Jon Rahm has won the Seve Ballesteros award for the second time in three years after being voted player of the year by his fellow DP World Tour members.

Rahm won the U.S. Open by one shot at Torrey Pines in June, his first major victory, and also finished in the top 10 in the other three majors in 2021.

He tied for fifth at The Masters and eighth at the US PGA Championship, before finishing level with Louis Oosthuizen in third at The Open at Royal St George's in July.

The world number one also top scored for the defeated European team at the Ryder Cup, winning 3.5 points in his five matches including remaining undefeated alongside fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia despite the United States winning 19.5-9.5 at Whistling Straits in September.

Rahm was pleased to win the award for a second time, especially given its famous title.

"Winning anything with Seve's name on it is a huge honour for me, as is the fact that this is voted for by the players of the DP World Tour," the 27-year-old Spaniard told the DP World Tour's website.

"It is very unique to be recognised by your peers like this. It is a true honour to be able to win this award for a second time and hopefully I can continue to make the DP World Tour proud."

DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley added: "In the first year of this being the Tour's combined Player of the Year award named in honour of one Spanish great, it is fitting the winner is another incredible Spaniard who is creating his own remarkable legacy on the global stage.

"Jon's form throughout 2021 was simply outstanding and his victory at the U.S. Open, in front of his family, was undoubtedly a highlight that will live long in the memory.

"That cemented his place among the pantheon of Europe's all-time leading players and his contribution in the colours of Europe at the Ryder Cup also demonstrated what an extraordinary competitor he is."

Kamila Valieva takes to the ice looking to secure her second figure skating medal of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Thursday.

The Russian teenager was controversially cleared to continue competing this week despite testing positive for performance-enhancing drug trimetazidine in December.

Valieva won a team figure skating gold last week before her positive test was revealed and is on course to win the singles title after leading the way in the short program routine on Tuesday.

Another teen sensation, China's Eileen Gu – who has already won freeski big air gold and slopestyle silver - begins her quest for a third medal in Beijing as the women's freeski halfpipe qualification gets underway.

Stats Perform takes a look at Thursday's upcoming medal events:

Alpine skiing

The women's alpine program ends with the combined event, with 2018 Olympic champion Michelle Gisin from Switzerland hoping to become the third woman to successfully defend the title after Janica Kostelic of Croatia (2002-2006) and Maria Hofl-Riesch of Germany (2010-2014).

We could see Mikaela Shiffrin's redemption story after the American, who has had a Games to forget so far, crashed out of the giant slalom and slalom, before finishing ninth in the super G and 18th in the downhill.

A silver medallist at PyeongChang 2018, Shiffrin is also the reigning world champion, and achieved the best time in training on Wednesday.

Figure skating

Valieva leads the way in the women's single skating event after receiving 82.16 points in the short program on Tuesday.

The 15-year-old is ahead of another Russian, Anna Shcherbakova (80.20) and Japan's Kaori Sakamoto (79.84) heading into Thursday's free skate.

Freestyle skiing

In the women's ski cross event, all eyes will be on Sweden's Sandra Naeslund. She has won eight out of nine races of this season's World Cup, including the final event before the Olympics last month.

Marielle Thompson of Canada, the 2014 Olympic champion, is the only other woman to have won a World Cup event this season, and she will be hoping to complete an inspirational return after rupturing her ACL in her right knee last March.

The qualification for the men's and women's freeski halfpipe begin, with Gu aiming to win another medal in front of her adoring fans in Beijing, with the women's final set to take place on Friday.

Ice hockey

The anticipated women's gold medal game between Canada and the United States takes place on Thursday.

Both teams comfortably made it to the final on Monday after Canada beat Switzerland 10-3 and USA overcame Finland 4-1 in the semis.

The rivals have already played each other in Beijing, with the Canadians winning 4-2 in the group stage.

Nordic combined

The final event of the Nordic combined, the team Gundersen large hill 4x5km relay, will see Norway's team of Joergen Graabak, Jens Luraas Oftebro, Espen Bjoernstad and Espen Andersen looking to increase their nation's dominance.

