BBC.com

Tottenham's Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar will carry a tangible sense of home for defender Micky van de Ven.

The 23-year-old Dutch international spent time in the club's academy before charting his course to the Premier League via another Dutch club Volendam, and German club Wolfsburg.

However despite the link to his formative years the defender has said that the fixture does not carry any special significance for him personally.

"Maybe me playing against AZ (on Thursday night) is more special for the people around me, not so much for me. Of course, I have friends who support AZ. For me, it's like playing against each other team," he said.

Van de Ven does still hold a sweet spot for the city where his dad Marcel still lives though, including one restaurant in particular.

"The owner of this (Do Koning) restaurant is a good mate of my dad's - my dad lives in Alkmaar," the defender added.

"I don't think I will get a discount if I play well (on Thursday) because then probably we will beat them."

Tottenham will be aiming to continue their 100% start in the Europa League, having won their opening two games by an aggregate score of 5-1.

Inside Mourinho's United

Fenerbahce v Man Utd (20:00 BST)

Simon Stone

BBC Sport's chief football news reporter in Istanbul

Twenty minutes with Jose Mourinho in a packed room at Fenerbahce's training ground in Istanbul on Wednesday reminded everyone present of his magnetism.

From two spells at Chelsea to one at Tottenham, for good and bad, he was impossible to ignore. His ability to attract attention remains almost unmatched.

A Europa League meeting with Manchester United on Thursday at the cauldron that is the Sukru Saracoglu stadium pits him against his second Premier League club, where the desperation for success was at its greatest.

Mourinho left United almost six years ago. But while he is gone, he is certainly not forgotten.

Read the full piece.

Man Utd and Mourinho meet again

Fenerbahce v Man Utd (20:00 BST)

Manchester United will be reunited with former manager Jose Mourinho later when they face Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

Mourinho took charge at Old Trafford in 2016 and ended his first season by winning the Europa League. He guided United to a second place finish in the Premier League the following season, before he was sacked in December 2018 after starting the 2018-19 campaign with just seven wins in 17 league games.

After spells with Tottenham Hotspur and Roma, Mourinho was appointed Fenerbahce manager in June.

With United still looking for their first win in the competition and Erik ten Hag under increasing pressure, everything is set up perfectly for Mourinho to play the pantomine villain.

I haven't given up on 2018 Premier League title - Mourinho

Fenerbahce v Manchester United (Thu, 20:00 BST)

Simon Stone

BBC Sport's chief football news reporter in Istanbul

Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has cheekily claimed he is not giving up hope of earning a title-winning bonus from 2018 because of Manchester City's ongoing legal case with the Premier League.

United finished second to City in the 2017-18 season, which was Mourinho's final full campaign in charge at Old Trafford.

City, who have since won four consecutive league titles, have been accused of breaking the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

City deny the 115 charges and expect an outcome from the case by early 2025.

Should the club be found guilty, they could be stripped of silverware won during the period concerned.

Mourinho was asked about his old club before his current team Fenerbahce’s Europa League encounter with United in Istanbul on Thursday.

Click to read more.

Dunk set to make 250th Premier League appearance

Brighton v Wolves (Sat, 15:00 BST)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says Lewis Dunk "really identifies himself by the values of the club" so he is "very happy" to have the defender as his captain.

Dunk, who was part of the club's youth system, is expected to make his 250th Premier League appearance against Wolves on Saturday, having been part of the Seagulls rise from League One.

"He is so experienced and he sees this place as a family," said Hurzeler. "He wants to chill with the kit man and chef and spend time here. He really identifies himself by the values of the club.

"He is my captain and one of my most important players.

"He knows the club and their history and values, so he has all the knowledge which is good when I am new here. I can learn a lot from him.

"Being my captain is about having trust to exchange opinions. It doesn’t come overnight. It is like a relationship with a girl - it doesn’t come on a first or second date but with time it does. It comes by making memories and earning respect.

"But I am very happy that he is my captain."

