Totti signs Roma contract extension

Francesco Totti signed a new contract on Friday that will keep him at AS Roma until just before his 40th birthday.

The Roma captain, who has been at the Serie A club since childhood and has played over 500 games for them, signed the contract extension at a news conference in Rome, ensuring his stay in the Italian capital until the end of the 2015-16 season.

"It's what I and the club wanted, I thank them for giving me another chance to wear the shirt of the only team I've ever supported and ever loved," the forward said.

"I have another two years of responsibility and I know that we can do great things here.

"So far this season we've got off on the right foot, we have a manager who wants his team to play and demands respect, which we haven't had recently."

Totti, who turns 37 next week, has started the season in great form, and with Italy missing a classic number 10, there have been calls to recall him to the national side for next year's World Cup.

"I don't think about the national team. I'm thinking about doing well for Rome and from now until May I need to see how I am physically and psychologically. Should something happen I'm available."

The Corriere Dello Sport reported that the deal will be worth 3.5 million euros ($4.7 million) a year.

"There's not much that can be added to what has already been about Francesco. I'd like to thank Francesco for allowing me to stay" joked Roma president James Pallotta, who kissed Totti on both cheeks after the contract was signed.

The American, the target of criticism from fans after changing the club's badge and because he is not around enough, flew to Rome to finalise the deal.

"We always said that there was no chance of Francesco ever going anywhere else," Pallotta said. "He was always going to be staying here forever.

Maritzburg out to clip Birds’ wings

Maritzburg United will look to continue with their climb up the Absa Premiership standings when they visit Moroka Swallows at the Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday, kick-off at 3pm.

The Team of Choice ended their three-match winless streak with a 2-0 home win over Mpumalanga Black Aces on Wednesday night.

“It was an important win after going for three matches without a win,” said defender Thamsanqa Mkhize.

“We were a bit concerned after the loss against Kaizer Chiefs because we weren’t creating many chances but we did much better on Wednesday and we’ll keep working on that.”

Wednesday’s win, their second of the season, lifted Ernst Middendorp’s side to ninth on the Absa Premiership log with seven points from five matches.

United have lost both of the matches they have played on the road so far, but Mkhize is hopeful that they will pick up their first away points against Swallows in Dobsonville.

“I think it’s going to be an exciting game because Swallows are confident after their win and they’ve generally played well this season,” he added.

“Our morale is also high after registering our second win of the season and we want to continue collecting points and moving up the table.

“It’s not going to be easy playing away from home but we know how they play and we’ll be prepared for the game.”

Swallows also bounced back from last weekend’s loss to AmaZulu to beat log leaders SuperSport United 2-1 away from home on Wednesday night.

The Dube Birds are yet to drop points at home this season and are currently placed second on the Absa Premiership log with 10 points from five matches.

Despite the inconsistent results, coach Zeca Marques believes they have played well in most of their matches so far this season and is hopeful that they will go up a gear in their backyard.

“I think our performances have been solid,” said Marques. “We didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked against SuperSport, but then again you play as well as your opposition allows you.

“The fact that we won away is a great morale boost; psychologically it’s huge for us.

“We play against Maritzburg United, another tricky team. There are no easy teams to be honest; this is why this is the PSL.

“This is the best of the best in this country so if we want to achieve anything and compete for the honours then we have to be in touch with everyone else.”

Last season United won this fixture 3-1 but the Birds were able to avenge the loss in the reverse fixture in Pietermaritzburg with a 1-0 victory.

Arteta ready for Arsenal return

Influential Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta is ready to return to the squad after missing the start of the season with a thigh injury, the Premier League club's manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday.

The Spaniard has missed the team's opening four league matches, as well as Wednesday's 2-1 win at Olympique Marseille in the Champions League, and his return to the side is a further boost for the north Londoners who have enjoyed a good start to their campaign.

"The only player who could come back into the squad is Arteta, he comes back into full training today, I have to make the decision about him tomorrow morning," Wenger told a news conference.

"He's very influential and he's one of the leaders of the team and is a technical leader as well. We are happy to have him back because at the moment with the number of injuries we have we are a bit short and we have plenty of games in front of us."

Arsenal, with nine points, host Stoke City on Sunday (1230 GMT) without several players including midfielders Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Santi Carzola (ankle), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee) and forward Lukas Podolski (hamstring).

As well as the impending return of Arteta, another positive for Arsenal is the form of midfielder Aaron Ramsey who scored his side's second goal in Marseille this week and has netted six times this season in all competitions

If selected on Sunday, the Welshman will be coming up against the team who bring back bad memories for him after he suffered a career-threatening leg break following a tackle from defender Ryan Shawcross in February, 2010.

Wenger said it had taken his player a considerable amount of time to recover mentally from the incident while the injury had sidelined him for nine months.

"It took him a long time to get back completely over that, especially in the duels, in the fights," the Frenchman said.

"He had a little resistance to go into the fights for a long, long time but now he is over it. He scores goals now.

"I always thought he would score goals if he improves his technical quality...he has improved tremendously on that and that's why he scores goals. He has a great engine, great spirit and has an obsession - he wants always to be better."

Ramsey's teammate Theo Walcott said it was an honour to be playing with him in his current form.

"It always takes time when you have injuries," Walcott said on the club website (www.arsenal.com). "He had one of the worst injuries around in football. He's had a hard pre-season, he's worked really hard and it's definitely paying off now.

"He's enjoying his football and it's going to be difficult to get him off the football pitch, I'm pretty sure of that...I see him in training every day and he's looking a totally different player. He's like a new signing.