Norway (three) is the only country to have won more than one Nordic combined medal so far, but they will likely face competition from the other nations to medal: Germany, Austria and Japan.

Speed skating

In the women's 1000m, we will certainly have a new champion after Jorien ter Mors of the Netherlands, who won gold in 2018, recently retired.

Fellow Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam, the 2019 world champion, is her nation's best hope, while United States duo Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson, who won gold in the 500m, are also among the favourites.

Japan's Miho Takagi could become the third reigning world sprint champion to win Olympic 1000m gold after Karin Kania-Enke of Germany and American Bonnie Blair.

United States forward Sam Hentges accepted his side could have no complaints after suffering a shock elimination from the men's Winter Olympics ice hockey competition at the hands of Slovakia.

The two-time champions were knocked out at the quarter-final stage for the second Games running with a penalty shoot-out loss in Wednesday's contest at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing.

USA fielded a young side and recovered to lead 2-1 in the closing stages of regulation time, but Marek Hrivik struck with 43 seconds left to force 10 minutes of overtime and it was Slovakia who held their nerve as the contest went the distance.

Peter Cehlarik was the only player to convert his penalty in the shoot-out, with Andy Miele's saved attempt ensuring Slovakia advanced to the final four with a 3-2 victory.

"That's what happens when you don't play well," said Hentges, who gave USA the lead after Nick Abruzzese had cancelled out Juraj Slafkovsky's opener.

"We didn't play well in the second and third period and when you get to this level that's what happens.

"We didn't play how we played the last three games. It's as simple as that, that's why we lost."

USA, who were outshot 36-35 by Slovakia and went 0-for-4 on the power play, end their Beijing 2022 campaign with three wins and a defeat.

Ben Meyers agreed with Hentges that there can be no excuses.

"We played really well in our first three games and this is our first bad game," he said. "Now we are done. 

"I have no complaints at all about anything. I'm just disappointed that we lost this time."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has denied applying double standards towards American and Russian athletes amid the Kamila Valieva doping scandal.

Russian teenager Valieva was controversially cleared to go for a second gold of the Beijing Winter Olympics this week despite testing positive for performance-enhancing drug trimetazidine in December.

Valieva won a team figure skating gold last week before her positive test was revealed and is on course to win the singles title on Thursday after leading the way in the short program routine on Tuesday.

The 15-year-old was given the green light to compete at the Capital Indoor Stadium due to "exceptional circumstances", largely due to the her age ensuring she is considered to be a "protected person" under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson was incensed by that decision, as she was banned from competing in the Tokyo Olympics last year after testing positive for cannabis.

Richardson claimed to have had smoked marijuana after discovering from a reporter that her biological mother had died.

She cited racial discrimination for being unable to go for gold in Japan and questioned how her positive test came to light so quickly compared to Valieva's.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams on Wednesday stated that the two cases should not be compared.

"You can't talk about double standards in relation to Russian and American athletes, each case is individual," he said.

"Richardson's positive doping test was discovered on June 19, and the result was received before the start of the Olympics. She was suspended for a month. There is nothing in common between these two cases."

Adams confirmed there will be an asterisk placed against the women's figure skating competition in Beijing until Valieva's doping case is concluded and expressed sympathy for the teenager.

"This Games, which has not concluded, concerns an issue in December," he said. "She is in the centre of a lot of speculation. It must be very tough for her.

"We of course are in touch with the team, her welfare is the team's first priority, and obviously we are very careful of that but there's only so much that we can do."

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted "everything else is just noise" in an apparent swipe at his critics after ending his goalscoring drought in Manchester United's win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Portugal international had gone six games without finding the net in all competitions – his worst run at club level since a run of seven games ending in January 2009 – prior to drilling home United's opener in Tuesday's Premier League contest.

Bruno Fernandes added a late second to seal a 2-0 win for United at Old Trafford, ending what has also been a poor run for the Red Devils, having drawn their previous two league games and been knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough.

Those results and Ronaldo's loss of form led to reports that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will look to leave Old Trafford at the end of the campaign, but he is happy to have done his talking on the pitch.