Brighton team news

Brighton v Wolves (Sat, 15:00 BST)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler confirmed Danny Welbeck hit a nerve in his back against Newcastle last weekend and it "was very painful and still is" for the striker.

He said "it is still too early" to confirm whether Welbeck is available for Saturday's game and he will train today before a decision is made.

"Our medical team and physios are working every hour with him to make him fit for the game. Hopefully everything will be good." Hurzeler added.

Meanwhile, Solly March has returned to training, Joao Pedro is close and winger Yankuba Minteh, who has "a small muscle injury," is being assessed "day by day". Adam Webster is expected to be out for another two to three weeks but Hurzeler said his "injury is not as bad as we expected it to be".

Despite the long injury list, Hurzeler said he "will not take any risks" at this point of the season with bringing injured players back quickly.

'Ex-players should be brought into the VAR booth'

Peter: A question for Stephen. Everyone was begging for tech to help so we got VAR. Now everyone wants to get rid of it! What's the answer?

Stephen: The introduction of VAR has split opinion right down the middle. There was a poll made last season and people wanted it to be kept in but still felt there needed to be big improvements in it. I'm exactly the same.

The issue we still get is if it's a subjective decision. If you put 100 people in a room, you might get 70 people go one way and 30 the other on a certain decision. Then you might get 50-50, then you might get 90-10. It's just opinions about how things are seen, so you're still going to get controversy around decisions because we all see the game in a different way.

What the Premier League have tried to do this season is make sure that the referee's decision on the field is the final one, unless they've blatantly missed something, which they have done. There are still times where they've messed up a little but those times have been fewer this season. I think better decisions have been made across the board.

I still feel that ex-players should be brought into the room, into the VAR booth, because they see the game in a different way, they know about dynamic, football movements and what players are trying to achieve - to make a cynical foul, a tactical foul, or whether they're trying to buy something and go down in a certain position. I just think that if we can bring that together a bit more, that'll be better for the game as well.

It is such a difficult one because people will say that players have affiliations with certain clubs but I don't think that comes into it because you're then questioning the integrity of that person. Once they've got the job and their job's on the line, if they start making poor decisions, they wouldn't last.

'Bayer Leverkusen will believe they can take on anyone'

Kasim: Who do you think will win this seasons Champions League and who do you think the underdogs are?

Stephen: I mentioned Inter Milan earlier but I think one of the other underdogs has to be Bayer Leverkusen, if you can call them an underdog because they're the Bundesliga champions. They also got to last season's Europa League final so their pedigree's high, but can they now do it in the Champions League and replicate what they did last season in the Bundesliga?

There's more pressure on them, they're more watched, but like Inter, they've also had a good start, with seven points from three games. I think what everyone's seeing with Xabi Alonso's team is that they're very well organised, they score goals, they've got an incredible mentality when they go behind, but they've got a habit of winning and that habit is very difficult to instil in teams. They've got that and they'll believe they can take on anyone, so I think they're the team that could have a great run in this competition, but I don't think that's a major surprise.

To win it, I think you're looking at Manchester City or Real Madrid. City have Pep Guardiola and I know they're missing Rodri plus Kevin de Bruyne at the moment, but look at the quality of their squad as a whole.

Real have been getting over-run in midfield and they're a bit vulnerable at the back, but I think once they suss out their system to fit in Kylian Mbappe and how they need to play, their mentality in this competition is that this is theirs and this is what they turn up for. La Liga is almost a by-product. If they win it, great; if they don't, that's not the be-all and end-all. This is the competition they want to win and with the forward line they've got, they can beat anyone on their day.

Vincent Kompany under pressure

Barcelona 4-1 Bayern Munich

John Bennett

Speaking on Football Daily

For Barcelona it was all about getting through the high line of Bayern Munich. Vincent Kompany will have questions to answer, Bayern are way down in 23rd in the table [one win and two defeats]. It's the first time in their history that they've lost three Champions League away games in a row. He will get a lot of criticism in the German press over the next few days.