Gibraltar clubs to compete in Europe

There could be two Manchester Uniteds in European club competition next season after Uefa on Friday granted Gibraltar one place each in the Champions League and Europa League qualifying rounds.

Manchester United, the Gibraltan one, currently stand in third spot in the six-team premier division in the tiny British-held territory which lies off the southern tip of Spain and within sight of the African coastline.

Uefa, European football's governing body, accepted Gibraltar as its 54th member in May after a long battle for inclusion, and ruled to include two clubs at strategic talks by its executive committee in Dubrovnik.

The domestic Gibraltan league has three divisions with all participating clubs on an amateur status, Lincoln FC having been crowned champions for the last six seasons.

THE TWEET SPOT: EDEN HAZARD

Eden Hazard admitted it is his ambition this season to score with a header during last week's Twitter Q&A session.

The Belgian was the first Chelsea player of the 2013/14 campaign to answer fans' questions sent in via social media, responding to various questions about his career and preferences away from the game.

Having scored 13 times in his debut season, opening his account this time around against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Super Cup in Prague, the diminutive playmaker confessed, after a great deal of thought, he would like to net with his head to make a change.

'I would really like to score a header, that's my aim,' he joked, hoping Jose Mourinho can turn him into an aerial threat. Working with the Portuguese has so far been enjoyable for the 22-year-old. 'It is a great experience, I'm working hard. He likes to talk to us, and to the young players too, which is nice.

Hazard is definitely enjoying himself at Chelsea, and couldn't tell @OhDennisWise which home game in particular he is looking forward to most in the season ahead. 'I can't choose,' he said. 'I just enjoy playing at Stamford Bridge!'

Having grown up in a football-loving family, he offered some advice to young players when asked to do so by @SrtaOjosAzules. 'Take pleasure in your football,' he said. 'Enjoy it and it will come naturally. Work hard too.'

Looking back on the pre-season tour and travels in Indonesia, Hazard explained: 'I really enjoyed being in Indonesia, the country was great, the fans were great. Overall, the tour for me was great.'

Hazard was also asked by @ndm0m0 about a potential return to Japan and what he might do if he were to visit again, and admitted he would like to 'see more of the country. I really like sushi, so hopefully eat more out there!'

Slightly sheepishly, he went on to admit his love for food, and so it seemed apt to put @ChelseaChadder's query to him last - wondering what his preference is between Chelsea or Belgian buns,and he proudly answered: 'Belgian buns, for sure!

DRUMMY AND BAKER RELISHING EUROPEAN CHALLENGE

In the build-up to our opening UEFA Youth League game against FC Basel at Cobham, Dermot Drummy and Lewis Baker have been looking ahead to a new competition and testing ourselves against European opposition in a match that can be viewed live on Chelsea TV (Click for details).

The inaugural Under-19s' competition will mirror the senior Champions League during the group stages with our youngsters, managed by Drummy, facing the same opposition as the first team.

The Swiss side are first up later today, and the Blues boss is looking forward seeing how his team cope with the different demands placed upon them.

'In terms of age group, we only lose three players - Jamal Blackman, Adam Nditi and Alex Davey - from the squad that's performing well,' he tells the official Chelsea website. 'That shows firstly how young we are in the Under-21s but also that we should have expectations of progressing in this competition.

'The intensity of the way we play and the challenge to get in the team means the boys have an attitude where they don't want to lose their place.

'I've been pleased with our recent performances, but we don't know Basel, and looking at their first team and the way they played last season I'm sure it will be a good game.'

While the tournament itself is a new format, a number of our players were given a taste of European football last season when we competed - and finished as beaten finalists - in the NextGen Series.

'The NextGen was a massive competition for all of us, the players and staff,' he explains. 'Travelling to places such as Russia and then going so close to winning it in Lake Como makes us even more desperate to do well this time.

'Experience helps you along the way and even though playing against European teams won't be completely new to us, it will be interesting for the younger players we're going to add to the squad, so it gives them something to aim for.'

Baker, who was captain of that NextGen side, is hoping the players' experience in the NextGen will allow them to make a significant impact in the UEFA Youth League.

'It's great for us being able to play some of the best teams from across Europe and mirroring what the first team are doing,' he says.

'It's going to be a tough game. Their first team are in the Champions League so they're obviously going to be a quality side at our age group as well. We certainly won't be taking anything for granted but hopefully we can get the win.

'Last season the NextGen was a great tournament and we did well to get to the final. We played some great teams along the way such as Barcelona and Juventus [pictured below] and we competed really well against them

Baker has been an ever-present this season for the Under-21s who, since losing the opening game of the campaign against Tottenham Hotspur, have gone on to win our last three in a row, most recently against Norwich City last Friday.

The versatile midfielder, who played alongside Josh McEachran and Billy Clifford in the 2-0 win against the Canaries, hopes we can continue our run of form against the Swiss side.

'We're definitely confident, we've gone three games unbeaten now so everybody's really looking forward to the game. There's a great atmosphere within the group and we've really been enjoying training,' he says.

- The game will be broadcast live on Chelsea TV, with coverage beginning at 1pm. A repeat of the game in full will be shown at 10.30pm.

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V BASEL

European football at the Bridge picks up where it left off last season, with the side from the Swiss border country hosted. Club historian Rick Glanvill and clubs statistician Paul Dutton get ready for another group stage start…

TALKING POINTSCue Handel, shake the flag, remember Munich and dream of a second hug of ol' big ears for Chelsea, a third for manager Jose Mourinho.

