Key events
Tom Garry has the good news and the bad news.
The proportion of schools in England offering girls equal access to football in physical education has climbed considerably since 2020, but not quite as fast as the Football Association had hoped at secondary-school level.
The Women’s Champions League draw for the group stage takes place at noon (BST). Here are the pots for that as we sort things into four groups of four:
Preamble
Morning. It’s bleak outside (where I am), but here’s to a bright weekend of FOOTBALL! LIVE! FOOTBALL!
Before we get there, feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts on last night’s action in Europe, with 10-man Tottenham beating Qarabag after a delayed start. Rangers found joy in Sweden and there was action in the Women’s Champions League, too, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Celtic all advancing to the group stage.
Looking ahead to what’s on offer in the Premier League, we begin on Saturday with Manchester City visiting St James’ Park. The hosts have had a strange season, not looking all that great on the pitch … but currently sit sixth. Will Haaland Haaland them and extend the misery? More on that fixture and the rest in our weekly offering of Ten Things: