Luciano Spalletti has handed four players their senior call-up to the Italy national team ahead of their Nations League fixtures next week. 

Italy take on Belgium and Israel in the next round of games, hoping to build on their impressive start in Group A2 after winning their opening two games which included a 3-1 win over France.

Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has been included after an impressive run of performances at centre-back under new head coach Paulo Fonseca.

Gabbia is also the first player from the Rossoneri to be named in the Italy squad in almost 600 days, with Sandro Tonali, who joined Newcastle in 2023, the last Milan representative to feature for the Azzurri. 

There was also a place in the squad for Monza's Daniel Maldini, who could follow in the footsteps of his father Paolo, and grandfather Cesare, both former Italy captains.

Maldini has one goal and one assist in seven appearances in all competitions this season, and comes in for Lazio's Matteo Zaccagni.

Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio has also been given a first call-up to the senior side, replacing the injured Alex Meret of Napoli. 

Roma's Niccolo Pisilli was also named in the squad, replacing Atlanta's Marco Brescianini, who has also suffered a recent injury set-back.

There were five Premier League representatives named in Spalletti's 23-man squad on Friday, with Guglielmo Vicario, Riccardo Calafiori, Caleb Okoli, Destiny Udogie and Tonali also included. 

However, there was no space for Liverpool's Federico Chiesa, who did not feature in the Reds' Champions League win over Bologna in midweek. 

Italy squad: Michele Di Gregorio (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Guglielmo Vicario (Spurs), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Niccolo Pisilli (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta). 

Pep Guardiola believes the best way to defend Manchester City amid their current hearing is by winning games.

An independent hearing into City's 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules began last month.

The alleged breaches relate to a period between 2009 and 2018, and City were charged and referred to an independent commission in February 2023 after a four-year investigation.

City strongly denies the charges.

If found guilty, the club could face huge fines, points deductions and possibly even relegation from the top-flight.

Despite the severity of the potential punishment, Guardiola insists his trust in the club remains unbroken.

"I'm part of this club, deep inside of my bones and the best way to defend the club is winning games and doing my job as best as possible," Guardiola said on Friday.

"We cannot misunderstand why I am here, I am the manager, the person at the club who talks more through all the media, to send messages to fans.

"And, of course, I am going to defend my club. I trust [them], since the owner, since the chairman for the relation, the CEO, and all the people working here for many many years.

"I know them quite well, much more than any of you. The best way to defend is by doing our job the best, everyone working here have their own responsibility.

"The rest, of course, there are situations in the eight or nine years, it always is there. Some of them expected, some of them more tough to deal with, but it is what it is.

"No complaints and you do what you have to do. I'm part of this club, not just the manager. I love this club, and it will always be that way."

Guardiola has been at City for nine years, winning six Premier League titles, including the last four in a row, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, the Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

He is currently in the last year of his contract and has hinted in recent months that his time at City may soon come to an end.

The fans are set to unveil a banner saying "We want you to stay" during their game against Fulham at the Etihad on Saturday, and the head coach was touched by the gesture.

"They have to bring me the bill. I have to pay for the banner. I don't want to spend money for that reason," he added.

"What can I say? Thank you so much, I fell in love since the first day I arrived here, let's see.

"When it's going to happen, it's going to happen."

Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday. 

The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post. 

But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner. 

However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera, with Lukaku stepping up to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season. 

Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero. 

But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points. 

Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story

Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) - three goals and four assists. 

He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term. 

McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).

South Africa claimed an emphatic 174-run victory to seal an ODI series triumph over Ireland ahead of the final game on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. 

Having cruised to a 139-run victory in the opening encounter, the Proteas continued to avenge their shock T20I defeat against the same opponents last week with another commanding display.

South Africa made a strong start with the bat before Ryan Rickelton (40) fell in the 13th over, with Temba Bavuma (35) retiring hurt from the contest soon after. 

Rassie van der Dussen (35) and Kyle Verreynne (67) also performed well, only for Tristan Stubbs to steal the show with 112 runs from 81 deliveries, handing the Proteas a strong grip on the encounter, with South Africa ending 343-4 from their 50 overs. 

Ireland then made a dismal start to their run chase, losing five wickets in the opening 10 overs as Lizaad Williams and Lungi Ngidi ripped through their opening attack and had Ireland 50-5 early on. 

Mark Adair (21) and Andy McBrine (10) momentarily halted the onslaught, but were soon sent on their way, with Gavin Hoey hitting 23 runs before he was bowled and caught by Ngidi (2-38). 

Graham Hume and Craig Young's 52-run stand frustrated South Africa, only for the former to be bowled out by Bjorn Fortuin (2-36) with just under 20 overs remaining as Ireland ended all out for 169. 

