Guy from Nottingham

Darren, Nottingham

Looks like the Nottingham branch of the Rodri supporters' club has been in touch. Who knew there was such a hotbed of support for the Manchester City and Spain midfielder in that part of the east Midlands?

OK, we are going to move from the men's Champions League to the women's competition and news of a good night for Arsenal...sadly, at Rangers' expense.

Here are Wednesday's results from the first round of qualifying in the Women's Champions League, with links to the match reports:

• Arsenal 6-0 Rangers

• KuPS 1-3 Celtic (aet)

• FC Twente 7-0 Cardiff City

• ZNK Mura 3-2 Glentoran

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are the other three Premier League sides, along with Aston Villa, competing in the Champions League this year.

Liverpool's adult home ticket prices range from £30 to £61, Manchester City's from £37.50 to £62.50 and Arsenal's from £74.30 to £106.80, though the Gunners include Champions League home tickets in their season ticket price. Villa's equivalent range is £70 to £97.

European football governing body Uefa has capped the amount clubs can charge for away tickets in the Champions League at 60 euros (£50.55).

"When compared to other English clubs in the Champions League this year, and indeed Uefa's own away ticket price cap, today's announcement is out of touch," added Aston Villa Supporters' Trust.

"Loyal Villa fans who've waited as long as 40 years to celebrate this momentous season are being punished and exploited."

Villa begin their Champions League campaign away at Swiss side Young Boys on 17 September before hosting Bayern Munich, who they beat in the 1982 European Cup final, on 2 October.

Aston Villa Supporters' Trust (AVST) said it met with the club towards the end of the last season to discuss potential Champions League ticket prices.

AVST said it "made clear pricing should be no higher than that of a Category A game" if Villa qualified, which they did by finishing fourth in the Premier League.

Villa's top Category A ticket price for the 2024-25 Premier League season is £92, while the cheapest in that tier is £55.

The equivalent of that £55 ticket for a Champions League home game at Villa Park for an adult without a season ticket and any concession will be £85 - an increase of 55%.

"For the club to announce Champions League ticket prices well above this season's category A is extremely disappointing," added AVST.

The Football Supporters' Association called Villa's ticket prices "truly eye-watering".

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa fans have called the club "out of touch" for charging up to £97 a ticket for home Champions League matches this season.

Villa announced on Wednesday that adult tickets for their four home matches in the new 36-team league format will be priced at £85, £94 and £97.

Season ticket-holders will get discounted rates of £70, £79 and £82 respectively.

The Premier League side will host Bayern Munich, Bologna, Juventus and Celtic at Villa Park in their return to Europe's top club competition for the first time in 41 years.

• Read the full story here.

Right, we will assess the main contenders for the Ballon d'Or in more detail later, but while you get your thoughts together on who should be in the top three, let's have a look at some of today's other main headlines...

So what do you think? Does Rodrygo have a point?

Click thumbs up if you feel the Real Madrid forward should have been included in the men's Ballon d'Or shortlist or thumbs down if you don't.

For the record, Neymar defended Rodrygo on Instagram, external, saying his Brazil team-mate was "minimum top 5 in the world".

Neymar, who now plays for Al-Hilal, has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or nine times but has never won it. He twice finished third - in 2015 and 2017 - during his time playing for Barcelona.

Image source, Getty Images

Of course, in every competition there has to be winners and losers...meaning not everyone will be happy with the outcome.

Real Madrid's Brazil forward Rodrygo has taken to social media to make clear his disappointment at being left out of the 30-strong shortlist for the men's Ballon d'Or.

The 23-year-old forward may have a point after scoring 21 goals for club and country last season and playing a key role in Real's La Liga and Champions League titles.

Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who claimed the prize in 2023, does not make the list this time.

It is the first time since 2003 that neither Messi, 37, or five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, have appeared on the list of nominees.

With Karim Benzema and Luka Modric - the only other previous recipients still playing - also left off the shortlist, a first-time winner is guaranteed.

The award is voted for by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in the Fifa men's world ranking.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on 28 October.

Image source, Getty Images

The videos below show the acceptance speeches from last year's Ballon d'Dor winners, while you ruminate on the standard of player it takes to win this much-coveted award...

So now you know the nominees for the men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards.

Put yourselves in the shoes of those who have to pick a winner from these lists.

We want to know who would be in your top three and why? Also, who do you believe is missing from the lists of nominees?

Send us your thoughts via X, WhatsApp or text using the contact details above and remember to include your name.

Right, get your thinking caps on and we will publish a selection of your messages throughout the morning.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Chelsea are in the running for the club of the year prize, as the 2023–24 Women's Super League champions, along with Barcelona, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Lyon and Paris St-Germain.

United States manager Emma Hayes, who stepped down as Chelsea manager at the end of the domestic season and went on to lead her new side to Olympic gold in Paris, faces competition for the women's coach of the year award from England boss Sarina Wiegman and her Chelsea successor Sonia Bompastor.

Hayes is on BBC Radio 5 Live shortly - click here to listen to her interview.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

England trio Lauren James, Lucy Bronze and Lauren Hemp are among the nominees for the women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer in 2024.

