The Sun

From Lloyd Canfield at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea look calmer on the ball now that they have the lead, but still seem somewhat toothless up top.

Garnacho and Neto have been bright on the wings, but more often than not when they look up there is no one in the middle to aim the ball at.

Badiashile has perhaps been the standout performer so far for me.

The French defender has been good on the ball and stepped into his challenges really nicely.

It seems a good decision from Maresca so far to start two more experienced defenders, as opposed to the Acheampong/Hato pairing he was made to use against Brighton last weekend.

Chelsea 1-0 Benfica

For Chelsea, it is all about game management now.

They need to ensure they go into the break with their lead intact at the very least.

Mourinho will be disappointed his side trail, they have probably been the better side in West London so far.

View from SunSport's Tom Barclay

SPURS have been unambitious in this game so far - and it could cost them.

Save for Richarlison cocking up a chance that was laid on a plate by Lucas Bergvall, Thomas Frank's side have created very little.

On a night where we could see the Northern Lights, it has been more a case of Aurora Bore-all-of-us from the North Londoners so far.

Their hosts have been growing in confidence as the game wears on and look the most likely to score at this point.

View of SunSport's Tom Barclay

SPURS have been unambitious in this game so far - and it could cost them.

Save for Richarlison cocking up a chance that was laid on a plate by Lucas Bergvall, Thomas Frank's side have created very little.

On a night where we could see the Northern Lights, it has been more a case of Aurora Bore-all-of-us from the North Londoners so far.

Their hosts have been growing in confidence as the game wears on and look the most likely to score at this point.

View from SunSport's Martin Lipton

Liverpool should have been ahead. Seconds later, they’re conceding a penalty and trailing.

Etitike is in on goal from Gakpo’s pass but foiled by the keeper, with Gakpo’s follow-up cleared off the line by left-back Ismael Jakoba.

But the Turks go straight up the pitch and as Baris Alper Yilmaz tries to twist past Szoboszlai, he gets smacked in the chops by the Hungarian’s flailing, trailing arm.

No doubts for French ref Clement Turpin, nor from Osimhen who drills down the middle as Alisson dives to his right.

View of SunSport's Martin Lipton

Liverpool should have been ahead. Seconds later, they’re conceding a penalty and trailing.

Etitike is in on goal from Gakpo’s pass but foiled by the keeper, with Gakpo’s follow-up cleared off the line by left-back Ismael Jakoba.

But the Turks go straight up the pitch and as Baris Alper Yilmaz tries to twist past Szoboszlai, he gets smacked in the chops by the Hungarian’s flailing, trailing arm.

No doubts for French ref Clement Turpin, nor from Osimhen who drills down the middle as Alisson dives to his right.

Kairat Almaty 0-1 Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe a few moments prior had worked the ball onto his right foot with his trademark quick feet, but fired his effort far too high to trouble anyone.

The Brazilian winger then had his own chance of no real substance saved, shifting onto his right and curling an effort straight into the arms of Kalmurza.

Atalanta 0-1 Club Brugge

This game has been a back-and-forth affair, and was going to take a mistake or a moment of brilliance to open the scoring.

And - it was two for the price of one.

Atalanta skipper Martin de Roon with a poor giveaway far too close to his own area game Forbs the ball, and it eventually found Tzolis on he edge of the box.

A brilliant shimmy left and right gave Tzolis half a yard of space, and with that half yard he fired perfectly into the Atalanta net!

Kairat Almaty 0-1 Real Madrid

He steps up cool as you like, and sends the 'keeper the wrong way with an effort into the bottom left of his net.

Very much with the run of play, as Madrid strike first in a game they have been comfortable in to this point.

Kairat Almaty 0-0 Real Madrid

Fingertips save from Kairat's stopper Kalmurza, this time it is Kylian Mbappe taking the chance.

The French superstar finds himself in a dangerous area just outside of the Kairat box, and opens himself up to curl an effort into the far corner.

The 'keeper read his intentions, and gets down to tip wide, but the relentless pressure from Madrid must surely be about to pay off.

Kairat Almaty 0-0 Real Madrid

Los Blancos are starting to breach the lines in the Kairat defence, this time the left-back Fran Garcia finds himself with green grass to run into.

