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I think Man City will do well. Obviously, Pep is a great coach but I think the team could thrive this season if Maresca plays a settled 11 without too many changes each week.

I think Newcastle will be in the relegation mix this season, they will probably be the "big team" that struggles most.

Watching the Newcastle and Aston Villa squads being decimated this summer, and seeing Everton, Forest and Wolves being penalised previously, PSR has been a disaster for Premier League equality. I understand the cartel clubs voting it in, but why did the rest?

Brighton & Hove Albion have rejected a £50million bid from Liverpool for winger Yankuba Minteh.

The 22-year-old is currently recovering from surgery on a right leg injury sustained in a 3-0 friendly win at home to Roma earlier this month.

Minteh is expected to be out of action for another eight weeks, but sources with knowledge of the matter say he is keen on the potential move if the clubs can agree a fee.

Tottenham Hotspur has reached an agreement to sign winger Savinho from Manchester City for a hefty £75 million. This deal also includes an additional £10 million in potential add-ons, making it a significant investment for the Spurs.

I think Man City will be delighted to receive that amount for a player that hasn't produced the expected quality often enough.

Ezri Konsa has completed a move to Arsenal from Aston Villa in a deal worth £51 million plus £4m in potential add-ons.

The England international has signed a four-year contract with the option of a further year, having undergone a medical with the north London club.

Third Qualifying Round 2nd Leg Results

Champions Path
FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) 0 V 1 PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) - (Agg 0-2)
Sabah FC (AZE) 4 V 0 Aarhus (DEN) - (Agg 5-2)
FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU) 1 V 2 GNK Dinamo (CRO) - (Agg 1-7)
Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 0 V 2 Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) - (Agg 0-3)
Celje (SVN) 2 V 0 FC Ararat-Armenia (ARM) - (Agg 3-2)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) 2 V 0 Mjällby AIF (SWE) - (Agg 4-1)

League Path
FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR) 3 V 2 R. Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) AET - (Agg 6-5)
N.E.C. Nijmegen (NED) 2 V 1 Olympiacos FC (GRE) AET - (Agg 2-1)
Sturm Graz (AUT) 0 V 1 Fenerbahçe (TUR) - (Agg 0-3)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 3 V 0 AC Sparta Praha (CZE) - (Agg 4-2)

Play-off draw
Champions Path
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) V AEK Athens FC (GRE)
Celtic FC (SCO) V LASK (AUT)
GNK Dinamo (CRO) V Viking FK (NOR)
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) V NK Celje (SVN)
Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR) V Sabah FC (AZE)

League Path
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) V Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
N.E.C. Nijmegen (NED) V FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)

Play-off 1st Leg Results
Champions Path
GNK Dinamo (CRO) 2 V 2 Viking FK (NOR)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) 0 V 0 AEK Athens FC (GRE)
Celtic FC (SCO) 3 V 0 LASK (AUT)
Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR) 2 V 1 Sabah FC (AZE)
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) 1 V 1 NK Celje (SVN)

League Path
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) 1 V 1 Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
N.E.C. Nijmegen (NED) 1 V 3 FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)

Play-off 2nd Legs
Tuesday 25th August
Champions Path
Sabah FC (AZE) V Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR) - (Agg 1-2) - (17:45)
LASK (AUT) V Celtic FC (SCO) - (Agg 0-3) - (20:00)

League Path
FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR) V N.E.C. Nijmegen (NED) - (Agg 3-1) - (20:00)

Wednesday 26th August
Champions Path
AEK Athens FC (GRE) V PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) - (Agg 0-0) - (20:00)
NK Celje (SVN) V ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) - (Agg 1-1) - (20:00)
Viking FK (NOR) V GNK Dinamo (CRO) - (Agg 2-2) - (20:00)

League Path
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) V Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) - (Agg 1-1) - (20:00)

Very good result for Celtic. I wouldn't say guaranteed qualification, but they have a great chance of progressing.