The Blues suffered our first defeat in normal time for 15 games at Everton on Saturday, a run stretching back to the FA Cup semi-final against Man City on 14 April. It was the first in the league since Southampton away on 30 March, but resulted largely from a lack of precision in front of goal from the 22 attempts made.

In many ways the Londoners' performance was admirable: fluid passing and movement allied to pressing high up the pitch and regularly forcing errors from a well-drilled Everton back five. Last season the Blues were fortunate to take all three points away from Goodison Park; that's football.

The fixture between this international break and the opening Champions League game is usually a challenging one, but it has been successfully navigated the last three seasons. Manager and players will have learned a lot about each other which will be for the good going forward.

KEY STAT

If selected, John Terry will captain Chelsea for the 450th occasion tonight.

We have six current international centurions playing for the Blues. They are massively experienced at European level too - only two of the Champions League outfield squad are novices to it. Even of our younger players are veterans of last season's victorious Europa Cup campaign. They beat tonight's opponents Basel home and away to reach the final.

However, as Jose said yesterday, 'There is a big difference between the Champions League and Europa League, and we don't think the Europa League is the best habitat for players who want to be big players.' He intends giving those young 'eggs' free range tonight.

Importantly, that triumph in Amsterdam does position Chelsea as the only English members of an elite group who have won all three major UEFA major club competitions: the Champions League/European Cup (2011/12), the UEFA/Europa Cup (2012/13) and the Cup Winners' Cup (1970/71 and 1997/98). The others are Ajax, Bayern and Juventus.

Mourinho will set aside any bad memories from his most recent Chelsea match in the Champions League: the 1-1 draw to Rosenborg in 2007. He now bids to become the first manager to lift the world's greatest club trophy with a third different club following his successes with Porto (2003/04) and Internazionale (2009/10).

Throughout his last complete group stage at the Bridge, Mourinho's side conceded just one goal, equalling the competition record. He will know the importance of Stamford Bridge as a fortress, with two of the three opponents champions of their country.

Win the three home games and a team is well on the way to the knockout rounds. Two of our group opponents this season, Steaua and Basel, were beaten 3-1 at the Bridge on the route to the Europa League final.

The last five years show that 12 or more points accrued tends to win a Champions League group, while as few as eight have been required to progress as a runner-up.

Chelsea finished third in last season's Group E with 10 last season, largely as a result of squandering a 2-0 lead over Juve in the opening game at the Bridge.

KEY TWEET

Which would you most love Chelsea to win again if possible - the Premier League or Champions 

League?  #CFCPMB

So how have the other Group E teams fared so far this season? Tonight's opponents Basel, presently lying third in defence of their Super League title, have enjoyed three wins on the spin in all competitions, most recently a 1-0 Swiss Cup victory at mid-table fourth tier side Münsingen.

Indifferent early league form included a surprising home defeat by Zurich but they recently registered an impressive win over leaders Young Boys. Basel qualified for the group stage by seeing off Ludogorets of Bulgaria 4-2 away and 2-0 at St Jakob-Park.

Romanian champions Steaua are currently fourth in Liga 1, where confusion reigns resulting from relegations enforced on clubs for financial reasons, then rescinded in court, and unknown quantity Botosani top the table.

Steaua landed in the Champions League for the first time in five years after overcoming Legia Warsaw of Poland 3-3 on away goals.

Our fellow blues from Germany, Schalke, have also found form after a poor start in the Bundesliga, belying their mid-table position by beating Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz - the latter a fortuitous win courtesy of poor opposition finishing and a late strike by summer signing from Milan, Kevin-Prince Boateng.

The Gelsenkirchen side edged out Miroslav Stoch and PAOK 4-3 in the Champions League play-off round.

MOURINHO: A HARD HISTORY

Sixteen months after that night in Munich, Jose Mourinho has said Chelsea deserved to win the Champions League following all the years of hurt that preceded our 2012 success.

Mourinho, who has lifted the trophy with Porto and Inter, takes charge of us in the competition for the first time since his return to Stamford Bridge tonight when we host Basel, and hopes it is the beginning of a process that will bring our second Champions League success after several near misses in the previous decade.

'For me the important thing is that Chelsea had a dream, and the dream became true by winning the Champions League two years ago,' said the Portuguese.' I think it's normal that if you win it once you dream to win it twice. That's normal, and it happened to me. Then I dream to win it the third time, that's the nature of football.

'My feeling was that Chelsea, not specifically in that year, but all over the years, Chelsea Football Club and the players, the owner, and the fans, deserved to win it. It's a hard history to take and to keep fighting for.

'It starts in my time with the semi-final we lost and it was not a goal. [Then] we lose the semi-final on penalties. It's hard to take. The season after, they lose the final with penalties again. It's hard to take. After that comes the beautiful moment of the game against Barcelona with the referee from Norway, I think. It's a semi-final, it's hard to take.

'It's a history that is difficult. Some of the players were in every one of these moments. The fans were in every moment. The owner was in every moment. When Chelsea won the Champions League, they probably did it in a year nobody was expecting. The fact they did it, it was justice for a club and players that did so much to touch that cup.'

Who knows what the 2013/14 season will bring, but nobody will be trying harder than Mourinho to try and bring the Champions League trophy back to the Bridge.

