#european-qualification

#european-qualification

Conte's team came from behind twice to seal a share of the spoils at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with debutant Alisson Santos netting an 82nd-minute equaliser. Napoli had fallen behind through Donyell Malen's sixth-minute finish, only for Leonardo Spinazzola to restore parity just before the break with a deflected strike over Mile Svilar. Malen then re-established Roma's advantage from the penalty spot after Wesley was fouled by Amir Rrahmani, but substitute Santos popped up with the leveller on his Serie A debut.

When waters are choppy, you do not need some ambitious captain with notions of heading out on an adventure. All you really want is someone who can get you safely to shore. Igor Tudor is not keen on the word. Hearing it applied to him when he arrived at Juventus last season, he observed that every manager, everywhere, is living from game to game. You can have a contract for five years and get sent home after three matches, he said.

Liverpool enter the weekend sitting sixth and outside the Champions League places, regardless of whether England earns an additional qualification spot, while Manchester City are under mounting pressure to keep pace with Arsenal in a title race that appears to be slipping further out of reach. Both teams will approach this clash knowing that anything less than three points could prove damaging.

I spent the last few months studying and growing as a coach. I received other calls too, but I waited for Atalanta,

Shamrock Rovers 2-0 Cork CityThe Hoops are FAI Cup champions for 2025 and have clinched a first double in 38 years! Rory Gaffney's second-half brace wins it for Stephen Bradley's men against 10-man Cork City! The party can start back in Tallaght as the class of 2025 have matched the legends of 1987 by securing that long-awaited double. For Cork City, it wasn't to be despite a strong start before Harry Nevin's dismissal just before the break.

The title may be won, but club reputations and European spots remain on the line Avoiding a clash with Halloween and strained garda resources is the reason the League of Ireland season is finishing on a Saturday. While the champions have been crowned and automatic relegation is decided - the teams in question Shamrock Rovers and Cork City meet in a novel FAI Cup final on Sunday week - there is still a lot to play for on Saturday evening even if some of the outcomes are dependent on Rovers winning the Aviva showpiece.

Rangers are set to miss out on Manchester City's Callum Doyle, with the England youth defender closing in on a 8m switch to Wrexham. (The Athletic), external New Celtic defender Hayato Inamura has been told by Brendan Rodgers he is not good enough to play in the Champions League - yet. (Daily Record), external Barry Ferguson would have targeted Dundee's Josh Mulligan and Lawrence Shankland of Heart of Midlothian if he had been retained as Rangers manager. (Scottish Sun),

Four of Scotland's five European representatives remain in contention for UEFA competitions, with Celtic, Rangers, and Aberdeen seeking places in the Champions League and Europa League. Hibernian faces a tough Conference League qualifier against Legia Warsaw without a safety net, as UEFA's nation ranking depends on points collected over five years. Scotland ranks 17th and aims for 15th to improve future qualification routes, needing to close a 2.8 points gap from Austria, which is equivalent to winning seven league matches.

While Bohemians have transformed into a surprise package this season, Sligo Rovers find themselves firmly in the relegation zone, making this a crucial matchup.

"Everything is on. We will go into the last game. Even if we finish top 10 then it is an unbelievable performance from this club and this team."

Now, however, after it looked as if Chris Wood's diving header had lifted them into fifth place, Facundo Buonanotte's late equaliser means that Champions League qualification is out of their hands.