"Back on track," Ronaldo posted on Twitter. "Nobody gives up and there's only one way to get back on track: hard work, team work, serious work. Everything else is just noise. Let's go Devils!"

Ronaldo has now scored against 168 different opponents for club and country after netting against Brighton, while he has also scored at least once in each of the last 21 calendar years stretching back to 2002.

He found the back of the net from one of a game-high five shots against Brighton, while the three chances he created for team-mates are the most he has managed in the Premier League this term.

After recently leaving Ronaldo out of the starting line-up to face Burnley, United interim boss Ralf Rangnick was pleased with the former Real Madrid and Juventus star's improved display against Albion.

"The goal he scored was amazing," Rangnick said. "Not only an important one but an amazing goal. I think overall it was a good performance by Cristiano. 

"'Energetically, he was on there, he was always trying to help his team-mates, so I think in the last weeks this is definitely the best performance by him and a very, very important goal for us."

Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer hailed Giannis Antetokounmpo's "special" achievement of scoring 50 points on 17-of-21 shooting in Tuesday's win over the Indiana Pacers.

Antetokounmpo's 21 attempts were the fourth-fewest in a 50-point game in NBA history as the two-time MVP registered 50 points in the regular season for the first time since November 2019.

The 27-year-old also took 14 rebounds and provided four assists in the 128-119 victory – the Suns' sixth in a row – to become the third player in NBA history to have 50 points, 10 rebounds and shoot 80 per cent from the field.

After producing another standout display for the NBA leaders, Budenholzer lavished yet more praise on Antetokounmpo.

"The efficiency... that's Giannis," he said. "He's special. It's hard to fathom scoring 50 on 21."

Bucks forward Jordan Nwora echoed those sentiments, adding: "It's special seeing it in person.

"What's really crazy about it is that he makes it look so easy. I think I looked at him when he scored his 50th point, crowd cheering, and it's like, 'Man, he's barely sweating.' 

"He's still full of energy in the locker room after he does it. It's just part of being one of the greatest ever to play."

Antetokounmpo now has 1,411 points for the season, while his average of 29.4 across 48 games is the best record of any player, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (29.3).

That 29.4 average is also marginally behind Antetokounmpo's career-best of 29.5 from 2019-20, putting him in strong contention to claim a third MVP award in four years.

Twenty-six of Antetokounmpo's 50 points against the Pacers arrived from inside the paint, but the Greek forward was more impressed by his return of 14-of-18 from the free-throw line.

"I get upset when I miss free throws," he said. "I work too hard. I love when I make my free throws. It gives me rhythm, it makes me feel good. 

"I can miss every three, I can miss a layup, but when I make my free throws it's like my dopamine hit because I work extremely hard to make them.

"It just makes the game easier, it makes me able to drive the ball all the time. I'm excited to go to the free throw line, and I don't second-guess myself anymore."

Antetokounmpo fell two points short of setting a new career-high tally of 52, but team honours remain his top priority.

"Obviously it's a nice feeling to have 50, you always remember it, but I care about winning," he said. "I want to win games. Fifties, 40s, 30s all those things, accolades are going to come.

"But they only come with winning. If your main focus, your number one thing is winning, you do whatever it takes to finish the game. Sometimes it's, shoot more. Sometimes you've got to defend more. 

"Everything else comes, but if you're thinking about let me get 50, let me get mine, it doesn't work that way. You've always got to focus on winning."

All-Star pair Devin Booker and Chris Paul led the way as the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96 to make it six wins in a row.

Booker scored 26 points and Paul added 17 and 14 assists for the NBA-leading Suns, who have now won 17 of their past 18 games and are 47-10 for the season.

The Clippers had defeated the Golden State Warriors in their previous game and led the Suns 90-88 with six minutes to play at Footprint Center.

But Booker and Paul took control to give the hosts a slender lead and restricted their opponents to just one point in the final 2:53 to put another victory on the board.

Reflecting on a hard-fought win, Suns head coach Monty Williams said: "Our past experiences are helping us now, even the hurt that we felt last year is helping us now."

Giannis guides Bucks past Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a two-game losing run with a 128-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo's latest impressive showing.

Two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo scored 50 points on 17-of-21 shooting, with those 21 attempts the fourth-fewest in a 50-point game in NBA history.