They had a good win at the weekend, but before that it was three games without a win and the Aston Villa defeat was a huge dissapointment. The spotlight will be on him. He made some strange decisions. Joao Palhinha started, a lot of people said he wasn't up to speed. It was a really poor performance.

New Champions League format is a 'huge bonus' to fringe players

Hi Stephen, do u think the current (very confusing) Champions League format is better for players to be more involved with such big squads or a hindrance in a season with so many games already?

I think you're going to have issues whichever way you do things. You're adding more games in so players are going to find it more difficult to manage their games, and so are their managers.

The best thing you can do as a manager is to get qualified [for the knockout stages] as soon as possible. If you can do that, you can start to rotate your squad, you can bring in your fringe players and start to leave players at home, if you want. I think that's the benefit of getting the games won early on in the league phase.

For players who perhaps don't play many games, this is an opportunity to play more and to get games in the Champions League. So often, especially in England but probably in Germany and Spain as well, those players will just get their games in domestic cup competitions, whereas now they get game time in the Champions League, which is a huge bonus to them.

Atalanta draw 'gigantic' for Celtic

Atalanta 0-0 Celtic

Pat Nevin

Former Scotland winger on Football Daily

With four points after three games, Pat Nevin believes Celtic are in a good position to reach the Champions League knock-outs.

"This game was so pivotal after that [7-1] defeat to Dortmund. Remember: Celtic won their first game against Slovan Bratislava 5-1. When you look at it now, a point away from home at Atalanta is a really good result.

"Look at who they've got coming up now. Their next game is Leipzig, that's not beyond them. Club Brugge at Celtic Park, that's not beyond them. They've got Young Boys, not beyond them. Celtic are actually not in that bad of a position just now.

"That result tonight has given them everything they needed. They were under pressure, they needed to hang on, but that was gigantic for Celtic. The next two games at Celtic Park will be great, and - I promise you - will have among the best atmospheres in the Champions League.

Tottenham, West Ham United and Hammers midfielder Mohammed Kudus have been charged by the Football Association following Saturday's Premier League match.

Ghana winger Kudus was sent off during his side's 4-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for kicking Spurs defender Micky van de Ven and pushing both the Dutchman and midfielder Pape Matar Sarr in the face.

But the FA have charged the former Ajax player with violent conduct and acting in an improper manner for an incident "after the offence he was sent off for".

Additionally, both clubs have been charged with failing to ensure their players "didn't behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way" at the time of Kudus' sending off.

Kudus, 24, was initially shown a yellow card for his push on Van de Ven but it was upgraded to a red following a VAR review, which showed referee Andrew Madley the pushes on Van de Ven and Sarr.

Both sets of players gathered around Kudus, who had put West Ham ahead in the game, following the incident.

If found guilty, he could serve an extra punishment on top of the three-game ban he will serve for his violent conduct dismissal.

The three parties have until Thursday to provide their responses.

'Spurs have to really switch on until half time'

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Jenna Schillaci

Former Spurs captain on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I think Tottenham have just got to really switch on now until half time. It's been a good half from them.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Chelsea are just building up another head of steam here as half time approaches.

The home side have uncharacteristically had just 41.8% of the ball so far but they have made the better of the chances in the game.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Sandy Baltimore goes for a shot from distance and the deflection from Molly Bartrip comes back and hits her in the face.

A sore one but she will be ok to continue.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

A nice team move from Chelsea to unpick the Tottenham low block.

Sjoeke Nusken plays the ball into the feet of Mayra Ramirez in the box, she spins and shoots low but she is denied by a good save from Becky Spencer.

'A really good team move'

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Jenna Schillaci

Former Spurs captain on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Spence, you could see she was trying to aim for the top corner, just inches wide of the post.

A really good team move.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Beth England's eyes light up as she is set in on goal behind the Chelsea back line.