Third Qualifying Round 2nd Leg Results

Champions Path
Main Path
Beşiktaş JK (TUR) 1 V 0 FC Hradec Králové (CZE) - (Agg 2-0)
Górnik Zabrze (POL) 1 V 1 Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) - (Agg 1-2)
Pafos FC (CYP) 3 V 3 FC Salzburg (AUT) - (Agg 3-4)
PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL) 1 V 3 Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) - (Agg 4-3)
Rangers FC (SCO) 1 V 1 Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) - (Agg 2-3)
RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 3 V 2 PAOK FC (GRE) - (Agg 4-2)
Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO) 1 V 1 SL Benfica (POR) - (Agg 2-7)

Champions Path
FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi (GEO) 2 V 1 Larne FC (NIR) AET - (Agg 2-1)
Omonia FC (CYP) 1 V 0 Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) - (Agg 2-1)
Universitatea Craiova (ROU) 2 V 1 KuPS Kuopio (FIN) - (Agg 3-2)
Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL) 3 V 2 FC Thun (SUI) - (Agg 3-5)
KF Egnatia (ALB) 5 V 1 Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL) - (Agg 6-4)
KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) 0 V 5 KKS Lech Poznań (POL) - (Agg 0-6)

Play-off draw
Trabzonspor A.Ş. (TUR) V Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Universitatea Craiova (ROU) V FC Ararat-Armenia (ARM)
K. Sint-Truidense VV (BEL) V Omonia FC (CYP)
FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) V FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
KF Egnatia (ALB) V Lillestrøm SK (NOR)
Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) V FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi (GEO)
Mjällby AIF (SWE) V FC Salzburg (AUT)
FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) V RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
KKS Lech Poznań (POL) V FC Thun (SUI)
Beşiktaş JK (TUR) V FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU)
SL Benfica (POR) V AGF Aarhus (DEN)
OFI Crete FC (GRE) V PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL)

Play-off 1st Leg Results
FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) 0 V 3 RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) 4 V 0 FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi (GEO)
Mjällby AIF (SWE) 0 V 1 FC Salzburg (AUT)
KKS Lech Poznań (POL) 7 V 0 FC Thun (SUI)
Beşiktaş JK (TUR) 3 V 0 FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU)
KF Egnatia (ALB) 0 V 0 Lillestrøm SK (NOR)
Trabzonspor A.Ş. (TUR) 0 V 1 Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Universitatea Craiova (ROU) 1 V 1 FC Ararat-Armenia (ARM)
K. Sint-Truidense VV (BEL) 1 V 0 Omonia FC (CYP)
OFI Crete FC (GRE) 3 V 0 PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL)
FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 3 V 0 FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
SL Benfica (POR) 3 V 1 AGF Aarhus (DEN)

Play-off 2nd Legs
Thursday 27th August
FC Ararat-Armenia (ARM) V Universitatea Craiova (ROU) - (Agg 1-1) - (17:00)
FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi (GEO) V Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) - (Agg 0-4) - (17:00)
FC Salzburg (AUT) V Mjällby AIF (SWE) - (Agg 1-0) - (18:00)
FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) V FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) - (Agg 0-3) - (18:00)
FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU) V Beşiktaş JK (TUR) - (Agg 0-3) - (18:00)
Lillestrøm SK (NOR) V KF Egnatia (ALB) - (Agg 0-0) - (18:00)
Omonia FC (CYP) V K. Sint-Truidense VV (BEL) - (Agg 0-1) - (18:00)
AGF Aarhus (DEN) V SL Benfica (POR) - (Agg 1-3) - (19:00)
FC Thun (SUI) V KKS Lech Poznań (POL) - (Agg 0-7) - (19:00)
PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL) V OFI Crete FC (GRE) - (Agg 0-3) - (19:00)
Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) V Trabzonspor A.Ş. (TUR) - (Agg 1-0) - (19:30)
RSC Anderlecht (BEL) V FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) - (Agg 3-0) - (19:30)

