Harry Maguire will not play for Manchester United against Manchester City due to injury, but Erik ten Hag is confident he can rediscover his best form when he returns.

The United captain has endured a torrid season, losing his place at club level and then performing poorly for England despite Gareth Southgate's backing, with individual errors contributing to Germany's 2-0 lead in Monday's 3-3 Nations League draw.

There have been calls for Maguire to be dropped by Southgate, too, but he first faces a tough task to get past Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez back into Ten Hag's winning United side.

That will not happen in Sunday's derby, as Ten Hag revealed the centre-back was the only fresh injury concern, set to miss the game while Anthony Martial and Premier League Player of the Month Marcus Rashford return.

However, the United manager was quizzed on what he can do to help Maguire get back to his best.

"First of all, I have to coach him," Ten Hag said. "I have to back him, but I back him because I believe in him. In the period I was working with him in pre-season, he was good, I would say really good, training and games.

"But then it's also to do with the good performances of the centre-backs who are playing now.

"I can see qualities. Even after he was not in the team, he trained really well. More importantly, the quality was really there.

"You see his career: he has almost 50 caps for England, already with Leicester and Man United he's performed really well. What you see is high potential.

"Then it's about him. The players in the dressing room, the coaches, the manager, we all believe in him. Now it's about him. That's what I told him. I am sure he can do it, and he will turn around this. I am really convinced of that."

Maguire has been the subject of abuse due to his performances, and while Ten Hag suggested criticism was part of the sport, he recognised a lack of belief was the defender's biggest problem.

"It's an aspect of football. It's an aspect of our work," he said. "We set conditions for that, as a manager, and we also have experts around to help, to coach the players and the team in the right direction.

"I think he is doing quite well, but for every player there is room for improvement. If he believes in his skills, he will be quickly back on the level even more than he did.

"Once again, I'm convinced of that, because I see his capabilities are really high."

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter is raring to go against Crystal Palace, having had to endure an unusually long wait for his first Premier League game in charge.

Potter is set for a domestic debut on the bench after succeeding Thomas Tuchel, with clashes against Fulham and Liverpool prior to the international break postponed.

That has given the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss, appointed on September 8, a 23-day wait for his first domestic engagement, and Potter says his team are "itching to play" at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

"We used a bit of time to get to know people, but at the same time we're itching to play," Potter said at Friday's press conference. "We couldn't control anything in terms of how things have panned out, we've had to make the most of it.

"I'm sure it will be a nice one. It's a proper football stadium. The boys are ready and waiting to play.

"You've got to start somewhere and there are a lot of games to come. The group are looking forward to playing."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reciprocated praise from his Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte ahead of Saturday's north London derby.

Conte commented on the improvement of Arsenal after they showed "patience" with Arteta, with the Gunners sitting top of the Premier League after six wins from their first seven games.

Spurs are just a point behind, though, and pipped their rivals to the final Champions League spot in a frenetic run-in last season.

"Not only the start but the journey they had since Antonio joined as well and how things changed," Arteta said at a press conference on Friday. "They have a clear identity... both teams expect a tough match [on Saturday]."

Arteta refused to be drawn on whether Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko would be part of the squad for the Spurs clash, but he did comment on Emile Smith Rowe, who recently underwent surgery to deal with a groin injury and is expected to be out until after the World Cup.

Smith Rowe has played just 48 minutes for Arsenal's first team this season, all from substitute appearances, and a statement from the club on Thursday said his "successful surgery took place in London in the past few days and Emile's rehabilitation programme is already underway. We are hopeful that Emile will return to full training in December."

Arteta made clear the decision to undergo surgery came from the player, saying: "We had to make a decision and we could not continue with that uncertainty.

"The player was the first one demanding that he wanted an end decision and then we have to support him on that.

"After a surgery it's very difficult to give a timeline. We need to go step-by-step. We know before the World Cup he's not going to be involved."

Erik ten Hag has been named as the Premier League's Manager of the Month, joining Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in gaining recognition for the Red Devils' September exploits.

Rashford was confirmed as the Player of the Month earlier on Friday, and Ten Hag's win made it an Old Trafford double.

A truncated schedule meant United only played twice in the league this month, but they beat both struggling Leicester City and previously undefeated leaders Arsenal.

United are now on a four-match winning run heading into Sunday's derby against Manchester City – Ten Hag's first since being appointed at the start of the season.

This is only the second time a United boss has been named the Manager of the Month since Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013.

The other was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in February 2019, which was also the only other occasion on which Rashford was the Player of the Month.

