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Enzo Maresca told his exiled Chelsea players they do not know real hardship while Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim said he received support from Sir Jim Ratcliffe That is all from us today. Here is a reminder of our top stories. And the weekend is only just starting. Here’s what you can follow with us, football and otherwise. When football and horse racing collide: Ashley Barnes’ father-in-law conspired with jockey to ‘stop’ horse from winning. A two-year investigation into the running and riding of Hillsin in a race at Worcester in July 2023 concluded on Friday when Dylan Kitts, Hillsin’s jockey, and John Higgins, an associate of the gelding’s owner, were found to have conspired to “stop” the five-year-old from winning. Chris Honour, Hillsin’s trainer, was cleared of involvement in the conspiracy but found to have misled the local stewards at a subsequent inquiry, while Higgins’s son-in-law, the Premier League footballer, Ashley Barnes, was issued with an exclusion order by the British Horseracing Authority last year after refusing to co-operate with its investigation. More from Greg Wood below: Big boost for Wolves before their game at home to Leeds on Saturday: striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has signed a new five-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months. Significantly, it is thought to have no release clause. Newcastle saw several bids, the last of which totalled £55m, rejected for the striker in the summer. The Wolves head coach, Vítor Pereira, also signed a new three-year deal this week. Premier League: The Sunderland manager, Regis Le Bris, is hoping Aston Villa’s inevitable Premier League revival does not begin this weekend. Villa head for the Stadium of Light on Sunday with just two points to their name after four games in which they have failed to score a single goal. However, asked if it is a good time to face Unai Emery’s men, Le Bris told a press conference: “I don’t know if it’s the right time to play Villa. They are a strong team. “They didn’t start well, it’s obvious, below their expectations, it’s clear. But they are a top six team, no doubt, so we’ll have to play our best football – it’s really obvious and crucial – without waiting for gifts. It won’t happen. “After that, we can’t control the opposition. If they are a bit weaker maybe it’s better for us, but we don’t know. ” Le Bris, who could have defender Dan Ballard and midfielder schemer Enzo Le Fee back at his disposal as he looks to build upon a return of seven points from his club’s first four fixtures since their return to the top flight, is wary of wounded opponents. He said: “Sometimes they can build strong momentum and because a team becomes complacent, you can kill them. It’s possible. And the opposite is that they have struggled a bit and then they will react strongly, and you never know when and why. “Football is complex. But what we know is they have a strong squad, a strong team, they are well-organised, they have good players, so they can start like that. ” Premier League: Graham Potter has been working all week to solve West Ham’s corner crisis with six of the 11 goals they have conceded so far this season have come from corners. Pape Sarr was left totally unmarked at the far post to head in Tottenham’s opener in their 3-0 win on Saturday, West Ham’s third defeat in four matches. Potter admitted: “It’s something we need to improve, there is no point denying it. We have to own it and we’ve been working hard on it all week because at the moment it’s hurting us. “Sometimes when things aren’t going the way you want them to go, everyone wants to pinpoint something specific, but there are lots of little things we need to work on. “The responsibility is mine and we think we can improve, grow and get better. ” West Ham host Crystal Palace tomorrow but will be without Tomas Soucek through suspension and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who will miss out against his former club with a stomach problem. Football Daily is here! Topic of the day: the Manchester United conundrum. One great football man, a former Manchester United trainee, found a special answer to his club’s curse, namely Barry Fry. The then Birmingham City manager, in 1993, urinated on all four corners of the St Andrew’s pitch, running corner to corner while mid-flow [how much liquid had he drunk? – astonished Football Daily Ed]. Blues won seven of their next 10. The next question: which of Amorim or Big Sir Jim does the deed? Read it in full below. WSL: The other late Friday game sees Spurs host Manchester City. The north London club have started the season well under Martin Ho with two wins and