "I don’t know if you know but in Holland we also have the Eredivise so we also play games at the weekend and in the Champions League or Europa League, so we also play midweek.

"There is only one difference and that is the upcoming week when we play the League Cup. Until now, I haven’t seen anything different from what I was used to at my former clubs.

"That’s not an issue for me, but the main difference is the Premier League and every other league in Europe is playing during Christmas and the New Year. Those moments, that’s the biggest difference between this league and every other league. But, that’s probably what you mean, the strength of the league, the quality of the league. The likes of Bournemouth, that is much higher than if you play against a team that doesn’t play for the top-six positions. This is where it makes a difference."

Liverpool

Liverpool boss Arne Slot on Bournemouth's start to the season: "They’ve started off quite while, a win away against the neighbours (Everton). That caught my eye the most because they were 2-0 down so late in the game but I think Andoni Iraola has done a tremendous job at their place - he develops players and has a nice playing style, it's nice football to watch.

"All credits for him, but hopefully, we can manage to do better against Bournemouth tomorrow than we did against Nottingham Forest last week."

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport

It is too early to read into patterns of results... but the top seeds dropped more points this time compared to the first round of group games last year.

Last season six of the eight won, with one drawing and one losing.

This year there were nine top seeds, with five winning, two drawing (against each other) and two losing.

And the bottom seeds fared much better.

Four of the nine teams in 'pot four' won - including Aston Villa. Last year none of the bottom eight seeds won their first group game.

Image source, Getty Images

There were 57 goals in the opening round of the Champions League's new league phase.

We have selected 10 of the best - and want you to pick your favourite.

Click here to vote

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport

One of the benefits of the new Champions League format is more games between the biggest teams.

Unlike in the past, each top seed will face another two teams from the top pot too.

The only match between pot one sides this time was Manchester City v Inter Milan... which ended goalless.

But that wasn't the only eye-catching fixture in the opening round, with Liverpool meeting AC Milan in a repeat of the 2005 and 2007 finals. The Premier League side won 2-1 on Tuesday.

Big matches coming up soon, not necessarily all top seeds, are Arsenal v Paris St-Germain in the next batch of games, plus Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund - a repeat of last year's final.

Barcelona v Bayern Munich is in the following round of fixtures - albeit those two heavyweights only met in the group stage as recently as two years ago.

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport

Harry Kane scored four goals for Bayern Munich as they smashed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2. That already takes him halfway to last season's Golden Boot total.

Three other players scored two goals, all for German clubs - Borussia Dortmund's England Under-21 winger Jamie Gittens, Bayern's Michael Olise and Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz.

The goalkeeper with the most memorable impact in the first round of games was Arsenal's David Raya, who performed a stunning double save - including a penalty stop - to deny Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui.

Liverpool

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has given an fitness update on Alisson: "Alisson is a doubt to see if he can train today and if he can’t, then he will probably not play. We will have to wait and see."

Slot added that the Brazil goalkeeper has a slight muscular issue.

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport

Brendan Rodgers was also in Champions League action this week and his Celtic team will be one of those happiest with their work having scored five goals in a Champions League game for the first time

Sparta Prague, in their first main draw Champions League game for 19 years, beat Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 while French side Brest, who were making their debut in any European competition, beat Sturm Graz 2-1.

Girona, also playing a European game for the first time, were seconds away from a draw at Paris St-Germain before Paulo Gazzaniga's own goal.

Liverpool's game on Tuesday was their first in Europe without Jurgen Klopp as manager since Brendan Rodgers' side beat Besiktas 1-0 in the first leg of a Europa League last-32 tie in February 2015.

They ensured a winning Champions League start for new boss Arne Slot, who is now speaking to the media in the first of today's Premier League news conferences.

We'll bring you the best lines from the Dutchman shortly, along with the Brighton and Newcastle managers.

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport

It was a good opening for the five British teams in the Champions League - with three wins and two draws.

Celtic beat Slovan Bratislava 5-1, Aston Villa saw off Young Boys 3-0 and Liverpool won 3-1 at AC Milan.

Manchester City and Arsenal both played out goalless draws with Italian teams, Serie A champions Inter Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta respectively.

MOTD

Barcelona's Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid got their campaign off to a winning start with their record goalscorer, 33-year-old France forward Antoine Griezmann, scoring the equaliser as they came from behind to beat German side RB Leipzig.

"He's had a fabulous career," said former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on BBC Champions League Match of the Day.

"Out of possession, he still works so hard. You don't play for a Diego Simeone team if you don't. In possession, he's a free spirit. He just drifts around the game and has such great quality. He's such a big player for club and country."

Barcelona were in Champions League action on Thursday but had a player sent off early on and went on to suffer an upset away to Monaco.

Nigerian striker George Ilenikhena scored the winner on his Champions League debut after Eric Garcia had been shown a straight red card with just 10 minutes gone when he fouled Takumi Minamino after a poor pass out from the back by Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Monaco took the lead soon after when Maghnes Akliouche slotted past Ter Stegen before Barca's own teenage star Lamine Yamal equalised with his first Champions League goal when he cut inside before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.

Substitute Ilenikhena, 18, then raced on to Vanderson's long ball over the top of the Barca defence in the 71st minute and fired past Ter Stegen for his first Monaco goal since signing from Royal Antwerp in the summer.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

The Club World Cup, the expanded post-season tournament that has caused so much angst amongst major leagues due to Fifa's lack of consultation, still has no venues agreed - although there is a broad acceptance it will be played on the east coast of the United States - and no broadcast partners in place.

Without the latter, Fifa cannot guarantee the financial sums that will get the major European clubs - including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City - to the event given the amounts they will need to replace given they will not be able to take part in lucrative pre-season tours next summer.

A key meeting with broadcast partners takes place later today.

The influential European Clubs' Association, led by Paris St-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, will also be involved.

Clubs are committed to the success of the tournament but there is growing irritation at the time it is taking to finalise key details.

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport

The Champions League's new 'league phase' got under way this week. Instead of 32 teams spread across eight groups, the format is now one giant league of 36 teams.

It is going to take some getting used to. One big table with 36 teams is something we do not even see in league football, and taking it all in involves some serious scrolling. You can check out the full thing here.

Remember, teams who finish in the top eight will qualify automatically for the last 16, while those who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

Whoever finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated. So only one-third of teams actually go out after everyone plays eight games.

According to Opta, 16 points from a possible 24 gives a 98% chance of a top-eight finish.

Ten points is 99% likely to lead to a top-24 finish, so teams who won this week only need two more wins and a draw for a chance of reaching the last 16.

Fifteen teams won their opening games (meaning 15 teams lost) which leaves six clubs in between on one point.

In a nutshell, if you won you've got a great chance of going through. If you lost... you've still got a great chance of going through.

Image source, Getty Images

The Guardian

And finally from today's newspapers, the Guardian features Arsenal players celebrating but also mentions that the Women's Super League returns this weekend.

Here's our pre-season preview featuring predictions from BBC Sport pundits and our women's football news reporter Emma Sanders.

Image source, The Times