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      Why Dream Team will change dramatically once the European group stages finish

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      DREAM TEAM gaffers will be hopeful of plentiful points from their European players this week.Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle and Manchester City will fulfil their final Champions League group fixtures across Tuesday and Wednesday before West Ham, Brighton and Liverpool dot the i’s and cross t’s in the Europa League on Thursday.
      Aston Villa will also complete their Europa Conference League group stage campaign against Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday.
      But once this week’s European fixtures are over, the landscape of Dream Team will change dramatically.

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      Broaden your horizons this festive periodCredit: Dream Team
      The knockout stages of the three continental competitions are schedule to begin in mid-February.
      During this two month hiatus, gaffers should be more open to successful players who represent clubs without European commitments this season.
      A quick look at the rankings highlights the importance of the European games in the world of Dream Team to date.
      At the time of writing, Son Heung-min (£4.4m) is the only player in the top 20 who hasn’t been active in either the Champions League, Europa League or the Europa Conference League this term.
      More playing time equals it’s more points – the logic is simple.
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      However, with the European competitions essentially paused for two months, there’s nothing to perturb Dream Team bosses from shopping around the other 12 Premier League clubs.
      Tottenham’s captain is a prime example.
      Son averages 7.3 points-per-game this season compared to Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) and Julian Alvarez’s (£4.2m) shared average of 6.2 points-per-game.
      The only reason the South Korean superstar is below those two strikers in the overall rankings is because of Aston Villa and Man City’s European commitments.
      With that factor removed, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Son surged up the rankings – at least until he departs for the Asian Cup.
      124 points and countingCredit: Reuters
      Dream Team managers should now prioritise domestic form above all else, bringing teams like Everton and Bournemouth firmly into the conversation.
      Liverpool are the only team to have earned more points than the Toffees across their last six league games.
      In fact, Sean Dyche’s side have won three games on the bounce this month without conceding a goal.
      As for the Cherries, no team has generated more xG in the top flight across the last five games, with Dominic Solanke (£3.6m) leading the way for non-penalty xG among individuals in the same period.
      Bournemouth’s No9 has banked 39 points across the last four Gameweeks via four goals with Andoni Iraola’s men having suddenly clicked.
      Not to be underestimatedCredit: Getty
      Then there’s players like Hwang Hee-chan (£3.2m), who has scored more goals than the aforementioned Alvarez and Darwin Nunez (£4.3m) this season.
      There are value-for-money gems everywhere you look!

      The domestic cups will still create a certain degree of schedule variance but, historically, this hasn’t had as much impact on Dream Team as the European competitions.
      Read more on The Sun
      This is because most Premier League managers opt to rotate their squad in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
      Gaffers won’t want to be caught out by the return of the European competitions in February and so they will need to plan ahead at some stage but for the next few Gameweeks at least, domestic form is everything.

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      Police charge 46 men, including one for possessing a knife, over violent scenes outside Aston Villa’s with Legia Warsaw

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      POLICE have confirmed that 46 men have been charged after the violent scenes outside of Aston Villa’s clash with Legia Warsaw – including a man in possession of a knife.West Midlands Police announced yesterday that 46 Legia fans were in custody following Thursday’s serious disorder outside Villa Park at the Europa Conference League match.
      Violent scenes marred Aston Villa’s clash with Legia Warsaw on ThursdayCredit: Rex
      Cops were attacked by the visiting fans outside of the stadium
      Police have now confirmed 46 men have been chargedCredit: Rex
      Uefa have reported Legia to Uefa after the shocking scenesCredit: Rex
      Now a statement from the police has confirmed: “We’ve charged 46 men over Thursday night’s violence outside Villa Park.
      “Of those, 43 have been charged with a public order offence, while two have been charged with assaulting police officers and another has been charged with possession of a knife.
      “Those charged are aged between and 21 and 63, and around 40 are believed to be from Poland. A small number are believed to be UK residents.
      “All apart from one of the men is due in court today. He has been bailed to appear at a later date.
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      “A special court has been set up at Birmingham magistrates and will begin hearing the cases this morning.”
      It continued: “We are continuing to review CCTV and body-worn video footage to identify further suspects in what was an appalling and violent public disorder.
      “It is now known five officers suffered minor injuries in the disorder.
      ASTON VILLA TROUBLE TIMELINEAccording to Villa the following timeline outlines Legia’s refusal to follow normal procedure.
      10:30am – Match Day meeting during which Legia failed to accept their ticket allocation and informed those in attendance they would not be able to confirm if they would until 2.30pm.
      2.30pm – Legia officials miss the first deadline to report back.
      3.00pm – Legia officials miss the second deadline to report back despite repeated calls to them.
      4.00pm – Legia officials finally confirm they wish to receive their ticket allocation, with a pick-up point arranged at the stadium.
      6.00pm – Villa hand over tickets to Legia to distribute among their fans.
      7.00pm – Police who have penned Legia fans into the Witton Lane car park, close to the Doug Ellis Stand they will occupy, begin to release fans.
      7.05pm – Legia Ultras orchestrate violence and try to storm through police lines to gain access for ticketless fans, four police officers are injured in the ensuing violence.
      8.00pm – The match kicks off – no Legia fans have been allowed into the away section.