It is the first time the 27-year-old, returning from an ankle injury that kept him out of the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, has hit 50 in the regular season since November 2019.

The Bucks improve to 36-23 for the season, with a winning percentage of .610, while the Pacers have now lost seven successive games.

Celtics continue strong form

The Boston Celtics eased to a 135-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers for their ninth win in a row, with Jaylen Brown scoring 26 of his 29 points in the first half.

They are now 11-1 across their last 12 games and have outscored opponents by 253 points – only the 1970-71 Bucks (+260) have a larger point differential over a 12-game span in NBA history.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Luka Doncic scored 21 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 107-99 win against the Miami Heat, while the Atlanta Hawks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-116.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies recorded 126-120 and 121-109 victories over the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans respectively.

Four more teams begin their Champions League knockout-stage campaigns on Wednesday when Inter host Liverpool and Bayern Munich travel to Salzburg for the first leg of their last-16 ties.

The clash between European heavyweights Inter and Liverpool at San Siro could potentially be a landmark one for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who is one short of becoming the eighth coach – and the first German – to reach 50 wins in the competition.

Salzburg's meeting with Bayern will be a special occasion regardless as the Austrian Bundesliga champions are competing at this stage of the competition for the first time ever.

Bayern are unbeaten in their last 21 away games in the Champions League since September 2017 – the longest-such run in European Cup history – and they beat Salzburg by a combined 9-3 scoreline in last term's group-stage meetings.

With the help of Opta, Stats Perform picks out some of the best of the numbers ahead of Wednesday's pair of last-16 ties.

Inter v Liverpool

Each of the four previous encounters between Inter and Liverpool have come in the knockout rounds of the European Cup and Champions League. Inter advanced over two legs in the 1964-65 semi-finals en route to being crowned the kings of Europe, while Liverpool emerged victorious at this very stage in 2007-08.

Liverpool have won their last two away games against Italian opposition in European competition – just one win fewer than they managed in their previous 14 such encounters – after beating Atalanta in 2020-21 and Milan earlier this season 

Inter have been eliminated from two of their three two-legged knockout ties against English opponents since the Champions League changed format in 2003-04, losing to Liverpool in 2007-08 and Manchester United in 2008-09, before eliminating Chelsea in 2009-10.

The Nerazzurri have won their last two Champions League home matches, which is one more than they managed in their previous nine between November 2018 and September 2021. However, not since between December 2009 and November 2010 – a run of seven victories – have they won three in a row in San Siro in the competition.

Mohamed Salah is in line to make his 50th Champions League appearance for Liverpool. The Egypt international has scored 32 goals in 49 games to date – only Cristiano Ronaldo (51 for Real Madrid) and Robert Lewandowski (36 for Bayern Munich) have ever netted more as of their 50th game for a single club.

Inter will hope Edin Dzeko can continue his good record against Liverpool, having netted in each of his past three meetings with them, scoring once for Manchester City in 2015 and twice for Roma in the semi-finals of this competition in 2017-18. 

Salzburg v Bayern Munich

Bayern are facing Austrian opposition in the knockout stages of a European competition for the fourth time. The German giants have advanced on each of the previous three occasions – against Rapid Vienna in the 1966-67 Cup Winners' Cup and Austria Vienna in successive European Cup campaigns in 1985-86 and 1986-87.

That does not bode well for Salzburg, who have won only one of their last six games against German teams in European competition, conceding 18 goals at an average of three per match. However, that solitary win did come in their most-recent home match – a 3-1 win over Wolfsburg in the group stage.

Julian Nagelsmann's side are one of only three teams with a 100 per cent record in the Champions League this term, along with Liverpool and Ajax. Only three sides prior to this campaign have ever won their first seven games of a Champions League campaign, with Bayern the most recent to do so three seasons ago.

Salzburg will be hoping to follow Atalanta, RB Leipzig (both in 2019-20) and Wolfsburg (2015-16) as only the fourth team to win their first game in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Robert Lewandowski is set to make his 50th away appearance in UEFA's showpiece competition. The Bayern striker has scored 37 goals to date in those games, which is already the most of any player to have reached that landmark, three more than next-best Lionel Messi.

