Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has returned to training in a huge fitness boost for Xavi's side ahead of this weekend's showdown with Real Madrid

The 23-year-old has not played for Barca since their 3-0 win over Elche on September 17 after sustaining a thigh injury while on international duty with France.

Barca did not give a timeline for Kounde's comeback, but head coach Xavi indicated earlier this week the centre-back had a chance of featuring against Madrid on Sunday.

And the former Sevilla man was involved in training at Ciutat Esportiva on Thursday to somewhat ease the Catalan giants' injury issues.

As well as being without Kounde, who has started five times for Barca since being officially registered in late August, the likes of Memphis Depay, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin and Ronald Araujo have also been sidelined.

Xavi's side drew 3-3 draw with Inter on Wednesday to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a threat, but they are level on points with Madrid at the LaLiga summit after winning seven league games in a row, keeping a clean sheet in six of those.

Reims became the fourth Ligue 1 club since Sunday to ditch their head coach when Oscar Garcia was ousted – to be replaced by former video gamer William Still.

Just one win in 10 games in the French top flight cost Garcia, with assistant Still stepping up to become interim boss.

It represents the latest remarkable step in the career of Still, who turns 30 on Friday.

Still was obsessed with the Football Manager and Championship Manager series as a teenager and has said such games gave him the "impetus" to go into coaching as a profession, without having played any football at a full-time level.

He told Sport Bible in May: "I wanted to be able to talk to players. I wanted to have that relationship. I mean, I was alright at football but FM allowed me to have that glimpse of what it actually was like to manage a team.

"I actually think people that play Football Manager understand the game a bit more. You've got to go into a lot of detail to actually win things and be successful in the game, especially nowadays with it becoming more and more complicated."

Still took a degree at Myerscough College in Preston, England, going on to work with Preston's under-14 team before moving to Belgium, where his parents lived, and finding work with Sint-Truiden, Lierse and Beerschot.

Still is in a second stint with Reims, having briefly left to be assistant boss of Standard Liege. He has spoken of ambitions to manage in the Premier League and Champions League.

Reims announced he would take over for now in a statement that read: "In view of results below the expected objectives and in order to protect the best interests of the institution, Stade de Reims announces the temporary suspension of Oscar Garcia. The interim will be provided by William Still, current assistant coach."

Garcia is not expected to return to the role he held for 16 months, with Reims reportedly beginning their search for a permanent successor.

Reims have drawn five games this season, so Still is not stepping into the spotlight amid a full-blown crisis, with the team sitting 15th in Ligue 1, albeit just two points above bottom side Brest. They play Lorient in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Lyon set the ball rolling for sackings when Peter Bosz was dismissed on Sunday and Laurent Blanc named as his successor. Brest and Auxerre announced the departure of their coaches, Michel Der Zakarian and Jean-Marc Furlan, on Tuesday.

Oliver Kahn says Bayern Munich "absolutely have to stop" allowing opposing teams back into games after they nearly squandered another lead in the 4-2 Champions League win at Viktoria Plzen.

Goals from Sadio Mane and Thomas Muller, as well as a Leon Goretzka double had Bayern four goals up and cruising at half-time against the Czech champions.

But two second-half strikes from Plzen led to worries Bayern would let another advantage slip, after conceding a 95th-minute Anthony Modeste equaliser in the 2-2 Bundesliga draw with Borussia Dortmund at the weekend having led 2-0.

Julian Nagelsmann's side held on this time for three points to secure their place in the knockout stages, but Bayern CEO Kahn remains worried over their ability to see out games.

"Four games, four wins and into the round of 16," Kahn posted on Twitter. "A compliment to the team, in this group that was not a matter of course.

"After a furious first half, we let the opponent come back into the game.

"We absolutely have to stop this!"

Ravi Shastri believes India's Twenty20 side is as strong as it has ever been ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

India failed to qualify from their group at the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year following heavy defeats to arch-rivals Pakistan and New Zealand.

Rahul Dravid replaced Shastri as head coach following that tournament and Rohit Sharma took over as captain after Virat Kohli stepped down.

India head into the 2022 World Cup at the top of the rankings, with expectations of being strong contenders to dethrone the hosts.

They will be without injured paceman Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, but Shastri fancies their chances.

He said: "I have been part of the system for the last six-seven years, first as a coach and now I am watching from the outside, and I think this is as good a line-up as India has ever had in T20 cricket.

"With Surya [Suryakumar Yadav] at number four, Hardik [Pandya] at number five, and Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik at number six, it makes a massive difference as it allows the top order to play the way they are playing."

However, there is one area of concern for legendary former all-rounder Shastri as India prepare for their opening match against Pakistan at the MCG on October 23.

"One area that India will have to pick up and start right from the beginning is fielding," Shastri said.