Kadeisha Buchanan does well to recover though so the former Blue has to make do with a corner which Tottenham cannot make anything of.

'Naz so skilfull'

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Jenna Schillaci

Former Spurs captain on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I think every time a player goes near Jess Naz all they can do is bring her down.

It's just her pace isn't it, she's so skilful when the ball's that close to her, she can just turn you.

YELLOW CARD

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Clare Hunt goes into the book for a cynical foul on Mayra Ramirez.

Definition of taking one for the team, much like Sandy Baltimore ten minutes or so ago.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Jess Naz has looked a threat for Tottenham so far this evening, drawing in defender after defender to earn fouls for her side.

Tottenham fire in the free kick from midway into the Chelsea half but the home side head the ball clear.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

We've seen another angle of the Tottenham goal on the TV replay and that looks like the ball has slightly gone over the line.

It's very hard to tell without the use of goalline technology, so you can understand the decision from the officials to award the goal.

Post

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham

Chelsea's players are furious and rightly so.

The replay did appear to show that the England keeper had just kept the ball out of her net. But only just.

I'm sure we'll hear more on that if the decision comes to cost the champions.

GOAL - Chelsea - 1-1 Tottenham

Amanda Nilden (21 mins)

What happened there?

Tottenham full back Amanda Nilden attempts a cross into the box but misjudges it and it floats towards goal instead.

Chelsea keeper Hannah Hampton looks to have parried the ball down and caught it just ahead of her goal line but it's been given.

Tottenham level in the most bizarre circumstances!

Post

Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham

In midweek Robert Vilahamn said his players "want to take the fight" into their performances, and they have certainly done that so far.

They do need to be careful though as Chelsea are looking frightening every time they come forward.

'Like Spurs are a couple of seconds behind Chelsea'

Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham

Jenna Schillaci

Former Spurs captain on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Everything Chelsea are doing now, it's so sharp, it's so quick.

Tottenham are just switching off.

It's almost like they're a couple of seconds behind this Chelsea team in everything they do.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is determined to "change the perception" of his team after squandering a two-goal half-time lead to lose 3-2 at Brighton in their last Premier League game before the international break.

It was the 10th occasion in the Premier League era the club have taken a lead of two or more goals and yet gone on to lose.

"People will always find easy ways, if you've got a wound, to stick their finger in that wound," Postecoglou said. "If you're not prepared to accept that when things haven't gone well, then make sure things go well.

"If we want to change the perception of ourselves, it will not come because of, 'please don't call us those names'. It will come because we're proving we're a team that can be relentless in our approach and be successful."

After spending two weeks stewing on a defeat that left them ninth in the early Premier League standings, Postecoglou is keen his players learn from the experience.

"The second half was more around the fact we just didn't look anything like ourselves," he said. "We were really passive with and without the ball. We lacked real conviction and courage in everything we did.

"I hadn't seen that before in us and it's a good lesson for the whole group. You need to make sure tha, irrespective of how a game is going, you stick to the core principles of your football."

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week eight, he takes on legendary boxing manager Kellie Maloney.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

West Ham got the win they needed against Ipswich before the international break, but it was a very different story for Tottenham against Brighton.

It is typical, really, because everyone had been singing Ange Postecoglou’s praises following Spurs’ win at Manchester United the previous week, talking about how he had built a team with an identity... but then they fell apart in the second half against the Seagulls.

I don’t think Spurs’ defeat was down to his style of football, though. It was because of shocking defending, and the way they lost duels all over the pitch.

I am expecting them to bounce back here, helped by the fact that Son Heung-min is in contention after a few weeks out.

I’ve been saying it for a while now, but Tottenham are going to give someone an absolute hiding sooner or later. I don’t think it will happen against the Hammers, but I do think they will win this one easily enough.

Kellie's prediction: Tottenham will be too strong. 3-1

Ange Postecoglou press conference: What will boss be asked about before West Ham?  BBC.com

It has been a rocky two years at Tottenham for Djed Spence.