After charging into the box he delivers a low cross towards the Turkish Arda Guler, but his effort is deflected out for a corner.

Again, like the Vinicius Jr chance, brilliant work in the build-up from Kylian Mbappe, who is starting to impose himself on this game.

Kairat Almaty 0-0 Real Madrid

Vinicius Jr with the first real opening for the 15-time champions, racing through one-on-one.

However, his chipped effort ends up well wide of the mark, and a big chance goes begging for Xabi Alonso's side.

After a bright start from the hosts, the Brazilian winger would have wanted to see that land the right side of the posts, just to settle the nerves.

Team news from Italy

With 10 minutes to go until KO, here is how the sides are looking ahead of Atalanta vs Club Brugge.

Ademola Lookman makes a first start of the season for Ivan Juric's side.

Hans Vanaken continues to captain his Club Brugge side, who swept Monaco aside in their opening game of the Champions League.

Atalanta: Carenesecchi, Kossounou, Djimsiti, Ahanor, Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi, Pasalic, Krstovic, Lookman

Club Brugge: Jackers, Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Seys, Sandra, Stankovic, Vanaken, Forbs, Tresoldi, Tzolis

What is to come at 5:45

The early goings will see Real Madrid take on Kariat Almaty, but will also see Club Brugge take on Atalanta.

Club Brugge looked the real deal during their emphatic 4-1 demolition of Monaco on matchday one, and also looked more than comfortable in their 9-1 aggregate win over Rangers in qualifying.

Their opponents are looking to get on the board in the UCL this season, having been handed a 4-0 loss by reigning champions PSG.

A first start for Ademola Lookman

Lookman makes his first start for Atalanta this afternoon, after a busy summer off the pitch.

The Nigerian striker had voiced his frustrations at his sides refusal to sell him, with Inter Milan seemingly the closest to signing him.

Lookman helped fire his side to a Europa League win, and hand Xabi Alonso his only defeat of the 2023/24 season, and returns.

He partners Nikola Krstovic up top, with Mario Pasalic in behind the pair.

Real deal

Real Madrid have a tough run of fixtures coming up in the Champions League, with Juventus, Liverpool and Man City to come in three of their next four fixtures.

A Julian Alvarez inspired Atletico Madrid put five past Thibaut Courtois last time out for Los Blancos, so they will be looking for a big response tonight.

The 15-time European champions started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Marseille, and continue it in tonight’s early kick-off against Kairat Almaty.

Chelsea wonderkid in action

Another one of Chelsea's bright prospects, Dastan Satpaev, 17, is in action against Real Madrid this afternoon.

The 17-year-old is one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.

The versatile forward currently stars for Kairat Almaty in the Kazakh Premier League.

And Satpaev has already agreed a £3.3million move to Chelsea when he turns 18 years old.

In the meantime, the teenager is looking to lead Kairat to glory in Europe.

He is already the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history after his strike against Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana in July.

And now, Satpaev faces his biggest-ever challenge as Kairat gear up to take onReal Madrid.

Return of the king

Jose Mourinho is set to once more return to Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho and Chelsea go hand in hand, with the Special One having won the Premier League three times with the Blues, failing to add a then elusive first Champions League during his first spell.

His second spell came with a third title, and an ugly fallout during the 2015/16 season.

Jose has returned on numerous occasions, his first being a very happy one, a 1-0 win with Inter Milan on their way to the Champions League title.

He has had some unhappy returns as well, though, much like Chelsea’s 4-0 hammering of his United side on the way to the 2016/17 title, just a season after he had been sacked by the Blues for a second time.

In total, the pair have met 14 times, with Jose winning five, Chelsea winning seven, and the shares being spoilt twice.

Europe's elite return!

Welcome to SunSport’s non-stop coverage of the Champions League action!

Three English sides will be in action tonight, as Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs all play.

The Blues take on former manager and welcome back a hero to Stamford Bridge, as they play Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.

Liverpool take on a man who many looked at over the summer, as Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray host the six time champions.

Spurs take on Bodo/Glimt, in a repeat of their 2024/25 Europa League semi-final, which Spurs won 5-1 on aggregate, and 2-0 away from home.

With two days of action to come, stay with SunSport as we bring you all the latest!

