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Chelsea cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with two games to spare at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. A comfortable 3-0 win for last year’s semi-finalists, thanks to goals from Lucy Bronze, Wieke Kaptein and Ève Périsset, saw them claim an impressive 11th victory in a row.

It is safe to say that it has been a dream start to the season for Chelsea, who have a perfect record in all competitions and are leading the WSL and Champions League Group B. Sonia Bompastor was delighted by her side’s early progression, which eases the pressure on the run-in to the ­winter break.

• Champions League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off
• Live scoreboard | Moving the Goalposts | And mail Sarah

The players are out at Stamford Bridge shortly. Can Chelsea keep their winning run going? Or can Celtic record their first Women’s Champions League win? A reminder if Chelsea pick up a point or more they will secure their knockout stage place.

Have a read of our weekly women’s football newsletter, it’s focused on Marta this week:

Run of defeats, ageing players and off-field problems have not deterred manager from opting to complete a decade at club

Pep Guardiola’s signing of a new one-year deal at Manchester City’s manager shows the eye of the tiger with this son of Catalonia. For Apollo Creed’s line to Rocky Balboa in Rocky III that “you had that eye of the tiger, the edge, and now you gotta get it back”, read Guardiola’s desire to see off the copious challenges gnawing at his team and club and prove, again, his genius.

The reasons why he could have chosen to walk next summer may be the same that have replenished his will to stay. Either way, the 53-year-old’s decision comes at an intriguing juncture of an era‑defining eight-and-a-half-year reign.

• Midfielder follows David Beckham into MLS ownership
• San Diego will be part of Western Conference from 2025

Juan Mata has followed David Beckham in becoming the owner of an MLS team, after he announced that he was joining the investment group of San Diego FC. The former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder, who now plays for Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia’s A-League, is the first active player to become a partner in a US franchise. San Diego will be part of the Western Conference from 2025.

The award of an expansion slot was announced in May 2023, with San Diego chosen ahead of Las Vegas, whose bid was backed by the owners of Aston Villa. The 2025 launch came too late for Mata to be involved as a player, with the Spanish midfielder, who had been released by Vissel Kobe in January, eventually joining Sydney as a free agent in September. Now he has become a part owner with a small shareholding while he continues as a professional, unlike David Beckham, whose ownership of Inter Miami had been written into his contract with MLS when he joined LA Galaxy, but was not announced until he had retired.

• 19-year-old was hit by shrapnel in Chiyah on Saturday
• Player remains in intensive care in hospital

The Lebanon youth international Céline Haidar is still in an induced coma, four days after being struck by shrapnel in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday.

The 19-year-old, the latest football player to be impacted by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and now Lebanon, was hit in Chiyah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

• Game in Romania abandoned near the end
• Kosovo plan to take case to court of arbitration for sport

Kosovo are preparing an appeal to the court of arbitration for sport after Uefa handed them a 3-0 defeat for walking off the field during Friday’s Nations League tie against Romania in Bucharest, which was eventually abandoned when they elected not to return.

Kosovo left the pitch during second-half stoppage time upon hearing chants of “Serbia” from the home crowd. The match was suspended and when it was clear they would refuse to resume proceedings were drawn to a halt.

• Manager needs results against Newcastle and Arsenal
• Former Dortmund manager Terzic under consideration

Julen Lopetegui is facing two make-or-break games at West Ham, who have used the international break to explore potential replacements. Although the club are clinging on to the hope the Spaniard can turn the situation around, belief in the manager is fading and there is a serious prospect of him being fired this month.

It is understood much will depend on how West Ham fare when they visit Newcastle on Monday and host Arsenal on Saturday week. Defeats in those matches are likely to have serious ramifications for Lopetegui, who is under extreme pressure after a poor start. There is even the possibility of a heavy defeat by Newcastle forcing West Ham’s hand.

• Tuchel worked with coach at Stamford Bridge
• Chelsea unlikely to replace former Portugal goalkeeper

Thomas Tuchel’s backroom staff has been bolstered by the addition of Henrique Hilário, who is ending his 18-year association with Chelsea to become England’s new goalkeeping coach. Tuchel, who worked with the former Portugal goalkeeper during his time at Stamford Bridge, begins his new role on 1 January. Martyn Margetson, England’s previous goalkeeping coach, left when Gareth Southgate stepped down as manager last summer.