Lewandowski's 11 direct goal involvements in the group stage were the second-most of any player, behind Ajax's Sebastien Haller (12). Next on the list is team-mate Leroy Sane, who scored five and assisted four more in six appearances.

Defending champion Cristian Garin was victim of the biggest shock of Tuesday's play at the Rio Open.

Fifth seed Garin – winner of the most recent edition in 2020 – exited a second consecutive tournament at the first-round stage after he was humbled by Federico Coria.

Coria had defeated the fifth seed, Dusan Lajovic, at last week's Argentina Open, too, but was particularly impressive on Tuesday.

A stunning 6-2 6-0 win was sealed in an hour and 16 minutes.

Coria fended off two break points midway through the first set and then won the remaining nine games in succession in a dominant victory.

Garin was the only seed to lose in Brazil, however, as Lorenzo Sonego was on the right side of a 6-2 6-0 scoreline against 2019 winner Laslo Djere.

Fabio Fognini also advanced in straight sets, while Spanish pair Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Fernando Verdasco similarly eased through.

At the Delray Beach Open, 2021 runner-up Sebastian Korda defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in his first match since winning the Australian Open doubles title with Nick Kyrgios.

Former champion Sam Querrey came up short against Denis Istomin.

James Harden is confident it "made sense" for him to leave the Brooklyn Nets for the Philadelphia 76ers in his pursuit of a first NBA championship.

Harden headed to Philly ahead of last week's trade deadline in a move that saw wantaway 76ers outcast Ben Simmons head in the opposite direction.

Ten-time All-Star Harden had been expected to contend for titles in Brooklyn, having formed a 'Big Three' with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving when he arrived from the Houston Rockets last year.

But injuries and coronavirus controversy – Irving remains unvaccinated – meant the trio played just 365 minutes together across 16 games in the regular season and playoffs.

Now, Harden is instead targeting glory alongside Joel Embiid, the MVP frontrunner who endured a frosty relationship with Simmons on the 76ers.

Embiid has scored 25 or more points in 23 consecutive games – a sequence only three players have topped this century – including a 40-point triple-double last time out.

Harden is excited by the prospect of teaming up with the center, as he said: "For me, [the trade] made sense, man.

"It's a time where I needed to be around guys that I know want to win, and know that they are willing to do whatever it takes to win, and the structure here is unbelievable.

"[Winning is] the goal, man. That's the goal. Like Daryl [Morey, president of basketball operations] said: the opportunity to win is now. Joel is playing the best he's ever played.

"So, my job is to come out there and help him and help the entire team win a championship this year and in years going forward."

Harden left the Rockets for the Nets with the same idea but is now focused on a positive future.

"I mean, it wasn't planned like this – 14 months ago, I didn't see myself with three different teams," he said. "But we are here today and I'm happy.

"The last year has been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of stress, but whatever. That's in the past. I'm excited, I'm healthy and it's the opportunity of a lifetime."

The former MVP added his injured hamstring, which will keep him out until after the All-Star break, "feels really good".

Harden was speaking alongside Morey – formerly his general manager in Houston – who expressed his delight the 76ers had managed to land their man without dealing promising point guard Tyrese Maxey.

"Tyrese absolutely has the chance to be an All-Star in this league," said Morey, adding "the sky's the limit" for both Maxey and Matisse Thybulle. "And that's a big reason why we made sure that they weren't in this trade."

Pep Guardiola considered Bernardo Silva's first goal against Sporting CP on Tuesday "one of the best I've ever seen".

Silva, a former Benfica player returning to Lisbon, netted twice in Manchester City's stunning 5-0 defeat of Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

The moment of the match came 17 minutes in when the City midfielder thundered a half-volley in off the crossbar to put the visitors two up.

Silva had not scored a Champions League goal since the same stage of last year's tournament, with his two on Tuesday meaning five of his eight City strikes in the competition have been netted in the last 16.

This was Silva's first ever Champions League brace and took him to 10 goals for the season in all competitions – his most in a single club campaign since 13 in 2018-19.

