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BILBAO: Athletic Bilbao captain Inaki Williams insists his team is not afraid ahead of their Champions League opener against Premier League giants Arsenal early Wednesday morning.

The club, which is known for using only locally-born players, is returning to the European elite stage for the first time since 2014, and only the third time in the club’s history.

Williams, the Ghana international, described the opportunity to play in the most prestigious tournament as a dream that has finally come true.

“Many of us can’t wait to make our Champions League debut. We’ve been fighting for this moment for years and now we want to continue to achieve our dream,” he told a press conference.

“We’re not afraid of anyone, it’s definitely going to be an interesting match.”

However, Bilbao will be without their younger brother, Nico Williams, who suffered a groin injury and will miss the chance to face Mikel Arteta’s squad, which reached the semi-finals last season.

“I hope to make my debut with a win, I’m just a little disappointed that I can’t do it with Nico,” said Williams, who missed out on the 2014 Champions League when he was still at the beginning of his career.

Meanwhile, Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde praised Arteta’s greatness in successfully shaping Arsenal with its own identity.

“He is one of the best coaches in the world and proved his ability with Arsenal. They have great players, they press the opponent in every fight for the ball, they don’t let you play,” he said.

Arsenal are expected to be without injured captain Martin Odegaard, but they still have a strong midfield with the trio of former Real Sociedad players Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Odegaard, who are quite familiar with Bilbao’s playing style.

“They started the season very well and have the quality to keep the momentum going. They know us, and that’s an advantage, but we also know them. It’s an extra motivation for us,” Valverde added.

BELGRADE: England manager Thomas Tuchel insisted he was ‘brave’ enough to leave out several key players after his reserves thrashed Serbia 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer are sidelined through injury while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden are not listed.

In contrast, players such as Morgan Rogers, Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon shone in a resounding victory in Belgrade that almost certainly secured England’s place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

Asked if he was willing to leave out the key player who missed Tuesday’s game, Tuchel replied:

“I’m always brave, you know that. I don’t want to talk about names of people who might be left out. Let’s see who’s fit and ready.”

“But I think we’ve made some brave decisions. We’ve brought in a smaller squad to make sure the competition stays open.

“The competition is always there. If you get called to camp, you have to show the best attitude, the best performance, the best physical shape. It’s a privilege to be here and fight for your spot.”

Tuchel also stressed that the England squad is not dependent on one or two star players, even though Bellingham was not fit ahead of the World Cup.

He referred to past experiences when injuries to David Beckham and Wayne Rooney once made England fans hope for a miracle before a major tournament.

“There was no negativity after a mistake, no frustration, no taunts, no abusive language. It was just a team that was ready to work and put in the full 90 minutes.

“The victory over Serbia was a team effort. All the players have the quality and determination to play for their country. If a big star misses the tournament, we need to have a solution.

“We must focus on the players we have and prepare them to be the best versions of themselves, as well as the best teammates. That’s what we do,” he said.

LONDON: Andre Onana is close to leaving Manchester United to join Trabzonspor on loan until the end of the season, a move that could end his career at Old Trafford.

Onana’s future has been in doubt all summer after United signed new goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Antwerp for £21.7 million last week.

Despite assurances from close sources that Onana would stay, the Cameroonian player was informed that the club would not stop him if he wanted to move.

Discussions were immediately held with Trabzonspor who were at the time selling their main goalkeeper, Ugurcan Cakir, to Galatasaray.

As a result, a loan agreement was reached quickly and Onana is expected to join the Turkiye club before the transfer window closes on September 12.

Since arriving from Inter Milan for £47.2 million two years ago, Onana has failed to achieve the expected level of consistency and often makes big mistakes.

In fact, in his only appearance so far this season, he made another mistake as United were humiliated by Grimsby Town in the second round of the League Cup, with Altay Bayindir taking over the role for the Premier League action.

His situation became more difficult when he missed the entire pre-season following a hamstring injury on the second day of returning to training at Carrington last July.

United had previously offered Onana to Monaco for £30 million, while continuing to be linked with Lammens and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.

When United chose Lammens over Martinez last week, the club were said to be prepared to keep four senior goalkeepers with Onana expected to be at the Africa Cup of Nations early next year.

However, after the transfer window opened, the former Ajax goalkeeper chose to evaluate his options despite still having three years of contract at Old Trafford.

His move will open up space for Lammens to become United’s new first-choice goalkeeper with Bayindir and Tom Heaton as reserve goalkeepers.

LONDON: Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s new record signing worth £125 million, once disappointed Cristiano Ronaldo after rejecting the Portuguese legend’s persuasion to join Real Madrid as a teenager.

The 25-year-old Swedish striker finally completed a dramatic move from Newcastle United on the transfer window deadline, after almost going on strike to ensure his dream of moving to Anfield was realised.

But this is not the first time Isak has dared to make a big decision in his career.

While playing for AIK in Sweden as a sensational youth player, his talent attracted the attention of giant European clubs including Liverpool and Real Madrid.

In fact, The Athletic’s report revealed that Real had already agreed to personal terms and were trying to tie him down as soon as possible.

To convince Isak, Los Blancos used Ronaldo himself – who still plays at the Santiago Bernabeu – to make a FaceTime call to him.

But in a major surprise, Isak made a last-minute U-turn by choosing Borussia Dortmund because of the German club’s reputation for developing young talent.

“Everyone knows Borussia is a good club for young players. I’m just waiting for my chance,” Isak told FourFourTwo at the time.

His career path after that was full of twists and turns.

Isak struggled at Dortmund with just 12 appearances in two seasons before returning to prominence when loaned to Willem II in the Netherlands.

In 2019, he moved to Real Sociedad for £7.5 million and it was there that his reputation as a lethal striker flourished.

Isak scored 44 goals in 132 matches, including helping Sociedad win the 2020 Copa del Rey.

His refusal to return to Dortmund paves the way for Newcastle to break their transfer record of £63 million in 2022.

After almost three years with the Magpies, Isak is now Liverpool’s new star.

“It’s hard to describe in words. Everyone knows what Liverpool means, the fans, the atmosphere. I can’t wait to experience it myself,” said Isak after being announced as the Reds’ new player.

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised his team’s mentality after recording a narrow 1-0 victory over Premier League title contenders Arsenal at Anfield.

The only goal of the match came from a stunning free kick by Dominik Szoboszlai in the 83rd minute, handing Arsenal their first defeat of the season.

The defending champions now maintain a perfect record with three consecutive wins – beating Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal – and head into the international break with high confidence.

“I’m most pleased with the mentality of the team. We brought in a lot of new players. Then we started the season against Bournemouth, went to Newcastle, and then we met Arsenal at Anfield – one of the three or four toughest games of the season. But we showed what we were capable of,” said Slot.

Slot admits Liverpool are still not perfect, but insists that the players’ hard work ethic is the key to success.

“We are not perfect, but everyone wants to work hard to ensure the results are in our favour. If I am not mistaken, Michael Jordan once said, ‘the harder we work, the luckier we get’, and that is true for this team,” he said.

The manager also praised the performance of Szoboszlai, who surprised everyone when he was brought in as a right-back.

“He understands what a Liverpool player should be. If you wear this shirt you have to give everything, no matter what position you play. It was an incredible performance from him, even though it was probably only the second or third time he has played in that position in his life,” Slot added.