Data Debrief: Proteas on song

It was yet another strong display by South Africa, cruising to a comfortable victory in Abu Dhabi, with Stubbs and Williams starring with the bat and ball. 

Stubbs' knock of 112 saw him record a maiden century in international cricket, ending with an impressive strike rate of 138.27. 

Williams, meanwhile, continued where he left off from the first match, and now has seven wickets during the series so far. 

Bayern Munich have confirmed that midfielder Jamal Musiala will be out "for the time being" after picking up a hip injury in their Champions League defeat to Aston Villa. 

Musiala, who played in the second half of the 1-0 loss at Villa Park, has been ruled out for Bayern's upcoming Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

He will also miss Germany's Nations League fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands, with Julian Nagelsmann replacing the 21-year-old in his squad with Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling. 

Musiala has been in fine form for Vincent Kompany's side, scoring three goals and laying on three assists in eight appearances in all competitions. 

The midfielder also has the joint-most completed dribbles in the Bundesliga this season (seven), while only Michael Olise (14), Joshua Kimmich (13) and Harry Kane (10) have created more chances for Bayern than Musiala (seven). 

He has also impressed for Germany on the international stage, scoring six times in 36 games for his country, playing a starring role in their Nations League opener against Hungary last month, scoring once and providing three assists in the 5-0 victory. 

"Following an examination by the club's medical staff, Jamal Musiala will be sidelined for the time being with a hip problem," Bayern said on their social media accounts.

Ben Stokes is a doubt for England's three-match series in Pakistan, with Zak Crawley admitting they do not know if he will be fit to feature.

Stokes tore his hamstring playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred competition, forcing him to miss the side's last three matches against Sri Lanka, with England winning the series 2-1.

At the end of September, the captain underwent a planned scan which showed he was “on track” to feature in the series, although he was not expected to bowl at the start.

Stokes had been hoping to make his return in the series opener on Monday, but looked uncomfortable in England's first training session, and is yet to be given the green light.

"I think he's got to do a few more tests, but he's been doing some running and stuff," Crawley said.

"He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury, [but] we don't know just yet. We feel ready, whatever team comes out, it will be a nice balance either way.

"We've got a really deep squad with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well."

If Stokes is available to play, they could have some selection headaches, as they would be forced to drop one of the top six batters with his inclusion to make way for an extra bowler.

If they do not drop a batter, they could rely on Joe Root, who could also make history as he has 12,402 runs for England in men's tests and is just 71 away from surpassing Alastair Cook (12,472) as the all-time leading run-scorer.

Crawley, meanwhile, has been cleared to feature after recovering from a broken finger that kept him out against Sri Lanka. 

"I feel brand new. I'm looking forward to getting out there," Crawley added.

"I couldn't pick up a bat for five weeks. I've certainly missed it, so I can't wait to get out there again with the boys.

"It was a nasty break at the time, but I've recovered well, and I don't feel it at all while I'm batting.

"I won't go at slip, just from advice from the doctor, but I feel like I could. I'm trying to rest it, but I did a few catches, and it feels fine. I'm just trying to follow the professional advice."

Enzo Maresca says that Chelsea "are not ready" to compete for major trophies against Manchester City and Arsenal this season.

The Blues have made a strong start to life under Maresca, losing just two of their 10 matches so far.

They are currently on a five-match winning run in all competitions, most recently seeing off Gent 4-2 in their Conference League opener on Thursday.

So far, Chelsea have scored 27 goals under the Italian, with 15 of those coming in the league, outperforming their 12.2 expected goals (xG), and only failed to score in their opening Premier League match against City.

However, Maresca has insisted people should not get carried away by Chelsea's recent form, playing down their chances of lifting any silverware this campaign.

"I really don't think we can compete with City or Arsenal," Maresca said.

"I really don't think that, because we are not ready. The reason is that City has worked with the same manager for nine years and Arsenal for five years. If you want to compete for big things, you need that time.

"After Arsenal beat PSG [in the Champions League] they asked Luis Enrique, and he said the same thing, that Arsenal have had the same manager for five years and [PSG] only a year and a half.

"Imagine us, only three months… so it's a huge difference. So, I am really convinced we cannot compete with those clubs."

Before Maresca's appointment, Mauricio Pochettino only spent a season at Stamford Bridge, while Graham Potter before him was only in the position for just under seven months.

After another busy transfer window for Chelsea saw them bring in 13 players, Maresca has urged for patience as they continue to find their footing in the early stages of his tenure.

"The target is to improve and slowly, slowly to get closer to those clubs but at the moment we are not ready for that," he added.

