Newcastle United

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says it is too soon for Sean Longstaff to return and while Joe Willock's Achilles injury is not as bad as feared he could still be out for two to three weeks:

"I thought you were going to ask me if Sean would be back for this weekend, which would be too soon.

"We hope to get some players back in the not-too-distant future, but certainly there doesn't seem that there is anyone that is right around the corner."

On Willock's injury: "We hope he is not too bad. We thought there could be a total reoccurrence, which would have been six to eight weeks. We hope it is not that long but the problem that we have is two to three weeks at this stage feels like a lifetime for us with the amount of games we have. So although it is possibly good news, it is still really frustrating."

Newcastle United

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe on playing at home after their Champions League trip to Paris, with Saturday's opponents Manchester United returning from an away match against Galatasaray:

"I think the fact we are at home [is a big thing]. This is the first time we have been at home after a Champions League away tie. We love playing at home anyway, but that will be a big thing with no travelling. And it is an evening kick-off, which are always more special at St James' [Park]."

Newcastle United

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, on Tuesday's Champions League draw at Paris St-Germain, when the Magpies conceded a controversial penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time:

"When the dust settles and you analyse everything, my biggest frustration was I wanted the players to have that feeling of winning the game, which may have been one of the highlights [of the Champions League campaign]. It may have been one of the highlights of their careers.

"There was a lot of disappointment afterwards, we were minutes away from a historical result in our season. Hopefully there is more to come, but you can't change what happens. We have to move forward and look forward to the next game.

"The character is important, results positive or negative, can’t linger with us. We use it as motivation for the future."

Image source, PA Media

Newcastle United

There will be a flurry of news conference after 13:00 GMT today, with just Newcastle taking up their usual morning slot.

Their boss Eddie Howe is now speaking to the media before Saturday's match at home to Manchester United, who the Magpies beat earlier this season at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Manchester United and Newcastle apart, it has been a good week for the English clubs in Europe, with four victories on Thursday added to Manchester City and Arsenal's success in the Champions League, and six clubs now certain of post-Christmas European action.

This matters because it gains co-efficient points. And they matter because the two countries with the highest average points per club at the end of the season get a fifth spot in next term's Champions League.

Germany are now top, with England just ahead of Spain and Italy.

BBC Sounds

Football journalist Guillem Balague on Manchester United's 3-3 draw at Galatasaray on Wednesday: "It's one of those where we expected the [Erik] Ten Hag project to be in a different place. I've asked Premier League managers who have faced Manchester United, it’s not a scary side - it’s not a team that has matured, that can control games, that can dominate for long enough, if that’s what they're trying to do.

"The chaos of the last 20 minutes [against Galatasaray] tells you all you need to know but of course you look closer and [Andre] Onana’s four big errors in five games doesn’t give you much of a chance really.

"If you take the best and worst of that game against Galatasaray, it’s a dynamic team - brave, young in certain parts, scores goals - but it’s open, crazy football without control, vulnerable to counter-attacks, lacks maturity.

"It seems to me like asking a young kid to swim when they haven’t learnt yet. There’s a lot of Ten Hag in there but they have to learn a lot of other stuff to actually be competitive enough."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

• Since losing 2-1 to Liverpool in August, Newcastle have won their past five Premier League home games by an aggregate score of 12-1.
• Newcastle kept a clean sheet in both Premier League meetings with Manchester United last season – they’ve not gone three league games without conceding against them since November 1897.

There are some tasty Premier League fixtures coming up this weekend, with an even split of matches on Saturday and Sunday following the midweek European ties:

Saturday, 2 December

Arsenal v Wolves (15:00), Brentford v Luton (15:00), Burnley v Sheff Utd (15:00), Nottm Forest v Everton (17:30), Newcastle v Man Utd (20:00)

Sunday, 3 December

Bournemouth v Aston Villa (14:00), Chelsea v Brighton (14:00), Liverpool v Fulham (14:00), West Ham v Crystal Palace (14:00), Man City v Tottenham (16:30)

Lee Hendrie
Former Aston Villa midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Aston Villa's home form has been instrumental in their progress so I think [Unai Emery] is in a bit of a Catch 22 situation at the moment.

Villa fans are realists. This season was always going to be about progression from last season, but you honestly have to think about it when you are amongst the top four and just a whisker away from being at the top of the league. You do start to think to yourself about what can actually happen.

I think they can [go all the way in the Europa Conference League]. They have got a great opportunity to take some silverware in that competition. I don't think they have been anywhere near their best in it, but I do feel there is more to come.

[Emery] has used his squad, which has been great, so I think that would represent a great season if they got some silverware in that competition. To also finish in the top five would be a fantastic season.

There are some big games coming up - we will see where we are after Christmas.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM reporter on BBC Radio 5 Live

Inside the ground was peaceful, but we had this odd atmosphere with a big gap where the away fans should have been and they were never allowed in.

The events that had concerned everybody and that police were referring to were outside the ground, where the Legia fans were gathered.

I understand they were grouped together in what is usually the away coaches park, opposite the stadium.

There had been some suggestion in the build-up that there would be more Legia fans than there were tickets. Legia's allocation of tickets had been reduced after problems involving their fans at a previous game earlier in the competition. So it was reported in advance that there would be more fans than those with tickets.

It was in that area, where they were gathered outside the ground, that the trouble appears to have started. At that point, it would seem that the authorities and the police, rather than Aston Villa, took the decision that those fans shouldn't be admitted at all.

Image source, EPA

Aston Villa

Alex Moreno had not featured for Aston Villa since being forced off with a hamstring injury in their 1-1 draw with Liverpool back in May.

The full-back has been involved in matchday squads in recent weeks but such has been the form of Villa, the Spaniard has not been able to take game time away from Lucas Digne.

The 30-year-old was given the nod against Legia Warsaw and scored the decisive goal, before he received a standing ovation when he was substituted on 78 minutes.

Manager Unai Emery said: "He is very important. Alex Moreno was very excited and wishing to play. He scored one goal and now we can have more players being ready and available to help the team."

Fellow goalscorer Moussa Diaby added: "I am very happy for Alex. He has a big injury and we know Alex is a good player, a good person. I am very happy for him that he scored the second goal and this goal won us this game."

Image source, Reuters

Lee Hendrie
Former Aston Villa midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Unai Emery's Aston Villa side has now qualified for the next stage of the Europa Conference League and is fourth in the Premier League table. Lee Hendrie said: "It's been quite some time that we have had the luxury of being back amongst Europe and obviously being amongst the top four [as well] - it has been a pretty crazy season really.

"That's down to the manager and players on what they have achieved up to now.

"I do feel that while Unai has got one eye on some silverware, it is hard not to shy away from where they are in the league table, which has been quite phenomenal."

Asked after the match about the pre-match trouble, Legia Warsaw manager Kosta Runjaic said: "I think its a different topic, it's not my business.

"I've been in a big focus to lead the team. We represented Polish football in a good way, all other things outside the stadium I don't want to comment.

"We have great fans, they support us home and away. We can always count on them. So far since I've been at Legia I've had a good experience with our fans. I don't know the content of it all happening.

"I don't know the details, which is why it's better I don't speak too much about it. Unfortunately our fans weren't in the stadium and the atmosphere would have been better. It's not about the fans, it's a pity but we can't change it."

Image source, PA Media

Aston Villa

In a statement on the club's website, Aston Villa confirmed that no Legia Warsaw fans were allowed into the stadium and that some police officers had been injured during the disorder.

"In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their travelling supporters, especially in the last two days, no assistance on the serious safety matter of away fans attending Villa Park was forthcoming from the visiting club," they said.

"The club has repeatedly, including this morning, raised concerns in conjunction with Uefa and all the relevant authorities to Legia that ticketless away supporters were attempting to attend Villa Park.

"Approximately an hour before kick-off, Legia fans engaged in planned and systematic violent acts against West Midlands Police officers and a decision was then made by West Midlands Police to exclude all Legia supporters.

"Aston Villa strongly condemns the behaviour of those visiting supporters and would like to thank West Midlands Police for their professionalism in very difficult circumstances."

Image source, PA Media

Among Aston Villa fans' jubilation, news filtered through that missiles were thrown at police outside the ground before kick-off, resulting in Legia Warsaw supporters not being allowed to enter the stadium.

Police later said they made 39 arrests as officers were "faced with disgusting and highly dangerous scenes".

A West Midlands Police statement said: "We had a significant policing presence in place because of safety concerns. This stemmed from visiting fans having been involved in previous match day disorder."

It added the trouble was "believed to have sparked when tickets were not distributed by the away club to supporters outside the ground, as had been anticipated".

Image source, Reuters

Alex Moreno returned from a six-month injury lay-off to score the winner as Aston Villa beat Legia Warsaw and moved above them at the top of Europa Conference League Group E.

The Spanish defender was named in Unai Emery's starting XI for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in May, and was on hand to turn home Douglas Luiz's pinpoint free-kick for Villa.

Emery's team had led through Moussa Diaby's first-half drive, before being pegged back as Ernest Muci took advantage of Boubacar Kamara's stray pass at the back.

Villa had already qualified before kick-off, thanks to AZ Alkmaar's win over Zrinjski Mostar earlier in the day, but they couldn't find a third goal which would have sealed top spot in the group.

Despite that, the narrow victory over the Polish side means Emery's side only need a point at Zrinjski on matchday six to progress as group winners.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, .

If anybody was questioning Newcastle United and saw what they produced against Paris St-Germain, that will tell you everything.

The spirit, the desire, they were down to the bare bones squad-wise and couldn't make many changes. To put out a performance like that tells you they are in and around it.

This season was always going to be tough and we are expecting a lot from them because they finished in that Champions League place. They are taking on a whole new level and have to produce it all again.

Liverpool have improved, then there is Manchester United, Aston Villa and Tottenham. It’s tough to finish in the top four, but Newcastle are ticking over nicely.

BBC Sport has a dedicated Newcastle page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

We've still got plenty more reaction to bring you from Thursday's European games but the first news conference of the day is due shortly.

We'll bring you the best comments from Newcastle boss Eddie Howe when we have it.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen boss Barry Robson said: "We've scored 11 goals in Europe, and that's against Swedish champions Hacken, Europa [League] champions [in 2022] Frankfurt, PAOK and the Finnish champions

"That, for me, is probably a bit too aggressive in Europe because we've lost a few goals at the back end.

"We really want to be that way and we wanted to score goals. Our biggest learning curve is how do you get the balance right when you go into Europe again, whenever that is. We hope it's next year."

Image source, EPA

Sean McGill
BBC Sport Scotland

Barry Robson said Aberdeen need a better balance to their "too aggressive" attacking approach in Europe after they had to roar back from two goals down to pick up a point in a Conference League thriller at HJK Helsinki.

A 10-minute delay in the second half to clear the pitch of snow gave both teams a chance to catch their breath in a wild game, which the hosts took control of with first-half goals from Hassane Bande and Santerri Hostikka.

Rattled by the hot start in freezing conditions, a makeshift Aberdeen side pulled one back through a sensational half-volley from defender Angus MacDonald, before Duk's back-post header completed the comeback.

Neither team could find a winner in the frantic scenes either side of the weather-enforced break, meaning Aberdeen - whose qualification hopes were already over - stay in third in Group G, a point ahead of HJK.

Image source, EPA