Euro Leagues: Ronaldo, Brazilian wonderkids & European veterans

Steve Crossman is joined by European football experts and stars of the Euro Leagues; Guillem Balague, Julien Laurens and James Horncastle. The hot topic on the pod is Cristiano Ronaldo - after been given a straight red card in Portugal’s World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland a few weeks ago, Ronaldo was set to miss the first two matches of the 2026 World Cup in order to serve his full three-match ban.However, the final two matches of his ban have been suspended by Fifa’s disciplinary committee for “a one-year probation period”, with Fifa citing his previous good conduct as the reason for the suspension – the guys get into quite a heated debate over if this was the correct decision… or not. They head live to Norway for a huge story in the Eliteserien - with Viking FK one win away from a first league title since 1991.They also discus Brazilian wonderkids Estevao and Endrick, European veteran Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Vinicius Jr’s strained relationship with Xabi Alonso – as well as reflecting on all of the week’s Champions League action!Timecodes: 01:40 – Ronaldo section. 10:30 –Estevao appreciation chat 19:00 - Endrick focus. 23:00 - Vinicius Jr’s relationship with Xabi Alonso 30:00 – Viking FK with fan Lars Risen. 38:00 - PSG’s Vitinha discussion. 41:00 - Pierre Emerick Aubameyang resurgence. Football commentaries this week.Saturday 29th November PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester City v Leeds 1500 KO - ON 5 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE: Sunderland v Bournemouth 1500 KO - L ON SPORTS EXTRA PREMIER LEAGUE: Everton v Newcastle United 1730 KO - ON 5 LIVE WOMENS INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES: England v China 1730 KO ON SPORTS EXTRA Sunday 30th November PREMIER LEAGUE: West Ham v Liverpool 1405 KO - ON 5 LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa v Wolves 1405 KO - ON SPORTS EXTRA PREMIER LEAGUE: Nottingham Forest v Brighton 1405 KO - LIVE ON SPORTS EXTRA 2 PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea v Arsenal 1630 KO - ON 5 LIVE

Arsenal achieve a statement and redemptive victory over Bayern Munich as Liverpool move closer to crisis.Mikel Arteta’s Gunners now lead the UCL league phase, while North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur responded well to derby defeat but were bettered by European champions PSG.Despite an eight-game thriller for Spurs in Paris, the night’s big story came at Anfield, where Liverpool suffered yet another humbling defeat, 4-1 to PSV Eindhoven.Mark Chapman is joined by Paul Robinson, Matt Upson, John Murray, Alistair Bruce-Ball and Lee Blakeman for all the reaction on a thrilling night of Champions League action, with 39 goals in nine games. Plus you’ll hear from Slot, as well as Spurs boss Thomas Frank.Timecodes: 00:30 Arsenal’s statement victory over Bayern 11:12 Liverpool 20:30 Reaction from Arne Slot 22:10 Mid-roll 22:55 Tottenham’s eight-goal thriller 26:50 Reaction from Spurs manager Thomas Frank 28:10 Do PSG look like European champions? Upcoming commentaries on 5Live/Sports Extra: Thu 1745 Feyenoord v Celtic – Sports Extra Thu 2000 Rangers v Sporting Braga – Sports Extra Thu 2000 Aberdeen v Noah – Sports Extra 2 Sat 1500 Man City v Leeds – 5 Live Sat 1500 Sunderland v Bournemouth – Sports Extra Sat 1730 Everton v Newcastle – 5 Live Sat 1730 England Women v China – Sports Extra Sun 1405 West Ham v Liverpool – 5 Live Sun 1405 Aston Villa v Wolves – Sports Extra Sun 1405 Nottingham Forest v Brighton – Sports Extra 2 Sun 1630 Chelsea v Arsenal – 5 Live

Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff & Lyle Taylor react to Coventry going 10 points clear. They also have their say on Middlesbrough appointing Kim Hellberg. Should Tonda Eckert be given the Southampton job permanently? Stevenage top League One, Bromley are up into the League Two automatics and Christian Fuchs is in at bottom club Newport. Plus, we’re now looking for your top EFL ‘hard men’ - send your suggestions to us on WhatsApp to 08000 289 369.01:20 Coventry go 10 points clear 09:10 Middlesbrough appoint Kim Hellberg 12:10 Southampton interim Tonda Eckert wins again 16:50 Peterborough win first four under Luke Williams 18:05 Charlton suddenly shipping goals 21:30 The search for EFL hard men begins 26:35 Bromley up into League Two automatics 30:45 Christian Fuchs in at bottom club Newport 33:40 Fearing for Bristol Rovers after seven league defeats 34:50 72PLUS 72MINUS5 Live / BBC Sounds commentaries: Wed 2000 Arsenal v Bayern Munich, Wed 2000 PSG v Tottenham on Sports Extra, Thu 1745 Feyenoord v Celtic on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Rangers v Sporting Braga on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Aberdeen v Noah on Sports Extra 2.

It was a mixed night for English sides in the Champions League as Chelsea beat Barcelona, while Manchester City and Newcastle both lost.Kelly Cates has all the reaction and is joined by BBC Senior Football Reporter Ian Dennis, former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin and ex-Man City midfielder Michael Brown.They start at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea dominated 10-man Barca. Chelsea winger Estevao Willian shone in the 3-0 win, scoring a stunning goal in the process. But Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was quick to play down comparisons with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, warning of the pressure that comes with such a tag.Pep Guardiola made 10 changes against Bayer Leverkusen who were just too good for Manchester City. Did the City boss underestimate the opposition who won comfortably by two goals at the Etihad.And it was another defeat on the road for Newcastle. Despite leading through Harvey Barnes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rolled back the years to grab two goals and the win for Marseille.The team also react to news that the top four seeded countries will not be able to meet each other until the semi-finals of next year's World Cup for the first time in the tournament's history.Timecodes:00'40 Chelsea13'00 Enzo Maresca14'00 Manchester City22'00 Pep Guardiola25'00 Newcastle30'00 Eddie Howe31'00 World Cup newsBBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Wednesday 26 November 2000 Arsenal v Bayern Munich on 5live 2000 PSG v Tottenham on Sports ExtraThursday 27 November 1745 Feyenoord v Celtic on Sports Extra 2000 Rangers v Sporting Braga on Sports Extra 2000 Aberdeen v Noah on Sports Extra 2

Idrissa Gueye sees red for Everton at Man Utd & did Tottenham get the gameplan wrong? Mark Chapman is joined by Joe Hart, Chris Sutton and The Observer football correspondent Rory Smith. Former assistant referee Darren Cann has his say on the Gueye red card. Chris reveals his similar career path to Ebere Eze. And Rangers sack their chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell while Celtic close in on appointing Wilfried Nancy as boss.02:45 Idrissa Gueye’s bizarre red card 07:30 Did Tottenham get the gameplan wrong? 29:30 Are Tottenham a ‘big-six’ club? 33:10 Transformational moment for Eze? 37:00 Chris was also released as a child 42:45 Rangers sack chief exec and sporting director 49:00 Celtic set to appoint Wilfried Nancy as bossBBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Tue 2000 Chelsea v Barcelona, Tue 2000 Man City v Bayer Leverkusen on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Arsenal v Bayern Munich, Wed 2000 PSG v Tottenham on Sports Extra, Thu 1745 Feyenoord v Celtic on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Rangers v Sporting Braga on Sports Extra, Thu 2000 Aberdeen v Noah on Sports Extra 2.