TOTTENHAM have convinced Romania not to call up Radu Dragusin despite their World Cup hopes being in the balance.

The centre-back, 23, was last week named on a preliminary list for the Eastern European nation's October internationals.

But Romania have agreed with Spurs to leave him out of the proper squad as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury.

Dragusin damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in January and has not featured since, but has been back in training for the last few weeks.

Spurs chief Thomas Frank said in August that he expected the former Genoa man to be back playing "within a couple of months", underlining how cautious they are being with his return to play.

Romania play a friendly with Moldova next month followed by a crunch home qualifier to Austria.

If they lose to the Austrians and Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Cyprus, they will not qualify for next summer's finals.

Dragusin was forced to learn how to walk again following surgery on his right knee.

He spoke about his recovery last month in an interview with Spurs' media team.

The £25million signing said: "I think it really changed the way I see everything in football.

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"It was my first injury so it was a big change. I had to learn to live with it, train with it but I think it changed me in a good way - it gave me another perspective of how I view everything in football.

"I had to learn how to walk again. I was on crutches, my knee was really stiff from the surgery. It was a long process but, once I got back to normal walking, it became a positive journey.

"I can say I enjoyed it because you need a positive mindset, to embrace the injury, even though it’s the worst part of the game.

"You need to learn to find a way to be happy and enjoy the process - and I think I found that."

BROOKLYN EARICK has published the itinerary of his tour of the club - and dismissed claims his £4.5bn bid was “unsolicited”.

Sun Sport revealed how former DJ Earick, 41, and his 12-strong team of financial backers are offering £3.3bn up front to Tottenham owners ENIC and the Lewis family, with a further £1.2bn set aside for transfers, wages and agents fees.

The total package would be a world record takeover agreement for a football club, exceeding the £4.25bn laid out by the Todd Boehly-led group which bought Chelsea in 2022.

In response to the first contact, ENIC put out a statement through the Stock Exchange stating the offer had been “unequivocally rejected” while detailing the formal Takeover Panel process required.

In addition, a source close to the Lewis family dismissed the approach as “unsolicited and unnecessary interest”.

But Earick has now put that stance into a different context by publishing the full details of his guided tour of the club and its facilities, which took place on August 6, nearly two months before his first approach to buy out the club.

The timetable on Tottenham notepaper names Earick and a redacted accomplice, with the American planned to arrive at the Lilywhite House club offices - connected to the North Stand by a footbridge - at 10am.

There are 17 specific elements to the first part of the tour, including the various club lounges on the second and fifth floors, the home dressing room, tunnel club, NFL areas, museum and the adjacent site where a hotel is planned to be constructed.

At 12.30 he then visited the nearby offices of F3 Architects, who planned the training ground and other facilities.

He also worked with Aston Villa and Newbury racecourse on major projects for a “property portfolio presentation with a sandwich lunch” before leaving for Hotspur Way at 2pm.

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That led to a two and a half hour tour of the 77-acre site in Enfield, including the first team and academy areas, a “buggy tour” of the outdoor spaces, the on-site hotel accommodation and the nearby Whitewebbs site that will be the new home of the Spurs women’s academy.

Earick also posted a photo of the official Takeover Panel notification of his approach, alongside the comment “unsolicited”.

Photos from the training ground visit have also been put on social media in a further sign of his intent.

Sun Sport understands that Earick and his investors are putting the final touches to their formal bid, expected to be tabled this week.

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JUST when it looked like the stethoscope was coming out again, Joao Palhinha slammed Dr Tottenham’s office door shut.

Wolves had not taken a single point all season but looked to be on for all three when Santiago Bueno fired home a scrappy goal nine minutes into the second half.

Once again, it looked like Dr Tottenham was making another appointment to aid an ailing patient.

Spurs fans had given their side the self-deprecating moniker on account of their knack of giving ailing teams first aid in the form of a victory.

They did it last season to both Crystal Palace and Ipswich, handing them their first Premier League wins of the season during a horror fortnight between October and November.

And they looked set to do it again here until Palhinha struck deep into stoppage time.

The Portuguese fired home a brilliant strike from sub Pape Matar Sarr’s knockdown to take a share of the spoils.

It was heartbreaking for Wolves boss Vitor Pereira, though he can still be proud of his side who at least did earn their first point of the campaign at the sixth time of trying.