All three players played in the 2023 Women's World Cup final, where the Lionesses were beaten by Spain.

Spain World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who won the award in 2023, is also on the list of 30.

There are four Chelsea players - Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nusken, Colombia striker Mayra Ramirez as well as Bronze, who left Barcelona when her contract expired in June, and James.

Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa, who plays for Manchester City, is also on the list along with Spain and Arsenal forward Mariona Caldentey.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on 28 October.

• Check out the full list of nominees here.

Talking about international football, six players who helped the England men's team reach the Euro 2024 final have been included in the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

Captain Harry Kane, midfielders Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Declan Rice, and forwards Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer are in the running for the prestigious prize, awarded to the best male footballer in 2024.

There are a combined eight players from Manchester City and Arsenal, who finished first and second respectively in the Premier League, nominated.

They include City's midfield general Rodri, who helped Spain beat England in that Euros final and is a front-runner for this year's Ballon d'Or after being named player of the tournament in Germany.

• Click here for the full list of 30 nominees.

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Striker Che Adams withdrew from the Scotland squad on Tuesday before their Nations League games against Poland and Portugal and was replaced by Rangers midfielder Connor Barron for his first call up.

Celtic pair James Forrest and Greg Taylor joined Adams in pulling out of Steve Clarke's group, along with goalkeeper Robby McCrorie.

Barron and Sassuolo left-back Josh Doig have been promoted from the under-21s as cover, with Dundee goalkeeper Jon McCracken already drafted in to replace McCrorie.

Goalkeepers: Zander Clark (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Norwich City), Jon McCracken (Dundee)

Defenders: Josh Doig (Sassuolo), Grant Hanley (Norwich City), Max Johnston (Sturm Graz), Scott McKenna (Las Palmas), Ryan Porteous (Watford) Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers)

Midfielders: Connor Barron (Rangers), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Ben Doak (Middlesbrough), Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Lewis Morgan (New York Red Bulls)

Forwards: Tommy Conway (Middlesbrough), Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham City), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts)

Northern Ireland

Image source, Getty Images

Michael O'Neil will kick off this new era for his Northern Ireland squad without Jordan Thompson and Brodie Spencer, who have been ruled out of this week's Nations League double-header against Luxembourg and Bulgaria.

Stoke midfielder Thompson has a calf problem which has caused him to miss the Potters' last two games, while Spencer injured his shoulder against Shrewsbury last week.

Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has not called up replacements for Thompson and Spencer.

O'Neill has also confirmed that goalkeeper Conor Hazard is being assessed by his club Plymouth after picking up an injury, while defender Eoin Toal has joined the squad despite missing Bolton's game at the weekend.

Full-back Jamal Lewis, who has been in Brazil to finalise a move from Newcastle to Sao Paulo, is expected to join up with the squad later this week.

The departures of Thompson and Spencer leave O'Neill with a 23-man squad for this month's games.

Northern Ireland host Luxembourg in their C3 opener in Belfast on Thursday (19:45 BST) and face Bulgaria in Plovdiv on Sunday (17:00).

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI

Image source, Getty Images

While Michael O'Neill joked last week that he was not quite ready for Northern Ireland fans to turn the page on Euro 2016, his squad for the Nations League tells a different story.

The international retirement of his captain and most decorated player Jonny Evans on the eve of the announcement has further diminished the experience available to him during his second spell in charge.

Indeed, the squad that will take on Luxembourg and Bulgaria this week contains just two players - Paddy McNair and Josh Magennis - who were a part of the Northern Ireland set-up at those European Championships just over eight years ago.

In the past 12 months alone, Evans, Steven Davis, Craig Cathcart and Stuart Dallas have all retired from international football with that quartet alone accounting for 382 Northern Ireland caps.

Evans' younger brother Corry, who himself has 69 caps for the country, is presently absent as well as he hunts for a new club after leaving Sunderland in the summer.

• Read Jonathan's full column here.

Scotland and Northern Ireland get the ball rolling tonight, so let's get the latest team news from both camps...

We will bring you some of John Murray and Ian Dennis' thoughts on that England camp in a moment, but there is plenty more international football being played this weekend.

Here's a rundown of the upcoming Nations League fixtures involving Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as England:

Thursday, 5 September

Scotland v Poland (19:45)

Northern Ireland v Luxembourg (19:45)

Friday, 6 September

Wales v Turkey (19:45)

Saturday, 7 September

Republic of Ireland v England (17:00)

Sunday, 8 September

Bulgaria v Northern Ireland (17:00)

Portugal v Scotland (19:45)

Monday, 9 September

Montenegro v Wales (19:45)

Tuesday, 10 September

England v Finland (19:45)

BBC Sounds

As mentioned, you can listen to those interviews with three of England's uncapped players - Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento and Noni Madueke - in the latest edition of the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds.

John Murray and Ian Dennis are at St George’s Park to witness a "turning of the page" before Lee Carsley's first matches in charge of the England senior team.

Click here to listen to the full episode.