two clean sheet but Bunny Shaw will be a whole new test, according to the Spurs coach. She’s a wonderful forward, scores a lot of goals, she’s physically very dominant and very good at finishing around the box. We have to make sure we get the gameplan in place that prevents that. We don’t just focus on her – they have a breadth of talent within that squad. We respect that she’s a wonderful player, but we also try to find how we isolate her strengths within our gameplan. Ho also spoke on expectations for the club this season: It’s nothing to do with me – the players do the work. I just stand here as the head coach. Maybe after last year, if people looked at last season, you wouldn’t argue with people maybe thinking that. But I’ve been consistently working with these players, every day over the last seven weeks, and that has shown me there’s a lot more to come from the group. We’ve shown steps and development in two performances, but I’m not deluded enough to know that we still have steps to take, work to do, so we’ll keep our feet grounded and make sure we continue to help the group grow. There are two perspectives. I’m not surprised because I see the work, I see the effort, commitment and passion of the players when they’re training. I know that no player or team goes onto the pitch wanting to under-perform. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a really hard-working, committed group. We’re making sure we’re consistent in performances and we’ll have dips at times, but we need to make sure we eradicate some of these historic things, in terms of these records we have. My job is to make sure we perform, continually break down the game, and make sure we’re a consistent level as I said. WSL: London City Lionesses head to Everton tonight as the search continues for their first top-flight win. Here is what the manager Jocelyn Prêcheur had to say on his side: Last year, in the [Championship], we had no easy games, not even one. In the WSL, the level is even better. It is definitely the best league in the world and of course the game will be tough. Offensively speaking, our game was so much better against Manchester United, the priority is to be more efficient in defence, so this is what we want to focus on at the moment. We are spending a lot of time at the moment to learn more about each other, it takes time. Everyone’s commitment has been really impressive, and we can only keep improving. Everybody is really focused, it can only get better and better, and the day after tomorrow has to be better too. I’m fully convinced that the performances will come and then the points as we have a lot of talent in this squad. London City bought 15 players this summer and Prêcheur is facing early pressure to ensure thy can gel on the pitch. Thanks Niall and hello all. Let’s take a look at some of tonight’s WSL fixtures. My stint at the tiller is over: time flies when you’re having fun. I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of my colleague, Yara El-Shaboury, for the final stretch. More from Ed Aarons on Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta has played down concerns after the shock departure of vice-chair Tim Lewis in boardroom reshuffle. Russell Martin is clinging on at Rangers, and has received support from an unlikely source – his Celtic counterpart, Brendan Rodgers. “It can be a lonely place – only a coach who’s been in that position can really understand it, ” said Rodgers in today’s press conference. “But people who have been in that position should know better. ” That was a thinly-veiled dig at former managers and pundits piling on – with Martin’s decision to take his squad swimming in Loch Lomond this week attracting criticism. “It’s like anything in life, it’s timing, ” said Rodgers. “If Russell does that and they won a few games, everyone would be saying, ‘What a great idea! ’” Celtic go to Partick Thistle on Sunday in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals, while Rangers host Hibernian on Saturday in a game where protests against the manager and board are expected. The other last-eight ties are Kilmarnock v St Mirren (tonight) and Aberdeen v Motherwell (on Saturday). Aston Villa go to Sunderland on Sunday, the kind of fixture where defeat would leave Unai Emery in a full-blown crisis. “We are working for it – I’m happy with how we’re training, ” said the Villa manager. “The last two matches we drew, not the best result, not the worst. Sunday is our new challenge. We are focused on the game. ” “Of course, we started (worse) than we did last year. We have to react, and Sunday is the first opportunity we have. ” Emery will be without Andrés García, Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley at the Stadium of Light, where Villa will hope to register their first league goal of the season. More from Jamie Jackson on Ruben Amorim, who met up with Sir Jim Ratcliffe earlier this week but insists it was good vibes only. Don’t forget that we’ll have live buildup to the weekend’s big games in our match day live blogs, running from early doors on Saturday and Sunday. If you have a burning question for our football writers, you can email matchday. live@theguardian. com today and get to the front of the queue. Arsenal team news: Mikel Arteta says there is a chance that Ben White, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka could be involved against City on Sunday, but he will make a decision after the trio rejoin group training on Saturday. Arteta also sang the praises of in-form arrival Noni Madueke: “He’s a player with quality and talent that we didn’t have in the squad. He carries a threat and unpredictability that will make us better. So far, the impact he is having on the team is very positive. ” More from Postecoglou: “There was plenty of evidence that the players were taking information on board [in the Carabao Cup defeat to Swansea]. Apart from the last 15 minutes, our defensive work was excellent. We limited them to very little. ” That’s a bit like saying the Titanic’s voyage was mostly smooth sailing, but fair enough. As for team news, Postecoglou says Murillo is “still a bit sore” but he has no new injury concerns for the game at Turf Moor. It’s been a tough start for Ange Postecoglou at Nottingham Forest, but the Australian has been in typically bullish form before their trip to Burnley. “There’s been negativity around my arrival since I got to the Premier League, so that’s the constant space I’m in, ” Postecoglou said. “It’s not about me. It is important that we win on Saturday, not for me to ease the pressure or anything, but we’ve lost the last two games in the Premier League and in this league, every game is tough. “You don’t want to be in a position where you haven’t won because you start chasing the game a bit. We’ve got to try and make amends to try and get points on the board and start moving in the right direction up the table. ” Ciarán Norris writes: “It strikes me that Maresca has been a (presumably very well-paid) footballer and coach for almost 30 years. If he was so concerned about his father you would have thought he might have chucked him a bob or two. I’m guessing he was trying to sound worldly wise and cutting, but he just sounds a bit tight. ” All in good fun, Enzo. Please don’t start on us … Mikel Arteta is preparing Arsenal for a big game at home to Manchester City. The Gunners won this fixture 5-1 last season, and a win of any kind on Sunday would open a six-point gap over Pep Guardiola’s side after just five games. “It’s about winning again and creating another good moment for us, ” said Arteta, who could welcome back William Saliba. “Consistency, competing against one of the best teams, obviously, in the world. It’s a good test for us to see our level as well. ” Asked whether he saw City as rivals for the title, Arteta said: “I think so, without a doubt. Knowing Pep and the demands he’s going to put there, the mentality they have in that football club, the squad and the players they have, they’re going to be there for sure. ” “If Arteta wasn’t able to find much use for Sterling in Arsenal’s team before they brought in depth over the summer, I’m not sure managerial skill is the issue to point to, ” writes Justin Madson. “If Sterling is really that elite, why didn’t Arsenal want to sign him as they have multiple other Chelsea players? “Also, why aren’t other teams jumping at the opportunity to sign him? He was offered loan moves, but decided to stay at a team where he is not part of the future plans and is aware of that. If he was given no other opportunities then yes, there would be more sympathy. But this is someone who chose to stay when given other chances. ” Tottenham have made a flying start under Thomas Frank, but the head coach has vowed he won’t even peek at the league table until he’s cracking open an Easter egg. Asked when he might start worrying about Spurs’ position, Frank said: “April? Let’s put it that way. I’m trying really to focus on ourselves and our performances and what we can do. It is so easy to get dragged into something you can’t control. I think for the fans, they should dream, they should hope and all that. That is what football is all about. “I also dream and hope but I’m a little bit closer to the action, so I need to stay level-headed and focus on next training because it needs to be perfect like today. ” Spurs go to Brighton on Saturday after beating Villarreal in their Champions League opener. The women’s game