Iga Swiatek starts the Australian Open as almost as strong a favourite to win the women's singles as Novak Djokovic is for the men's event.
Considering Djokovic is a nine-time champion in Melbourne, and Swiatek has never reached the final, that is some going and indicative of the Polish player's dominance on the WTA Tour over the last 11 months.
Swiatek ended last year with eight titles to her name, winning the French Open and US Open among them, and the 21-year-old has accrued more than twice as many ranking points as the next player on the WTA list, Ons Jabeur.
Her ascent to become the dominant woman in tennis has been remarkable, and Swiatek has also earned admiration for her efforts to raise funds for children in war-hit Ukraine.
But is she such an outstanding favourite for the Melbourne Park title as the odds-makers have it?
Since the US Open, she has been a champion at just one – modest by her standards – of the four tournaments she has contested, including the United Cup team event.
Here, Stats Perform looks at five others who might have a say in the destination of the year's first major.
Jessica Pegula
Swiatek was reduced to tears after a 6-2 6-2 drubbing by Pegula on January 6 at the United Cup, her first loss of the year.
She later described Pegula's performance as "the perfect match", and will hope the American cannot always rise to that level.
"It's always hard when you lose, especially when you're playing for the team and your country," Swiatek said at the time, explaining her post-match tears.
Swiatek had won all four of the matches they contested in 2022, dropping only one set, with quarter-final wins on the way to her two grand slam triumphs included in that set.
The result in Sydney, therefore, might have been just a blip, but Pegula is number three in the world for a reason, and Swiatek will surely want to avoid her over the coming fortnight.
Coco Gauff
Is now Gauff's time? There's a question that has been buzzing around the tennis circuit for at least a couple of seasons, despite the American being just 18 years old.
Time, it should be clear, is firmly on her side. She soared to fourth in the rankings in October but has slipped a little since, while remaining firmly established in the top 10.
Given her great talent, Gauff should be resident in the top 10 for many years to come, so we can afford to wait before watching her fly. The sometimes-erratic forehand remains in need of fine-tuning, and Gauff began this year with just two career singles titles to her name after missing out on a trophy in the 2022 season.
However, she reached a first grand slam final last June, losing to Swiatek in Paris, and began 2023 by capturing a title in Auckland where, as top seed, she made light work of the field.
The victory made her the sixth American player to secure three or more WTA-level titles before turning 19 in the last 40 years, after slam winners Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Venus and Serena Williams.
That is some company for Gauff, who will face Katerina Siniakova in the first rout in Melbourne, to be keeping, and her time will come. It might even come in Melbourne.
Ons Jabeur
After finishing runner-up to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon and Swiatek at the US Open, Jabeur is targeting a third successive slam final.
The Tunisian would win most popularity contests on the Tour, but she wants one of the big trophies now, and has to be seen as a strong contender in Australia.
Her preparations took a knock with a loss to 18-year-old Czech Linda Noskova at Adelaide International 1, but that will only have made Jabeur work harder in the build-up to the major.
She was gutted to have to pull out of the Australian Open with a back injury last year, and a first-round loss at the French Open followed, but Jabeur came good at the next two majors, albeit falling at the final hurdle.
Aryna Sabalenka
At this time last year, Sabalenka was in crisis, her serve a massive weakness as she struggled to deliver the ball safely.
She recovered from going a set down in three consecutive matches at the Australian Open before losing a rollicking tussle in round four with Estonian veteran and upset specialist Kaia Kanepi.
Sabalenka served a wretched 15 double faults in that match, which was sadly more or less par for her in the early stages of the 2022 season, but the Belarusian got her act together, overcome those yips, and finished the year strongly.
A semi-final run at the US Open was followed by an appearance in the WTA Finals title match, where she lost a close encounter with Caroline Garcia.
Sabalenka began this year not with the serving jitters, but with the Adelaide International 1 title, not dropping a set all week.
She has a big game and with it growing confidence. At the age of 24, she should be entering her prime years, and 2023 could be a special 12 months for the woman with the tiger tattoo.
Zheng Qinwen
The WTA's 2022 Newcomer of the Year winner, Zheng is a 20-year-old Chinese player who could soon follow in the footsteps of compatriot Li Na and begin scooping the biggest prizes in tennis.
How soon? Well, probably not quite yet, but then again very few picked out the then 54th-ranked Swiatek to win the 2020 French Open, the moment that launched her to stardom.