United forecast record revenues

New sponsorship and broadcast deals are expected to drive record revenues for English champions Manchester United in 2013-14 and enable them to keep pace with European rivals including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

United, controlled by the American Glazer family, forecast revenues would rise to between 420 and 430 million pounds in the year to next June. That was based on the team finishing at least third in the English Premier League and reaching the quarterfinals of Europe's Champions League and domestic cups.

United were already Britain's richest soccer club and will benefit from enhanced Premier League TV rights deals that began last month and new club sponsorship deals including a particularly lucrative one with General Motors.

Madrid are the only soccer club to have so far broken the €500 million revenue barrier but their Spanish rivals Barcelona expect to do so this season.

United listed on the New York Stock Exchange last year, a long way from their home in northern England. The stock has risen from its flotation price of $14 to trade at over $17, valuing the club at around $2.8 billion.

In a separate statement, United signalled they may seek to raise up to $400 million through fresh sales of shares although there was no time frame set for any fundraising.

Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward said the club had met its targets since its flotation last year, helped by the team winning England's top soccer division for a record 20th time before manager Alex Ferguson retired.

"Our commercial business continues to be a very powerful engine of growth enabling the team to continue to be successful," said Woodward, a former investment banker who has just stepped up to the top executive role.

David Moyes had the tough task of succeeding Ferguson, the most successful manager in English soccer.

Woodward and Moyes have already faced criticism after Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini was the club's sole high-profile recruit during the recent transfer window.

Revenues in the year to June 2013 came in at 363.2 million pounds, just ahead of the club's forecast. Profit was 108.6 million pounds, excluding items such as interest and tax payments.

Casillas suffers bruised ribs

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has suffered bruised ribs and his recovery time will depend on how he responds to treatment, the nine-time European champions said after tests on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Spain captain should be fit to return to action for their next Champions League outing at home to Copenhagen on October 2, local media reported.

Casillas collided with teammate Sergio Ramos in the opening moments of Tuesday's 6-1 Champions League rout of Galatasaray. After trying to play on, he decided to call for Diego Lopez to come on and replace him.

It was a bitter blow for Casillas, an ever-present figure in the Real goal for more than a decade, who was returning to play a competitive match for the first time since the beginning of the year when he broke a bone in his hand and lost the No 1 jersey to Lopez.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has continued where Jose Mourinho left off last season, and started Lopez in their opening four La Liga matches, though he said at the weekend that Casillas would be the team's keeper in cup competitions.

"There was a lack of communication, but there was so much noise we couldn't hear each other," Real defender Ramos told sports daily Marca, of the incident where he jumped into Casillas. "It was really unlucky."

Casillas's hand injury was also caused by a teammate when defender Alvaro Arbeloa kicked him while attempting a clearance in a King's Cup match against Valencia in January.

Ramos posted a photo on his Twitter account on Wednesday of Casillas smiling and pretending to punch him while on the plane back from Istanbul.

"Departing for home sitting beside...hmmmm. Someone wants to kill me today. It won't be anything, he'll be back soon," Ramos wrote.

Ronaldo reminds Bale who is the boss

With his hat-trick against Galatasaray, Cristiano Ronaldo reminded new Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale who is the boss on the pitch, after the Welshman had surpassed him off it as the world's most expensive player.

The Portuguese forward grabbed three second-half goals as Real romped to a 6-1 away win in their Champions League Group B opener on Tuesday, taking his tally with the nine-time European champions to 206 goals from 204 games.

Bale's arrival from Tottenham Hotspur for €100 million this month, surpassing the then-record 94 million they paid for Ronaldo in 2009, prompted the club to move swiftly to keep their leading scorer happy.

Ronaldo agreed a new contract with Real president Florentino Perez on Sunday which ties him until 2018 and reportedly makes him the world's highest-paid player with a net annual wage of some €17 million.

"The last few days have been great for me," Ronaldo told reporters.

"I am very pleased. We did what we had to do, which was to win, and the others drew (Copenhagen held Juventus 1-1), which is even better.

"Our next two games are at home so if we win them we will be doing really well towards making the next stage."

Bale came on as a second-half substitute and played a part in setting up the fourth and fifth goals for Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Ronaldo, who spent six years in England with Manchester United, was the first to greet Bale when he arrived for his debut training session last week, seemingly taking him under his wing and speaking to him in English, and has been seen pushing him hard in training.

"We are getting to know each other," Ronaldo said. "He is steadily getting up to speed because he has been out of action for a while and it is all going well for him."

Bale joked at his official presentation that Ronaldo was the boss when it came to team hierarchy and the taking of free kicks, but the midfielder got to take the set piece that led to Ronaldo's second goal.

"It was great to be back in the Champions League again," Bale, who scored on his league debut against Villarreal at the weekend, told reporters.

"It was nice to be able to contribute immediately, taking the free kick. It was fantastic to be involved in all three of the goals at the end.

"It was important to be able to show what we can do. It was great to play for a bit to help me improve my physical fitness."

Fellow new recruit Isco has also set a high standard for Bale to match. He scored the all-important opening goal against Galatasaray, to make it four goals in five appearances in all competitions so far.

France striker Karim Benzema's brace helped him to respond to rumblings of discontent with some of his recent performances, in particular with his national team.

"I'm feeling good. I had a difficult moment (being a substitute for France's last international outing) but I am looking to change this quickly," the 25-year-old told reporters.

"It's not a problem. I feel very settled at the club, happy, and I work hard to put in these types of performances.

Bayern give perfect response to criticism

Pep Guardiola was delighted to see his Bayern Munich side respond to criticism of their style of play with a 3-0 win against CSKA Moscow in his first Champions League game in charge of the club.

