Sunderland v AZ and Milan v Benfica covered in Guardian Europa League live blog

Sunderland v AZ and Milan v Benfica were featured in The Guardian's "Europa League clockwatch" live blog covering the 8pm BST kick-offs on 16 September 2026.

The Sunderland captain, Granit Xhaka, issued a warning to tonight’s visitors: "The stadium will be on fire. And I want to see our players on fire, on and off the ball. I’ve always been a dreamer and, for me, it’s a big, big dream to reach another European final and to get it with this club."