Eddie Howe has no interest in succeeding Gareth Southgate as England manager, with a move into the international game not appealing "at this moment in my life".

Three Lions boss Southgate has been hugely successful since his appointment in 2016, leading his team to the World Cup semi-finals, Nations League Finals and Euro 2020 final, but he heads into Qatar 2022 under pressure.

England are winless in six – their worst such sequence since 1993 and worst ever heading into a major tournament – and there have been calls for Southgate to move on.

As one of the leading English coaches in the Premier League, Newcastle United's Howe would appear an obvious candidate to replace him.

However, while praising Southgate, Howe said the England role was not one he would be interested in "in the short term", with his focus on Newcastle.

"I think Gareth's done an incredible job, I really do," Howe said on Friday. "I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

"I've been lucky enough to go in and see him work, I've spent time with him. I've got a lot of time for him and for Steve Holland and his team there.

"I think they've been amazing for England. I think you have to remember where England [were] when he took over and what he's done for the country.

"I never say never, I never say, 'no, it's not something I'd be interested in'. But certainly not in the short term. It's not on my radar at all. It's all Newcastle and investing and trying to make this team the best I can."

Explaining why that might be, Howe added: "I've always said I love the day-to-day coaching. I love being with my players on the training ground.

"In international football, you get that taken away for long periods. At this moment in my life, that's not something I want to do."

Howe still had an interest in England's Nations League matches against Italy and Germany, with Nick Pope starting in goal and Newcastle team-mate Kieran Trippier on Southgate's bench.

Pope, deputising for Jordan Pickford, made an awful error in the Germany game that gifted the visitors an equaliser at Wembley after England had recovered from two goals down to lead 3-2.

"[Pope] is in a good place," Howe said ahead of Saturday's game at Fulham. "He's aware how special those games are for him in his career.

"From where he's come from, to experience those moments is brilliant. But he's earned the right to get to the position in his career that he's at."

Howe described himself as "very proud" of Pope and backed his goalkeeper to recover.

"You need to be able to deal with mistakes. It's part of the job when you're in that position," the Newcastle coach added.

"Nick is a very calm, level-headed guy. He's incredibly focused. I've got no problem with him returning; I know he'll carry on where he left off for us."

Antonio Conte has pointed to Arsenal's improvement under Mikel Arteta as proof that "time and patience" is needed to succeed in the Premier League.

Arsenal sit top of the table after winning six of their first seven games this season.

Tottenham boss Conte takes his team to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday for the north London derby, sitting just two places and one point behind the Gunners after their own impressive start to the campaign.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Conte – who has previously spoken about needing time to get Spurs up to the level of other top clubs in England – was keen to shine a light on the patience shown by their rivals.

"I think the club backed Arteta in these years, and you are seeing that when you trust in a person, and Arsenal showed also in a tough period now with Arteta to back him in every moment," he said. "And now they are having good results.

"I think they're doing a good job. But in my opinion, it's always very, very important to go together with the manager and with the club.

"If you want to build something important, you have to go together to have a good relationship and I think the manager in every decision that is going to [be made] has to have a good explanation to the club why I want this [player] and not this player.

"It's right for the manager to show the vision that you have and then the club has to agree with them. I think to have a good relationship, a great link between the manager and the club, for sure you [will] have a much better future than the present."

Conte has been repeatedly questioned about his future at Spurs, especially with rumours of a return to Juventus should the Italian giants part with Massimiliano Allegri.

However, the 53-year-old wants to focus on his job in London, reiterating the need for patience.

"I know that we need to have time and a bit of patience to try to build a path to become seriously competitive with [Manchester] City, Liverpool, Chelsea, [Manchester] United and Arsenal," he added.

"For me, it's important to realise this and to understand that we need time and patience. I enjoy working with this club and it is very important to have a good relationship with the owner, with Fabio [Paratici], to stay in the same line, the same vision.

"Then I know very well that maybe in other clubs you have the possibility to have a path that's not so long."

Only Manchester United, Chelsea and West Ham spent more than Tottenham's £152.91million in the recent transfer window in the Premier League, but Conte maintains the club have to do things differently to their rivals when it comes to improving their squad.

"I hear sometimes that people [praise you for] two or three good results, but it's important to be honest, to know what the reality [is] and to be ready to fight, to be ready to work to try to improve the situation," he said.

"You know very well that you need time and patience to improve the squad slowly. And you have to know that other clubs can go into the transfer market and put [in] a lot of money and you have to do things with common sense and I think maybe it's the right way for a club like Tottenham."

