The Champions League Gets A Hipster Makeover

YOUR ESSENTIAL TRAVEL GUIDE

The joyousness of a Bigger Cup European circuit is what makes a play for nan fans – nan trinket connected connection successful Budapest is simply a bonus. Six Premier League sides will get to trial themselves against nan champion complete nan coming months and location are a fewer caller faces successful nan title and immoderate intriguing passport stamps to collect. Who wouldn’t want to recreation to nan Cypriot metropolis of Paphos successful September to watch their beloved nine play David Luiz’s Pafos FC? The somesthesia reaches 29C and location is nary chance of rain. There are miles and miles of beaches to bask pinch a Keo successful hand. If anything, nan imaginable of a 90-minute lucifer is simply a spot of a distraction. The moreover amended news is location are flights from London, Manchester and Newcastle.

Obviously, travelling to Paphos is nan perfect script for immoderate protagonist but adjacent weight should beryllium fixed to immoderate of nan different Bigger Cup caller boys. Bodø/Glimt’s Aspmyra Stadion is besides very adjacent to a assemblage of h2o but swimming successful nan Norwegian Sea is not advised successful wintertime erstwhile nan somesthesia drops to a alternatively chilly 3C. A travel successful December would make it improbable that nan thermometer would get supra freezing. Trying to find a nonstop formation is simply a nightmare, truthful changing successful Oslo is astir arsenic bully arsenic it gets but erstwhile nan squad level does yet onshore it is little than a 4th of an hr locomotion from nan airport, making it very convenient. On nan upside, moreover pinch a extremity successful Norway’s capital, it tin beryllium reached successful 5 hours from Manchester.

Almaty, connected nan different hand, is almost successful China and that is simply a ruddy trek. It will truthful travel arsenic nary astonishment that is is simply a correct faff getting there. The astir straightforward way would impact a stopover successful Istanbul and flying to Kazakhstan from there, which would group you backmost astir 12 hours but is surely worthwhile. As Celtic fans will show you, it is simply a agelong measurement to spell for disappointment, though Football Daily is judge nan rustle was softened by seeing nan Tian Shan mountains and a travel to nan The Museum of Folk Musical Instruments. No 1 tin really kick astir a Daizen Maeda missed punishment erstwhile location is nan imaginable of seeing a zhelbuaz – a Kazakhstani bagpipe. Football is not nan be-all and end-all successful life, enriching oneself pinch civilization is much important and Bigger Cup gives group nan chance to sojourn places they would ne'er person considered connected your mean package holiday.

Qarabag are 3-1 up from their opening limb against Ferencvaros, meaning Azerbaijan will beryllium different destination connected this voyage. Surely nan thought of going location caller alternatively than your Barcelonas, your Madrids and your ,erm, Parises is simply a acold much enticing imaginable for nan mean fan. The Camp Nou has been done to death, it’s not moreover cool to spell there, moreover pinch its revamp. Celtic and – almost surely – Rangers fans should not beryllium upset astir missing retired connected Bigger Cup for nan matches, but for nan places they will ne'er see. Bigger Vase has gone mainstream, pinch teams from Salzburg, Zagreb and Rotterdam, which EyeWitness and Lonely Planet person covered to nan extreme. Bigger Cup is yet for nan existent hipsters, wanting to drawback a glimpse of shot destinations arsenic they should be, and it should beryllium embraced.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Simon Burnton astatine 8pm for extremity updates connected nan Bigger Cup and Worthington’s Cup action.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I’m personification who is passionate and will conflict ever[y] clip I measurement connected nan pitch. But I request to group a amended illustration and you fans cognize really overmuch I emotion you and this club” – West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen takes to InstaChat to expain why he appeared to suffer his cool pinch a West Ham instrumentality aft they were knocked retired of nan Milk Cup by Wolves.

Hold him backmost boys. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

A doff of nan headdress to nan Leeds fans, who went from chanting Sheffield Wednesday’s hopefully soon to beryllium ex-owner, Dejphon Chansiri’s sanction to booing their ain broadside and leaving during nan punishment shootout arsenic they mislaid to what is fundamentally our under-21 team. And an other doff of nan headdress to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, making his debut for Leeds, who fluffed 3 easy chances to triumph it for them successful nan past 10 minutes and then, successful nan punishment shootout, did his ain heartwarming tribute to Wednesday fable Chris Waddle (circa Italia 1990). Hurrah!” – Noble Francis.

Thank you Celtic for giving america nan daunting imaginable of intolerable away-day draws, cheesy headlines and, worst of all, proceeding astir that teen Chelsea person already signed until 2068 each azygous week. Yes Kairat Almighty, nan unbeaten astatine location Beast from nan Far East. The broadcasters and tabloids are going to beverage this to nan past driblet aren’t they? As a Spurs fan, I americium already dreading nan 2nd half of our inevitable fixture against them. I dream you bask Bigger Vase, Celtic” –Yannick Woudstra.

I tin guarantee Alex Cameron (yesterday’s Football Daily) he was not unsocial successful his mentation of your wine-related strapline. Maybe readers could propose suitable managerial aliases subordinate candidates to person a vessel of Chateau d’Arse, an amusing small Fitou from nan Languedoc-Rousillon region” – Max Maxwell.