Third Qualifying Round 2nd Leg Results

Main Path
Apollon Limassol FC (CYP) 2 V 4 SK Brann (NOR) AET - (Agg 3-4)
FC CSKA 1948 (BUL) 1 V 2 Panathinaikos FC (GRE) AET - (Agg 2-3)
F.C. Copenhagen (DEN) 5 V 1 Debreceni VSC (HUN) - (Agg 8-1)
GKS Katowice (POL) 2 V 1 Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) - (Agg 2-3)
SK Rapid (AUT) 2 V 0 Paide Linnameeskond (EST) - (Agg 6-1)
FC Tobol (KAZ) 1 V 2 FK Partizan Beograd (SRB) - (Agg 1-5)
FC DAC 1904 (SVK) 3 V 3 FC Twente (NED) - (Agg 3-9)
Ilves Tampere (FIN) 1 V 1 HNK Rijeka (CRO) - (Agg 1-2)
Qarabağ FK (AZE) 2 V 0 FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) - (Agg 1-1)
FC RFS (LVA) 1 V 2 FK Jablonec (CZE) - (Agg 1-4)
FC Dinamo-Minsk (BLR) 0 V 0 SC Braga (POR) - (Agg 0-1)
FC Midtjylland (DEN) 3 V 2 Bohemians FC (IRL) - (Agg 5-2)
FC Nordsjælland (DEN) 5 V 0 Valur (ISL) - (Agg 7-0)
Hammarby IF (SWE) 0 V 1 Raków Częstochowa (POL) - (Agg 0-1)
Tromsø IL (NOR) 2 V 1 CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU) - (Agg 7-1)
NSÍ Runavík (FRO) 2 V 2 FC Lugano (SUI) - (Agg 2-4)
FC Vaduz (LIE) 2 V 2 FC Inter Turku (FIN) - (Agg 3-4)
FC St. Gallen 1879 (SUI) 5 V 1 FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) - (Agg 8-2)
KF Shkëndija (MKD) 0 V 0 Hibernian F.C. (SCO) - (Agg 1-2)
FC Sion (SUI) 2 V 1 FC Noah (ARM) - (Agg 4-3)
KAA Gent (BEL) 1 V 1 IFK Göteborg (SWE) - (Agg 2-1)
Motherwell FC (SCO) 2 V 0 HJK Helsinki (FIN) - (Agg 3-1)
Shelbourne FC (IRL) 2 V 2 AFC Ajax (NED) - (Agg 3-5)
HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) 4 V 0 FK Žalgiris (LTU) - (Agg 9-2)
FC Dinamo City (ALB) 4 V 0 FK Auda (LVA) - (Agg 4-1)
FK Austria Wien (AUT) 1 V 2 Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR) AET - (Agg 3-3) FK Austria Wien (AUT) win on pens 4-2

Champions Path
FC Flora Tallinn (EST) 0 V 4 Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND) - (Agg 0-6)
ML Vitebsk (BLR) 2 V 1 FK Borac (BIH) AET - (Agg 2-2) FK Borac (BIH) win on pens 4-2
FC Drita (KOS) 5 V 0 S.S. Tre Fiori F.C. (SMR) - (Agg 9-1)
ETO FC Győr (HUN) 1 V 1 Riga FC (LVA) - (Agg 1-2)

Play-off draw
Main path
Motherwell FC (SCO) V SC Freiburg (GER)
Górnik Zabrze (POL) V AS Monaco (FRA)
FC Inter Turku (FIN) V F.C. Copenhagen (DEN)
Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO) V SK Rapid (AUT)
Tromsø IL (NOR) V Brighton & Hove Albion (ENG)
HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) V Raków Częstochowa (POL)
Panathinaikos FC (GRE) V FC Hradec Králové (CZE)
KAA Gent (BEL) V Hibernian F.C. (SCO)
PAOK FC (GRE) V SK Brann (NOR)
Atalanta BC (ITA) V Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
FC Midtjylland (DEN) V HNK Rijeka (CRO)
Rangers FC (SCO) V FK Jablonec (CZE)
FC Nordsjælland (DEN) V FC St. Gallen 1879 (SUI)
FC Dinamo City (ALB) V Pafos FC (CYP)
FC Sion (SUI) V AFC Ajax (NED)
SC Braga (POR) V FK Austria Wien (AUT)
FC Twente (NED) V Qarabağ FK (AZE)
Getafe CF (ESP) V FK Partizan Beograd (SRB)
FC Lugano (SUI) V Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