Zheng has rocketed to 30th in the rankings, having begun last year at 126th on the WTA list, and should be considered capable of halving her ranking over this season.
She first came to major prominence at the French Open, when she defeated Simona Halep and for a while also had Swiatek's number in their fourth-round match, winning the first set before menstrual cramps and a leg problem caused her to lose momentum.
The WTA Tour is a learning curve and slam-level success might not come immediately for Zheng, but that newcomer award came her way because she is a player shaping up to have a big say in the sport's future. Along with the likes of Gauff and Swiatek, she could still be a big factor in a decade's time.
Arsenal must show they can handle the pressure of being Premier League title "favourites", according to Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte.
Mikel Arteta's side head into Sunday's North London derby top of the table having won 14 of their 17 games.
But the Gunners dropped points in a goalless draw with Newcastle United last week, and with closest challengers Manchester City playing Manchester United on Saturday, Arsenal's lead could be cut to just two points by the time they step out onto the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Conte is no stranger to title races, having lifted five top-flight crowns during his managerial career, including the 2016-17 Premier League while in charge of Chelsea.
He warned Arsenal that, despite their fantastic start, the real challenge starts now as they look to fend off City and claim their first league title since the 2003-04 'Invincibles' season.
"When you are at the top of the league the perception of your opponents change totally," Conte told reporters. "You are in that moment the best team in the league. For this reason, everybody wants to try to beat you.
"For sure, Arsenal has to face this situation of being favourites to win the league at this moment because they are top of the table. They have to show they are good to face this type of situation.
"In the last 10 years it was always the same, between City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Maybe Leicester [City]. Now Arsenal have a great opportunity.
"I think they are doing very well. Now they have to show they can stay there until the end of the season because I'm sure Manchester City doesn't agree and will feel the real possibility to win [the title] again.
"I think it is a battle between Arsenal and Manchester City."
Despite the huge animosity between the capital-city rivals, Spurs boss Conte still has respect for how Arsenal have turned things around after a tumultuous period in the late stages of and following Arsene Wenger's tenure.
Conte pointed out Arteta's focus on youth, as well as their recruitment in the transfer market, as reasons for the Gunners' success, saying: "They are working for many years in a project.
"They are doing very well. They sent away a lot of players, and bring in many players and they spend money to do it.
"It's normal when you work with the same young players and after four years they develop and become stronger.
"You have two paths you can follow.
"If you want to accelerate the process it is important to bring experienced players, winners, who know how to win, but you have another way, which is you need to have time and patience to develop young players."
Belinda Bencic eased to a 6-0 6-2 final victory over Daria Kasatkina to claim the Adelaide International 2 crown on Saturday.
Both Bencic and Kasatkina did not have to play a semi-final after their respective opponents, Veronika Kudermetova and Paula Badosa, both pulled out with injuries.
Bencic romped to victory in the final though, dropping just two games against her Russian opponent to lift her first title in Australia.
The match lasted just 67 minutes, as the 2021 runner-up converted five of her seven break point opportunities while not facing a single break point herself.
Bencic rattled off eight games in a row to start the final, and though Kasatkina did save some face with a couple of holds late on, the world number 13 finished the job to win in straight sets ahead of the start of the Australian Open next week.
"I'm happy I could show my work here on the court," Bencic told reporters at a post-match news conference. "I thought I played some great matches from the start of the tournament and also against different kind of opponents so I really could test myself out there in every way and just go confidently into the Australian Open."
At the Hobart International, Lauren Davis ended a six-year title drought with a 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 triumph over Elisabetta Cocciaretto in an all-unseeded final.
In the opening set, every game went to serve until the tie-break, when Davis found three crucial breaks to take the advantage heading into the second stanza.
But the second set was not the same tight affair as Cocciaretto, playing in her first Tour-level singles final, collapsed to a 5-0 deficit to leave her staring down the barrel of defeat.
Davis, who herself was playing in a first Tour-level final since winning the trophy in Auckland in 2017, overcame losing the next two games to take the title having not lost a set at the tournament.
Davis was delighted after the match, saying: "I have a lot of emotions going through my body right now. I'm just really happy, really excited. I really had to play my best in order to win today."
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay released an open letter on Friday highlighting his disappointment in their tumultuous season.
The Colts finished with the fourth-worst record in the NFL at 4-12-1 despite entering the year with "the highest hopes for a division title and a deep playoff run", according to Irsay.