"They need to work hard and get their A-game on the field when they step out against Pakistan.

"Those 15-20 runs that you save can make all the difference because otherwise every time you get out to bat, you need to get 15-20 runs extra."

India will also face South Africa, Bangladesh and two qualifiers in Group 2.

Brendan Steele holds a one-shot lead after finishing his first round with a flourish at the Zozo Championship.

Steele started with a six-under 64 to lead the way at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on Thursday.

The American made a first birdie at the second hole and came alive after the turn, making another six gains as his only blemish came with a bogey at 14.

Steele holed his approach shot at the par-four 17th and another birdie at the last put in out on his own at the top of leaderboard in Chiba, Japan.

The 39-year-old has not won a PGA Tour event since retaining his Safeway Open title five years ago.

Adam Schenk is second place following a bogey-free 65, with fellow Americans Sam Ryder, Matthew NeSmith and Keegan Bradley a further stroke back.

Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele are nicely poised just three shots off the lead along with Kazuki Higa, Maverick McNealy and Mito Pereira.

It was not a good day for defending champion Hideki Matsuyama on home soil, as he is down in 41st after a one-over 71.

Carson Wentz will start for the Washington Commanders in their clash against the Chicago Bears despite not being 100 per cent fit due to a bicep injury.

The 1-4 Commanders were unsure whether Wentz would be available for Thursday's contest due to the short turnaround after Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, when he sustained the injury.

However, he threw the ball well in practice, albeit in a walkthrough session, and will lead the offense from the start against the Bears, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports.

The Commanders will hope that Wentz can get through the matchup against the Bears unscathed and then heal up with extra rest before their Week 7 clash at home to the Green Bay Packers, with a 10-day gap between the games.

Wentz's availability is a boost for a Commanders team already without significant members of their offense, with receiver Jahan Dotson and tight end Logan Thomas set to miss Thursday's game.

The Commanders sit bottom of the fiercely contested NFC East, where all their division rivals currently rank 4-1 or better, with the Philadelphia Eagles leading the way as the only undefeated side left across the NFL (5-0).

Toni Kroos has called for a full apology from UEFA for the chaos that occurred outside the Stade de France before the Champions League final.

European football's governing body has already said sorry for what it acknowledged as "frightening and distressing events" that preceded the match between Real Madrid and Liverpool.

Madrid midfielder Kroos wants there to be acknowledgement of mistakes made in the hours leading up to the May 28 match in Paris.

Kick-off was twice delayed due to what UEFA initially described as "security reasons" outside the Stade de France due to crowd congestion.

Liverpool fans complained of heavy-handed policing outside the stadium, with video footage showing tear gas being used on supporters, with Kroos saying his wife, Jessica, and their children were among those held at the entrance.

UEFA blamed ticketless fans trying to force entry and supporters using fake tickets, but it later announced an investigation seeking "to establish a full picture and timeline of what occurred during the day".

Kroos has answered 90 questions for a special edition of a newspaper designed to raise funds for the Toni Kroos Foundation.

Among them, Kicker's Jorg Jakob asked Kroos: "Should UEFA apologise to the fans for what happened in the Paris final?"

Five-time Champions League winner Kroos said, quoted in AS: "I don't know if the investigations have already been closed, but I do think it's time for them to apologise.

"My wife spent two hours at the gates of the stadium with the children. Her feeling is that there was no aggressiveness on the part of the fans of the two clubs.

"What's more: they were very considerate, because there were many children in the crowd.

"Shortly before taking the field, I received a message on my mobile that reassured me: everyone had entered the stadium without any problems. The question only deserves a yes."

Madrid went on to lift the trophy by defeating Liverpool 1-0 after the match started 36 minutes late.

The independent review panel investigating the final chaos is due to publish its full findings by November 2022, UEFA has said.

Angel Di Maria is out of action for the next 20 days but is expected to be fit for the World Cup, Juventus have announced.

The 34-year-old left the field in tears during Juventus' shock Champions League defeat to Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, sparking fears about his availability for Argentina's World Cup campaign.

La Albiceleste are already sweating on the fitness of Roma's Paulo Dybala, out for four to six weeks with a quadriceps injury, while Lionel Messi has missed Paris Saint-Germain's past two matches.

Juventus shared a positive update on Di Maria's situation on Thursday, however, outlining the expectation that he will be fit for Argentina's campaign in Qatar.

"The diagnostic tests that Di Maria underwent this morning at the J| Medical showed a low-grade lesion of the femoral biceps of the right thigh," a statement read.

"It will take about 20 days for its complete recovery."

