Maresca says Manchester City titles not tainted; Liverpools Isak and Gakpo injured – live

Let's take a look at the biggest new stories that came out of today as club football returns following the men's international break …

• Enzo Maresca insisted that Manchester City's achievements were not tainted but refused to say whether he would stay on as manager if the club lose their appeal against the Premier League's guilty verdict.

• Andoni Iraola said his Liverpool players will be fully focused on what happens on the pitch when they host City at Anfield on Sunday, although confirmed they will be without the injured Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo.

• Michael Carrick admitted that City case had affected him “personally†after missing out on titles as a Manchester United player and coach but said “there's no getting that backâ€.

• Everton manager David Moyes said he was surprised to find out this morning that the club's owners, The Friedkin Group, had put the club up for sale.

• In Spain, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho defended Kylian Mbappé from “ridiculous†recent criticism while Barcelona have said Raphinha is out of their next two games with a hamstring injury.

• The Man City whistleblower Rui Pinto has had his witness protection extended by the Portuguese authorities.

Speaking of Manchester United, tomorrow's game against Spurs at Old Trafford is a must-win for Michael Carrick, writes Will Unwin …

United sit solemnly in 12th with only one league win, and misery needs company. The hosts will find just that at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Tottenham, bottom of the Premier League, visit, with both sides hoping to kickstart their season. Spurs have secured a measly two points after a summer where £300m was spent on Roberto De Zerbi's rebuild but the architect's drawings are already at risk of being set alight. For Carrick and United, beating the worst team in the league is close to a necessity as they enter a very difficult run of fixtures.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick reflected on City's guilty verdict at his press conference this afternoon. He was asked how he felt about losing out on the Premier League title as a United player in 2012 and as an assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021.

“It's affected me personally in different ways,†Carrick said. “But as the case is ongoing now I don't know where that stands and how it's going to end up, so we'll just have to wait and see. What I will say, the sooner it gets sorted I think for everyone's benefit is essential.â€

Read up on how some of the game's biggest names reacted to the City verdict in their media duties today …

Northern Ireland host Portugal at 7pm (BST) looking to reach their first Women's World Cup. Tom Garry has the story of their rather complicated road to get there.

Northern Ireland reached Euro 2022 but have never played at a Women's World Cup. Michaeal McArdle is under no illusions about the size of the obstacles standing between his team and next summer's tournament in Brazil. Even if they can overcome Portugal – a huge task in itself – then either Croatia or Iceland would await in the second round of playoffs in December. If Northern Ireland were to progress, they could still be the lowest-ranked of the eight European playoff winners.

If so – because only the seven highest-ranked of the eight round-two playoff winners are guaranteed places in Brazil – it would require Northern Ireland to contest a further round, in the inter-confederation playoffs in February.

in Porto

Rui Pinto will remain under witness protection for the time being after Portuguese authorities suspended the decision to end it. The special security programmes commission (CPES) acknowledged he should have been given an opportunity to present his case before the decision was taken. The Manchester City whistleblower can now challenge the withdrawal of his protection, with the commission expected to reconsider the matter.

In a statement signed by the Ministry of Justice, the CPES was said to have recognised that Pinto had not been adequately informed of the grounds for terminating the programme or given the opportunity to exercise his right to challenge the decision.

Among our raft of football interviews today is Jeff Rueter's chat with Crystal Palace's Zavier Gozo. The 19-year-old USA international says it was “a big change to go from Utah to London†this summer after his move from Real Salt Lake.

I think I knew more [about Palace] than maybe the average [club]. They were in a good run of form, and they have been for the last couple years, and have been showing it on the European stage.

I've known them from [Wilfried] Zaha, and being a very good club that develops wingers and forwards in general. It seems like they always have a player that's coming through their system that's either sold for a lot or just becomes a very good player. And obviously, when Chris Richards was there, I was just following them, and him, and their success. I feel like I knew a fair amount.

“It's been difficult, very tough, especially the first week,†said Tottenham's Roberto De Zerbi this afternoon after three weeks to ponder on their winless start to the Premier League season. “It's part of our real situation and we have to react and work.â€

De Zerbi confirmed that defenders Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke are fit to play against Manchester United tomorrow after picking up injuries on international duty with the Netherlands. Van Hecke's wife had twins yesterday, says De Zerbi – “we have to consider the emotional aspectâ€.

David Moyes has admitted he was “pretty surprised†to hear The Friedkin Group had put Everton up for sale this morning. Moyes's squad was left short on numbers after the collapse of Folarin Balogun's mooted £40m move from Monaco on deadline day. Everton have plans to address those weaknesses in January but they could be affected by a potential takeover.

“Maybe after the way things worked out over the transfer window I probably would have seen through it a bit before that,†Moyes said on today's news. “It's probably there for all Evertonians to see now.

“Probably you could tell how I've been a lot over the summer time that that's the way it's been. It has been a difficult summer for us.

“I was surprised because they only came in a year and a half ago. I think most owners come in a lot longer than that. I think we were all expecting them to be here for the next 20 to 30 years.

“I truly believed we had new ownership who were in it completely with us all.â€

Thanks Michael. In Women's World Cup qualifying playoffs, the Republic of Ireland have beaten Kazakhstan 8-0 in Astana. Roll on the second leg on Tuesday.

The pick of today's fixtures are (all times BST):

• Albania v Scotland (5pm)

• Greece v England (5.30pm)

• Czechia v Scotland (6pm)

• Northern Ireland v Portugal (7pm)

That's my stint on the blog done. I'll hand back to Billy Munday, cheers!

Two weeks ago, Thomas Tuchel made some very pointed remarks after Cole Palmer withdrew from his England squad. A reminder of what the German said on 25 September:

He misses too many camps. That's the overall headline. We have a lot of invitations and he couldn't make this one. It is what it is. I am not ready to focus on players who are not here. The players that are here have my full attention. It is a missed opportunity. He [Palmer] misses too many opportunities. I don't blame him for it. It is just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries, and I only want to rely on what I witness within my team, and for that you have to be in camp.

Chelsea manager has today come to the defence of Palmer, which is entirely predictable, but still notable.

He's committed [to England], but he needs to be fully fit to play. When he's fully fit he will enjoy his minutes, and we need him in that moment for the club and the national team.

He has trained the last week, he has felt better. We didn't want to rush because we had a lot of time. But the most important thing for Cole is to be fully fit, that he enjoys his game, that he is feeling OK. Whenever he is not, like the Brentford game, you can see that he was struggling. And for the next part (of the season), we have a good feeling with him.

If you are catching up, here is what Enzo Maresca had to say, in full, during his Manchester City press conference.

Mikel Arteta played a very straight bat to questions about Manchester City's guilty verdict but the Arsenal manager insisted that the Premier League “100%†remains the best in the world despite the ongoing uncertainty.

Arteta, who was an assistant to Pep Guardiola at City for more than three years before taking over at the Emirates in December 2019, was unsurprisingly bombarded with questions about his former club on Friday ahead of the meeting with Leeds.

“I think it's very important that we respect the process,†he said. “I think the timelines and it's still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it's been appealed. And my position, I think the club's position, is not to make any further comments.â€

Asked whether he thought the Premier League's reputation has been damaged, Arteta added: “There is a process there again that is not resolved. It's ongoing and we can have, I think, a much clearer opinion when it's been resolved. Up to now, I'm not prepared to make any comments.â€

Arteta did confirm that Christos Tzolis is out for a few weeks with a hamstring issue but said he will make a decision on whether Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa will feature before Saturday's game against Leeds.

Here's the latest from Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, who has just spoken before Manchester City's trip to Anfield on Sunday:

Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo will not play the game, they are not ready, they both have injuries in the international break. [Lewis] Koumas has our trust. I don't think ‌it's a big surprise, I always liked the player and he has already shown in important minutes that he is ready to go and we have also other players who can go in those positions.