It was the fourth season in a row the Colts came into Week 1 with a new starting quarterback, and when faced with a shaky 3-5-1 start and uncertainty at the position, Irsay made the decision to fire head coach Frank Reich.
That was the first time since taking control of the team in 1997 that Irsay had fired his head coach mid-season, and his next move raised even more eyebrows as he decided to bring in long-time friend and legendary former Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday as Reich's replacement.
Saturday had never been a head coach at any level prior to his appointment, and after winning his first contest in charge, Indianapolis closed the season on a seven-game losing streak.
In his letter, Irsay said: "I share your frustration. I can't stand losing, and I hate letting down our fans, and we had too much of both last year.
"But please know this – no one is more unsatisfied than I am. No one has higher expectations than I do. And no one wants to win for our fans and our community more than the people in our organization wearing the Horseshoe every day.
"So as I've always said, the responsibility for making us better ultimately falls on me, and our offseason work has already begun. That includes our search for our next head coach, preparing for an important draft in April and continuing to bolster the talented core of players already on our roster.
"No one can ever guarantee wins or losses. But as long as I'm owner, I can guarantee that winning championships will always be my goal, and I'll be doing everything I can to help get us there. That's what you deserve, and that's what we'll be working hard to deliver."
The Colts own the fourth pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and pundits have speculated about whether they will take the gamble of trading up to number one or two to ensure they land one of college football's top quarterbacks.
The New York Knicks have now won six of their past seven games after Jalen Brunson excelled in a 112-108 victory against the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Brunson, who is averaging career-highs in points (21.9) and assists (6.4) since signing with the Knicks in the offseason, was once again his side's best player.
He scored a team-high 34 points on 12-of-24 shooting with eight rebounds and eight assists, continuing the red-hot form that has seen him average 33.2 points, 5.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds on 52 per cent shooting since the new year began.
Another player in scintillating form since the start of January is Knicks forward Julius Randle, and he is now averaging 24.8 points and 14.4 rebounds this month after putting up 23 points (eight-of-19 shooting) and 16 rebounds.
The Knicks overcame a terrific performance from Wizards wing Kyle Kuzma, who scored a season-high 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists.
New York are now 24-19, and sit sixth in the Eastern Conference.
No Jokic, no problem for the Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets showed they can survive without reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic as they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 115-103.
It was just the third contest Jokic has missed out of 41 total opportunities, but while on the sidelines nursing a wrist injury he watched Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr pick up the slack.
Murray scored a team-high 24 points on eight-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and four assists, while Porter had 22 points (nine-of-17) with four rebounds and three assists.
The highlight of the game came courtesy of Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who dunked on the head of Zeke Nnaji on his way to 24 points (10-of-21) and nine rebounds.
Hawks bigs deliver the win
Despite having two All-Stars in their backcourt, the Atlanta Hawks frontcourt came to the rescue in a 113-111 triumph over the Indiana Pacers.
Third-year center Onyeka Okongwu was tremendous with 18 points (nine-of-12 shooting), a career-high 20 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals.
His interior partner, John Collins, was less impactful for the first three quarters, and while he only finished with seven points, he scored the game-winning tip-in with less than a second remaining on the clock.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was emotional following his side's 144-113 drubbing of the San Antonio Spurs in front of a record crowd.
Officially 68,323 people packed into the Alamodome for the special occasion to break the NBA attendance record, previously set at 62,046 when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls played against the Atlanta Hawks at the Georgia Dome in 1998.
The Warriors had eight players score in double-figures, led by Jordan Poole with 25 points on eight-of-16 shooting with six assists, while Stephen Curry had 15 points in his first win with the team since December 10.
It was an even more special night for Kerr, who was a member of the Spurs' championship teams in 1999 and 2003, with the home side airing a video package dedicated to him before tip-off.
"First of all I want to say thank you to the Spurs for the incredible night," he said. "Just the presentation of the game was spectacular.
"For me, it was a little bit of a trip down memory lane. I got emotional before the game when they played the video and introduced me – to get an ovation from 68,000 fans gives you chills. This was a really special night, and the Spurs made it special.
"I think the reason I was feeling the way I did, is I know how fortunate that I was to be a part of the Spurs, and to meet 'Pop', and [general manager] R.C [Buford], and play with Timmy [Duncan], and Manu [Ginobli], and David Robinson, and Avery [Johnson] and Sean [Elliot] – the whole group.
"Just to be part of this team, and this community here for five years of my life, and to be embraced by the fans, and my family to be embraced here – my kids spent a good chunk of their childhood here.
"This is a special place, and tonight was a great display of how special the Spurs are, and how special San Antonio is."
Draymond Green compared the atmosphere to college basketball's Final Four, which is usually played in a similar sort of stadium.
"It was very fun," he said. "It was funny, I was saying to somebody at the beginning of the game that it feels like you're playing in the Final Four all over again.
"To have that experience – you never think you're going to be able to experience that again.
"I think this is a great thing that the Spurs organisation has done, and I'm happy that we were the game and the team that could be part of it."
Chris Kirk is alone atop the leaderboard at 11 under following Friday's second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Kirk was in a three-way tie for the lead after shooting a six-under 64 on Thursday, and he followed it up with a 65 in his second trip around Waialae Country Club.
He began his round in blistering fashion, collecting birdies on each of the first three holes to put himself in a commanding position, and he finished with a birdie on the 18th.
J.J. Spaun looked a sure thing to finish the day tied with Kirk at 11 under as he reached his final hole – the par-five ninth – with a share of the lead.
Despite it playing as the easiest hole on the course, Spaun found the water, resulting in his first bogey of the week to head into the weekend at 10 under.
Spaun is tied for second with American compatriot Taylor Montgomery, while Hayden Buckley and David Lipsky are at nine under to round out the top-five.
England's Ben Taylor is part of the three-man group at eight under, Germany's Stephan Jaeger is at seven under, Kim Si-woo is at six under and former Masters champion Adam Scott headlines the group at five under.
Hideki Matsuyama finished the day two strokes inside the cut-line at three under, while joint first-round leader Jordan Spieth imploded for a five-over 75 to miss the cut at one under.
Jurgen Klopp pointed to Liverpool's hectic schedule over the past 12 months as a reason for his side's struggles this season.
Liverpool played 63 games in the 2021-22 season as they made deep runs in the Champions League, EFL Cup and the FA Cup, and have since struggled with a number of injuries.
Currently sitting seventh on the Premier League table with eight wins from 17 fixtures, the Reds are seven points adrift of the top-four, and are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time since finishing eighth in the 2015-16 season.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Klopp said a lot of Liverpool's problems can be attributed to "bad luck".
"Could anybody know how the last season of 63 games could influence this season?" he said. "I don’t think anybody could know. It must have – we can say that now.
"We had holiday, not too much, there were games here and the boys all looked fine. Then it started with Diogo [Jota] coming back from international duty and getting injured and then bam, bam, bam.
"Luis [Diaz] twice, Darwin [Nunez] suspended and now injured. Earlier in the season midfielders were not available so we brought in Arthur [Melo] who then got injured. There is a lot of bad luck."
He added: "We were in a super-positive mood, we could have won everything and then all of a sudden we don’t win everything. Just because we are Liverpool doesn’t mean we are not allowed to have problems.
"When you are Liverpool and the distance to the Champions League gets bigger then it feels like you are bottom of the table – but thank God we are not. There are a lot of games to come and players to come back."
Liverpool will look to begin their march back up the table on Saturday away from home against Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Los Angeles Chargers have suffered a painful loss on the eve of the playoffs as wide receiver Mike Williams was ruled out for two to three weeks.
Williams suffered a nonsurgical fracture in his back during the Chargers' Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.
It was a game that had no playoff implications as the Chargers had already locked up their spot, and by playing his starters, head coach Brandon Staley drew criticism about what could have been an avoidable injury.
Responding to that criticism, Staley said he does not look at the situation that way.
"It's difficult to decide who plays and who doesn't and who is more valuable than the rest," he said.
"What you are trying to do is set a standard for your program about how you do things. That is what I believe in, and I didn't want anybody to get hurt in [the game], regardless of their status, because everybody is important."
Williams has caught 63 passes for a team-high 895 yards this season, with a four-game absence due to a high-ankle sprain the only thing stopping him from eclipsing 1000 yards for the third time in four years.
The Chargers will go into Saturday's Wild Card contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars with Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer starting out wide.
Luciano Spalletti hailed Victor Osimhen for his performance in Napoli's 5-1 thrashing of Juventus and says he is "amazed" by what the striker still has to offer.
Osimhen opened the scoring for Napoli in Friday's top-of-the-table Serie A clash with a close-range finish, ending Juve's run of 770 minutes without conceding in the league.
