Key events
Tomorrow … February (bad enough), but also 10 years precisely from the day Manchester City named Pep Guardiola as their incoming manager.
Please address any and all complaints re: the passage of time to your creator of choice where relevant.
And lastly from Friday’s late action – Lazio edged a five-goal thriller against Genoa 3-2 … with three of the goals coming via penalties.
And it went the distance too – with the match level deep, deep into stoppage time, Danilo Cataldi put away his spot-kick in the 100th minute to give his side the points. Leo Ostigard was the particularly heartbroken party, having handled in his area.
It proved a particularly sickening loss for Genoa, who had fought back from 2-0 down.
Serie A fixtures
All times GMT
Pisa v Sassuolo (2pm)
Napoli v Fiorentina (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (7.45pm)
Bundesliga table
In Germany’s top tier there was also one game last night. Cologne pipped Wolfsburg 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Linton Maina. It leaves Die Wölfe looking over their shoulders. They sit 12th of 18 in the Bundesliga, but only four points above safety.
Bundesliga fixtures
All times 2.30pm GMT unless stated
Augsburg v St Pauli
Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer Leverkusen
Hoffenheim v Union Berlin
RB Leipzig v Mainz
Werder Bremen v Borussia Mönchengladbach
Hamburg v Bayern Munich (5.30pm)
There was also a smattering of European action last night. In La Liga, Espanyol missed a chance to consolidate their high-flying position as they lost 2-1 at home to Alavés – they took the lead through Roberto Fernández in the 15th minute, but Antonio Blanco levelled 12 minutes later … and the points were secured when Lucas Boyé finished a counterattack from close range with 19 minutes remaining.
It means Espanyol go into the weekend fifth … but that defeat extended their winless run to five games.
La Liga fixtures
All times GMT
Real Oviedo v Girona (1pm)
Osasuna v Villarreal (3.15pm)
Levante v Atlético Madrid (5.30pm)
Elche v Barcelona (8pm)
That left the Championship picture looking like this …
Friday match report: Derby hit five at Bristol City
Derby thrashed Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate to leapfrog their opponents and move into the Championship playoff places.
First-half goals from Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton Diaz and Bobby Clark were added to by Patrick Agyemang and Lars-Jørgen Salvesen as the rampant Rams recorded a third win in four games.
The visitors took a 13th-minute lead when Callum Elder’s cross from the left found Brewster unmarked to send a low right-footed volley past Radek Vitek from a 12 yards out.
Before City could recover, they were caught playing out from the back and Clark’s pass set up Brereton Diaz, who drove home a 16th-minute shot through a defender’s legs from a narrow angle.
And it was 3-0 after 36 minutes as a fast Derby break saw Brereton Diaz supply the pass from the right to send Clark racing through a non-existent City back-line before coolly slotting past the exposed Vitek with his left foot.
Derby continued to dominate after the break and the fourth goal came in the 66th minute when Agyemang comprehensively outjumped George Tanner to head in.
Rams boss John Eustace had the luxury of substituting all four of his goalscorers in the closing stages, giving a debut to new signing Jaydon Banel, on loan from Burnley, and sending on former City player Andreas Weimann among the substitutes.
Salvesen completed the rout when he turned in Weimann’s cross from inside the six-yard box two minutes from time. PA Media
A busy, buzzy day in England’s second tier is in prospect. After an eye-catching result last night (of which more shortly), five of the top six are in action.
Table-topping Coventry will be hoping Loftus Road proves a fruitful road trip, while second-placed Boro host a perplexing Norwich side who are down in 18th … but on a run of four wins in all competitions as they enjoy a delayed new-manager bounce under Philippe Clement.
Want to stay abreast of the three early games? Stick around.
Championship fixtures
(3pm unless stated, all times GMT)
Leicester v Charlton (12.30pm)
Sheffield Wednesday v Wrexham (12.30pm)
Stoke v Southampton (12.30pm)
Blackburn v Hull
Ipswich v Preston
Middlesbrough v Norwich
Millwall v Sheffield United
Oxford United v Birmingham
Portsmouth v West Brom
QPR v Coventry
Watford v Swansea
No early game in the Premier League today … but plenty of interest in affairs at the top, middle-but-ambitious and bottom.
Premier League fixtures
(3pm unless stated, all times GMT)
Brighton v Everton
Leeds v Arsenal
Wolves v Bournemouth
Chelsea v West Ham (5.30pm)
Liverpool v Newcastle (8pm)
Preamble
Happy Saturday everyone! Another festival of football is on the way, with early Championship action a-comin’, all the way through to Liverpool v Newcastle in today’s 8pm GMT game.
Meanwhile there’s a transfer window flapping open in the breeze, and managers have been chinwagging with varying degrees of satisfaction about their current lot.
On your way to a game today? Let us know! Don’t feel up to speed with where things are this weekend? We’ll put that right as we go. Stand by …