also finally has a secondary continental competition, the Europa Cup – which, in a retro twist, has a straight knockout format. The draw has just made for the second qualifying round, which is essentially the last 32. Glasgow City are the only British representatives, and will face Denmark’s Køge over two legs; Internazionale, who eliminated Hibernian, will face Albania’s Vllaznia. Other big ties include Sporting CP v Rosengård and a Scandinavian derby between Brann – knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester United – and Hammarby. A little more on the Women’s Champions League draw, with the competition emulating the men’s competition with a switch to the “Swiss model” this season. Here are the six fixtures handed to the trio of English clubs… Arsenal OL Lyonnes (h), Bayern Munich (a), Real Madrid (h), Benfica (a), Twente (h), OH Leuven (a). Chelsea Barcelona (h), Wolfsburg (a), Roma (h), St Polten (a), Paris FC (h), Twente (a). Manchester United OL Lyonnes (h), Wolfsburg (a), Paris Saint-Germain (h), Juventus (a), Valerenga (h), Atlético Madrid (a). We may be looking ahead to the weekend’s domestic schedule, but there’s still time to take in John Brewin’s Champions League review, taking in PSG, Marcus Rashford and the rise of the Belgians. Burnley host Nottingham Forest in an intriguing fixture at Turf Moor tomorrow, and Scott Parker has been singing the praises of new Forest manager Ange Postecoglou. “Ange has been hugely successful at previous clubs and he did that again last year. We’re up against a huge competitor and someone who’s been around it for a long, long time. You’re obviously planning for a totally different setup and a different outlook on the game and we’ll be aware of that, for sure. “A different coach that goes into a football club brings different ideas, philosophy, adifferent way of playing, and Ange will be no different in terms of walking into Forest and wanting to change certain things. What I do know is they have a strong squad with strong individuals. ” More from David Hytner on Enzo Maresca telling Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi to try a few weeks on an Italian trawler if they want to know about hard work. With the Merseyside derby coming up on Saturday, Everton striker Beto has revealed that Diogo Jota “was the first guy who texted me” when he arrived in Liverpool. Beto was part of an Everton delegation who paid their tributes at Anfield following Jota’s death in July. “We were not friends, but Portuguese players normally speak a little bit, ” Beto said. “When I signed for Everton, he [Jota] was the first guy who texted me. “He just said: ‘I’m happy for you. If you need anything on the city, everything, I can help you, just give me a shout’, ” Beto added. “After every game we played against Liverpool we’d talk a little bit. ” Beto said he went to pay tribute “not just because [Jota] was Portuguese but he was a really nice person, humble. ” “I saw a togetherness between Everton and Liverpool. Not between clubs, but more between fans, you know? ” the Portuguese forwarded added. “A lot of Everton fans were sad because even if he’s a rival, life is more than football. ” Lyon host Angers in Ligue 1 tonight and one player to watch for the hosts is young striker Enzo Molebe. The French youth international, who turned 18 yesterday, is open to leaving the club, having not featured this season. Head coach Paulo Fonseca could give him a domestic debut tonight after mentioning him in the pre-match press conference. Molebe has been a regular scorer in the Lyon academy ranks and recently scored twice on his France U19 debut against the Republic of Ireland. He has attracted interest from across Europe but his first-team experience at Lyon amounts to eight minutes in a Europa League game at Qarabag. Sevilla had originally agreed a deal to take him on loan to La Liga with a €12m option to sign him in the summer but Lyon pulled the plug on the transfer. Chelsea have an interest in the forward with the potential of sending him to Strasbourg on loan. Montpellier, relegated to Ligue 2 last season, are also keen. Thanks, Dom. Here’s more from Jamie Jackson on Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference, where the Manchester City manager was on spiky form, talking rest days, net spend and how to stay in the title race. Right, time for me to hand the reins to Niall Mc Veigh, with lots more press conferences to get through this afternoon. Not great news for Manchester City. Rodri “did not feel good’ during their win over Napoli and asked to be taken off as he manages the recovery from that long-term knee injury. A third game in eight days for the midfielder may be too much to ask, Pep Guardiola has admitted.