The 24-year-old then assisted Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, before doubling his strike tally in the second half in between goals from Amir Rrahmani and Elif Elmas.
He is only the third player to score and assist in the first half against Juve over the past 15 seasons, after Cagliari's Luca Gagliano and Roma's Diego Perotti (both in 2020).
But while now boasting 13 goals and three assists in 17 appearances this season, Spalletti believes there is more to come from the Nigeria international.
"I am amazed by the potential Osimhen hasn't put into practice yet," Spalletti told DAZN. "He is devastating on long balls, can stand strong physically and has courage too.
"He's had his face cut two or three times because he never backs down. He almost always takes risks but he's a player who has potential and room for improvement."
Napoli have now scored 64 goals in 24 matches this season, making them the fourth-highest scoring team across Europe's top five leagues in all competitions.
More important than that is the 10-point margin Napoli now have on Juventus and Milan at the Serie A summit, though the latter have a game in hand at Lecce on Saturday.
The Partenopei are heavy favourites to win their first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season, even if Spalletti has suggested otherwise, after sending out another message.
"The only message is to ourselves," Spalletti said. "Juventus are a colossus and that run of results they were on allowed them to go into this match in second place.
"What we said before kick-off was that we didn't want to end the game with remorse or being hesitant. Instead, we attacked in an open way and took control of the match."
Angel Di Maria had levelled up before half-time for Juve, who entered the game on an eight-match winning run in the league without conceding a single goal.
Despite Napoli stretching their lead at the top, Juventus defender Danilo is not giving up hope of catching Spalletti's side in the second half of the season.
"The Scudetto will be decided in June," he said. "We will think only match-to-match; only in this way can we get higher in the standings. Then we will see what happens.
"Juve must always aim for the Scudetto. We must understand that from tomorrow our thinking must change. As a club we know we have to leave everything on the pitch."
Mikel Arteta has admitted that Arsenal need to have better control over their emotions after being hit with consecutive FA charges.
The Gunners were issued with a £40,000 fine on Friday for failing to control their players in the goalless draw against Newcastle United, following appeals for a last-minute penalty at Emirates Stadium.
Another charge then came the way of Arteta's side for similar appeals in the FA Cup third-round victory over Oxford United, with Arsenal's behaviour in both matches attracting criticism.
Sunday's north London derby against Tottenham will provide another test of Arsenal's ability to control their temper, as they seek to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League standings.
Arteta faced questions about the charges in his pre-match press conference and, while he admitted the team needs to do better in that aspect, feels he cannot control his own emotions.
"I care a lot about the reputation of the club, especially. Mine, I cannot control. I am who I am," he said.
"I try to do my best to defend the players, to defend the club and that comes down to certain people who won't like it. For sure, if everybody would like it, it wouldn't be very good.
"It's not that I don't care. But I care a lot more, especially when I'm doing my job. When I'm sitting at home, I care about what my wife thinks and what people think but you don't see it.
"But when I'm in the public eye, I care a lot [about] what can we do the best for the club and the best to defend the players. And this is my role as well.
"I agree that we have to control what we can control and there are certain things that we can do better.
"That's what big teams do, and the next one it's over, and you can draw or lose and it can mean very different circumstances.
"You haven't played when, the opponent was better than you, get a wrong decision, you didn't finalise the action the way you should, and someone make an error. But the next game has to be over.
"And hopefully, we have learned and we will try to do that. But in this league, there is no guarantee because the next game is going to be competitive and the next one. So, you have to earn it."
Massimiliano Allegri has told his Juventus players not to let their heads drop after being thumped 5-1 by Napoli as there is still plenty to play for this season.
Juve missed the chance to close the gap on Napoli at the top of Serie A, instead slipping 10 points behind the leaders with their heavy loss at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Bianconeri entered Friday's contest on an eight-match winning run without conceding, but they shipped five times in a league match for the first time in close to 30 years.
Allegri has no complaints with the scoreline and is now looking for a quick response when Juve face Monza in the Coppa Italia last 16 next Thursday.
"There are some defeats that are deserved and some that are undeserved. This time it was deserved," Allegri told DAZN.
"We had the strength to try to turn it around, but it didn't turn out like that. We can't let our heads drop because there's a long road ahead.
"We must congratulate Napoli. We were low on energy and were too deep for the first 20 minutes. We had good chances but every time they had a shot they could've scored.