I think this run of games we have now, the demands are very high, they are also very condensed, so I think it will say a lot about us,†Iraola said. I think after this run of ​games, we will really know where we are.

A reminder of Liverpool's brutal schedule for the next month, then:

11 October | Manchester City (home), Premier League
14 October | Lask (away), Champions League
17 October | Brentford (away), Premier League
20 October | Villarreal (home), Champions League
25 October | Brighton (home), Premier League
28 October | Chelsea (home), League Cup
1 November | Arsenal (home), Premier League
4 November | Fenerbahce (away), Champions League
8 November | Crystal Palace (away), Premier League

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has been talking into a microphone and has some injury updates after the international break. Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui will be among the absentees as United look to kickstart their campaign against winless Tottenham. Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Karl Darlow also withdrew from their respective national teams.

Patrick [Dorgu] came off and it looks like he will be out for probably a number of weeks. Nous [Mazraoui] came off and took a knock. He's not quite right yet, so we'll see how he is. Amad [Diallo] has done a little bit of training, Marcus [Rashford] has done a little bit of training, Kobbie [Mainoo] has done a little bit of training. Little bit mixed between them. Ben [Sesko] is a little bit further away, with the issue he has got. He won't be ready.

At least Carlos Baleba – signed for an initial £65m in the summer – looks like he is finally going to be fit enough to make his debut!

This story comes from Ed Aarons and Romain Molina.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) is preparing to reconsider its decision to hold the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) every four years, with the 54 member federations expected to discuss a return to the tournament's traditional two-year cycle at a strategic conference in Cape Verde.

The issue is expected to be put to a vote at Caf's executive committee meeting on Friday afternoon. Caf has been approached for comment.

The potential reversal comes 10 months after Caf moved the competition to a four-year schedule, a decision the Guardian reported was taken without consulting its 54 member associations and sparked considerable controversy.

According to a member of Caf's executive committee, the changing relationship between Fifa and Uefa has played a significant role in the renewed debate.

“Given that there is currently a war between the two organisations, it has been made clear to us that there is no longer any need to hold the Africa Cup of Nations every four years,†the official said.

The committee member added: “The switch to a four-year cycle for the Africa Cup of Nations was made in the interests of Europe. Now, Fifa is at odds with Uefa, so everything has changed.â€

The proposed return to a two-year cycle carries political implications for Fifa's president, Gianni Infantino, who is in Cape Verde as he attempts to win over African voters before the 2027 FIFA presidential election. The Caf president, Patrice Motsepe, said on Thursday there was “unanimous support†for Infantino in Africa.

Hello everyone! If you haven't read this Sid Lowe interview with Rayo Vallecano's Sergio Camello, then do. It's proper.

The piece also includes this graphic about the current top scorers in La Liga, just look how far Raphinha is. Twelve goals in seven league matches … woof.

I'm surprised that he has barely been mentioned in the Ballon d’Or conversation, although I agree that I'm not sure his year eclipses Lamine Yamal.

Anyway, some Raphinha news has just broken! The Brazilian, Barça's captain, will miss the club's next two matches after picking up a hamstring issue while playing for Brazil. These quotes, from Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, come courtesy of AFP.

The picture shows something and it's not a big injury,†said Flick. “We have to take care about this because he has last season a lot of injuries about this. I think three injuries. And we take care. So, he's not available tomorrow [Saturday against Getafe in La Liga] and also not available in Istanbul against Galatasaray [on Tuesday in the Champions League].

That's all from me – Michael Butler is ready to take over.

On this day in 1996… England come from behind to win a World Cup qualifier against Poland. And, in the words of Alex Ferguson, Alan Shearer hits it as if he means to kill it.

Man Utd fans resurrect City trophy drought banner

English football has been one big schadenfreude buffet since Manchester City were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. It's no surprise that Manchester United fans are at the front of the queue for banter-based snacks.