Marcus Rashford described his delight at working under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United after being named the Premier League's Player of the Month for September.

Forward Rashford scored two goals and assisted two more in United's two league matches this month.

Both games – at Leicester City and at home to leaders Arsenal – ended in victory to extend United's winning run to four in the top flight.

In an interview with MUTV after earning the award for the second time in his career (also January 2019), Rashford deflected praise as he suggested "everyone's chipped in" to aid United's revival.

He also described his "favourite moment" of the month as his assist for Antony against Arsenal, ahead of either of his own two goals that day.

"Antony scoring his first goal on his debut – I think that's a massive moment," Rashford said. "It gives us strength and courage."

And the England international, who was missing from Gareth Southgate's latest squad following injury, believes United as a team are moving "in the right direction" following Ten Hag's appointment as manager at the start of the season.

"It's a fresh start and something to work towards," Rashford added. "For me, it's done me wonders.

"I'm very happy that he's here, and I'm just happy that his desire is to improve everyone and improve the team.

"It's an exciting feeling to be working towards a big end goal. Hopefully we can keep taking steps in the right direction, keep picking up points and keep progressing in tournaments."

A truncated schedule saw United score only four times in September, but Rashford had a hand in each of them and is now looking to perform on a more consistent basis.

"For me, as an individual, it's just about doing that as often as I can, trying to help the team with goals and assists and just my all-round play," he said.

Rashford has three goals and two assists for the season, having only contributed four goals and two assists in the Premier League in the whole of the previous campaign.

The 24-year-old has never previously tallied as many as five goal contributions through his first six appearances of a league season.

Fernando Alonso will make a record 351st start when he competes in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix – and his first Formula One boss believes there are many more to come.

Gian Carlo Minardi was managing director of the Minardi team when a young Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001, on the road to becoming a double world champion.

Those titles came in 2005 and 2006 at Renault, whom Alonso joined after only one year with Minardi, and he has missed only two seasons since, sitting out 2019 and 2020 when scratching an itch to compete in other motorsport events.

This weekend he will beat a record previously held by Kimi Raikkonen, who contested 350 grands prix, with Alonso competing for Alpine ahead of an end-of-season switch to Aston Martin.

Minardi told Stats Perform he is confident the 41-year-old Alonso will remain a strong presence on the grid for years to come.

"I recently met him in Monza, and he was very excited," Minardi said. "I would say he doesn't look 41 from an athletic point of view, so I guess he is very fit and keen to prove who he is, and with his new contract he will beat other records not easily reachable for other drivers."

Alonso can also beat the record of the most F1 races finished this weekend, another mark he shares with Raikkonen on 278.

Minardi recalled first getting to know Alonso in 1999, with F1 tests for the youngster soon following in Jerez, where his performance levels were "jaw-dropping".

According to Minardi, Alonso had the ability to win "more than five world titles" and ranks as "one of the drivers who made the difference in the last two generations".

Ahead of another move, as the drive with Aston Martin awaits, Minardi said: "Let's hope that this change – because one of Fernando's weaknesses is that he has always been unlucky when changing the team – is beneficial to him and Aston Martin can equip him with what Aston Martin had at their debut.

"Today, without a reason and despite their Mercedes engine, they struggle to get the results they did some years ago.

"So I wish him the best to watch him entertain us. That is what I told him... I still have fun watching you drive, so keep it up."

Week 4 of the NFL season promises plenty of excitement following a blistering start to the 2022 season.

The season has so far been defined by close finishes. Through three weeks, there have been 18 games decided by three points or fewer this season, the most such games through the first three weeks of a season in NFL history. 

A packed crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will hope to see another tight game as the NFL returns to London with the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings facing off.

The Washington Commanders travel to face the Dallas Cowboys in a fierce rivalry and the Philadelphia Eagles will look to extend their winning streak against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With plenty more on the agenda, Stats Perform has used its data to preview this week's games.

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) @ New Orleans Saints (1-2)

A high-scoring affair should be on the cards in London, as the Vikings and Saints have put up 700 points (53.8 per game) over their last 13 regular season matchups dating back to 1995 – more than any other game with at least a dozen meetings.

The Vikings are in very capable hands with Kirk Cousins, who has a career passer rating of 126.7 against the Saints in the regular season, the highest by any QB against a single opponent in the Super Bowl era (minimum 125 attempts).

