Manchester City v Burnley, West Ham v Tottenham and more – live!

3pm kick-offs are underway. What magic awaits?

Down in the very depths of the Football League, Macclesfield Town are trying to avoid an unwanted record. They equalled the English league record of 36 consecutive games without a win by losing at Tranmere last week. Lose their home match against Carlisle and ignominy awaits. Derby County in 2007 and 2008 are joint holders and it might be said that Macc’s losing run incorporates a six-year spell in the Conference.

Meanwhile, in touchline rumble news, José Mourinho has accepted an apology from Marco Ianni, the Chelsea coach who celebrated Ross Barkley’s equaliser in front of him.

A final call for the weekend Premier League preview.

More Germany news, where Jadon Sancho has opened the scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Stuttgart.

Drama here, to say the very least.

Elsewhere on the continent, Bayern Munich are one of Europe’s crisis clubs, along with Real Madrid and just-about-to-beat-Chelsea Manchester United. They travel to Wolfsburg this afternoon, their bosses having responded to recent media criticism in the style of a Trump Thursday night rally.

The big team news is that Kevin de Bruyne will be on the bench for Manchester City, just as Christian Eriksen will be for Tottenham.

European news: Real Madrid lose again, despite breaking their goal duck.

The presence of Isaac Success can only make one hum Iggy Pop’s Here Comes Success.

Wolverhampton: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Jonny, Helder Costa, Jimenez, Jota.
Subs: Ivan Cavaleiro, John Ruddy, Saiss, Ruben Vinagre, Hause, Leo Bonatini, Traore.

Watford: Foster, Femenia, Mariappa, Cathcart, Masina, Doucoure,
Capoue, Deulofeu, Hughes, Pereyra, Success.
Subs: Gomes, Prodl, Sema, Gray, Quina, Navarro, Wilmot.

Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)

Wolves v Watford teams by a more modern means.

West Ham: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell,
Noble, Rice, Yarmolenko, Felipe Anderson, Snodgrass, Arnautovic.
Subs: Adrian, Hernandez, Ogbonna, Fredericks, Masuaku, Antonio,
Diangana.

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez,
Davies, Dier, Winks, Sissoko, Lamela, Lucas Moura, Kane.
Subs: Son, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Dembele, Gazzaniga, Eriksen,
Aurier.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

Man City: Ederson, Kompany, Stones, Laporte, Mahrez,
Fernandinho, Silva, Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Sane, Aguero.
Subs: Sterling, De Bruyne, Otamendi, Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, Foden,
Muric.

Burnley: Hart, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Gudmundsson,
Defour, Cork, Lennon, Hendrick, Vokes.
Subs: Heaton, Barnes, Wood, Westwood, Bardsley, Vydra, Long.

Referee: Jonathan Moss (County Durham)

Cardiff: Etheridge, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett,
Victor Camarasa, Gunnarsson, Arter, Josh Murphy, Paterson, Reid.
Subs: Richards, Zohore, Smithies, Cunningham, Damour, Harris,
Hoilett.

Fulham: Bettinelli, Odoi, Ream, Chambers, Le Marchand, Seri,
McDonald, Johansen, Schurrle, Mitrovic, Ryan Sessegnon.
Subs: Ayite, Vietto, Christie, Sergio Rico, Mawson, Zambo, Kamara.

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)

Newcastle: Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummett,
Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy, Perez, Muto.
Subs: Schar, Murphy, Hayden, Manquillo, Joselu, Darlow, Atsu.

Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Jahanbakhsh,
Stephens, Kayal, Izquierdo, March, Murray.
Subs: Bissouma, Locadia, Andone, Knockaert, Balogun, Button, Bernardo.

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

AFC Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, Steve Cook, Ake, Smith,
Brooks, Lerma, Lewis Cook, Fraser, King, Wilson.
Subs: Boruc,
Gosling, Surman, Ibe, Defoe, Stanislas, Rico.

Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Hoedt, Stephens, Bertrand,
Redmond, Hojbjerg, Lemina, Elyounoussi, Austin, Ings. Subs:
Yoshida, Vestergaard, Long, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Gabbiadini,
Gunn.

Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

In the Championship, a big result already as Blackburn beat Leeds 2-1: looks like the Bielsa miracle is getting tiring. Feels like they are slipping away. They have won just two of the last eight, with a record of DDWLDWDL. It was fun while it lasted, which wasn’t actually that long.

And here’s that JT clip. Captain, leader, legend, assistant to the manager.

Good afternoon. While we work out whether José Mourinho should start estimating his minibar bill at the Lowry Hotel or can start ordering the special Christmas dinner package, the rest of the day is worthy of even heavier consideration than Harry Redknapp going into the jungle with Dec.

It’s a European week ahead so that means Saturday takes the strain with six matches kicking off at 3pm. Manchester City will welcome back Kevin de Bruyne at some point in their home match with Burnley. West Ham lost 3-2 to Tottenham last season at the London but might fancy their chances against a patched-up Spurs. Chris Hughton returns to Newcastle with Brighton where Mike Ashley has the purse strings just as tight as back in the days of “Clipboard Chris”, who departed Tyneside as a hero. Fulham travel to Cardiff, and this has to guarantee goals as neither team appears capable of keeping them out. There have been rumours of Slavisa Jokanovic being close to the edge at Fulham; now that Shahid Khan is not buying Wembley, his attentions are no longer so diverted. Wolves’s home game with Watford is a pairing of two teams who have both made decent starts to the campaign. Bournemouth face Southampton in a South Coast derby in which the smaller club is much more in the ascendancy. I once attended a Bournemouth game where a Craig David record was booed because he’s a Saints fan.

In the Championship, all eyes on Aston Villa where the dream combination of Dean Smith and John Terry take the stage against Swansea. We’ve seen JT as a touchline presence before. Remember that time in 2012 when Chelsea sacked AVB and JT subbed himself off against Napoli and then started shouting over interim boss Roberto di Matteo? Can’t help hoping for more of the same.