Kathryn Bate:, external Plymouth Argyle to get promoted with Rueben Reid top goalscorer. Jason Banton to shine too. Been in League Two far too long.

Tyler Gilson:, external I like the signings West Ham are in for. Young and talented. Rather than QPR going for players at the end of their careers.

Charlie in Lincoln: Watford will be the stand out team in the Championship. With Vydra back and Cassetti gone, they have the perfect team.

The Football League starts on Friday while proceedings get under way in Scotland on Saturday so we want to know which teams you think will set their respective leagues alight - and, crucially, why?

Get in touch via #bbcsportsday,, external text us on 81111 or have your say on the BBC Sport Facebook, external and Google+, external pages.

Italian prosecutors reopen an investigation into the death of cyclist Marco Pantani after his family presented evidence contending the former Tour de France winner was murdered.

Pantani, who won both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 1998, was found dead in a Rimini hotel room in 2004. A coroner ruled he died from an overdose of cocaine.

His mother, Tonina Pantani, has always claimed her son was murdered.

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport

"Paul Bittar's departure will be widely seen as a blow for British racing. The laid-back Australian helped modernise the BHA, has a genuine passion for the sport and was a world away from the blazer brigade who once ruled racing.

"He helped oversee safety changes, two major doping investigations and introduced stricter rules on drugs. While some critics believe the Godolphin inquiry could have been more transparent, he skilfully trod the difficult line between promoting the sport and regulating it."

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is planning on holding talks with captain Ron Vlaar after their opening Premier League game against Stoke on 16 August, in a bid to resolve the defender's future.

"Ron's got another year still to go on his contract - it's not as if he's at the end of it," says Lambert.

"Once we get back I'll sit with him - we'll have a bit more time - but he loves it at Villa, that's well known."

Australia has promised to build on the "standout" Glasgow 2014 and deliver the "best" Commonwealth Games.

Jann Stuckey, the minister for the next Games on Australia's Gold Coast in April 2018, also believes the event will "continue for a long time".

"The Gold Coast won't be the beginning of the end - it will be a reinvigoration," said Stuckey.

Sixteen players from Hearts FC joined up in the World War One effort, most of them enlisting in the 16th Battalion of Royal Scots, the oldest infantry regiment in the Army.

BBC Radio 5 live's Nicky Campbell went to Tynecastle to meet Jack Alexander - director at McCrae's Battalion Trust.

Listen to a clip here.

The Football League starts on Friday with Blackburn hosting Cardiff in the Championship while proceedings get under way in Scotland on Saturday.

So we want to know which teams you think will set their respective leagues alight - and, crucially, why?

Get in touch via #bbcsportsday,, external text us on 81111 or have your say on the BBC Sport Facebook, external and Google+, external pages.

Tottenham open negotiations with Lazio over a deal to sell defender Younes Kaboul as they look to make room in their squad for the imminent arrival of Mateo Musacchio for £17m, reports London's Evening Standard., external

Manchester United and Chelsea have been left disappointed as one of their key transfer targets has opted to stay in Spain, reports the Daily Star., external

Atletico Madrid's Joao Miranda was reportedly unsettled at the Spanish champions after their sale of key players this summer, but the acquisitions of Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic have convinced the 29-year-old to stay.

Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell, 23, will hold talks with Sunderland today over a permanent switch to the Stadium of Light, reports the Daily Mail., external Rodwell, who signed from Everton in the summer of 2012, is reported to be valued at £10m by City.

The chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, Paul Bittar, is to leave the organisation in early 2015.

In his three years in the role to date, the Australian has overseen the Godolphin doping inquiry and significant changes to the Grand National.

The BHA announced he will be involved in the recruitment of his successor.

Great Britain's Ellie Simmonds and Susie Rodgers win gold medals on the first day of the IPC Swimming European Championships in Eindhoven.

Paralympic and world champion Simmonds took the 400m freestyle S6 title in five minutes 28.31 seconds, and Rodgers won the 400m freestyle S7 in 5:22.74.

Their Great Britain team-mate Amy Marren won silver in the women's 50m freestyle S9.

Image source, AP

Britain's Andy Murray, who will play in this week's Rogers Cup in Toronto, has moved up one place to ninth in the latest world rankings., external

Serbia's Novak Djokovic remains on top, 460 points clear of Spaniard Rafael Nadal in second with Roger Federer of Switzerland 6,600 further adrift in third.

West Ham United's Ravel Morrison is granted bail and will be released from prison, reports the Manchester Evening news., external

The 21-year-old midfielder was kept in custody after being charged with two counts of common assault following his arrest on 27 July.

The charges relate to his ex-girlfriend Reah Mansoor, 19, and her mother, 39-year-old Parveen Mansoor.

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United are close to signing Nottingham Forest duo Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles, reports the Newcastle Chronicle., external

The Magpies, who have already signed seven players this summer, will loan defender Lascelles, 20, and goalkeeper Darlow, 23, back to Forest.

Former Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero dismisses speculation that he will retire and insists he wants to carry on playing for at least one more season.

The 39-year-old completed a two-year spell in Australia with Sydney, playing his last competitive match in April, but will return to captain them in the A-League All Stars clash with Juventus on Sunday.

"I'm in good shape to play on again, to play for one more year," he says. "And this is my idea."

Watford, external remember the club's 12 ex-players who served their country in World War One with an away kit which is based on the colours used in 1914.

Read more on sporting stories of bravery a century on from the start of the war.

There is also a special programme - First World War and Sport - on BBC Radio 5 live from 19:30-20:30 BST today.

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson says the high quality of the Reds' opponents during pre-season will prove a benefit in the long term.

"When you're at a top club, you need to be playing the best teams because they're the ones you're going to be fighting with throughout the season," he tells LFCTour.com., external "It has been a fantastic pre-season."

Liverpool play Manchester United in the International Champions Cup final later on Monday at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

Atletico Madrid right-back Javier Manquillo will undergo a medical at Liverpool today ahead of a season-long loan move, reports the Daily Star., external

The 20-year-old will rival Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan for a starting place and the Reds have ensured the deal offers the chance to make the move permanent for about £5m next summer.

Derby County confirm the signing of Blackburn Rovers striker Leon Best, 27, on a season-long loan deal.

Head coach Steve McClaren said:, external He is a player with Premier League and Championship experience, knows how to score goals and he will provide a different option in our attacking armoury."