• Updates from Wednesday’s big European games
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Celtic have the ball in the net, but it’s disallowed for offside, Maeda being caught a couple of yards clear. He finished it well, mind.

Arsenal roar into an early lead! And there’s a superb assist from Havertz, who has his back to goal as a left-wing cross reaches him and instead of attempting any fancy nonsense lays back to Rice, who with the benefit of facing in the right direction hammers in at the near post!

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© Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Romero’s continued absence means Spurs will be without 14 players for their clash in Hoffenheim.

© PA Wire

• Spanish club threaten legal action over defender
• Sierra Leonean missed training on Tuesday

Real Valladolid have accused Manchester City of advising their defender Juma Bah to break his ­contract and not train on Tuesday to force a cheaper move to the Premier League champions, with the Spanish club threatening legal action.

Bah, an 18-year-old centre-back, joined Valladolid in August and became the first Sierra Leonean to play in La Liga. The club say Bah has bought out his youth ­contract after refusing to sign a senior deal that would have made him more expensive.

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© Photograph: Álex Caparrós/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Álex Caparrós/Getty Images

• Top 32 clubs vote in favour of ending use of VAR
• Norway may join Sweden in resisting use of technology

Norway is on the verge of abolishing VAR from its domestic league after clubs in the country’s top two divisions formally recommended that it should be discontinued.

The decision by clubs in Norsk Topfotball, which represents the 32 sides in Norway’s Eliteserien and first division, marks the most significant step yet in a fierce debate over VAR’s future in the country. Now Norway is one step from joining Sweden, which has resisted introducing the deeply controversial technology so far, in staging games without its intervention.

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© Photograph: Frode Arnesen/Alamy

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© Photograph: Frode Arnesen/Alamy

• Updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off in Paris
• Live scores | Sign up for Football Daily | Email Michael
• Check the latest Champions League table here

It’s raining heavily in Paris. City will feel at home.

For clarity, PSG’s big-money €70m signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, is not cup tied. Napoli are not in any European competitions this season, which might be a factor in why they are currently top of Serie A. However, Kvaratskhelia is ineligible for PSG tonight because he wasn’t registered for the league phase back in September (because he was only bought this month). The Georgian can, however, be registered for the knock-out stage of the Champions League, should PSG make it.

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© Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

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© Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

Arroyo most recently led Liga F side Real Sociedad for four seasons, leaving at the conclusion of the last campaign.

© PA Archive

Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City desperate for a vital three points as they fight for Champions League qualification

© Getty Images

The Premier League club have been accused by Spanish side Real Valladolid of making an approach for Juma Bah

© Getty Images

The 25-year-old has been a standout performer for Wolves in a miserable season.

© PA Wire

The 32-year-old has been on loan at Lyon in Ligue 1 but has made only one start as well as five substitute appearances.

© PA Archive

The Ireland international is undergoing medical checks after being involved in a single-car incident

© Cody Froggatt/PA Wire

• Coach says talking to squad post-game also a mistake
• Increased police presence for tie at home to Rangers

Ruben Amorim regrets saying his Manchester United team may be the worst in the club’s history and giving the post-match dressing down that reportedly damaged a television screen.

The head coach claimed that his public comments after ­Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Brighton at Old ­Trafford were aimed more at his ­underperformance than his players. He also suggested changing-room criticism of his squad had been an error because he does not usually address them after a game.

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© Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty Images

The 27-year-old is set to miss the rest of the season.

© PA Wire

Amorim had described his squad as the worst in the club’s history after a 3-1 defeat to Brighton

© PA Wire

Wrexham and the other Welsh clubs in the English football pyramid want to play in a new Welsh League Cup but face significant obstacles

© AFP via Getty Images

Nils Nielsen, the former Manchester City director of football, believes he can help country’s huge talent flourish as their first foreign manager

Flashback to July 2011 and the jubilant celebrations by Japan’s World Cup heroes as they hoist the trophy high into the Frankfurt night sky and you could easily have thought the Japanese women’s game was going to enjoy a period of sustained prosperity. However, despite history being made that summer evening, replicating that same degree of success has proved impossible for the Japanese FA.

Now, though, there is hope of a new dawn. Enter Nils Nielsen, the former Manchester City women’s director of football and Denmark women’s coach, who has been charged with guiding the Nadeshiko back to the heights of 2011. The appointment serves as a landmark moment with the Greenlander becoming Japan’s first foreign manager.

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© Photograph: Masashi Hara/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Masashi Hara/Getty Images

Mbappe struggled to adapt after his high-profile move to Madrid from PSG

© REUTERS

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Sid Lowe as Benfica and Barcelona play out possibly the greatest Champions League game ever

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; a completely ridiculous game in Lisbon sees Barcelona come from 4-2 behind to win 5-4 against Benfica in a game that had it all; red cards, goalkeeper howlers and a late, late controversial winner.

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© Photograph: Tiago Petinga/EPA

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© Photograph: Tiago Petinga/EPA

A seventh successive Champions League victory left Liverpool needing a point at most from their final game to guarantee top spot in the table.

© AP

The Argentina international last played for Spurs on December 8.

© PA Wire

• San Diego player agrees personal terms with WSL club
• Fee tops previous record of $860,000 for Kundananji

The United States defender Naomi Girma is set to have a medical at Chelsea this week after agreeing personal terms to join from San Diego Wave for a world-record fee. Chelsea will pay $1.1m (£890,000), the first women’s football transfer fee to exceed a million US dollars.

The Guardian understands Chelsea have agreed a long-term contract with Girma and she is set to travel to London for a medical with Sonia Bompastor’s side, who are seven points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League at the halfway stage.

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© Photograph: Vince Mignott/EPA-EFE

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© Photograph: Vince Mignott/EPA-EFE

Le joueur marseillais aurait fait le choix de représenter la Jamaïque, pays natal de son père.

© William Cannarella / PANORAMIC

Two clubs who made a habit of reaching the latter stages of the Champions League in recent years find themselves on the brink of elimination as they meet in the new-look competition

© Getty

The defendants, all from Chile, are accused of participating in a South American crime group targeting multimillion-dollar homes, the authorities said. One of the targets appeared to be Mr. Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback.

© Matt Durisko/Associated Press