      “Two of these were from West Midlands Police, two from West Mercia and one from Derbyshire. They are receiving support at this time.
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      “Two dogs from West Midlands Police and two horses from Thames Valley were injured and are recovering.”
      Det Supt Jim Munro, who is overseeing the criminal investigation, said: “Our investigation is very much continuing and we’ll be reviewing footage and speaking to witnesses over the coming days.
      “To charge this number of people so soon after such a major disorder has taken a huge effort by staff who have been working around the clock.
      “We’ve had a number of messages of thanks from the club and fans who were present on Thursday night and saw the policing operation first hand, and we are really grateful for that support.”
      Villa have reported Legia Warsaw to Uefa following the shameful scenes of violence.
      Sources close to Uefa claim the Polish side’s fans face being banned from all future away games after the shameful incident.
      The chaos lasted over 90 minutes and was described by one cop as “the worst violence I’ve experienced in 28 years.”
      Police struggled to disperse the Legia Warsaw fansCredit: PA
      Two police dogs and two horses were injured in the violence scenesCredit: Reuters
      Mounted officers joined riot police and dog handlers to try and disperse around 2,000 Legia fans who had been penned into a nearby car park prior to kick-off.
      Four cops were injured in the disorder as they were attacked with flares, bricks, metal poles and tree branches.
      After Villa secured their place in the knockouts with a 2-1 win, Assistant Chief Constable Damian Barratt said: “This was appalling and completely unacceptable disorder.
      “What we saw was 90 minutes of planned violence, with one officer saying it was the worst he had seen in 28 years of policing.
      “Our officers bravely put themselves in harm’s way and I would like to commend each and every one of them for their efforts.
      “We are committed to charging and remanding any and all responsible for attacking our officers and endangering the public.
      “We had no issues with the home fans and would like to thank them and Aston Villa for their support and kind words last night and this morning.
      “The only issues inside the ground last night were from a small number of away fans who had managed to get into home areas.
      “We will be liaising with the club and footballing authorities in the coming days to discuss last night’s appalling scenes.”
      No away fans were allowed into Villa Park for the matchCredit: Getty
      Home fans were also kept inside the stadium during half timeCredit: Reuters
      Aston Villa went on to win the match 2-1 and secure a place in the knockoutsCredit: EPA
      Villa swiftly dismissed claims by some Polish media outlets that were trying to lay blame on them for failing to provide enough tickets to Legia fans.
      And they have contacted Uefa to report the unacceptable conduct of Legia Warsaw officials ahead of the high-risk tie.
      Visiting teams to Villa Park would usually receive 5 per cent of capacity, which amounts to around 2,600 tickets for away supporters.
      However, trouble flared during Legia’s last visit to England when they lost 3-1 to Leicester City in 2021 as 20 police officers were injured that night when Polish Ultras ran riot.
      In light of that, Villa agreed a revised figure of 1700 tickets with Legia officials nearly four weeks ago, with the full approval of Uefa.
      However, when Legia fans again fought with Dutch police during their recent tie in Alkmaar, Uefa banned their fans from their next away tie against Zrinjski Mostar in Bosnia.
      At that point, the UK Safety Advisory Group – which passes safety certificates for major events – refused to sanction the full 1700 allocation and slashed it by almost 700 to 1002 tickets.
      That decision was completely out of Villa’s control and was ratified by Uefa.
      Villa claim Legia failed to convey that message to their fans immediately, which led to around 1,000 ticketless fans travelling to the UK.
      Furthermore, Villa have accused Legia of being obstructive during a Match Day meeting on the morning of the match.
      But Legia Warsaw released a statement earlier today blaming Aston Villa for the incident and claimed they did not listen to advice from them to ensure safety.
      And they also stated that the English club even escalated the already tense atmosphere by reducing the number of tickets for their fans.
      It read: “Regrettably, as a consequence of both actions and inactions by the Aston Villa F.C. club, unfavourable incidents unfolded.
      “In declining to embrace our constructive critiques and recommendations, the hosts bear full responsibility for the situation.”
      Legia also added that they are not responsible for people that have no official ties to their club, saying: “No club should bear accountability for the actions of unidentified individuals lacking match tickets.”
      At the customary meeting attended by representatives of both clubs, Uefa, broadcasters, security staff, police and emergency services, Legia stunned Villa representatives by refusing to confirm if they would accept the reduced ticket allocation.
      SunSport understands Legia representatives seemed determined to adopt and endorse their Ultras motto of: ‘Don’t leave anyone behind,’ and were reluctant to accept the reduced allocation.
      The police have confirmed that all apart from one of those arrested are due in court todayCredit: Reuters
      Uefa observers were present at the Witton Lane car park and witnessed the shocking scenes of violence which followed.
      They immediately launched an investigation into the shocking scenes but were quick to praise West Midlands Police and Villa for their handling of the explosive situation.
      It now appears certain Legia will face a lengthy ban from travelling to away fixtures after “off the scale violence,” erupted for the third time in recent away trips.
      At the height of the violence Villa raced to collect fire extinguishers from the stadium and nearby supporters hall and supplied police with them to try and douse the flames from hundreds of flares.
      At one flashpoint Legia thugs tried to overturn a police van which was blocking their route.
      Read More on The Sun
      SunSport understands some Legia fans arrived in the UK hell-bent on causing mayhem and spoiling for a fight with police or Villa fans. 
      We understand border police found Mixed Martial Arts mitts and gum shields in the luggage of some fans, who had clearly come prepared to battle. More

