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Tim Cahill has been dropped by Australia coach Ange Postecoglou for the Socceroos' upcoming World Cup qualifier against Thailand as part of four changes to his squad.

Postecoglou trimmed his initial 30-man list to 23 on Wednesday with Brisbane Roar forward Jamie Maclaren earning a late promotion after scoring his opening goal of the A-League season against Perth Glory on Sunday.

FC Tokyo forward Nathan Burns, Perth Glory full-back Josh Risdon and 1860 Munich defender Milos Degenek were also recalled.

Cahill has been left out of the squad for the match in Bangkok on November 15 as the 36-year-old looks to fully recover from soreness that saw him miss Melbourne City's win over Adelaide United last week.

Apostolos Giannou, Chris Ikonomidis and Ryan McGowan have also been omitted from the squad that took on Saudi Arabia and Japan in October.

"Tim has been left out primarily because we have a 10-day lead in, which is very rare, and I want to be able to put the squad through a lot of work," Postecoglou said in a statement.

"He [Cahill] has done a lot of travel for club and country and I have decided it is better he remains in Melbourne where he is being managed well to ensure he is back on the park as soon as possible and ready for us down the track.

"Jamie Maclaren has started the season well in Brisbane and transformed that form into a goal on the weekend so he will come into the squad, as will 'Burnsy', which gives us options up front."

The other players to miss out from the preliminary squad are Aziz Behich, Luke Brattan, Jason Geria and Tommy Oar.

"It was good to have another weekend of matches to look at before deciding on the final 23-man squad and we will travel to Thailand for a solid training camp ahead of what is an important match," Postecoglou added.

Goalkeepers: Adam Federici (Bournemouth), Mitchell Langerak (Stuttgart), Mathew Ryan (Valencia)

Defenders: Milos Degenek (1860 Munich), Alex Gersbach (Rosenborg), Josh Risdon (Perth Glory), Trent Sainsbury (Jiangsu Suning), Brad Smith (Bournemouth), Matthew Spiranovic (Hangzhou Greentown), Bailey Wright (Preston North End)

Midfielders: Craig Goodwin (Sparta Rotterdam), Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion), Mile Jedinak (Aston Villa), James Jeggo (Sturm Graz), Massimo Luongo (QPR), Mark Milligan (Baniyas), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town), Tom Rogic (Celtic)

Forwards: Nathan Burns (FC Tokyo), Tomi Juric (Luzern), Robbie Kruse (Bayer Leverkusen), Mathew Leckie (Ingolstadt), Jamie Maclaren (Brisbane Roar)

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Tim Cahill has been dropped by Australia coach Ange Postecoglou for the Socceroos' upcoming World Cup qualifier against Thailand as part of four changes.

Cahill dropped by Socceroos for World Cup qualifier

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Liverpool striker Danny Ings will miss the rest of this season due to knee cartilage surgery, the Premier League club have confirmed

Ings sustained the injury to his right knee during last week's 2-1 EFL Cup fourth-round victory over Tottenham.

The 24-year-old will go under the knife in London on Wednesday and is likely to be sidelined for between seven to nine months.

It is the latest serious knee injury to dog the former Burnley forward, who had his 2015-16 campaign ended last October when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training.

The Tottenham match was Ings' second appearance this term having also featured as a substitute against Derby County in the previous round.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: "To say we are gutted would be an understatement; he is such a great boy and has worked so hard that he deserves better luck than this.

"It is typical of Danny's personality, on and off the pitch, that he picked up this injury to his knee when courageously trying to win the ball back for his team by making a tackle.

"But it is this same personality that means he will come back as good and as strong from this latest setback as he has done in the past.

"I'm told the likely lay off is anywhere from between seven to nine months. He is mentally strong, physically strong and will have the very best treatment and rehab possible to make sure when he returns he is ready to play for us at the level we know he is capable of."

Premier League Danny Ings has suffered another major knee injury setback and will not feature for Liverpool again this season.

Premier League: Liverpool's Ings out for the season

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed an emotional reunion with Polish fanÂ David Pawlaczyc at the team's Warsaw hotel on Wednesday.

David hit headlines in 2014 when he was roused from a coma after listening to a replay of Ronaldo scoring a goal.