Goals by left-back David Alaba, striker Mario Mandzukic and Dutch winger Arjen Robben sealed a convincing win as the defending champions opened their Group D campaign at Munich's Allianz Arena with the perfect riposte to suggestions their football had been "lacklustre".

After winning 14 titles in four years at Barcelona – including the 2009 and 2011 Champions League titles – Guardiola has been the centre of much hype since his arrival in Bavaria.

Jupp Heynckes led Bayern to the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League last season and Guardiola has been under pressure to continue that success since taking charge in June.

After Bayern beat Hanover 2-0 on Saturday, director of sport Matthias Sammer accused Guardiola's team of playing "lacklustre football", but the champions responded with a convincing display.

"I speak to Matthias on a daily basis and he has given me a lot of support since my arrival," said Guardiola, dismissing suggestions of any problem with Sammer.

"We talk all the time, we talk about the team, we talk tactics, even about the pasta and the fish we had for lunch.

"There's nothing we wouldn't talk about."

Austria's Alaba was outstanding throughout, hitting a pin-point free-kick for the opening goal, then playing a deft chip over the CSKA defence for Robben to slam home Bayern's third.

The Dutchman said the team had responded to Sammer's comments but knew they had been below-par going into Tuesday's match.

"We know when we play well or when we don't and we were certainly lacking aggression last Saturday (against Hanover)," said Robben.

Having scored the winning goal against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in May's Champions League final, Robben said talk of the Bavarians reaching their fourth final in five years is premature.

"We have to take things step by step, get through the group stage and take it from there," said the 29-year-old.

"We need to focus on ourselves and improve, it's important to be on your game next spring when the decisive matches are played.

"We faced a good opponent today and got off to a good start with three points, but it's too early to dream of another final."

This was arguably Bayern's most polished performance under Guardiola, even with vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger starting on the bench as he recovers from an ankle strain.

"The team picked up tonight were they left off after the game against Dortmund at Wembley," said contented chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Bayern needed just four minutes to get on the scoresheet when Alaba floated a beautiful free-kick over the CSKA wall and never looked back against the hard-working Russian champions.

With a taxing trip to fellow Champions League side Schalke 04 up next on Saturday evening in the Bundesliga, Guardiola was happy with the manner of the win as much as the margin.

"We played well, we controlled the game with our pressing and I am proud of the players," said Guardiola.

"People think it'll be easy for us this year having won the title last season, but that's not how it is.

"We kept the ball well in midfield and we play better when that is the case."

"You could see how we are better at controlling our game with our ability to press the opposition's defence.

Moyes salutes 'world-class' Rooney

Manchester United manager David Moyes lavished praise on Wayne Rooney after the striker inspired his side to a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Champions League game.

The England striker scored twice and set up a late goal for Antonio Valencia to give the Premier League champions a strong start in Group A and further confirm his commitment to the United cause.

Moyes spent his first close season at Old Trafford fighting to keep Rooney at the club amid interest from Chelsea, and with three goals in two games, the 27-year-old has now reached the milestone of 200 goals for United.

He requires 50 further goals to surpass Bobby Charlton as United's all-time leading scorer and Moyes says the prospect of a place in the club's history books helped persuade the former Everton player to stay put.

"It was something that we made him aware of," Moyes told reporters after Tuesday's game at Old Trafford.

"More importantly, I wanted to get him back in really good condition and mentally correct when he was ready to play.

"I think you see him. He's moving as well as he has done, he's in a good place in himself at the moment, and obviously any centre-forward who's scoring goals feels good about himself."

Moyes added: "If you want to win the Champions League, you need to have several world-class players and Wayne would certainly come into that category."

Rooney is only the fourth player to have reached a double-century of United goals, after Charlton (249), Denis Law (237) and Jack Rowley (211).

"I remember coming in and saying he's got a real chance to be one of the all-time leading goal-scorers at this club," Moyes added.

"If he keeps playing like he did tonight, he'll get there. He was very, very good."

Moyes also reserved praise for Marouane Fellaini, who has followed him to United from Everton and who produced an assured performance on his full debut before going off in the second half.

"I thought he played well tonight," Moyes said.

"He settled in well. He started to get a little bit of cramp mid-way through the second half so I thought I wouldn't take any chances with him. But he did a good job."

After Rooney put United ahead with a 22nd-minute volley, Simon Rolfes equalised with a deflected shot nine minutes into the second half.

However, an acrobatic Robin van Persie volley restored United's lead five minutes later and further goals from Rooney and Valencia made it 4-1, before Omer Toprak claimed a consolation with two minutes to play.

Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia, the former Liverpool centre-back, admitted that his side had struggled to get to grips with the effervescent Rooney.

"He's done it for years already and I think he still has a few years left," said Hyypia, who came up against Rooney on a number of occasions during his 10-year Anfield career.

"To score 200 goals is a good achievement. It's a few more than I scored in my career.

"He's still scoring goals and I think he'll score goals for a few years more. It looks so easy, how he's playing."

United's opening goal was contentious, with Valencia appearing to stray into an offside position as Rooney dispatched his shot, but Hyypia refused to criticise Slovenian referee Damir Skomina.

"The first goal is always important in football, but I haven't seen it on TV so I can't comment too much," he said.

"I heard it might have been offside, but those are things you can't control and after the game, there's no use talking about them.

"We need to analyse what we could have done better tonight and try to work on them on the training pitch and do those things better next time.