"It is now about getting back on our feet, recovering energy and starting work again. The championship race is long so we must look forward."
Juve's run of 770 minutes without conceding in Serie A – their fifth-longest streak – was ended by Victor Osimhen early on before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second.
Angel Di Maria pulled one back for Juventus before half-time, but Amir Rrahmani restored Napoli's two-goal cushion and Osimhen's second put the game out of reach.
Substitute Elif Elmas then added a fifth for Napoli, who made it four home league wins in a row against Juve for just the second time in their history.
Asked why his side crumbled so badly in the second half in Naples, Allegri said: "You don't always have to find justification.
"These goals we conceded, that wouldn't have happened had we had more energy. After the third goal, the world falls in on you.
"Osimhen had an extraordinary match and Napoli are showing they are the strongest team. Maybe in two months things will change. What is valid today is not valid tomorrow."
Super Bowl champion head coach Sean McVay has informed the Los Angeles Rams he will return for the 2023 season, the team announced on Friday.
McVay had been pondering his future following the conclusion of a difficult 2022 campaign that ended with Sunday's overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The 2017 NFL Coach of the Year confirmed he was weighing up his options when speaking at Monday's end-of-the-season press conference.
The Rams dropped nine of their final 11 games to finish 5-12, the highest loss total in a season for any team defending a Super Bowl title, amid a mounting swarm of injuries to several key players that included quarterback Matthew Stafford, 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
"I think what I liked to do is be able to take the appropriate time," McVay said on Monday. "I've never gone through anything like this, but you want to make sure that you're considerate of the people that are affected.
"That's the most important thing and you want to be able to have the consistent conversations and dialogues that have existed with the people that I love and really care about.
"But that doesn't mean it takes away the empathy, the level of responsibility that I do feel for the people that would be affected as it relates to my decision moving forward, and so those are the things that you don’t take lightly.
"You want to be able to make sure that you're intentional about taking the appropriate time, while also making a decision in a manner that's considerate of those people that would be affected."
McVay, who at age 36 became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with the Rams' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last February, has four years remaining on a new contract he received prior to the start of this past season.
The Rams reached the playoffs four times in McVay's first five seasons in charge and won 55 regular-season games over that span, tying him with Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin for the third-most victories of any coach through his first five seasons in NFL history.
McVay is also the youngest head coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl after guiding the Rams to the title game during the 2018 season at the age of 33.
The Rams have compiled a 60-38 record with three NFC West titles during McVay's tenure, as well as a 7-3 mark in postseason play.
Pep Guardiola is not surprised by Manchester United's rejuvenation this season as he could feel Manchester City's great rivals would bounce back.
A dismal start to Erik ten Hag's stint in charge saw back-to-back losses against Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion at the start of the season spark concern, but United have fought back to sit just four points adrift of City ahead of Saturday's clash.
Since the mid-season halt of action for the World Cup, United have tallied six consecutive wins across all competitions, conceding just once, and can move within touching distance of City with a victory at Old Trafford.
While United's revival has surprised many, City boss Guardiola is not among them as he revealed he had a feeling they were back to their best.
Asked what has changed at United, Guardiola said: "Tactically not much, but when you see the commitment without the ball, I always had the feeling that the strength, the quality of the Manchester United was always there.
"Since I arrived there was [Romelu] Lukaku, [Paul] Pogba, and top-class players everywhere, in every season. It doesn't look like just City spend money in this league. Just see United and what they have done.
"I think United are playing now like they normally play in their history. So that's why it's not surprising for me. I said one month ago, I see something that United are back. And people say no, they're not back. I knew it. I felt it."
City come into the derby on the back of a surprise EFL Cup quarter-final loss against Southampton and know that defeat to United would drag them into a fierce battle for a top-four finish, as well as opening the door for Arsenal to extend their lead at the top to eight points when they face Tottenham.
However, Guardiola has no concern that his squad will not rise to the occasion and is confident they will show a response.
"Absolutely. I'm confident. I will never doubt them. Even if this season will be a mess and it will be not successful in the terms of the people's expectations, I would never doubt the players," he declared.
"But the fact I tell the truth doesn't mean that I don't rely on them. Against Southampton, I'll tell them the truth and maybe they are not used to it because they are surrounded by people who say how good they are.
"It's not like Erik ten Hag, who has been here one season. We are here for a long time and handling that is completely different."
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