“There is no timeframe because you can continue to improve and add solutions to things always.”

Chelsea face Nottingham Forest at home on Sunday in their final match before the international break. 

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe says he does not hold power over the future of boss Erik ten Hag, amid the Red Devils' woeful start to the season.

United have taken just seven points from their first six Premier League matches, only beating Fulham and Southampton while suffering back-to-back 3-0 home defeats versus Liverpool and Tottenham.

That is their joint-worst return through six games of any season in the competition, having made identical starts under David Moyes in 2013-14 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

In the Europa League, meanwhile, United were pegged back in a 1-1 draw at home to Feyenoord on matchday one then squandered a 2-0 lead in Thursday's 3-3 draw at Porto.

Those results have led to fierce criticism coming Ten Hag's way, but Ratcliffe says United's new football hierarchy will make any decisions regarding the Dutchman's future.

Asked if he retained faith in Ten Hag, who signed a new contract in pre-season, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport: "I don't want to answer that question.

"I like Erik. I think he's a very good coach but at the end of the day it's not my call.

"It's the management team that's running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

"But that team that's running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren't there in January, February, March or April – [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [sporting director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July.

"They've only been there… you can count it in weeks almost - they've not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.

"Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it's not there yet, obviously – that's very clear."

United go to Aston Villa for their next Premier League game on Sunday, having won 40 Premier League games against the Villans, with only the Red Devils themselves beating an opponent more often in the competition's history (41 versus Everton).

Villa have won just one of their last 25 Premier League home games against United (eight draws, 16 losses), with that victory coming in Unai Emery's first game in charge of the club in November 2022 (3-1).

Iga Swiatek has announced the end of her three-year partnership with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, saying the split was a mutual agreement. 

Wiktorowski, who joined Swiatek's team in 2022, helped her become the first Polish player to reach world number one and she has since spent 123 weeks at the top of the rankings.

Swiatek also won 19 of her 22 career titles and an Olympic bronze medal in Paris earlier this year with Wiktorowski, along with four grand slam victories. 

"After three years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part ways," Swiatek wrote on Instagram. 

"I want to start with a big thank you and appreciating our work together."

Swiatek has not competed since losing to Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals of the US Open, choosing to withdraw from the China Open due to personal reasons. 

The 23-year-old has also pulled out of the recent Korea Open in Seoul, citing fatigue, and next week's Wuhan Open. 

Swiatek won the French Open and US Open during her opening season with Wiktorowski, before embarking on a 37-match winning run in 2022 - the longest streak by a woman this century. 

The Pole won a fifth grand slam, which was her fourth with Wiktorowski, at Roland Garros in June, making it three consecutive wins at the tournament in Paris. 

"Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game," Swiatek continued.

"His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I've never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together."

But Swiatek was disappointed with her hard-court performances this season, exiting the Australian Open in the third round and the US Open in the last eight. 

The Pole said she has held "first talks" with prospective new coaches and will take a "couple of weeks" to start work with her next appointment.

"Our main goal was to become number one player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first," Swiatek concluded. 

"Due to this important change on my team, I give myself a couple of weeks to start cooperation with a new coach.

"I'm in the middle of first talks with coaches from abroad (non-Polish) because I'm ready to take the next step of my career. I will let you know when I make a decision."

Xabi Alonso hopes to mark his 100th game in charge of Bayer Leverkusen with a victory, but the Spaniard is not underestimating bottom club Holstein Kiel. 

Alonso led his side to a win over Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, with the Bundesliga champions one of only seven teams with a perfect record in the competition so far. 

But their fortunes in the league have been much different, taking 10 points from their opening five games, the latest of which ended in a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich. 

Leverkusen's start to the campaign is the worst by a reigning champion in 12 years since Borussia Dortmund managed eight points after the first five games in 2012-13. 

But Alonso, who has won 67 of 99 games in charge of Die Werkself, is wary of the threat this weekend's opponents provide despite their league position. 

"Every league match is tough, and we have learned that this season already," Alonso said.

"We expect the same tomorrow. They only have a point but deserve a bit more than what they have at the moment."

"In our heads and our preparation, it is only Kiel. We have full respect. They are a good opponent, very flexible in their lineup.

"I expect to see my team to be mature and intelligent. We have to show that we are fully prepared.

"My team plays with the same motivation in every game, so I have no reason to doubt them, and we will hopefully show it tomorrow."

Many of Leverkusen's problems this term have come from defence, a part of their side that was crucial in their domestic double last season. 

Die Werkself conceded just 24 times last campaign, 15 less than Stuttgart in second place. 

Leverkusen have already conceded six goals in their last two Bundesliga games at the BayArena, as many as they let in across their previous 12 home matches combined.  