Champions path
Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL) V FK Borac (BIH)
Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL) V KuPS Kuopio (FIN)
FC Drita (KOS) V Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) V Riga FC (LVA)
Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) V Larne FC (NIR)

Play-off 1st Leg Results
Main Path
FC Inter Turku (FIN) 0 V 0 F.C. Copenhagen (DEN)
Tromsø IL (NOR) 0 V 0 Brighton & Hove Albion (ENG)
FC Midtjylland (DEN) 2 V 0 HNK Rijeka (CRO)
FC Nordsjælland (DEN) 1 V 0 FC St. Gallen 1879 (SUI)
PAOK FC (GRE) 1 V 1 SK Brann (NOR)
Górnik Zabrze (POL) 2 V 3 AS Monaco (FRA)
FC Twente (NED) 0 V 1 Qarabağ FK (AZE)
FC Sion (SUI) 2 V 4 AFC Ajax (NED)
Motherwell FC (SCO) 1 V 3 SC Freiburg (GER)
Panathinaikos FC (GRE) 2 V 2 FC Hradec Králové (CZE)
KAA Gent (BEL) 0 V 0 Hibernian F.C. (SCO)
Atalanta BC (ITA) 0 V 0 Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
FC Lugano (SUI) 2 V 1 Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO) 2 V 2 SK Rapid (AUT)
Rangers FC (SCO) 1 V 0 FK Jablonec (CZE)
FC Dinamo City (ALB) 1 V 1 Pafos FC (CYP)
HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) 2 V 2 Raków Częstochowa (POL)
SC Braga (POR) 2 V 0 FK Austria Wien (AUT)
Getafe CF (ESP) 3 V 1 FK Partizan Beograd (SRB)

Champions Path
Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) 0 V 2 Larne FC (NIR)
Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL) 1 V 3 FK Borac (BIH)
FC Drita (KOS) 2 V 2 Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL) 1 V 1 KuPS Kuopio (FIN)
KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) 0 V 0 Riga FC (LVA)

Play-off 2nd Legs
Wednesday 26th August
Main Path
SK Rapid (AUT) V Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO) - (Agg 2-2) - (19:45)

Thursday 27th August
Main Path
FK Jablonec (CZE) V Rangers FC (SCO) - (Agg 0-1) - (17:00)
Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) V FC Lugano (SUI) - (Agg 1-2) - (17:00)
Qarabağ FK (AZE) V FC Twente (NED) - (Agg 1-0) - (17:00)
AS Monaco (FRA) V Górnik Zabrze (POL) - (Agg 3-2) - (17:45)
SC Freiburg (GER) V Motherwell FC (SCO) - (Agg 3-1) - (17:45)
F.C. Copenhagen (DEN) V FC Inter Turku (FIN) - (Agg 0-0) - (18:00)
FC Hradec Králové (CZE) V Panathinaikos FC (GRE) - (Agg 2-2) - (18:00)
Pafos FC (CYP) V FC Dinamo City (ALB) - (Agg 1-1) - (18:00)
Raków Częstochowa (POL) V HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) - (Agg 2-2) - (18:00)
SK Brann (NOR) V PAOK FC (GRE) - (Agg 0-0) - (18:00)
AFC Ajax (NED) V FC Sion (SUI) - (Agg 4-2) - (19:00)
FC St. Gallen 1879 (SUI) V FC Nordsjælland (DEN) - (Agg 0-1) - (19:00)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) V Atalanta BC (ITA) - (Agg 0-0) - (19:00)
Brighton & Hove Albion (ENG) V Tromsø IL (NOR) - (Agg 0-0) - (19:30)
FK Austria Wien (AUT) V SC Braga (POR) - (Agg 0-2) - (19:30)
HNK Rijeka (CRO) V FC Midtjylland (DEN) - (Agg 0-2) - (19:45)
FK Partizan Beograd (SRB) V Getafe CF (ESP) - (Agg 1-3) - (20:00)
Hibernian F.C. (SCO) V KAA Gent (BEL) - (Agg 0-0) - (20:00)