For Spurs, it was a relief given they looked like they were going to choke completely.

Though failing to win still saw them blow the chance of moving into second.

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The best stuff from a below-par Spurs came through Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall, mainly in the first half.

Kudus almost broke the deadlock inside 15 minutes when heading Xavi Simons’ delivery to the far post.

But the Ghanaian was denied by Sam Johnstone’s inspired, reflex stop which turned the ball onto the crossbar and over.

Spurs fans were salivating over a mouthwatering goal involving both Bergvall and Kudus just before the half-hour - until it was ruled out for offside.

A breathtaking one-two saw Bergvall receive the ball from Kudus and backheel it in behind for the winger to bury into the far corner, but replays showed the goalscorer had strayed.

It was not a nasty game but it was a competitive one, with ref Michael Salisbury unafraid to hand out bookings to Simons for a lunge on Marshall Munetsi and Joao Gomes for hauling down Simons.

Zimbabwean Munetsi seemed to pop up all over the pitch. He was technically playing No10 but only appeared to be half that, which was fitting given his shirt number was five.

Palhinha wanted a penalty when going down under a challenge from ever-present Munetsi - who had now pitched up in the box - as he tried to latch onto a Kudus rebound.

But the Portuguese loan star appeared to be looking for it and Salisbury was not convinced.

Wolves had made NINE changes from the last league game and switched to a back four for the first time in months in a bid to end their pointless run.

And they almost got the breakthrough deep into first-half stoppage time when a corner found its way to Matt Doherty at the back stick, but the Irishman’s effort clipped the bar.

Affectionately known as The Doc during his time at Spurs, it really would have been Dr Tottenham had Doherty netted a winner.

As it was, the full-back, who played 71 times for Spurs between 2000-2023, was taken off at half-time with the yellow card hanging over him.

But Wolves did take the lead nine minutes into the second half - and from another corner.

Jhon Arias’ delivery was headed down by the powerful Jorgen Strand Larsen and though Guglielmo Vicario saved, his parry bounced straight into and off the unwitting Palhinha, allowing Bueno to tuck away the loose ball.

Worryingly for Thomas Frank, his side had little in response over the next 36 minutes, with their few chances coming via potshots from range.

But then, with four minutes of stoppage time on the clock, up popped Palhinha with a brilliant finish to spare Frank’s blushes.

There were still some boos at full-time, underlining the frustration at not having beaten an until-then pointless Wolves side.

But given the circumstances, Frank certainly will take it.

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REAL MADRID are reportedly refusing to give up on signing Harry Kane and Bayern Munich may be powerless to stop them.

The Spanish giants remain keen on luring the England captain to the Bernabeu, just two seasons after he completed a blockbuster £104M move to Bayern Munich.

Earlier this week, the German club admitted they could be left powerless if Kane wanted to leave next summer.

Kane has a break clause in his contract allowing him to move on for £54million at the end of the season, as long as he signals his intention before the January transfer window closes.

That clause has sparked talks of a potential return to the Premier League, where he still has unfinished business, aiming to break Alan Shearer’s all-time scoring record.

He’s currently just 47 goals shy and some questioned why he left when he could stay and break the record. Micheal Owen recently revealed he still doesnt get why Kane moved to Germany.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move to bring him back — a club where Kane spent 19 years.

With the exit of chairman Daniel Levy, with whom Kane had a testing relationship, the new board could be open to re-signing him.

Kane has been brilliant for Bayern and has started the season like a house on fire. He's scored 13 goals in seven games for Bayern this season, including two hat-tricks.

Bayern will hope he continues to enjoy the Bundesliga, but with growing interest from the Premier League and Real Madrid, Bayern sporting director Max Eberl commented on Kane’s future.

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He said: “He’s old enough to make his own decisions.

"Whether there is a clause or no clause, it’s down to him. If he says, ‘I want to make a decision,’ then he’ll make it, as he showed at Tottenham.

"But our wish is, of course, to be very, very successful with Harry this season and in the future.”

Bild, via Foot Mercato, claim Madrid are tracking Kane closely and could make a move next summer, despite now moulding their team around Kylian Mbappe.

