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• Toronto FC v FC Dallas: Estevez wants cool heads from visitors

  Nico Estevez says FC Dallas must put their trust in a long-term process as the Western Conference strugglers prepare to visit high-flying Toronto FC on Saturday.

  Dallas sit 13th in the West with just two wins from nine matches this year, though they snapped a seven-game winless run by beating the Houston Dynamo 2-0 last week.   

  Just as Estevez refused to be too critical of his players during their poor run of form, he will avoid getting too high off the back of a single victory.

  "As we always say, we're never too high and never too low. It's about taking the positive things that we did against Houston to carry through the week, having the same mentality," Estevez said.

  "Also, with some of the things that we didn't do well, we'll keep improving on those.

  "As we always say, it is a process and we're trying to keep growing throughout the season, while getting results."

  Toronto, meanwhile, sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 points from their first 10 MLS games under John Herdman.

  They scored two late goals to overturn a 1-0 deficit and clinch a third straight victory against Orlando City last time out, leaving Herdman to credit his players for their resilience.

  "We showed a good mentality to set the tone on how we wanted to approach it," he said.

  "I thought the guys were brave from the front and stamped their physical dominance on the game. To see the shift they put in was exceptional. It was a complete performance."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Toronto FC – Prince Osei Owusu

  Owusu has scored five goals for Toronto in MLS this year, his latest being a 90th-minute winner against Orlando last week. He has had 15 shots overall in 2024, converting 33.33 per cent of those. 

  FC Dallas – Petar Musa 

  Musa has scored in each of Dallas' last two matches, against the Colorado Rapids and Houston. 

  He has scored (three goals) or assisted (one) four of his team's seven MLS goals since the beginning of March, demonstrating his importance. 

  MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

  Toronto won their first-ever meeting with Dallas 4-0 in June 2007, but Dallas have only lost one of 18 subsequent regular-season meetings (11 wins, six draws).

  Dallas, though, are winless in their last 11 games against Eastern Conference opponents across all competitions (five draws, six losses), dating back to a 1-0 win over Inter Miami last April.

  Toronto have more league wins this season (five) than they managed through the entirety of 2023 (four), but Dallas have only lost one of their last four. A draw could be on the cards in Canada.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Toronto FC – 34.8%

  FC Dallas – 35.6%

  Draw – 29.6%

• Klopp says Salah spat a 'non-story', does not expect forward to push for move

  Jurgen Klopp says his bust-up with Mohamed Salah has been resolved and does not believe the Liverpool forward will push to follow him through the exit door at the end of the season.

  Klopp and Salah became embroiled in a heated confrontation on the sidelines during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with West Ham last week, as the out-of-form Egyptian waited to come on as a substitute.

  The Reds boss played down the incident in his post-match press conference but Salah did the opposite in the mixed zone, telling reporters: "If I speak, there will be fire."

  However, Klopp reiterated on Friday that he considers the matter closed, saying: "It is completely resolved. It is no problem.  

  "If we didn't know each other for that long I don't know how we would deal with it, but we've known each other for that long and we respect each other. 

  "I think we have the right to deal with these things completely independent of any expectations from the outside. It is a non-story. In general, everyone is in the best possible place.

  "If we win the games and score loads of goals, then the situation would not have been exactly like that because Mo would not have been on the bench in the first place."

  Last week's incident led to renewed speculation regarding Salah's future at Anfield, with the Egyptian preparing to enter the final 12 months of his contract with the Reds.

  Salah, who was the subject of a £150million bid from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad last year, has scored 17 Premier League goals this season but only three of those have come since New Year's Day.

  Before going to the Africa Cup of Nations – where he suffered a hamstring injury – Salah boasted a shot conversion rate of 21.54 per cent in the Premier League for 2023-24, netting with 14 of his 65 attempts. Since returning, he has only converted three of 35 (8.57 per cent).

  While Salah's long-term future is none of Klopp's concern, he does not see any signs of the Egypt star pushing for a move.

  "You all have to get used to the fact that is not my subject," Klopp added. "Mo, as a player, is incredible and I don't think I should speak about that. Other people will decide that, especially Mo.

  "I don't have any signs it will be like that. I just try to prepare the basis for the future."

  Liverpool host Tottenham on Sunday, with the Premier League title now surely beyond them as they trail Arsenal by five points and Manchester City – who have a game in hand – by four. 

• Neville: Chelsea sacking Pochettino 'would be madness'

  Gary Neville says it "would be madness" for Chelsea to sack head coach Mauricio Pochettino as he is ideally suited to managing the club.

  Pochettino admitted after Chelsea's 2-0 win over his former side Tottenham on Thursday that he is unsure of his future at Stamford Bridge.

  The Argentinian has been under intense pressure at times this season, most recently on the back of the 5-0 loss to Arsenal last week.

  Chelsea have since responded with a battling 2-2 draw at Aston Villa and the impressive win over Spurs, but doubts remain over Pochettino's future.

  However, Neville insists it would be wrong of Chelsea to part company with the former Paris Saint-Germain boss at the end of the season.

  "There was talk of Pochettino being under pressure a month or so ago," he told Sky Sports. "I think it would be madness to change the coach whose quality of work with these types of player is renowned.

  "Making sure you have stability through another transfer window seems more critical than the idea someone else would come in and do a better job. That doesn't feel right here.

  "He's a proven coach. One of the great coaches in the Premier League in the last five, six, seven years. Pochettino has had some up and down moments this season. But this is a good one."

  Chelsea's victory over Tottenham moved them up to eighth in the Premier League and now within three points of Manchester United in sixth.

  United have also struggled for consistency this season, raising doubts over their own manager Erik ten Hag as the end of the season nears.

  There have also been reports that most of United's players will be up for sale when the transfer window opens, with or without Ten Hag in charge.

  Ten Hag labelled those rumours "untrue", and Neville is adamant there will not be wholesale changes to the squad during the close season.

  "To be fair, you know it's not true," the United legend said. "I mean [Kobbie] Mainoo is not for sale – there's no way that man can be sold so every player can't be for sale, it's impossible. There's no way United could sell their best young players.

  "There's a lack of stability here at Chelsea at the moment, but there's a lack of stability at United. Richard Arnold, John Murtough, Patrick Stewart, Cliff Baty, all the senior management, Darren Fletcher's been moved to a different role within the club, Jason Wilcox has come in.

  "I can understand why there is quite a few players who will be under pressure and potentially would be sold, but I can't believe it's every player or anywhere near that."