Guardiola has long felt Silva could score more often, as he told a news conference: "Always I tell him: Bernardo, you are a perfect player, defensively so intuitive, can run 12km, 13km – but with sense, not just running for running – and with the ball he's more than exceptional.

"But I always say: you have to score goals, you have to win games, you have the ability to do it.

"And today, with the [first] goal, he scored one of the best I've ever seen – for the technique, for everything. Hopefully he can get confidence [from the goal]."

Silva also added his third assist of the season for Raheem Sterling's fifth goal, while his three tackles were a joint-high among City players in an all-action display that showed why Guardiola considers the midfielder "unique".

"He can play in six roles, easily," the City manager said. "He doesn't just play football; he understands the game. There are players that play good with the ball, but he understands the game, exactly what he needs with every action.

"There are few in the world [like him], few. He's a fantastic player.

"Hopefully he can stay with Man City for many, many years, but it depends of course the club will decide and himself."

Collin Morikawa has rejected the advances of the Saudi-backed Super Golf League to remain on the PGA Tour.

A number of high-profile players are said to have been targeted by organisers of the lucrative new league, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson.

Speaking on Tuesday, two-time major champion Morikawa revealed he was among those who had received interest.

But in a major boost to the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old will not switch circuits – and he hinted other leading stars are making the same decision.

"I'm all for the PGA Tour," Morikawa said ahead of the Genesis Invitational.

"I've been a pro for two and a half years. My entire life I've thought about the PGA Tour. I've thought about playing against Tiger [Woods], beating his records, whatever, something that might not even be breakable.

"But I've never had another thought of what's out there, right? I've never thought about anything else, it's always been the PGA Tour."

He added: "Right now, you look at the best players that I see and they're all sticking with the PGA Tour, and that's where I kind of stay and that's where I belong. I'm very happy to be here."

Diego Simeone acknowledges his inability to find a winning formation is the key to Atletico Madrid's below-par season, as the LaLiga champions prepare to welcome Antoine Griezmann back.

Atletico won the title last year and appeared primed for back-to-back successes when they recruited well while Real Madrid and Barcelona saw only limited transfer business.

Rodrigo De Paul arrived from Udinese and Matheus Cunha from Hertha Berlin, before Griezmann returned on loan from Barca.

Although Griezmann scored only three league goals before sustaining a hamstring injury at the start of January, Atletico have thrived in attack. With 42 goals, they rank third in LaLiga.

By contrast, however, the defensive bedrock on which Simeone's success has been built appears to be no more. Only seven teams have conceded more than their 33 through 23 matches – Atletico's most at this stage of a season under Simeone.

Shipping two or more goals in eight of their past nine league matches, Atletico enter Wednesday's game against Levante outside of the Champions League places in fifth.

Given late winners from Mario Hermoso have rescued results in two of their past three games, contributing to a league-high 15 points won with goals scored in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, Atletico's position could be even worse.

Simeone continues to seek a solution for his side's poor form, but he believes this might actually be the problem.

The Atletico coach, who deflected questions on his future after "10 wonderful years" in Madrid, said ahead of the Levante match: "There are many years playing in the same way, but every year is not the same.

"After the pandemic, when everyone saw us out of the Champions League, after the game with Liverpool, we were four or five points behind those above us, and it was very difficult with 11 matchdays to go.

"The team followed a plan in the 4-4-2, and we won eight games and drew three, and you saw on the field what the team wanted to do.

"Last season we started with the 4-4-2, we saw that we needed a change. We went to 5-3-2, and following that line, the team had a plan and took it forward in a good way.

"This season, I take responsibility, I was continuously changing in search of better things. Let's see if I choose well now and they follow the path I will choose."

While Atletico's issues are clearly at the back, the attack is only set to get stronger with Griezmann's involvement. He will not feature against Levante, though.

"We are happy to have Griezmann back," Simeone said. "He is coming back on Thursday to train with the team. We will have him soon for the Osasuna game [on Saturday].

"Apart from [Angel] Correa and Matheus, who are doing a great job, we also have Luis [Suarez], Joao [Felix], very important players in a decisive position. The more competition between them, the team will always win."