Amorim Confronts Pivotal Fixture, Premier League Buildup and Additional Highlights

The Parisian club are performing rather well in France's top division. The new kids on the block in the highest division of French football defeated Lorient 2-0 yesterday evening… they might not yet be ready to compete with their renowned neighbors, but it's probable they'll stay up – as three victories from their first seven matches after being promoted suggests.

Elsewhere in Europe last night there were narrow away victories for the Italian side at Verona and Köln at Hoffenheim. Osasuna secured a last-minute 2-1 win over their rivals in Spain's premier division.

I found particularly engaging this piece from a noted journalist, who raises an intriguing query: what do you actually know about the young talent. The eighth highest-priced footballer of all time has made an inauspicious start at Liverpool but should we be surprised considering his massive signing cost?

It's important to consider the major games outside the English league today. The clash between City and Arsenal at noon (BST) takes centre stage in the WSL; both teams has been at their best this campaign and that appears a tough game to predict. The Edinburgh derby is consistently significant in Scotland but this Edinburgh derby (5.45pm) assumes increased importance given that Hearts are top of the Scottish Premiership. Celtic are not in action until Sunday.

In Spain, Los Blancos welcome Villarreal at the evening with early campaign leaders Barça taking on Sevilla tomorrow. Dortmund versus Leipzig and Frankfurt against Bayern are important contests in the Bundesliga. Italy's headline fixture arrives tomorrow evening with the massive showdown between the Old Lady and AC Milan at one of European football’s many Allianz arenas.

Supporters of Hearts, share your views: you could see your side extend their lead to five points at the top with victory today!

An early email has landed in my mail via Krishnamoorthy:

“Good morning Dominic. Has Pope Leo spoken to Amorim? Do we expect a competitive performance or another shoddy performance?

“That makes me wonder – who will be dismissed first Ange or Ruben?”

It seems likely the Forest boss will get some time to implement his tactics at Nottingham Forest, whereas defeat to Sunderland today could spell major problems for the manager.

Yesterday evening wasn't only about Antoine Semenyo scoring twice to enhance everyone’s Fantasy Premier League squads (except my own). The high-profile clash in the second tier finished 1-1 between Wrexham and Birmingham while on-form Manchester United disrupted Chelsea’s 100% start to the Women’s Super League season as they tied 1-1 at their ground. Marc Skinner’s team are currently just a couple of points off the WSL summit having started the season strongly.

The Cottagers will be wondering exactly what happened to them at the Vitality Stadium last night. When the winger fired them into the lead a fifth of the game from the end, their manager's team were in a commanding spot, only to be beaten by a late Cherries siege, which featured the striker's two goals and a the midfielder stunning strike from 25 yards.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has described his first call-up to the senior France squad as “an aspiration realized” after the Palace forward was selected by the national coach for the World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and the Nordic side.

The player in his late twenties was one of the French experienced members at the previous Olympic Games and netted a handful of strikes as Thierry Henry’s team won a second place. He, who featured the opening period of Palace’s victory over the Ukrainian side on Thursday night in Poland, has also played for Les Bleus at various junior categories.

He disclosed that he had viewed the squad announcement with his fellow Frenchman Maxence Lacroix’s in his accommodation in Lublin after the Palace defender had a feeling that the ex-Ligue 1 player's time had arrived.

“I feel extremely pleased; it’s like a dream come true,” stated Mateta. “I hope I will stay a prolonged period with the national side and assist them to win. I watched it on television. Maxence remarked: ‘Today you'll be selected.’ He came my accommodation and we watched simultaneously the list. Didier Deschamps was speaking and he said my name. He always told me to work hard and you will get the invitation. I kept working hard and I received my call.”

Asked whether experiencing international football could help his form at his club, he said: “If I play, I hope to contribute to the team there to win. Of course, I will come back self-assured. I perpetually possess self-belief. I think it'll provide me more confidence.”

Hello everyone! The Premier League grind continues unabated and the Cherries' stylish win over Fulham yesterday kicked off another weekend off to a riproaring start. The forward, eh… what a player.

Anyway, we're previewing the weekend's action, as usual, on the live blog, the countdown/news/interactive sports coverage where we invite you to share your input with your opinions, comments, predictions and any other you're anticipating for this footballing Saturday.

Regarding live action, Leeds v Tottenham is the early top flight offering, plus four games in the second division, while Arsenal v West Ham and Manchester United v Sunderland are the 3pm games. Can Nuno Espírito Santo revive the London club at the their stadium? And can we expect more trouble for the manager against the in-form Sunderland? The evening game of Chelsea v Liverpool ought to be just as intriguing, with the Reds' coach aiming to avoid a third successive defeat and the Blues' manager looking to avert a third successive Premier League setback. So there’s form.

With our journalists contributing bits of colour from across the country and continent, there's plenty to stay tuned for. Let's begin…