British trio primed for Europa adventure

A revamped Tottenham Hotspur will headline the Premier League's quest for Europa League success when the group stage begins on Thursday.

Spurs, winners of the competition in 1972 and 1984, will also be joined by Welsh outfit Swansea City and English second-tier side and European debutants Wigan Athletic.

Tottenham again finished agonisingly out of the Champions League places last season, consigning them to the Europa League for the third year running.

Andre Villas-Boas's men were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage on penalties by Switzerland's Basle a year ago, but a favourable draw –Tromso, Sheriff Tiraspol and Anzhi Makachkala accompany Spurs in Group K – has the north Londoners targeting another deep run.

Despite the departure of talisman Gareth Bale, who joined Real Madrid for more than €90 million earlier this month, Spurs have reinforced their squad with seven new signings.

"Obviously the Europa League is a massive competition and we've got a big squad this season, so we're looking to really challenge on all fronts," said midfielder Andros Townsend, who faces increased competition following the arrivals of Christian Eriksen, Paulinho and Erik Lamela.

"We're looking to go into Thursday's game with confidence from the win (over Norwich) on Saturday and hope we get a good result.

"We've got the squad to challenge on all fronts, but first and foremost we've got to focus on getting out of our group," added Townsend ahead of the visit of Norway's Tromso.

Swansea travel to Valencia in their opening Group A match, marking a return to Spain for manager Michael Laudrup, who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid and guided Getafe to the quarterfinals in 2008.

Laudrup's Premier League side, who qualified by virtue of winning the English League Cup, features a sizeable Spanish contingency, although ex-Valencia winger Pablo Hernandez will miss out against his former club due to a hamstring injury.

"It will be another very difficult game for us," said Laudrup, whose team were also drawn with Russian club Kuban Krasnodar and Swiss side St Gallen.

"(Valencia) are a very good side, but our supporters will be looking forward to going over there, and obviously the players too."

That sentiment was echoed by defender Ashley Williams, who added: "It is nights and games like this that you look forward to and as a squad we will certainly give this our very best shot."

Wigan's first foray into Europe comes with the Latics grinding it out in the Championship after their shock FA Cup win over Manchester City was followed by relegation from the top flight.

The extra fixtures will undoubtedly complicate Wigan's quest for an immediate return to the Premier League, but partaking in European competition was something chairman Dave Whelan never thought he would see.

"It is somewhere you think you will never ever get to - apart from holidays in Majorca," said Whelan ahead of the club's trip to Belgian outfit Zulte Waregem in Group D that also includes Russia's Rubin Kazan and Slovenia's Maribor.

"It's exciting going into Europe for the first time for almost everyone in the squad, and of course for the first time for the club, and we'll see what we can do on that stage," added midfielder Callum McManaman.

Elsewhere, Italian hopefuls Fiorentina, who host Pacos Ferreira, will have to make do without Germany striker Mario Gomez, who was ruled out for up to seven weeks after damaging knee ligaments over the weekend.

Two-time winners Sevilla start their campaign against Portuguese newcomers Estoril, while Lyon go to Real Betis of Spain and PSV Eindhoven host Bulgarian side Ludogorets.

Fifa wants playoff dates by Friday

Fifa has ordered all ten African teams involved in the final phase of the World Cup qualifies to confirm date and venue fixtures of their play-offs by Friday, September 20.

The teams, Cote D’ivoire, Senegal, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Camaroon must submit the dates and venue for their respective home fixture in the next four days.

The global body has fixed the weekend of October 11-15 and November 15-19 as dates for both legs with the various teams allowed picking a day within the allotted date.

Ghana is said to be considering the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi as home venue for the Black Stars clash with Egypt in the game expected to fall within October 11-15.

The information indicates that Egypt could be compelled by FIFA to choose between Alexandria and Cairo as venue for the return leg billed within November 15-19 despite the Pharaohs previous usage of the El Gouna arena.

In other pairings, Cote D’Ivoire host Senegal in Abidjan before journeying to the alternative fr Dakar since its banned for the return leg a month on.

Ethiopia will be at home to African champions, Nigeria in the first leg. Tunisia will face off Cameroon whilst Algeria play Burkina Faso.

Winners of the two-legged game will form Africa’s five representatives at the 2014 World Cup to be hosted by Brazil.

Schalke boss hails Boateng

Ahead of the Champions League tie between Schalke and Steaua Bucharesti, the German side are hailing the impact of the Ghanaian playmaker.

Sporting Director Horst Heldt had some nice things to say about Kevin-Prince Boateng after he got the club three points at the weekend.

“We have noticed from the first training that he is an absolute quality player,” Heldt said.

The German outfit have been group winners in their last two Champions League campaigns, but they were surprisingly eliminated in the knockout round of the competition by Turkish side Galatasaray last season.

Steaua, meanwhile, are the only Romanian club to have won the European Cup, that success coming against Barcelona in 1986. This is the seventh time that they have made it into the group stages of the competition, but they have not appeared since 2008.

“The whole team worked well. But Boateng was the centre. He brings himself, has no airs and graces.”

“We are now looking at the Uefa Champions League game against Steaua Bucharesti on Wednesday and I know he will make a big impact.”

The Ghana international himself is hopeful Schalke can carry its newly found momentum into the group stage of Europe's premier club competition.

"I'm very, very happy that we collected a win today and I hope that it can continue like this," Boateng said after Saturday's win. "We were well organized and rarely afforded Mainz a sight of goal. Now I hope we can maintain our momentum going into the Champions League."