However, they face a Saints defense that has held opponents to fewer than 250 passing yards and one touchdown pass for nine straight games, a franchise record, while the only team in the last 10 years to enjoy a longer streak was the New England Patriots in 2019.

Chris Olave boasts 268 receiving yards in his first three career games but is yet to score a touchdown, a record which stands as the most since Charlie Wade's 315 yards without a TD in his first three games for the Chicago Bears in 1974.

Washington Commanders (1-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

The Cowboys host the Commanders having won both matchups last season, including a 56-14 triumph in Week 14 that stands as the highest margin of victory for either team in the all-time series.

With six sacks in the Week 2 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals and five sacks last weekend against the New York Giants, the Cowboys have recorded five or more sacks in consecutive games for the first time since a four-game streak in November/December 2008.

That will be of particular concern to Carson Wentz, who was sacked a career-high nine times in the Commanders' home loss to the Eagles last week – the most of any QB for the franchise since John Beck was sacked 10 times by the Buffalo Bills in 2011.

Fourth-quarter offense has been a highlight for Washington, though, totalling 455 scrimmage yards (342 passing, 113 rushing) and standing third in the NFL for the most fourth-quarter yards in 2022 behind the Saints (541) and the Indianapolis Colts (456).

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)

The only 3-0 side to play on Sunday, the Eagles have held the Jaguars to under 20 points in the last four matchups between the two sides stretching back to 2006, tied for the second-longest active such run for Philadelphia behind the six-game streak against the Jets.

In the past two weeks, the Eagles have kept their opponents to under 10 points (8 vs Washington, 7 vs Minnesota) and are the only NFL team this season to achieve the feat in consecutive games, while Philadelphia last went three in a row in that regard in 1980.

The Jaguars are 2-1 at the start of the season for the first time since 2018 and have scored 84 points, the third-most by the team in the opening three games of the season in franchise history (98 in 1997 and 89 in 2017).

Both teams rank in the top five in the NFL for total first downs this season, with the Eagles (73) third and the Jaguars (70) fifth.

Elsewhere…

The Los Angeles Chargers travel to face the Houston Texans having being held to just 26 yards on the ground against the Jaguars last week and have 177 rushing yards in the NFL this season, the fewest in three games in team history.

A total of 572 rushing yards this season places the Cleveland Browns as the NFL's best on the ground this season and they visit the Atlanta Falcons having amassed their highest total through their first three games of a campaign since 1963.

The Seattle Seahawks tackle the Lions boasting seven wins in the last eight matchups against Detroit dating back to 2003, the third-best record by an NFC team against a conference opponent over the past 20 seasons.

The Titans have won each of the last three games against the Colts, including a 34-31 win in overtime last season. A victory this weekend would make this Tennessee's outright longest winning streak against Indianapolis (also three straight wins between 1988 and 1992).

The Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder have negotiated an eight-player trade, according to reports.

The deal will see center Derrick Favors head to the Rockets, along with Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Moe Harkless and a 2025 second-round draft pick.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Thunder will in turn receive David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss from Houston.

It would mean the Thunder will have dropped roughly $10million below the luxury tax threshold, and both teams will have 18 guaranteed contracts on their rosters, which need to be reduced to 15 by October 17.

OKC only acquired Harkless and the 2025 draft pick in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Vit Krejci earlier this week, presumably with this deal in mind.

Of the players traded, only Maledon and Nwaba are under contract for the 2023-24 season, both with team options.

The Rockets get their pre-season under way on Sunday with a game against the San Antonio Spurs, while the Thunder face the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

Not satisfied with ending the longest playoff drought in American sports, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais is now targeting World Series success.

The Mariners are set to return to the MLB postseason on Friday after moving just one win away with a typically chaotic 10-9 walk-off victory over the Texas Rangers in the 11th inning on Thursday.

Defeat for the Baltimore Orioles at the New York Yankees or a Mariners win against the Oakland Athletics would now clinch a Wild Card berth ahead of the final weekend of the regular season.

The city of Seattle has not seen playoff baseball since the 2001 season, with the subsequent 21 years representing the longest active drought in MLB or indeed any of the four major sports in the United States.

While ending that wait has consumed Servais and his players, they have already changed their focus.

The Mariners are the only team in the major leagues never to reach the World Series – the Washington Nationals in 2019 were the last franchise to make their World Series debut – but Servais believes this group of players are capable.

"We've got a really good team – that's why it's exciting," he said after the Rangers win.

"We can pitch, we have clutch hitting, we can defend, we can run the bases. We check a lot of the boxes that you need to have that team to get deep in the playoffs, into the World Series and win it.

