By Tim Stannard

1) Groups to be drawn in Champions League

The Champions League. It’s great isn’t it? Not really. There are no decent games until March, a big side has to be really incompetent or Italian to get knocked out before Christmas, and as much as hipsters pretend to love the idea of Ludogorets in the group stages, nobody will watch them.

Still, UEFA’s brilliant smoke and mirrors routine has a ‘milestone’ moment on Thursday with the group stages draw from 12PM ET / 9AM PT, which to be fair will be better than some of the games.

But if you are still interested in this bloated, borrowed-time, overly pompous monstrosity, that even Europe’s top clubs feel is a dead duck, then tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET for a full analysis of a draw that has seeded Benfica and Leicester City higher than Atletico Madrid.

2) Barcelona make move for safe hands Cillessen

Barcelona have been hovering around Ajax goalkeeper, Jasper Cillessen, for some time now. But the Dutch international goalkeeper conceding four goals for his old side in the Champions League play-off on Wednesday night appears to have been too much to resist. Cillessen joins for $14m plus variables on a five-year deal.

Other transfer news out of the Camp Nou could see Paco Alcacer moving in from Valencia with Munir moving out to Celta Vigo, to fill their Nolito-shaped hole.

A man at the other end of the Barcelona goalkeeper chain, Joe Hart, probably played his last Man City game on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Steaua Bucharest in a Champions League play-off. In doing so, the unwanted England man completed 16 passes from 16, to please Pep Guardiola. "Wow, pigs do fly, do they?" joshed Hart. 

3) Maradona suggests Messi retirement was fake 

Diego Maradona speaks! And he suggests that Leo Messi’s ‘retirement’ was perhaps a bit of scam. “I do not know if Messi’s retirement was a set-up to help us forget about the fact that we lost three finals in a row,” ruminated Maradona.

FIFA NEWS! Sepp Blatter has begun a process of what he feels is clearing his name. The former FIFA president is before the court of arbitration for sport to appeal a six-year ban from all football activity imposed by the organization he used to run over the infamous payment to Michel Platini that ended both men’s careers.

4) Arsenal to win battle for Depor striker

The English press are reporting that the Arsenal are close to signing the very excellent Deportivo striker, Lucas Perez, for a fee of around $22 million. The Spanish forward popped in 17 league goals last season for a not particularly great team. Everton are also set to be interested in snapping Perez up.

From one former Atletico Madrid player to a current. Sort of. Fullback, Javier Manquillo joins Sunderland on loan for the season.

THE EFL Cup third-round draw took place on Wednesday night after the completion of round 2 - all on beIN SPORTS, of course - and the most curious fixtures see Manchester United travelling to Northampton Town and Arsenal facing Nottingham Forest.

5) USA Rio stars return to track on beIN SPORTS

Need a track and field fix after the glories of the Olympic Games? Then beIN SPORTS has the answer with some top class athletics in the Diamond League from Lausanne, Switzerland from 2PM ET / 11AM PT.

Tianna Bartoletta competes in the long jump after winning gold and Matthew Centrowitz is back-on-the-track after his incredible Rio win in the 1500 meters. And don’t miss the world-record breaking Kendra Harrison in the sprint hurdles.