The Romanian club's record in the competition is disappointing, however, with just four wins from their 36 matches. Their last win came over Dynamo Kiev in September 2006.

Schalke have made a stuttering start to their league season with two wins, one draw and two defeats leaving them ninth in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Steaua currently occupy fourth spot in their domestic league, winning four and drawing one of their five matches.

Barca welcome Ajax for historic clash

For two sides with such a great history in European football, the meeting between Barcelona and Ajax on Wednesday night will remarkably be the first ever competitive match between the two clubs.

The feeling that this is an historic occasion is felt even more strongly in the Catalan capital given the huge influence the Ajax model has had on the incredible success Barcelona have enjoyed over the past three decades.

Both sides have four European Cup titles to their name but it wasn't until 1992 that Barca won the famous trophy for the first time when Johan Cruyff, who as a player had guided Ajax to their first three European titles, was the Barca coach.

Since then Cruyff's influence has continued at Barca in the 4-3-3 formation that they still use and most notably in the success of a former Cruyff pupil in Pep Guardiola during his period in charge.

Despite currently being an advisor to the Dutch club, Cruyff won't be at the Camp Nou on Wednesday due to an on-going bust up with Barca president Sandro Rosell, which prompted Cruyff to claim he will not step foot in the Camp Nou until Rosell's term in charge comes to an end.

On the field, Barca have had an uncertain start to the season despite winning all four of their league games and reclaiming the Spanish Super Cup.

The Spanish champions needed an injury time winner from Alexis Sanchez to beat Sevilla 3-2 on Saturday after spurning a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes.

However, winger Cristian Tello believes it is a positive sign that they have continued to win whilst adjusting to new coach Gerardo Martino's methods.

"It is good to be critical of ourselves and even more so when we have taken 12 points from a possible 12 and won the Super Cup," he told a press conference on Monday.

"Martino is adding new facets to our game that perhaps we lacked so that we are not predictable."

There are defensive concerns for Martino as left-back Jordi Alba has been ruled out for three weeks due to a hamstring injury.

Carles Puyol is also still unavailable, although he is nearing full fitness following knee surgery, but otherwise Martino has a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Pedro Rodriguez is expected to come back into the side in place of Tello to partner Neymar and Lionel Messi in attack after being rested against Sevilla, while Adriano will deputise for Alba at left-back.

Ajax, meanwhile, also warmed up for the game in unconvincing fashion with a 2-1 win over PEC Zwolle on Saturday.

Coach Frank de Boer, a former Barca player, rested a host of first team players for the match and afterwards admitted that his side had been lucky to take all three points.

On-loan Barca forward Bojan Krkic is free to play against his parent club and is expected to return to the starting line-up, whilst captain Siem de Jong should also feature after making his comeback from a collapsed lung as a substitute at the weekend.

Buoyant Arsenal seek winning start

In-form Arsenal face Marseille on Wednesday wary of the need to hit the ground running in what was just about the toughest Champions League group they could have been given.

The Gunners have won their last five matches in all competitions, and sit in a lofty position at the top of the Premier League after Saturday's 3-1 win at Sunderland.

That sequence of results, combined with the feel-good factor generated by the arrival of record signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid, ensures that confidence is high in Arsene Wenger's squad just now, even if they continue to be plagued by injuries.

Santi Cazorla was the latest man to arrive in the treatment room, with an ankle problem ruling him out for the next few weeks, and the Spain star joins the likes of Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines.

The increasingly pivotal Olivier Giroud should be fit, however, despite picking up a knee knock in the win at Sunderland, and Wenger certainly hopes so after admitting that the France striker "is the player at the moment that would be very difficult to replace."

A return to a ground he knows well from his days with Montpellier would be a special occasion for Giroud, as Arsenal seek to extend their record of never having lost away to a French club.

"I know Marseille very well, it is a big atmosphere there and an amazing crowd," Giroud told the Arsenal website.

"I am sure we will fight as we need a first win in the Champions League to start well. We need to be strong. Even though we have a lot of injuries, we have a lot of quality and we need to win this game."

These clubs met in the group stage two years ago, an Aaron Ramsey goal in injury time securing a 1-0 win for Arsenal at the Stade Velodrome before the clubs drew 0-0 in London.

Amid all the talk about Ozil, who impressed on his debut at the weekend, Ramsey has been Arsenal's outstanding player in the opening weeks of this season.

The Welshman scored three times in the 5-0 play-off round win over Fenerbahce and was at it again on Saturday, netting a brace.

Nevertheless, it is the arrival of Ozil that has lifted the mood among Gunners fans and raised hopes that their team can progress from the group stage for a 14th consecutive campaign despite the presence of last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund and a Napoli side to be taken seriously under Rafael Benitez.

Marseille started the Ligue 1 season with three consecutive wins but needed a late equaliser from Brazilian defender Lucas Mendes to come away from Toulouse with a point on Saturday.

While hoping to push fancied duo Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco all the way on the domestic front, there was an acceptance by coach Elie Baup as soon as the draw was made that his team were very much the outsiders in Group F.

"The other three teams are superior to us but we can be the surprise package," said Baup at the time.

Baup says hard work and an intensive pressing game will be the keys to unsettling Arsenal at a Stade Velodrome which will attract a crowd of around 45,000 despite remaining partially under construction.

Nevertheless, the 1993 European champions can boast considerable attacking potential with the likes of Mathieu Valbuena, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Dimitri Payet being joined by France under-20 World Cup winner Florian Thauvin, who completed a protracted transfer from Lille just before the deadline and will hope to make his home debut.