Kane, with 74 England strikes to his name, has scored a staggering 98 goals in just 103 games for the German giants.

The 32-year-old England skipper has made no secret of his desire to win trophies, and with Madrid chasing more Champions League glory, the allure could prove too strong.

BROOKLYN EARICK will table his formal bid to take over Spurs in the next week.

Sun Sport exclusively revealed how the US tech guru will offer a world record £4.5bn package to seize control of the North Londoners.

While Tottenham and owners ENIC and the Lewis family “unequivocally” rejected the initial approach by Earick and his group of 12 investors, they left the door open for the former DJ to push on with the next stage of his masterplan.

And that will see the official legal bid put to the Spurs hierarchy in the coming seven days.

We revealed how Earick’s “Tottenham 3.0” blueprint envisages a £3.3bn up front payment for the club, with a further £1.2bn allocated for a “player budget” for recruitment, wages and agents’ fees.

Earick and his colleagues believe they have the platform to turn Spurs into a global superpower with their spending plans.

Bid insiders say Earick has been engaged in a number of meetings with the Tottenham hierarchy, initially with former chairman Daniel Levy and club Chief Legal Counsel Katie Reid.

Those talks have stepped up in the past three weeks with direct contact with the Lewis family since Levy’s forced exit at the start of September.

In his first public comment, Ohio-born Earick posted a picture of Friday’s Sun back page story on his Instagram feed, with the comment: “Pretty low key morning so far.”

Our story sparked a response within hours from Tottenham, with a statement from the club issued via the Stock Exchange.

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Spurs said: “The Board of Tottenham Hotspur Limited is aware of recent media speculation and confirms that its majority shareholder, ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd, has received, and unequivocally rejected, an informal expression of interest in relation to a proposal to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of the Club from a consortium led by Mr Brooklyn Earick.

“The Board of the Club and ENIC reconfirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC is not looking to sell its stake in the Club.”

In addition, a source close to the Lewis family said: “This unsolicited and unnecessary interest does nothing to change the family’s resolve and commitment to do whatever it takes to drive success on the pitch. The club is not for sale.”

The Spurs statement also referred to Stock Exchange takeover rules that require Earick to “announce a firm intention to make an offer or announce it does not intend to make an offer” by 5pm on October 24.

Earick responded by posting a picture of the home dressing room at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a countdown clock relating to that deadline.

And Sun Sport can now reveal that Earick and his backers - which include a number of wealthy businessmen with NFL and NBA backgrounds - are totally committed to completing a deal.

They are determined to push through the takeover in the shortest possible timescale and well ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.

Earick and his investors plan further talks this weekend ahead of submitting the formal bid - with the expectation that they will reach out to ENIC to see if things can be accelerated.

DANIEL LEVY was sacked in brutal fashion by Tottenham after being barred from the training ground and having his belongings returned in a van.

Levy was dramatically forced out of Spurs earlier this month after 25 years at the helm.

His shock exit was believed to have been instigated by the Lewis family, who are behind the club’s majority owners, ENIC.

Heads Vivienne and Charles, children of British billionaire and former ENIC chief Joe Lewis, have been driving a number of changes to improve results at Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou, now at Nottingham Forest, was let go despite winning the Europa League, with Thomas Frank drafted in from Brentford.

And today they rejected a record £4.5billion offer from a tech entrepreneur’s consortium to take over in north London, which was exclusively revealed by SunSport.

But like Postecoglou, former chief exec Levy was also brutally disposed of despite being at Tottenham for a quarter of a century.

According to the Athletic, Levy was informed of his exit in a meeting with non-executive director Peter Charrington, who was only appointed by ENIC six months ago.

The news came as a massive shock to Levy, who had recently completed exciting deals for Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.

But despite his long-serving status, Levy not allowed entry to Spurs’ training ground for a final time to collect his possessions.

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Levy’s wife Tracey, who also worked at the club, saw her time come to an end too.

And both had their belongings eventually returned to them by a van.

Despite his exit, Levy remains a minority shareholder in Spurs with a 26 per cent share.

But now he is off the board, he no longer has a say in the direction of the club.

Former Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham is now running the show in Levy’s stead.

And it remains to be seen what legacy he leaves behind, with Levy having been the driving force behind Spurs’ incredible £1billion new stadium.