Aaron Paul is joined by David James & The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards to review the weekend’s Premier League action. Hear from Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank after Arsenal thrash Tottenham. Catch up with Arne Slot after Liverpool’s loss to Nottingham Forest. And get Daniel Farke’s take after another defeat for Leeds.01:45 Mikel Arteta & Thomas Frank after NLD 16:20 Arne Slot after Liverpool 0-3 Forest 26:10 Forest vibe flips on its head 31:40 Eddie Howe finally beats Man City 39:30 Daniel Farke on another Leeds defeat5 Live / BBC Sounds UEFA Champions League commentaries: Tue 2000 Chelsea v Barcelona, Tue 2000 Man City v Bayer Leverkusen on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Arsenal v Bayern Munich, Wed 2000 PSG v Tottenham on Sports Extra.

In this week’s edition of the Football Interview, Kelly Somers speaks to the Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka. They discuss growing up and breaking into the Arsenal side, as well as his Nigerian heritage. Plus, he speaks about life away from football and his new-found love for coffee.

John Murray & Ali Bruce-Ball are joined by Jonathan Agnew to discuss commentating on cricket. He talks about his journey from lorry driver to broadcaster. Aggers reveals how much prep he does and his commentary top tips. And suggestions always welcome for our Great Glossary of Football Commentary and unintended pub names from commentary - WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369 & emails to [email protected]:55 Jonathan Agnew joins the pod 08:45 From archery & dressage to Ben Stokes in 2019 12:45 What prep Aggers does for cricket? 18:00 From lorry driver to broadcaster 23:10 Aggers’ Ashes memories down under 32:00 How to follow the Ashes on the BBC 35:25 Unintended pub names 39:30 Jonathan’s favourite commentators’ view 45:25 Great Glossary of Football Commentary 55:30 Jonathan on commentating on a replay!5 Live / BBC Sounds Premier League commentaries: Sat 1500 Liverpool v Forest, Sat 1500 Fulham v Sunderland on Sports Extra, Sat 1730 Newcastle v Man City, Sun 1400 Leeds v Aston Villa, Sun 1630 Arsenal v Tottenham, Tue 2000 Chelsea v Barcelona, Tue 2000 Man City v Bayer Leverkusen on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Arsenal v Bayern Munich, Wed 2000 PSG v Tottenham on Sports Extra,Glossary so far (in alphabetical order):DIVISION ONE Bosman, Couldn’t sort their feet out, Cruyff Turn, Dead-ball specialist, Fox in the box, Giving the goalkeeper the eyes, Head tennis, Hibs it, In a good moment, Johnny on the spot, The Maradona, Olimpico, Onion bag, Panenka, Rabona, Scorpion kick, Spursy, Tiki-taka, Where the kookaburra sleeps, Where the owl sleeps, Where the spiders sleep.DIVISION TWO Ball stays hit, Business end, Came down with snow on it, Catching practice, Cauldron atmosphere Coat is on a shoogly peg, Come back to haunt them, Corridor of uncertainty, Easy tap-in, Daisy-cutter, First cab off the rank, Good leave, Has that in his locker, High wide and not very handsome, Howler, Leading the line, Nutmeg, One for the cameras, One for the purists, Played us off the park, Purple patch, Put their laces through it, Rolls Royce, Root and branch review, Row Z, Screamer, Seats on the plane, Show across the bows, Stramash, Taking one for the team, That’s great… (football), Thunderous strike.UNSORTED 2-0 is a dangerous score, After you Claude, All-Premier League affair, Aplomb, Bag/box of tricks, Brace, Brandished, Bread and butter, Breaking the deadlock, Bundled over the line, Champions elect / champions apparent, Clinical finish, Commentator’s curse, Coupon buster, Cultured/Educated left foot, Denied by the woodwork, Draught excluder, Elimination line, Fellow countryman, Foot race, Formerly of this parish, Free hit, Goalkeepers’ Union, Goalmouth scramble, Good touch for a big man, Honeymoon Period, In and around, In the shop window, Keeping ball under their spell, Keystone Cops defending, Languishing, Loitering with intent, Marching orders, Nestle in the bottom corner, Numbered derbies, Opposite number, Park the bus, PK for penalty-kick, Postage stamp, Put it in the mixer, Rasping shot, Red wine not white wine, Relegation six-pointer, Rooted at the bottom, Route One, Roy of the Rovers stuff, Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, Shooting boots, Sleeping giants, Slide rule pass, Small matter of, Spiders web, Stayed hit, Steepling, Stinging the palms, Stonewall penalty, Straight off the training ground, Taking one for the team, Team that likes to play football, Throw their cap on it, Thruppenny bit head / 50p head, Towering header, Two good feet, Turning into a basketball match, Turning into a cricket score, Usher/Shepherd the ball out of play, Walking a disciplinary tightrope, Wand of a left foot, We’ve got a cup tie on our hands, Winger in their pocket, Wrap foot around it, Your De Bruynes, your Gundogans etc.