Hilário was quickly targeted by Tuchel, who does not want a big backroom team, and it has not taken long for an agreement to be reached. Chelsea were reluctant to let Hilário do a job-share with England and that has led to him handing in his resignation.

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In its largely forgotten previous incarnation before the big rebrand, Football Daily rarely bothered to muddy its spats in the world of South American football unless it was to poke fun at the kind of news we would otherwise be forced to tut sanctimoniously over if it happened closer to home. A ref getting booted repeatedly up the backside after being chased around the pitch by an angry Ecuadorian centre-back, for example. Or a mass brawl that resulted in three Chileans and two Paraguayans getting shown straight reds and refusing to leave the field. Or perhaps a pitch invasion led by angry Peruvians upset that one of their players has been sent off for blowing his trumpet in the fourth official’s ear at full blast. In summary, the kind of scenes that “nobody wants to see”, unless of course they happen to unfold thousands of miles away, in which case we all want to see them.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. I see one of San Marino’s goals was scored by Nicola Nanni. A few more and Nanni could be their Goat” – Trevor Field.

I’ll admit, I was sniffy about the Nations League when it was first introduced, but there’s nothing like a plucky underdog story to win the doubters round. I actually found myself getting quite emotional seeing this nation of part-time pub players secure not just one, but two scarcely believable victories, when I and many others had given up hope of ever seeing them win a competitive fixture in my lifetime. Huge congratulations to Steve Clarke and everyone at the SFA who made it possible” – Ollie Forrest.

Mexico’s Aguirre hit by a beer can (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition)? Was it the Wrath of Grog?” – Tim Grey.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

• Uruguayan banned for seven games over for TV remarks
• Spurs accept guilty finding but say FA sanction is ‘severe’

Tottenham have appealed against the length of the ban imposed on midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur for comments he made about his teammate Son Heung-min. The Football Association announced on Monday that Bentancur would serve a seven-match domestic suspension, covering six Premier League fixtures and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.

The 27-year-old Uruguay international was charged with misconduct in September after a television interview he gave in his home country in June, with the reference to Son’s race making it an aggravated breach. Bentancur was asked to provide a shirt belonging to a Spurs player. “Sonny’s?” he replied. “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

Australia have steadied the ship since Tony Popovic’s arrival but cannot keep relying on other results going their way in 2026 World Cup qualification

Sometimes events can transpire at such a rapid rate it can almost feel like one’s ability to perceive the passage of time has been distorted; a sense of dyschronia brought about by everything, everywhere, all at once. Just observe the past few months in the world of the Socceroos.

It feels like an age, but it has been just 62 days since Graham Arnold stood down as coach, burnt out by his six years in the role and feeling his message had stopped resonating. Three days later, Tony Popovic was announced as a replacement, his availability proving timely as Football Australia scrambled to salvage a campaign that was already threatening to go off the rails.

Dyer receives apology and undisclosed sum after MGN Limited admitted unlawful access of private information

The former Newcastle United and England footballer, Kieron Dyer, has received an apology at the high court after settling his phone-hacking case against the Daily Mirror in return for a financial payout.

The Mirror’s owners, MGN Limited, admitted to unlawfully intercepting Dyer’s voicemails between March 2003 and December 2004, and using private investigators to unlawfully obtain private information on eight occasions between 2003 and 2005.

Brazil legend features in Saturday’s big Championship game between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit

The 2024 NWSL Championship between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit on Saturday will be a historic contest and caps off a memorable year. Hosted at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, it already celebrates a massive milestone in yet another year of growth. The Kansas City Current’s home is the first stadium built specifically for an NWSL club and was deservedly awarded the Championship game.

As the NWSL commissioner, Jessica Berman, said: “It was a natural choice to stage the league’s marquee event in a venue that exemplifies the profound impact of infrastructure, investment and community support on the continued development and success of our sport.” The 11,500 capacity stadium sold out every game and is on course to do the same in the final.