"I know everybody is exhausted; we've got to end the drought, end the drought – I've heard it for seven years. Every day, when I get up in the morning and I drive to work, that's what's on my mind.

"But the goal is to win the World Series; it's not just to end the drought. We will end the drought tomorrow. We're going to."

India will stage a MotoGP race for the first time in 2023 as top-tier international motorsport returns to the Buddh International Circuit.

It was confirmed on Friday that the venue in Uttar Pradesh that staged three Formula One races from 2011 to 2013 would host the world's fastest riders on two wheels at the Grand Prix of Bharat.

According to organisers, India is a country where there are over 200 million motorcycles on the roads, making it a prime location to stage world-class racing.

India's sports minister Anurag Thakur said: "It's a historical day for sporting industry and tribute to 75th year of India's celebration."

The race weekend is provisionally scheduled for September 22-24 2023.

Dorna, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP, said it was "very proud" to be taking the sport to India, describing the country as "a key market for the motorcycle industry" and "the pinnacle of the two-wheeled world" for motorsport.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Dorna chief sporting officer Carlos Ezpeleta described India as "one of our key targets that we have had for quite some time".

He said the experience of other championships in India had been "quite challenging", with F1 having notably pulled out after its brief dalliance with holding races in the country.

Ezpeleta added: "We're now excited that this opportunity has come and it's a huge market for the motorcycle industry, and also for MotoGP as a sport, as a property with a huge potential to grow the fan base of the sport over there, which is already strong."

Although Formula One did not stay long, Ezpeleta sees MotoGP as having greater potential for sustained success.

He said: "I think that on the championship side, MotoGP is something which is probably a better fit for the Indian market, in terms of how the bigger part of the population can relate to itself and see the motorbike as something which is aspirational to them."

Emile Heskey has dismissed Liverpool's title chances because he fears they will be unable to keep pace with "relentless" Manchester City.

The Premier League returns this weekend, with City already flying high and on the coat-tails of early leaders Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola's City team are undefeated with five wins and two draws so far, plus a league-high goal difference of plus 17, six better than any other side.

By contrast, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have won only two of six games to date, struggling to match the high standards they set when pushing City all the way to the final day in last season's championship.

Former Reds striker Heskey declared Liverpool are "probably not" in this season's title race, telling Stats Perform: "I think their main focus is top four now because Champions League is a must.

"I think City are relentless. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile. They know how to exploit things.

"They might be 1-0 down, but you know that they're going to come back. And this is the relentlessness that I think Liverpool had a couple of seasons ago, and they're trying to get back now.

"I don't think it's going to be a particularly bad season getting into the top four, I think it is still massive."

Heskey said "everyone knows" losing Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich amounted to "a huge miss" for Liverpool, with the sale having gone through in late June, ending a six-year Anfield stay for the Senegalese forward.

Former England international Heskey rates Luis Diaz and is hopeful Mohamed Salah will roar back to Golden Boot form, having made a somewhat underwhelming start to the campaign, with two goals and two assists in six league games.

"The thing with Mo, is we are so used to it," Heskey said of the Egyptian's prolific scoring. "But when it wasn't Mo, we had another person that could take up that mantle.

"And if you haven't got that other person to take up that mantle, who will get you the goals that Mo used to as well, you can then start pointing back at Mo and saying, 'Well, he's not doing this, he's not doing that'.

"But the pressures come with that and he understands that, and he's able to get on with that and deal with it. He's a fantastic player.

"I think just give him the ball and let him go and enjoy himself again. When you saw Mo Salah smiling, that's when you know that you've got something good. Even when he's missing chances and he's smiling, you know that he's on form."

Liverpool face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, their first domestic game in four weeks, after two postponements in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death were followed by the international break.

Darwin Nunez has yet to show his peak Benfica form in a Liverpool shirt since switching from the Portuguese giants in the close season, but Heskey suspects the talent is there for the Uruguayan striker to become a "phenomenal" Premier League performer.

As was the case with a pair of Arsenal greats, Heskey feels Nunez could come good after a settling-in period.

Heskey said: "He's still a young player and one thing we've got to understand is, these players coming from abroad who are coming and adapting, not all of them adapt straight away.

"It's a bit of an anomaly for the ones who just come in and just fit straight in.

"You need to give them time. You've got to remember Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry didn't just fit in and click straight away, and we're talking about Premier League greats. So give him the opportunity, and give them the time to settle in. I know we don't have time, but give them time to settle in and he will be a phenomenal player."