Julien Laurens, Mina Rzouki and Guillem Balague join Maz Farookhi to discuss the latest from the continent.With Italy only reaching the play-offs, Gennaro Gattuso’s comments about World Cup qualification needing a ‘system change’ lead to a debate about the fundamental purpose of the World Cup.PSG are, incredibly, in court against two of their former players, with one being Kylian Mbappe! How and why?Plus, there’s lots of returns to dissect… Paul Pogba to playing football, as well as Barcelona AND Lionel Messi to Camp Nou!Danish football journalist Toke Theilade joins the show to reflect on a disastrous week for Denmark as the full panel react to the play-off draw. Is Mina confident about Italy’s chances of progression?Timecodes: 01:00 Why McTominay is being called ‘The Hero of Two Worlds’ 5:18 Gattuso demands changes to World Cup qualifying – is it bitterness or justified? 10:00 Should the World Cup actually have 100 teams? What do we really want from the World Cup?  14:50 Kylian Mbappe’s controversial international break and court case with PSG 20:08 Kheira Hamraoui's court case with PSG 25:32 Pogba set to return to the pitch 29:08 Barcelona back to Camp Nou 32:50 Messi’s own return 35:23 Denmark’s disastrous week 43:20 The World Cup play-off draw5 Live/ BBC Sounds commentaries this week:Saturday 22nd November PREMIER LEAGUE: Liverpool v Nottingham Forest 1500 KO, live on 5 Live. PREMIER LEAGUE: Fulham v Sunderland 1500 KO, live on 5 Sports Extra. PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle United v Manchester City 1730 KO, live on 5 Live.Sunday 23rd November PREMIER LEAGUE: Leeds United v Aston Villa 1400 KO, live on 5 Live. PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal v Tottenham 1630 KO, live on 5 Live.

Lyle Taylor and Tommy Smith join Aaron Paul to discuss the week's EFL headlines.They dissect the latest managerial situation at Middlesbrough, with Kim Hellberg expected to be the new man in the dugout. Tommy also talks about his new role at Middlesbrough, as the loans manager, following his retirement from the club earlier this year. Philippe Clement is in at Norwich, so the panel discuss the direction of the club and whether that appointment is a coup or a gamble, plus how hopeful the Canaries can now be this season.In League One, with just six points separating the top 12, who is best placed to break free of the pack at the top of the table? And who makes the EFL Ultimate XI, or is it time for a rival team?Finally, with over 100 National League fixtures kicking off three minutes late over the international break, will the 3UP initiative lead to an extra promotion spot to the football league?Timecodes: 00:30 Tommy's new job and fresh choice of chocolate snack 03:00 The mood at Boro since Rob Edwards' departure 06:08 Boro set to appoint Kim Helleberg ahead of Swansea 12:36 Norwich hire Philippe Clement - is it a coup or a gamble? 19:15 How many Championship teams are in trouble? 24:10 Why did it not work for Liam Manning and why will it work for Clement? 25:53 Lyle's radical suggestion for the Ultimate EFL XI 28:42 League One - 12 teams separated by six points 32:43 3UP campaign