From a nightmare spell in Moldova to drawing in blank in Houston, some players enjoyed a unique professional life

Rohan Ricketts started out with Arsenal in 2001 and ended up playing in more countries than some people visit in a lifetime. Deals in Canada, Hungary, Moldova, Germany, Ireland, India, Ecuador, Thailand, Hong Kong and Bangladesh were steered over the line by his increasingly imaginative agent. The attacking midfielder had played once for the Gunners before a more notable three-season spell at Tottenham. There were loans around England with Coventry, Wolves, QPR and a full-time deal with Barnsley before his globetrotting commenced. In 2011 he won the Irish title with Shamrock Rovers, but Dacia Chisinau in Moldova was “an absolute nightmare … I never got paid”. In happier news he came off the bench for Shamrock Rovers to a warm reception at Tottenham in a 2011 Europa League tie. Exeter City and Leatherhead later appeared on Ricketts’ odyssey, although he stayed at the Grecians less than a month, eventually rounding things off with a spell at the gloriously obscure Canadian outfit Unionville-Milliken.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Paul Watson, Ewan Murray and Ben Fisher to round off the latest international break as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all finish strongly

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today: we begin with the news that Pep Guardiola has agreed a one-year contract extension at Manchester City before moving on to talk about promotion for Wales in the Nations League, with manager Craig Bellamy remaining unbeaten as they thrashed Iceland 4-1.

Forward issued a timely reminder after becoming first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures for goals and assists in all competitions

By David Segar for Opta Analyst

It has become almost common football parlance in recent years when discussing data. You can barely refer to any attacking statistic without starting the sentence: “Only Mohamed Salah …”

The Egyptian has been a sensation since signing for Liverpool in 2017, scoring and creating goals that have fired the Reds to glory at home and abroad.

• Guardiola agrees to extend City stay until summer 2026
• Deal not void if City demoted over 100-plus charges

Pep Guardiola’s new one-year ­contract with Manchester City does not contain a break clause should the club be relegated from the Premier League if found guilty of financial wrongdoing by an independent commission.

The club are defending themselves against more than 100 charges brought by the Premier League. City deny all allegations. If the ­champions are found guilty then, depending on the severity of the verdict, one potential sanction is demotion from the top division.

A club that punches above its weight, Le Zebrette have calmness, flair and focal point up front in Oliver Bierhoff

James Oddy for The Gentleman Ultra

For a club that have never won a Serie A title, picking a five a side team made up of former Udinese players proved monumentally difficult. Nestled in north-east Italy, Udine is significantly closer to Slovenia’s capital of Ljubljana than Rome. Yet it has been a nursery for many elite players, as well as providing the stability and seclusion for the more mature player to find their feet and flourish.

This side is a mixture of youth and experience and helps to emphasise just how much talent has graced the Stadio Friuli. My selection based primarily on players who played during my lifetime and ones that would flourish in the five a side game.

Plus: leagues with most teams whose names bookended by one letter, multiple international debut scorers and more

• Mail us any of your questions and answers

“I make Rúben Amorim the seventh Portuguese to manage in the Premier League,” writes Daniel Keown. “What’s the record for a country outside the home nations? And have any major football countries not produced a Premier League manager?”

On Sunday afternoon, at Portman Road, Amorim will indeed become the seventh Portuguese manager of a Premier League team. José Mourinho was the first, when he joined Chelsea in 2004, and he was followed (in chronological order) by André Villas-Boas, Marco Silva, Carlos Carvalhal, Nuno Espírito Santo and Bruno Lage.

We’ve included temporary managers who were either in charge or originally appointed for a minimum of five Premier League games. That means Cristian Stellini makes the cut; Spurs appointed him for the last 10 games of the 2022-23, only to sack him after four. But Ruud van Nistelrooy isn’t included as he was only ever appointed for two league games. The figure in parentheses covers your Van Nistelrooys and your Saltors.

Nationalities are taken from the official Premier League site. Technically there have been no African managers in the Premier League era, but Jean Tigana (France), Patrick Vieira (France) and Nuno (Portugal) were born in Mali, Senegal, and São Tomé and Príncipe, respectively.

• Sporting forward’s nine goals make him top scorer
• Ukraine in promotion playoffs after win in Albania

The Sweden forward Viktor Gyökeres netted four goals on Tuesday to overtake Erling Haaland as the top scorer in the Nations League.

Gyökeres started the evening with five goals from five Nations League games. His third goal in the 6-0 win against Azerbaijan, in the 58th minute, took the Sporting forward to eight in this edition of the competition. Gyökeres, one of the most in-demand players in the world, did not stop after overtaking Haaland and added his fourth goal on 70 minutes.