Di Maria will miss Juventus' next two Serie A fixtures, against Torino and Lecce, as well as the crucial Champions League clash against Benfica in Lisbon, where Massimiliano Allegri's side need a victory to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

The 20-day timeframe provided by Juventus runs until November 2, the date of their final Champions League group-stage clash against Paris Saint-Germain, but Di Maria could return for the Serie A showdown with Inter on November 6.

Argentina begin their World Cup campaign on November 22 against Saudi Arabia, before then facing Mexico and Argentina in Group C.

Robert Lewandowski admits Barcelona forgot how to defend in their 3-3 Champions League draw with Inter on Wednesday as they were so focused on scoring.

Barcelona realistically required victory in their Group C encounter with Inter at Camp Nou to remain in with a shot of avoiding an early elimination for the second season running.

However, Nicola Barella and Lautaro Martinez struck after Ousmane Dembele had given Barca a half-time lead, before Lewandowski levelled up with a deflected shot.

Xavi's men went all out for a winner and were caught out by Robin Gosens late on, though Lewandowski's second goal did at least keep them in the competition for now.

Inter are three points better off than Barcelona and can eliminate the Catalan giants from the competition with a home win against pointless Viktoria Plzen in two weeks' time.

Lewandowski took his tally to 14 goals in all competitions this term – only Erling Haaland has scored more in Europe's top five leagues – but it was a day of disappointment. 

"We wanted to score so much that we forgot about the defence," the Poland international told Movistar+. "Inter got through on goal too easily and often had a man over in attack.

"We've had a lot of injuries in recent weeks and it's not easy to change the line-up all the time. We've lacked stability and that maybe explains the situation.

"Inter are tough opponents for any striker. They defend with five players and also have a defensive midfielder. 

"We tried to attack with many players but it meant we lost coverage. We scored three goals but conceded the same amount. We were disappointed not to get the win."

The high-scoring draw with Inter was only the fourth time in their Champions League history Barca have conceded three goals in the second half of a game.

It also marked the first time in six visits to Camp Nou in the competition Inter have avoided defeat, paving the way for the Nerazzurri to wrap up qualification at Barca's expense.

Gosens, the scorer of the visitors' third goal, told Inter TV: "This was a match between two sides that wanted to win. We showed we have the right spirit to do well at Camp Nou.

"This is one of the most important stadiums in the world and not everybody comes away from here with a point. We stayed in the game and played like a real Inter side.

"This result must now stimulate the team to give even more. We know we've hurt a team like Barca and this must encourage us to do even more."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's "phenomenal" record of scoring 700 club goals and joked "not many players even achieve 700 games".

Ronaldo hit the latest milestone in his remarkable career with the winning strike in last Sunday's 2-1 win at Everton after being introduced from the substitutes' bench.

The Portugal forward has endured a frustrating time of things under Ten Hag, having so far started just one of United's eight Premier League matches under the Dutchman.

But ahead of facing Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday – a match Ronaldo looks set to start – Ten Hag lauded the superstar forward's goalscoring longevity.

"It's phenomenal. Football is [about the] team and we express this in a way," Ten Hag told United's official website. 

"I think Cristiano, he knows we can't do it without the team but I must say it's a huge individual performance. If you achieve this, it's incredible. 

"Seven hundred club goals. Not many players even achieve 700 games, and he scored 700 goals. I'm really happy for him. I really want to tell you that and I congratulate him."

Of those 700 goals scored by Ronaldo, five came for Sporting CP, 118 in his first spell at United, 450 with Real Madrid, 101 at Juventus and 26 in his second stint at Old Trafford.

The 37-year-old will be looking to add to that tally against Cypriot side Omonia as United aim to avoid an unwanted first.

They have lost their past two home European matches, against Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad – never before have they lost three in a row, with this their 198th game.

United recovered to beat Omonia 3-2 last week and are second in Group E at the midway stage, three points ahead of Sheriff and three behind leaders Real Sociedad.

"It's another important game for us," Ten Hag said. "We want to be first in the group. We are three points behind Sociedad and so we have to win. 

"That is the first [target], and we have to score goals, that is the second [target]. So we have to prepare for the game properly because we are playing against a tough opponent. 

"They will be ambitious and they will be fighting so they are well organised. It's not easy to score goals. We had that experience last week, so we have to be good."

Bill Belichick was typically guarded when asked about Mac Jones' status as starting quarterback once he is fit to return for the New England Patriots.

Second-year quarterback Jones has missed the Pats' past two games with an ankle injury but did manage to return to practice on Wednesday.

Reports said Jones did still not have full mobility during the session, though, meaning his availability for Sunday's showdown with the Cleveland Browns remains unclear.

Bailey Zappe completed 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards, finishing with one touchdown and an interception on a steady debut outing when acting as understudy for Jones in last week's triumph over the Detroit Lions.