Federico Macheda (yesterday’s Football Daily) – now there’s a blast from nan past! The past clip I heard that name, I looked for illustration Jack Grealish earlier he signed for City. Fortunately, arsenic personification who’s only 40 successful January, I’m still immoderate ways distant from looking for illustration Everton Grealish” – Rowan Sweeney.

If you person any, please nonstop letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s victor of our prizeless missive o’ nan time is … Noble Francis. Terms and conditions for our competitions, erstwhile we tally them, tin beryllium viewed here. 

 RECOMMENDED BOOKING

On Thursday 11 September, subordinate Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and Football Weekly favourites Jonathan Wilson, Nicky Bandini and Jonathan Liew for an evening of unfiltered shot punditry astatine Troxy successful London. The pod will besides beryllium livestreamed globally. Book now. 

SHAKE IT OFF

A caller Bundesliga norm that calls for a gathering pinch nan refereeing squad and some captains and coaches earlier each convention lucifer has, weirdly, been a origin of aggravated irritation for mostly mild-mannered and reasonable World Cup victor Toni Kroos. The rule, which is called nan handshake speech (OK, that is an annoying name), came into past week, obliging captains and coaches to meet nan referees arsenic a group 70 minutes earlier kick-off. “This has perfectly nary effect,” roared Kroos. “You [are] successful nan midst of preparing. Now we will opportunity really overmuch we for illustration each different and by nan 5th infinitesimal location is nary handshake anymore, conscionable a yellowish card. Köln coach Lukas Kwasniok went further. “This is each nonsense,” he parped. “Seventy minutes earlier nan crippled nary 1 is successful nan temper for thing for illustration that. Apart from interrupting preparations not overmuch other is happening there.” The DFL said successful July erstwhile it introduced nan norm that nan gathering was intended to amended standards of adjacent play.

Just a reminder that Lukas Kwasniok has taken to wearing his team’s location garment erstwhile coaching connected nan touchline. Photograph: Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images/Shutterstock

 NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

In nan latest instalment of nan profoundly honorable Alexander Isak saga – we know, we’re spoiling you – nan striker has rejected an attempt by Newcastle number proprietor Jamie Reuben and representatives of nan club’s Saudi authorities overlords to support him connected Tyneside by tempting him pinch a lucrative salary rise. But Isak was having nary of it.

Serial nine investor John Textor is successful talks pinch Sheffield Wednesday’s recalcitrant owner, Dejphon Chansiri, about a imaginable takeover of nan stricken Championship club. The American plans to meet adjacent week pinch Chansiri, who has still been holding retired for £100m for nan club. Some bully news for Wednesday connected nan transportation astatine least, arsenic Henrik Pederson’s broadside turfed retired Leeds from nan Rumbelows Cup connected penalties successful a wide boycotted necktie astatine Hillsborough.

Elizabeth Terland deed a hat-trick for Manchester United arsenic they hammered PSV 4-0 successful Women’s Big Cup qualification successful Stockholm. Celin Bizet sewage nan different extremity arsenic United secured a necktie against either Sweden’s Hammarby aliases Metalist 1925 Kharkiv of Ukraine successful nan adjacent information of nan qualifying process.

Not a bad day’s activity for Elizabeth Terland. Photograph: TT News Agency/Reuters

Spurs are group to loan retired caller signing Luka Vuskovic to Hamburg connected a season-long deal. They’re besides looking to vessel retired Yves Bissouma to Galatasaray.

As mentioned above, Celtic are reeling from an Almaty daze (honk!) aft crashing retired of Bigger Cup qualifying to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty connected penalties aft a 2nd turgid 0-0 tie betwixt nan sides. “It’s very frustrating,” sighed Brendan Rodgers, “Sack nan board,” yelled Celtic’s travelling fans.

And nan European Commissioner for Sport says it would beryllium “a betrayal” to play home convention matches overseas successful nan ray of proposals to shape a Serie A and La Liga crippled extracurricular of Italy and Spain. “I’m profoundly disappointed by proposals to shape home convention matches extracurricular Europe,” sniffed Glenn Micallef, nan Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport. “Today I said pinch Ronan Evain of FansEurope to definitive my solidarity and make clear that I will guidelines pinch shot fans, particularly successful Spain and Italy.”

STILL WANT MORE?

Suzanne Wrack connected Martin Ho, nan caller Spurs head looking to bring assurance and style backmost to nan WSL side’s football.

Our latest WSL pre-season preview spotlights a Brighton side buoyed by nan return of Michelle Agyemang.

What scoreline has occurred nan astir successful a azygous gameweek? What are nan longest title droughts suffered by a superior city? The Knowledge knows.

Clue for you here. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Tactical chameleons would beryllium a bully sanction for a band. It’s besides what Eddie Howe has go successful bid to clasp Newcastle together, says Louise Taylor.

Marc Guéhi to Spain? Andreas Pereira to Palmeiras? While nan window’s still open, the Rumour Mill‘s still churnin’. Only six saccharine days to go.

And it’s quiz time! Test your knowledge of nan game’s astir singular telephone calls.

MEMORY LANE

Wolves players clasp their captain, Emlyn Hughes, arsenic they bask immoderate nosy and games earlier nan League Cup last successful March 1980. You tin spot Andy Gray location successful nan picture. He scored nan winning extremity against Nottingham Forest astatine Wembley to bring nan trophy backmost to Molineux.

Photograph: David Bagnall/Alamy

‘WITH MY MIND SHE RUNS’