A fundamental part of Nottingham Forest’s incredible rise to promotion in 2021-22, the talented 22-year-old looked primed to step into the spotlight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Instead, his light has dimmed dramatically.

Dismissed by new boss Antonio Conte as "a club signing", Spence made just four appearances in the Premier League that season, was sent on loan to Rennes and made seven starts before injury curtailed his campaign.

A fresh start under Ange Postecoglou only brought a loan move to Championship side Leeds where injury restricted him again to just six appearances.

He fared better at Genoa in the second half of last season with the Serie A side keen to sign him permanently, albeit not for the £8.5m option to buy included in his loan deal.

And yet now he has a new contract at Spurs, so what next? This season, he was handed one minute against Leicester in their opening game, then a total of 52 minutes off the bench in blowout victories over Everton and Manchester United.

He has at least got himself a goal, and a critical one too, equalising in the 88th minute at Coventry in the Carabao Cup as Postecoglou's bid for silverware in his second season looked in danger of an early blow.

Maybe that has endeared him to Spurs fans, who, according to the post below, are pleased to have the full-back locked down for four more years.

After all, he still has the pace, athleticism and threat that shone so brightly in the Championship for Forest two years ago and got him into the England Under-21 squad.

His attacking impetus is surely better suited to Postecoglou's style than it was for Conte's conservative tactics and perhaps he has earned his chance for a run in the team.

Or maybe the canny operators in the Tottenham boardroom are merely preserving Spence's value by tying him down to a long-term deal.

His main competition at right-back, Pedro Porro, averages two chances created per game and between four and five crosses, providing a crucial thrust down that flank.

If Spence is to dislodge him, or Destiny Udogie on the other side, more of his Coventry heroics will be needed.

Now is the time to glow brighter.

We asked for your views on the news Djed Spence has extended his Tottenham contract until 2028.

Here are some of your comments:

John: Great - now let him play. He hasn't had a chance to show how good he is. He needs more game time. He will come good.

Dave: Pleased that he’s finally getting a few opportunities to show what he can do. Not seen enough yet to determine if Djed can hold down a place but if he’s bagged a new deal - which of course also preserves any potential transfer upside for the club - then good luck to him.

Lindsay: Glad to hear this. He has had a slightly difficult start to his time at Spurs but it’s a very hard environment to deal with when you are young and it sounds like he has started to deal with his situation. I for one think he has plenty to offer the club.

Matty: After a few false starts, loans and whispers of attitude and behaviour issues behind the scenes, Spence seems to have knuckled down and concentrated on his career. It looked like he was on the 'for sale' list not so long ago so he's obviously doing things the right way. I think Pedro Porro is destined for a big move away so Djed is perfectly poised.

Andy: Spence really excites me - he is fast and a good tackler. He was never given a chance by Antonio Conte because he didn’t sanction the transfer. I'm glad Ange Postegolu has realised his potential because I think he is a very good fit for the Spurs way of playing football. Hope this extended contract is a turning point for him.

Jude: Spence has got bags of talent, is very versatile and suits the system well. The game against Coventry was a turning point in my opinion as he was the standout player for Spurs. Hopefully, there is a lot more to come from him.

Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United.

Vilahamn addressed Tottenham's style of play and although they conceded three goals he remained positive about certain aspects of their game.

On the result: "It feels strange. We had a good performance - we had 18 goal chances.

"We are playing a good game, but we are not defending the box good enough. We were giving them transitions.

"Performance wise most of the game it is good football, but you lose 3-0 so you cannot be happy."

On Man Utd being awarded a penalty for handball: "I’m not sure if it’s a penalty. If it’s handball, it’s unlucky. If you do a cross and it hits the hand it's not like it's bad defending tactically."

On Spurs' identity: "We are working hard to find an identity and how we want to play.

"In that we want to win games and we want to find a way to win. Today is a good performance, but we don’t want to lose 3-0. We need to find better ways to play our way, but compete and win the game."