Head coach Belichick was asked whether Jones can return this week, to which he replied: "We'll see where he is today. I don't know."

Belichick was also non-committal about whether Zappe's performances will determine who starts under center.

"They're totally independent, it doesn't have anything to do with it," he added.

For his part, Zappe is taking things in his stride and ready to step into the breach once more should he be called upon.

''I'm preparing to do what my coaches tell me I'm supposed to be doing,'' he said. ''Right now, that's to take practice reps and do what I can do to help the team.''

The Pats are bottom of the AFC East standings through five games with a 2-3 record.

Manny Machado hailed a "huge" win for the San Diego Padres after playing a starring role in levelling up the NLDS against the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers.

Home advantage at Petco Park beckons for the Padres in the third and fourth games, with the series tied at 1-1 after the early proceedings in LA.

The Dodgers had taken a 5-3 win in Game 1, but Bob Melvin's Padres came back a day later and flipped that scoreline in their favour to level the series.

Machado enjoyed silencing the Dodgers fans. He had a stint with Los Angeles in 2018 before joining up with the Padres, making him a target for some in the crowd.

"Any time you come to Dodger Stadium, you know the fans are going to be on you. Any time you go to any stadium, the fans are going to be on you," Machado said.

"That's the beauty of postseason baseball. That's why you want home field advantage. Coming here, taking one from them at their place and going back home now 1-1, being able to maybe even win it at home will be fun in front of our fans that deserve it."

Machado played a key role by going two-for-five, including a first-inning solo homer along with a third-inning RBI, while Jurickson Profar got his fifth RBI this postseason to put the Padres up 4-3 in the sixth inning.

Jake Cronenworth added another with a solo blast over right-field in the eighth inning before Josh Hader closed it out.

Machado added: "[We're] going 1-1, going back home, so that's huge.

"We're going to compete. Ultimately at the end of the day we know that they're the division champs. They own the best record in baseball. They've played very well against us all year, but at the end of the day we're going to go out there and compete, and we're going to go out there and leave it on the field. We're going to try to do everything possible to help our team win every single day.

"We want to get to the World Series, we want to bring a championship to San Diego. Ultimately, the group is just getting together and just grinding this out."

With this National League Divisional Series tantalisingly poised following Wednesday's 5-3 win, manager Bob Melvin spoke of his anticipation of the next two games back in San Diego on Friday and Saturday, and what they would mean to fans of his team.

The Padres last reached a World Series in 1998, so the prospect of edging closer to that goal should ensure a feverish atmosphere. The double-header at home will be the Padres' first postseason games in front of their own fans since 2006.

"They've been waiting for this for a while, and they've supported us all year," Melvin said.

"The drama that took place during the regular season, I think we had 10, 12 walk-offs or something like that, that they were a big part of.

"They incentivise us. We feel like they're part of us. To be able to reward them, get home, and have some playoff games for them, it feels really nice."

Giannis Antetokounmpo has no concerns over the Milwaukee Bucks' poor preseason results but does want to see an improvement to the team's "habits".

The Bucks are 0-5 in exhibition games following a 107-97 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, a clash in which Antetokounmpo had 24 points on the back of 6-for-21 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds.

While such results may seem at odds with the Bucks' standing as one of the favourites for the NBA title this coming campaign, Antetokounmpo acknowledged there is plenty of time to find rhythm during the regular season.

However, the Greek superstar wants to see an improvement with some basics on the floor.

"It doesn't worry me," Antetokounmpo said. "What worries me is our habits and building good habits.

"Right now, we're not vocal enough. We're not urgent enough. We're not hungry enough. But at the end of the day, it's the preseason. We have the whole regular season to find ourselves."

Having featured for Greece at Eurobasket during the close season, Antetokounmpo has had his minutes carefully managed by the Bucks, with the Nets game just his second tune-up action.

While conceding to feeling "a little bit out of rhythm", Antetokounmpo is ready to once again set the tone for the Bucks.

"It's not going to be easy. I think sometimes your mind forgets and thinks it's going to be easy. But I feel like, me personally, you've got to come out and set the tone, play hard," he added.

"Build good habits, play to improve, play for the team. And as a team, we have to be hungry, we've got to play together, we have to defend better."

Grayson Allen (illness), Pat Connaughton (calf) and Wesley Matthews (ankle) were all absent against the Nets - the latter having sat out all of the Bucks' warm-up matches.

Khris Middleton will definitely miss their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers having only recently returned to practice following wrist surgery.

But Antetokounmpo has confidence in the depth of the roster.

"Guys are down, who knows when they're going to get back, so this is who we have right now," he said. 

"We still have a great team, but we're seven or eight days from the next game and when it really counts. We've got to buckle down and start trying to build good habits."