The moment has almost arrived. Forget Batman versus Superman - this is the highly anticipated blockbuster of the year: Pep Guardiola versus Jose Mourinho in the Manchester derby.

Rooney, who earned his 116th cap in the World Cup qualifying victory over Slovakia and is closing in on Shilton record of 125 appearances, plans to retire from the national fold in 2018.

PETE JENSON: With 11 European Cups and 32 La Liga titles to their name, no club in world football has matched the success of Real Madrid over the years.

'He clearly must have had options, but if Leicester had lost their best player after such a big achievement it would have been a shame', said Xavi in an interview with Shortlist.

The appointment takes Guardiola's desire for everyone to be comfortable on the ball to a new level because Dr Eduardo Mauri is a former first division player with Espanyol in the 1980s.

Few players have responded as well to the arrival of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City as Silva. He continued his fine start to the season by taking his club form with him on international duty.

MIKE KEEGAN: The rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, and the increased tension it may bring to the stands, are part of police planning for Saturday's derby.

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the honour of being the best rated Premier League star on Fifa 17, but not one of Leicester's title winning heroes have been named in the top 20.

MATT BARLOW: For Lucas Piazon, a fresh start has become an annual experience, as it has for many players in the loan crowd at Chelsea. This year Piazon has joined Fulham.

Alvaro Morata has sent a warning to Diego Costa by insisting he is ready to battle the Chelsea man for Spain's main striker berth but insists they have a healthy relationship.

The Catalan giants recently paid £12million to bring in former Ajax No 1 Jasper Cillessen as a replacement for Claudio Bravo, the Chilean keeper who has moved to Manchester City.

Ancelotti, a manager for more than 20 years, simply doesn't talk to players' representatives. He was in charge at Real Madrid when Gareth Bale's agent went directly to president Florentino Perez.

Gareth Southgate has admitted he was not ready to take over from Roy Hodgson as England boss earlier this summer and backed Sam Allardyce as the right man to lead the Three Lions forward.

Lionel Messi's injury issues are almost entirely relegated from the Spanish sports press front pages as the new-look La Roja stole the headlines with their 8-0 win over Liechtenstein.

The 30-year-old free agent can play anywhere down the left side, as a full back, wing back or winger. He has 16 caps for Holland and is in line to figure against Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

The anti-discrimination organisation's annual report shows a 2.5 per cent increase in incidents reported to the group during the 2015/16 season compared to the previous equivalent period.

CRAIG HOPE IN BELGRADE: After 21 caps without a goal, the idea of Martin O'Neill throwing on Daryl Murphy in the hope of salvaging a point against Serbia was somewhat fanciful.

MATT LAWTON: Sam Allardyce sensed that crippling fear returning ahead of the contest in Trnava and he suggested that anxiety had been a key factor in that stuttering first-half display.

Gareth Bale was singled out for some rough treatment on Monday night as Wales opened their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Moldova in Cardiff.

A heavy defeat for the Salvadorans in the match in Vancouver could prevent Honduras from progressing to the final stage of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

Scholes, the highly decorated former midfielder who won 66 caps for his country, believes the calibre of English football has significantly declined in recent years.

Blind is under intense pressure. The Dutch failed to qualify for Euro 2016, despite its expanded format, and their attempt to rebuild some good will fell flat last week with a 2-1 home defeat to Greece.

Leaning back on a leather chair on the mezzanine level of a £2,500-per-night London Hotel, it is easy to see how far Gennady Golovkin has come from Kazakhstan's 'Black City' of Karaganda.

Moores, who has worked as a consultant at Trent Bridge since July 2015, will take on the newly-created position on a three-year deal from October 1.

The world No 2, who sat out the quarter-final in Serbia in July following his Wimbledon triumph, was named in a five-man team alongside Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans, Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot.