Top battles in Europe's top five leagues over the weekend saw a massive change at the top of the standings at the end of the gameweek, with Roma dropping from first to fourth, and potentially fifth at the end of Monday night.

After a pulsating European week, clubs return to league action this weekend, looking to write another chapter of what has become a season of twists and turns as we approach the halfway mark.

Champions League Matchday Five delivered seismic shocks and established new records across Europe. The hunters became the prey, and the known victims became the predators.

After failing in the bid to sign the English midfielder during the summer, Thomas Frank tried to brush aside the significance of Eberechi Eze in his pre-match presser for the North London derby, only to be humbled by the star.

The latest actions in top European leagues continue to defy the odds, with Premier League champions Liverpool plummeting into a historic slump in a humbling 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, which marked their biggest Anfield loss in the Premier League era, plunging them to 11th place.

Achraf Hakimi finally got his hands on the CAF Men's Player of the Year award, becoming the first Moroccan to win the award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, after making the finals in three consecutive editions and not winning it.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is almost set with the qualifiers, except for the playoffs coming up in March, and 42 of the 48 teams that will compete in the global showpiece have now secured their places.

Cristiano Ronaldo may be one of the best players of all time, but there is no denying that he is not a personality when things are not going his way on the pitch, but this isn't to undermine his greatness; it just highlights his competitive mindset