The youngster, who had been knocked off his bike by a car in August 2013, awoke after a specialist suggested playing a recording of the moment when Ronaldo netted his third goal for Portugal in a World Cup play-off against Sweden

He was then invited by the forward to a Champions League game at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2014, where he watched the match from a VIP box.

Madrid posted a photograph on Wednesday of Ronaldo and David, along with his family, who had driven six hours to visit the team's hotel in Warsaw.

Ronaldo, whose side face Legia in a Champions League clash, signed merchandise after posing for pictures.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed an reunion with fan David Pawlaczyc at the team's Warsaw hotel, ahead of their Champions League clash with Legia.

LaLiga: Cristiano Ronaldo reunites with coma patient

Sanchez, who played for Barcelona for three years from 2011,Â is alleged to have defrauded the Spanish Treasury by an amount totalling â‚¬983,443 in 2012 and 2013.

According to El Peridodico de Catalunya, a criminal complaint has been raised against the 27-year-old by prosecutor Miguel Angel Perez de Gregorio over a failure to pay tax on image rights.

It is claimed that Sanchez simulated the transfer of those rights to Numidia Trading, a company listed as being based in Malta, and failed to declare his earnings in full.

According to the report, the prosecutor's official complaint accuses Sanchez of "simulating"Â the transfer of his image rights to a company described as a "purely instrumental entity"Â used to facilitate "fraud committed against the Spanish Treasury".

It is also alleged that Sanchez signed a contract with Barcelona in July 2011 in which he declared that he was the owner of his image rights, when in fact he had apparently transferred those rights to a company called Inversiones Alsan in Chile in 2008 â“ of which he owns 99 per cent â“ before they were moved to Numidia three years later.

Sanchez, who is yet to comment on the claims,Â is not the first player to be involved in tax fraud allegations while playing for Barcelona.

Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge, were found guilty of defrauding Spanish tax authorities of â‚¬4.1million this year. The Argentina star was given a 21-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay â‚¬1.7m in fines, having made a voluntary repayment of â‚¬5.1m in August 2013, although both have persistently denied wrongdoing.

Javier Mascherano was also given a suspended prison sentence of one year after admitting to two counts of tax fraud relating to a failure to declare earnings from image rights between 2011 and 2012. He repaid his debt in full and paid a fine before his punishment.

There are processes ongoing against former striker Samuel Eto'o, now with Antalyaspor, and full-back Adriano, who left Camp Nou to join Besiktas in July.

Sanchez, who left Barca for Arsenal in 2014, started the Gunners' 3-2 Champions League victory over Ludogorets on Tuesday.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has been accused by the Barcelona public prosecutor of evading more than â‚¬900,000 in tax, according to a report in Spain.

Alexis Sanchez in Barcelona tax fraud allegations

Didier Drogba insists he is ready to feature as a substitute for Montreal Impact during the MLS playoffs.

The former Chelsea striker was absent fromÂ the matchday squad as Montreal clinched their postseason spot with a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC.

After the match, head coach Mauro Biello said Drogba asked not to be included in his 18 after being told he would not start - an act that resulted in him being fined an undisclosed amount by the league.

The 38-year-old missed Montreal's concluding regular season game and their initial playoff triumphs over D.C. United and New York Red Bulls but insists he is ready to play any role at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, where his side will protect a 1-0 advantage.

"I've done that in my career [come off the bench], even at Chelsea, you know, in Champions League games," he told the league's official website.

"I started in my career as a sub so I don't know why it should be difficult for me to be on the bench. I think I've showed it, even against San Jose, so I don't think it's difficult for people to understand I can be on the bench and without making it a big drama.

"Anyway, I'm not the type of guy to justify what I'm doing or not."Â Â

Drogba's recent absence has been put down to a back complaint by Montreal and he remains on the mend.

"It's a bit better, but not the best, not what I want. But we're working on it," he added.

"We've been working for days to get back to fitness and [on Tuesday], for the first time, I managed to make two sessions, one this morning and one this afternoon, so, I'm a bit satisfied."

MLS playoffs: Montreal Impact striker Didier Drogba is on the mend from a back injury and keen to put his recent substitute controversy behind him.

MLS: Didier Drogba happy to be Montreal Impact sub

Roger Federer knows how to attract a crowd and it was no different on Tuesday.

Regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport, the 17-time grand-slam champion was a special guest for FC Basel's Champions League clash at St Jakob-Park.

A big fan of Swiss champions Basel, former world number one Federer watched his native club suffered a heart-breaking last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite the loss, Federer still found time to surprise the PSG players post-match, pictured with captain Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, Lucas Moura and Marquinhos.

— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) November 2, 2016

Federer, 35, is working his way back to full fitness, preparing to make a comeback in 2017, having not played since his semi-final loss at Wimbledon in July due to injury.

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Former world number one tennis player Roger Federer knows how to attract a crowd and it was no different St Jakob-Park on Tuesday.

Federer surprises PSG after Champions League clash

The Italian passed away in his home city of Milan on Monday, with his son Giorgio saying he had died "peacefully in his sleep", according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Gazzaniga, who became one of the most distinguished sculptors in Italy during a career spanning several decades, helped to design a number of footballing trophies, including the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

He is best remembered as the creator of the World Cup trophy, however, which replaced the original Jules Rimet trophy awarded to Brazil in 1970.

"It's with great sadness that I learned of the death of Silvio Gazzaniga," Infantino said in a statement. "He was the creator of a trophy, which is the most beautiful emblem that FIFA could dream of having as a prize.

"The World Cup is a mythic object for the players and for all football lovers. We will be eternally grateful, I express my condolences by joining the pain of the family."

Gazzaniga said that the trophy - which is solid 18-carat gold and weighs approximately six kilograms - was designed to reflect the tournament's global reach and the moment of jubilation for the victors.

"The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world," he said. "From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory.

"A work of art is a bit like one's child, as it's a creation. And I'm not just talking about the World Cup: the same is true for everything I did."

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino said football will be "eternally grateful" to World Cup trophy creator Silvio Gazzaniga, who has died at the age of 95.

Gianni Infantino tribute to Silvio Gazzanniga

Diego Simeone is likely to hand a start to Fernando Torres against Rostov on Tuesday as Atletico Madrid look to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Last season's beaten finalists boast a 100 per cent record in the group stage this term and will guarantee a spot in the knockouts if they beat their Russian opponents at the Vicente Calderon.

Torres has not started a match since the 1-0 win in the reverse fixture on October 19, and the former Liverpool striker has not scored for Atleti since netting a double in the 5-0 LaLiga win over Sporting Gijon on September 17.

However, Simeone is keen to lean on the 32-year-old's experience as he looks to seal safe passage to the next phase with two games to spare.

"We're not in a situation where certain players will play in one competition and others in another," he said. "We go on form and the way the players are playing.

"Fernando knows the competition and has the quality to help the side. We need him to play as he did in Rostov, where he helped the side a lot. That's why I'm thinking of starting him.

"We remember Rostov as a compact side. Their results have been close, be them positive or negative. That's their strength.

"As we saw at their place they have their ideas, they take advantage of their tools and tomorrow is sure to be similar to the game in Rostov.

"We have to come out with intensity in order to take the game where we want it. It would be nice to win and then be able to look forward to the knockout phase, which is good for the club."

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Fernando Torres is set to start for Atletico Madrid against Rostov as Diego Simeone looks for him to show guidance in the Champions League.

Diego Simeone on Fernando Torres, Champions League

Former Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has dismissed claims Arjen Robben is a "one-trick pony" and has likened the Bayern Munich star to Barcelona ace Lionel Messi.

Robben started his career as an orthodox left winger at Groningen, but has mainly been featuring from the right in recent years, becoming renowned for his tendency to cut inside and then aim a shot toward the far top corner.

However, Van Marwijk is adamant there is more to the 32-year-old than just that one move.

"Robben was a traditional left winger who often went around his marker on the outside in his early days. You are not giving him enough credit when you say he is a one-trick pony," Van Marwijk told Metro.

"That was possible in the past, but you no longer get away with that in the modern game. Things are going so fast and you need to have more up your sleeve than just one move.

"Robben has a number of ways to get past his direct opponent. He can cut inside or go around someone on the outside, regardless of whether he is at full speed or stands still. He is very much like Messi in that regard. You don't see people claiming Messi is a one-trick pony.

"But whenever he cuts inside, he nearly always goes for the curled shot toward the far corner. If anything, that is Arjen's trademark move."

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Bert van Marwijk feels Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben is quite similar to Lionel Messi in the way he shakes off direct opponents

Van Marwijk: Bayern Munich ace Robben is like Messi

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