Only 1. FC Koln in 1964-65 conceded as many goals in their first two home games as champions.

And with a total of 10 goals conceded from their first five games, Leverkusen has the worst defence of a reigning champion since Wolfsburg in 2009/10 (11).

Alonso stressed the importance of improving defensively, and he is confident that a win and a clean sheet will give his side a solid foundation to build on after the international break.

"If we win then we will have had a good phase (until the international break)," Alonso said. 

"Then we can prepare for the next block of matches. It was important that we are defending a bit better than we had been last month.

"That is something we need. Without it, we are not competitive, and we want to be competitive."

Daniil Medvedev held off a stern test from Thiago Seyboth Wild to edge through his Shanghai Masters opener on Friday.

The Russian won the tight contest in straight sets, prevailing 7-5 7-5 in just under two hours.

Seyboth Wild started brightly, superbly defending five break points in the opening game before breaking Medvedev to take a 3-1 lead.

A three-game winning run at the end of the first set was enough for the world number five to edge in front.

The Brazilian made another strong start in the second but was his own worst enemy as he racked up 47 unforced errors throughout the match to Medvedev's 28.

Despite going down a break again, Medvedev rallied, staying patient to mount another comeback and book his place in the next round against Matteo Arnaldi.

Data Debrief: Patience pays off

Last year, Seyboth Wild stunned Medvedev in the opening round at Roland Garros, as his high-risk, high-reward method paid off and he earned the win with 69 winners and 77 unforced errors.

Despite pushing the 28-year-old all the way, it did not garner the same reward this time around, despite getting 29 winners to Medvedev's 17.

Fabian Hurzeler said Brighton will learn from their first loss under him as they aim to bounce back against Tottenham in the Premier League.

The Seagulls had enjoyed an unbeaten start under the German in all competitions, going unbeaten in his first seven matches.

However, after winning their opening two Premier League games, they drew three in a row before suffering that 4-2 defeat to Chelsea last weekend.

Hurzeler was not shying away from the poor result though, instead looking for the positives they can build on before the international break.

"It's very important after defeat that you are honest to yourself, you reflect on yourself, what was good, what was not good in the game," Hurzeler said.

"If you lose a game, of course, there are more negative points.

"But there were also some positive things. In the end, we have to learn from it; I have to learn from it because I was the responsible person for the match plan and the match plan wasn't good enough. Now we try to show a reaction."

Meanwhile, Spurs have won their last five matches in all competitions, impressively brushing aside Manchester United 3-0 in the Premier League last weekend before beating Ferencvaros 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday.

They will most likely be without captain Son Heung-min again for the trip to Brighton, but Ange Postecoglou believes Spurs are settling into the style of play.

"It is always a shifting measurement," he said. "Any time you go on a consistent run of form - and I think we have been consistent all year, but the results in the past five games have rewarded the performances.

"We are a developing side, still very much a young side. The squad is still developing together, so it suggests whatever markers we set we should be able to exceed.

"We have had belief, the energy accelerates, and the key is to keep it going. You don't want to let it go."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Carlos Baleba

After not scoring or assisting in any of his first 31 Premier League appearances, Carlos Baleba scored and assisted in their 4-2 defeat to Chelsea.

He is the youngest Cameroonian to both score and assist in a Premier League match (20 years, 269 days).

Tottenham – Dominic Solanke

Since the start of last season, the only Englishmen with more Premier League goals than Dominic Solanke (21) are Cole Palmer (28) and Ollie Watkins (23).

The Spurs forward is looking to find the net in three consecutive appearances for the first time since December 2023 before heading to meet up with England during the international break.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Just one of the 14 Premier League meetings between Brighton and Tottenham has finished as a draw (1-1 in April 2018), with Spurs winning nine to the Seagulls' four.

However, after losing consecutive Premier League home games against Spurs without scoring in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Brighton won this exact fixture 4-2 last season.

Brighton won six of their first 10 Premier League games in October (D2 L2) between 2017 and 2019 but have since won just one out of 16 October games since 2020 (D9 L6), a 4-1 win over Chelsea in 2022.

And given recent form, that run may continue, as the Seagulls have drawn their last two home Premier League matches, last drawing three in a row in November 2023. Indeed, since the start of last season, no side has drawn more home games than Brighton (8).

Tottenham, meanwhile, have won their last two Premier League games, last winning three in a row in December last year. Spurs have netted three goals in each victory (3-1 vs Brentford, 3-0 vs Man Utd), but have not won three consecutively while scoring 3+ goals since April 2022.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 34.2%

Draw – 23.9%

Tottenham – 42%