The Red Army group has dusted off the old banner mocking City's trophy drought, which peaked at 35 years before they won the FA Cup in 2011. If you are among those who regard any modern success as invalid – and we should stress the Friday football blog is entirely, painfully neutral – the drought now stands at 50 years.

“Oh, is there a game on Sunday?†hoots Matt Dony. “Maybe I'll amble to the pub and watch it over a half of shandy. I joke, of course. This is one of those times when Big Football's scriptwriters have hit the jackpot.

“A couple of weeks of anticipation, and then a match at the home of the team who arguably suffered the most, with a fanbase who are famously (depending on your allegiance) witty and loud, or entitled and sanctimonious.

“Either way, should be a treat. Right up until the almost-inevitable Erling Haaland first-half hat trick. Ah well.â€

Given how febrile it's going to be, I pity the fool who's doing our liveblog of the match. Oh.

It's Friday, it's lunchtime, it's our sports quiz of the week

Enzo Maresca refused to confirm he will remain as Manchester City manager should the club lose their appeal against being found guilty of the vast majority of more than a hundred charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

Maresca was speaking publicly for the first time since a verdict that has thrown English football into turmoil was published. City continue to strenuously deny any wrongdoing and their appeal is expected to be heard before Christmas, with a verdict due in the new year.

In May 2022, Pep Guardiola said he would leave the club if he discovered the executive had not told him the truth about their financial dealings. “I said to them: ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and I will not be your friend any more.â€

Maresca was asked if he shared the same position as his predecessor. “I would like to speak about this situation when we're going to win the appeal,†the 46-year-old said. “It's no sense to speak about anything because I don't have many pieces of information. I trust the club because I trust the people and this is also the reason why I joined the club. There is not another club in the world where I would like to be. I'm very happy to be [here] I'm very proud.â€

On this day in 2001… Grimsby win at Anfield, oh aye.

Women's World Cup playoff The Republic of Ireland are now 5-0 up away to Kazakhstan, who are down to 10 players after their captain Yulia Myasnikova was sent off. It's not even half-time.

On this day in 1992… Carl Shutt x Camp Nou = a famous Leeds victory.

NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the ownership group at Atletico Madrid.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has become the latest North American sports star to take an interest in football, following the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady .

“This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future,†Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Atletico said the partnership was “grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earnedâ€.

Atletico did not reveal how big a stake 2025 NBA champion and back-to-back NBA MVP Gilgeous-Alexander had taken. “His investment reflects an interest in the club's long-term vision and international growth,†it said.

On this day in 1991… Gary Lineker scores one of English football's first Panenkas.

Women's World Cup playoffs

With only 30 minutes played, the Republic of Ireland are 3-0 up away to Kazakhstan in the first leg of their World Cup playoff. Kyra Carusa scored twice, with Chloe Mustaki getting the other goal. The winners of this two-legged tie will face either Belgium or Poland for a place in Brazil next summer.

A reminder of the Premier League table before it all kicks off again

Liverpool v Man City (Sunday, 4.30pm)

“Is there any truth to the rumour,†begins Krishnamoorthy V, “that Liverpool have printed a pennant with the slogan You Will Walk Alone for Sunday's game?â€

A lunchtime plug for our regular Friday feature: things x 10, including Dr Tottenham and Oliver Glasner's return to Selhurst Park.

Man Utd v Spurs (Saturday, 5.30pm)

It's 12th v 20th at Old Trafford tomorrow evening. Despite/Because of those league positions, it's a pretty big game.

World Cup qualifier: Greece v England (5.30pm) The Lionesses are in Crete for the first leg of their World Cup qualification playoff against Greece. This is what you get when you mess with us you're drawn in the same qualification as Spain.

This clown will be on liveblog duty for the game. For now, here's Tom Garry's preview.

Thanks Billy, afternoon everyone. Let's start with an anniversary. On this day 30 years ago, there was only one team in Tallinn.

Rob Smyth is here to guide you the next little while, with the likes of Andoni Iraola, Mikel Arteta, Michael Carrick, Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi all due to speak soon.