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      Rangers 1 Aris Limassol 1: Ross McCausland scores first Gers goal after replacing Cantwell but fans left frustrated

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      ROSS McCAUSLAND has had worse weeks.Just days after bagging a bumper new deal, the 20-year-old climbed off the bench to net the goal that guarantees Rangers European football after Christmas.
      Credit: Willie Vass
      Todd Cantwell wasn’t happy to be hauled off in first halfCredit: Getty
      Philippe Clement made huge call to sub Cantwell so earlyCredit: Rex
      Whether they’re still in the Europa League or down in the Conference will be settled in Seville in two week’s time.
      Gers had hoped to return to the scene of the 2022 final with their passports to the last 32 already stamped.
      But for the second time in just 56 days Limassol returned to bite them in the Aris.
      Back in October, boss Aleksey Shpilevsy masterminded a famous victory in the Alphamega Stadium.

      On a freezing night at Ibrox, he watched as his side stormed into a first half lead.
      Todd Cantwell was culpable – caught in possession allowing the visitors to break.
      Following a touchline bust up with boss Philippe Clement, his match came to an abrupt end.
      McCausland was his replacement – and ultimately Rangers’ saviour.
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      On Tuesday, the Northern Ireland international put pen to paper on a new long term deal – just 48 hours later he marked it with his first ever goal for his boyhood heroes.
      Yet there is no disguising the disappointment.
      It’s a result which has thrown Group C wide open – leaving Gers potentially needing to beat Betis in Spain.
      A win for Limassol against Sparta Prague would also seal a place in the last 32.
      The worst Rangers can do is now finish third – a win in Spain would secure top spot.
      Just three days before the Viaplay Cup Final, it’s far from the ideal scenario – but one they must now deal with.
      Phase one for new boss Clement concluded with six wins and a draw – with 18 goals scored and just three conceded.
      Phase two began with a hard fought 1-1 draw against Aberdeen on Sunday.
      It was the first of 12 games in just 38 days for a Rangers side far removed from the one that faced Aris in Limassol back in October.
      Back then, Gers were a club in crisis.
      Michael Beale had been sacked, his side humiliated by Aberdeen just five days before.
      A costly 2-1 defeat in Cyprus, left them with a mountain to climb in Europe.
      But four points from six against Sparta Prague put the knock-out stages back within sight.
      Sparta’s win over Betis earlier in the evening meant Rangers would move to the top of the table with victory over Limassol.
      Clement made three changes to the side that faced Aberdeen at the weekend.
      Sam Lammers, Ben Davies and John Souttar all returned with the suspended Connor Goldson and the ineligible Leon Balogun dropping out.
      Clement had called for a fast start – but he got the exact opposite.
      Rangers were slow and sluggish in everything they did, and as a result they found themselves behind at the break.
      The warning signs were there early on.
      Mihlali Mayambela’s pace was causing Borna Barisic some problems and with 11 minutes gone, his cut back found Caju lurking on the edge of the box.
      His powerful shot was beaten away by Jack Butland.
      With Aleksandr Kokorin pulling the strings, the visitors always looked dangerous on the break.
      In midfield for Rangers, Cantwell, Jose Cifuentes and Sam Lammers were all well off the pace.
      Danilo tried to play in Abdallah Sima before Souttar was presented with a half chance from a corner.
      With 27 minutes gone, Lundstram played a neat one-two with Cantwell on the edge of the box, driving his effort inches past the post.
      Just 60 seconds later, disaster struck.
      Cantwell was caught in possession and Kokorin found himself with time and space to pick his pass.
      He did so superbly, threading the ball between Souttar and Davies to send Babicka scampering clear.
      He showed composure to round Butland before rolling the ball into an empty net.
      Aris should have added a second when the pace of Mayambela set up a glorious chance for Kokorin.
      But the former Zenit St Petersburg man was off balance just as he pulled the trigger.
      Cantwell’s match ended with just 36 minutes on the clock.
      Clement had spent ten minutes screaming instructions to the midfielder, who didn’t take it kindly.
      As a result, his number flashed up and on came McCausland.
      Boos rang round the ground with many fans calling for the removal of Lammers instead.
      But there was no doubt this was Clement laying down the law.
      And just three minutes into the second half, his hardline stance paid off.
      When McCausland picked up the ball on the edge of the box there looked little on.
      But the 20 year-old – who signed a new deal this week tying him to the Ibrox club until 2027 – shifted the ball onto his left foot, drilling a low shot in off the far post.
      It was a magical moment for the youngster as he wheeled away to celebrate his first ever Rangers goal.
      Lammers was finally put out of his misery with 58 minutes gone – Tom Lawrence his replacement.
      With 64 minutes on the clock, Lawrence picked out McCausland, who again had taken up good position on the edge of the Aris box.
      Cutting back inside just once too often, the youngster was crowded out just as he shaped to shoot.
      Read More on The Sun
      Danilo forced Vana into a decent save as the Brazilian threatened with a back post header.
      Rangers fans unveil giant tifo before kick-offCredit: PA
      Babicka celebrates his first-half opener for Aris LimassolCredit: AFP
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      TNT Sports viewers think they are playing FIFA 98 as they spot bizarre quirk with linesmen in Liverpool vs Linz

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      FOOTBALL fans thought they were seeing double as Liverpool took on Linz in the Europa League.The Reds faced the Austrian side looking to win Group E, but viewers were focused on something else ahead of kick-off.
      Fans were initially confused when they saw the identical linesmen
      Twins Marco and Benjamin Zurcher officiated Liverpool vs LinzCredit: Getty
      As the match officials were shown on TNT Sports some viewers thought they were playing Fifa 98.
      That is because, like in the game, the two linesmen looked identical – because they are twins.
      Marco and Benjamin Zurcher are from Switzerland and fans took a shine to the pair before the match.
      One wrote: “I thought they had been lazy and used the same linesman model like FIFA 98 in this match but it’s twins.”
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      Another added: “The two linesmen being twins in the Liverpool game is so fun.”
      A third said: “Mad that the two linesmen in the Liverpool game are twins 😂😂”
      And another commented: “The assistant refs in the Liverpool match are twins 😂😂 only the Europa League could give you that.”
      The Reds raced into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes with goals from Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.
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      Mo Salah added a third after the break to cement Liverpool’s place at the top of the group.
      Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost just once in 11 games which came in the Europa League against Toulouse. More

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      Rangers vs Aris Limassol LIVE SCORE: Latest Europa League updates as Scottish giants could qualify for last-16 spot

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      RANGERS will host Aris Limassol in a Europa League group stage clash tonight.The Scottish giants could qualify for the knockout stages with a win against the Cypriots if results elsewhere also go in their favour.

      Kick off time: 8pm GMT
      TV/ live stream: TNT Sports 3/ discovery+

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      Liverpool vs LASK LIVE SCORE: Latest Europa League updates as Reds look to increase lead at top of group – stream, TV

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      LIVERPOOL host LASK in their penultimate Europa League group stage clash.The Reds go into the tie two points clear at the top of Group E, while the Austrian side are rock bottom.

      Kick off time: 8pm GMT
      TV channel/ live stream: TNT Sports 1/ discovery+

      Liverpool vs LASK betting preview: Odds and predictions
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      AEK Athens vs Brighton LIVE SCORE: Seagulls can sore into Europa League knockout spot with an away win – latest updates

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      BRIGHTON can book their spot in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a win against AEK Athens – and top spot is up for grabs too.The Seagulls took a giant leap toward Europa League promise land after beating Ajax in Holland last time out.
      And not only would three points guarantee their qualification, but it would put them top of Group B heading into matchday six depending on how the other fixture concludes in Marseille.

      Kick-off time: 5:45pm GMT
      Live stream: discovery+
      TV channel: TNT Sports 2

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      Backa Topola vs West Ham LIVE SCORE: Hammers look to seal Europa League knockout spot against Serbian strugglers

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      WEST HAM can seal their place in the Europa League knock-out phase with a Group A victory over Serbian strugglers Backa Topola.Lucas Paqueta’s late strike against Olympiacos fired the Hammers to the top of the group last time out.
      While Backa Topola are yet to win a single match in this season’s competition.

      Kick-off time: 5:45pm GMT
      Live stream: discovery+
      TV channel: TNT Sports 1

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