Champions Path
KuPS Kuopio (FIN) V Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL) - (Agg 1-1) - (16:00)
Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND) V FC Drita (KOS) - (Agg 2-2) - (18:00)
Riga FC (LVA) V KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) - (Agg 0-0) - (18:00)
FK Borac (BIH) V Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL) - (Agg 3-1) - (19:30)
Larne FC (NIR) V Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) - (Agg 2-0) - (20:00)

That actually looks quite good.

For the first time in franchise history, players will have the opportunity to dive into a campaign mission during the beta phase! This is a significant shift for the series, which has traditionally kept campaign content separate from beta testing.

Activision has recently unveiled a wealth of details about the beta, which is set to kick off this Friday. The official Call of Duty X account shared a comprehensive image outlining all the content that players can expect to access. It looks like there's a lot more to explore than many of us anticipated!



Alongside the aforementioned campaign mission, the first weekend includes five 6v6 multiplayer maps: Rooftops, Silkworm, Transit 213, Cachette, and Lotus. On those maps, you can expect Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, Search & Destroy, as well as the new and yet-unrevealed Inflation game mode. The recently revealed Kill Block mode is part of the first session in both its 3v3 and 10v10 variants, too.

Luckily for players who don't want to pre-order to play the early-access portion of the beta, the open portion is more exciting, as it includes new content on top of what's available in the first weekend. The second takes place 28th August - 1st September on the same platforms, now with the addition of Nintendo Switch 2 - another first for Call of Duty.

The chief addition in terms of what's playable is Warzone's upcoming Resurgence map Zodiac, which has been teased but never officially detailed. It's still not clear whether the updated version of the free-to-play battle royale mode launches alongside Modern Warfare 4 in October or later in the year.

This beta is shaping up to be a unique experience, blending the thrill of multiplayer with a taste of the campaign.

Activision has just released the official PC requirements, and it's time to see if your rig is up to the challenge.

To get in on the action, here's what you'll need:

Minimum Requirements:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or Intel Core i5-8400
• RAM: 12GB
• Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 580 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: At least 25GB of available space

Recommended Requirements:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X or Intel Core i7-8700
• RAM: 16GB
• Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 5700 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 25GB of available space

With these requirements, it looks like Activision is aiming to deliver an immersive experience that takes full advantage of modern hardware.

From the starwars.com press release;

Star Wars Zero Company features a gritty and authentic original story set during the twilight of the Clone Wars that puts players in control of Hawks, a former Republic officer who's in charge of an elite squad of cunning operatives. As an unconventional outfit of professionals for hire hailing from across the galaxy, Zero Company must set aside their differences to take on an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked.

Click to expand...

Here are some snippets from the developer panel at Star Wars Celebration in Japan:

• Despite being a TBS game, they want it to feel cinematic and immersive
• Some characters have been authored specifically for the game but are still customisable, but other squad members will be fully customisable (species, class, voice, name etc)
• "You're always free to create, recruit, and deploy a full squad of entirely custom heroes if you want to" (even a squad full of repair droids, apparently)
• Permadeath/no save on higher difficulties. Permadeath even applies to authored characters and their deaths will affect how certain story elements will play out
• Squad members will have different opinions and viewpoints, but bonds between characters can strengthen and thus unlock new squad abilities e.g. "teamwork reaction shots"

The authored player characters include:

• Hawks, disgraced Republic officer now in charge of the squad
• Trick, a clone trooper
• Luco Bronc, anti-Republic sniper
• Cly Kullervo, Mandalorian gunslinger
• Tel-Rea Vokoss, Jedi Padawan

It's not out until next year but given that Bit Reactor is made up of a lot of former Firaxis people, there are reasons for XCOM fans to be optimistic about this. Of course, given that EA are publishing, there's plenty of potential for disappointment too.

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Wordle #132 — 21 Aug 2026 — X/6

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