"He has trained a lot and run a lot but he has hardly played any games," said Baup of the talented Thauvin, who had previously been monitored by Arsenal and who made his first appearance for Marseille at Toulouse on Saturday.

"I know he is not yet ready but he needs to reacclimatise to playing competitive games.

Platini postpones decision on top job

Uefa president Michel Platini has said that he will make a decision on whether to run for Fifa presidency next year at the earliest.

"I have not yet decided what will I do in the future, and I want to have a few additional months to think," he told Uefa members in Dubrovnik ahead of this week's executive committee meeting.

"I will take my decision during or after the World Cup in Brazil, not before."

Fifa president Sepp Blatter's mandate runs until 2015 and Platini has long been considered a natural replacement for the 77-year-old Swiss.

"I deeply love Uefa, and it would be heart-breaking to choose another path, but at the same time, the question continuously pops up and it is a legitimate one," said the former France captain.

"This is the reason why it is important for me to take my time, to make sure I take the right decision."

"Furthermore, these elections are in two years' time, and I think it would be egotistical of me to make it a topic for debate or discussion now when football faces much more important issues than me or my situation."

"Let's concentrate on the key current matters and we will have the occasion to think about my future in the coming months.

Ancelotti slams PSG management

Carlo Ancelotti left his job at Paris St Germain because he felt he did not have the full trust of the management, the now Real Madrid coach said on Tuesday.

Ancelotti, who led PSG to the Ligue 1 title last season, left the club 18 months into a two-and-a-half-year contract, sticking to a decision he made in March.

"When I sign a contract, I usually hope to extend it and stay for a long time," the Italian told French sports daily L'Equipe.

"When I signed with PSG I believed in a project. New players were joining, a team was about to be built and this is something that takes time," said the Italian who switched to Real Madrid in June.

"The first six months were good but the following year I understood that the management had changed their point of view. There was no project anymore just an idea to get results immediately."

Ancelotti acknowledged being under pressure last December after his team conceded three defeats in five games. But after a 1-0 against Reims in March, he said he did "not feel the trust" of sports director Leonardo and president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

"It is true that we had payed badly. But I thought that after the good three months we just had, I would have a bit of tranquillity," Ancelotti, who led PSG to the Champions League quarter-finals last season, said.

"The day after, I told Leonardo that I would not coach (PSG) at the end of the season.

"Everybody thought that I left because I had Real Madrid. This is not true. I made this decision, I don't know if it's the right one, but it had become too complicated at PSG.

Barca income to exceed €500 million

Barcelona's revenue is projected to rise to €509 million this season, the Spanish champions said on Tuesday, making the club only the second to cross the half-billion threshold after arch rivals Real Madrid.

Income for the 2013-14 campaign will be boosted by extra cash from sponsorship deals, as well as the sale of Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara to Bayern Munich, Toni Freixa, a spokesman for the Barca board of directors, told a news conference.

The club were targeting a post-tax profit of 36 million euros, he added.

"This is not a message of triumph, since it is still difficult to manage the club and we have to continue the policy of austerity," Freixa said.

Real and Barca are soccer's richest clubs by income, according to the latest ranking by accounting firm Deloitte published in January.

Real earned more than 500 million euros for a second consecutive season in 2012-13, with revenue rising 1.3 percent to 520.9 million, the club said this month.

They made a net profit of 36.9 million euros, up from 24.2 million the previous campaign.

Freixa added that the construction of a new Nou Camp stadium or the renovation of the existing arena was under review.

Egypt play down Ghana inferiority

Egypt's assistant coach Diaa El-Sayed believes a win against Ghana should not be taken for granted, stressing that the Pharaohs will have a tough mission against the Black Stars.

Egyptian fans felt relief on Monday after the draw for the World Cup play-offs which paired Egypt with Ghana, avoiding North African rivals Algeria and Tunisia.

The first leg will be played in Ghana from 11-15 October and the second from 15-19 November in Egypt.

"It will be a very tough game. We should not underestimate Ghana," El-Sayed told Ahram Sports on Monday.

"Local media are optimistic after being paired with Ghana but there is no room for optimism. It is time to work hard.''

"There is no difference between a North African rival and another. All teams who qualified for the play-offs are looking for a place in the World Cup and they will fight fiercely to achieve their target."

El-Sayed revealed that Egypt will prepare for their upcoming clash with two friendlies.

"We will prepare for Ghana's clash with two friendly games, and we have started communications with Cameroon and Burkina Faso for this," he added.

Egypt qualified for the World Cup in 1934 and 1990.

No home advantage for Senegal

Senegal will be playing their home match in the 2014 World Cup knockout stage away from the country following Caf’s one-year ban on the team’s home ground.

The Teranga Lions were drawn against familiar foes, the Elephants of Ivory Coast, on Monday, which was followed by speculations that the Senegalese might be allowed to host the Ivorian side in Dakar.

Caf on Tuesday said the suspension imposed on the Sedar Senghor Stadium was still in force and that Senegal would have to move the encounter to another country.

Coach Alain Giresse says Morocco is a favourite destination but that the Senegal Football Federation will decide the eventual venue after an Executive Committee meeting on September 24.

Senegal have already played two home matches abroad. They hosted Angola on March 23 in Conakry, Guinea and Uganda on September 7 in Marrakech, Morocco.

The Sedar Senghor Stadium was banned last year following riots from local supporters when their side lost the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier to Ivory Coast.