England assistant coach Paul Collingwood said his side have belief in overhauling Pakistan's 297-run lead to claim the second Test in Multan. 

England ended the third day of the second Test at 36-2 after losing the early wickets of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in their second innings. 

Should the tourists pull off the chase, it would be their joint third-highest in an overseas Test and the best by any visiting team in Pakistan.

Having broken a number of records in the first Test, Collingwood insists that anything is possible with this current group of players. 

"We’ll still have that belief," said Collingwood. "We know it’s going to be tough and we’ve got to be realistic, but we’ll find ways to put them under pressure."

Asked if a win in this match would be better than the first-Test victory, Collingwood said: "It would, under the circumstances and conditions we’ve been given this time.

"There’s still hope, and there’s only hope because of the amazing things these guys have done in the past."

Salman Agha, meanwhile, pledged that Pakistan will put every effort into securing a first home Test win in "God knows how many years". 

Agha top-scored for Pakistan in their second innings with 63, though he was fortunate to reach that total, having been dropped twice during the 52nd over. 

He also showered praise on Sajid Khan, who ended with figures of 7-111 in the first innings before claiming the early wicket of Duckett on Thursday.

"To be honest, I was thinking, 'It is going to be hard,'" Salman told Sky Sports.

"There was a lot of changes - and big changes. But the way the team has gelled, and the way the new guys have come in and we've welcomed them [has been great]. They come in and they are chipping in.

"Look at Sajid. He took seven wickets and scored important runs, and then you will see Noman Ali.

"He came and took wickets, and scored important runs. I think it's very good for Pakistan cricket, the way they came and gelled in and contributed. That's amazing."

Pakistan have not won a home Test match since they beat South Africa in February 2021, with four draws and seven defeats since then, losing all six Test matches this year.

Salman said that ending those streaks would be "very important" and that Pakistan are aiming to right their wrongs from recent years. 

"It's going to be massive, because we haven't won a Test match at home for… I don't know, God knows how many years now," he said.

"It's going to be a very, very big thing for us. We will make sure we will put all the effort there and make sure we win this game, because that's very important for us."

Rohit Sharma took responsibility after India posted their lowest-ever home score in the first Test versus New Zealand, saying he was "hurting" after they were skittled for 46 runs.

After Wednesday's play was called off due to heavy rain in Bengaluru, India produced a historically bad effort with the bat as Matt Henry (5-15) and Will O'Rourke (4-22) starred for the Black Caps.

Five India batters – Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin – walked for ducks as New Zealand needed just 32 overs to bowl their hosts out.

India's score was their worst-ever on home soil, having previously been all out for 75 against West Indies in 1987, and the third-lowest in their Test history overall.

Rohit opted to bat after winning the toss in what many viewed as a puzzling decision, and he admitted he had misjudged the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium surface after stumps.

"You see and you try and make the judgement. Sometimes you make the right call, sometimes you don't, and I was on the other side of it this time around," Rohit said.

"I'm hurting a little bit because I made that call. But see, for us as a team, I think these are the challenges.

"So what if we put ourselves under pressure a little bit? We want to play well. We want to challenge ourselves. 

"This time around, it didn't come off, the challenges that were thrown at us. We didn't respond well, and we found ourselves in a situation where we got bowled out for 46 runs. 

"As a captain, it definitely hurts to see that number, but in 365 days you'll make two or three bad calls. That's okay."

Only twice has Black Caps bowler Henry bettered Thursday's figures in a Test innings, with seven-wicket hauls against South Africa in 2022 and Australia in 2024, both on home soil.

Speaking to reporters after the close of play, he said: "It was a great way to start the day but it was also about the way we could build pressure with the bat. 

"There was a lot of grass taken off and we just wanted to keep it simple and there was a lot of assistance in the morning. 

"The key is to control what you can control, to work on your game and improve. With the game affected by rain, it's important to have a dominant day like this. It's obviously tough to play in India."

England's second Test against Pakistan hangs in the balance after the tourists closed on 36-2, chasing a 297 victory target after an enthralling third day in Multan.

Ben Duckett, England's hero on the second day, was removed by Sajid Khan (1-27) for a duck, with Zak Crawley (three) following just under three overs later. 

England had resumed on 239-6, but Sajid continued his impressive spin play from the previous day, taking the wickets of Brydon Carse (four), Matthew Potts (six) and Shoaib Bashir (nine) to post figures of 7-111 for the first innings.

England wasted no time in skittling India's top order, though, with Bashir claiming the wickets of Abdullah Shafique (four), Saim Ayub (22) and Shan Masood (11) as Pakistan found themselves 77-4 after 20 overs.

However, England were frustrated by Salman Ali Agha's knock of 63, made even more painful by the fact he was dropped twice in the 52nd over, on four and six. 

But the surface in Multan, which has benefitted the spin bowlers, came into play again as Jack Leach (3-67) saw Pakistan bowled out for 221 in their second innings.

Needing 297 runs to win, which would represent England's largest-ever run chase in Asia, Duckett's favoured sweep was caught by Mohammad Rizwan, before Crawley was stumped by the Pakistan wicketkeeper.

Joe Root (12) and Ollie Pope (21) are the men tasked with continuing England's chase when they start at the crease on Friday.

Data Debrief: England stumped in Multan

Crawley's stumping in the fourth over of the second innings is the third earliest in a Test innings that an England batter has been stumped.

The earliest to get dismissed in that manner for England was Alastair Cook, who was stumped with the fifth ball of the innings off Ravichandran Ashwin in Kolkata in 2012.

His loss, and that of Duckett, could prove costly unless Root and Pope can repeat their first-Test heroics.

India produced their lowest Test score ever on home soil in the first innings of their opening match against New Zealand, scoring just 46 runs in Bangalore.

Devon Conway's 91 from 105 deliveries helped the Black Caps to a 134-run lead on Thursday after day one was washed out, with India facing an uphill task in trying to resurrect their hopes of victory. 

Tim Southee (1-8) started the collapse when he clean bowled captain Rohit Sharma for two, with Matt Henry (5-15) and Will O'Rourke (4-22) continuing the onslaught.

Virat Kohli was one of five India batters to be dismissed for a duck as they collapsed from 31-3 to 46 all out with just over 31 overs bowled. 

The tourists surpassed India's measly total with nine wickets still in hand, as New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Conway started strongly.

Kuldeep Yadav (1-57) and Ravindra Jadeja (1-28) managed to take the wickets of Conway and Will Young (33), though the damage had already been done. 

Rachin Ravindra (22) and Daryl Mitchell (14) will start at the crease on day two for New Zealand, who will be looking to press home their advantage after reaching stumps 180/3.

Data Debrief: When it rains, it pours

After seeing the opening day of play postponed due to heavy rain, India may have wished for the heavens to open once again during their remarkable collapse.

Thursday's 46 runs is the lowest-ever Test innings score India have managed on home soil, and their third-lowest Test score ever. 

Their worst came against Australia in Adelaide in 2020, when they were bowled out for 36, with their previous lowest total at home in Test matches coming in 1987, when they scored 75 against West Indies.

Vincent Kompany has the backing of the Bayern Munich board despite going three games without a win in all competitions, says president Herbert Hainer. 

Kompany started his Bayern tenure with six wins from his first six games, scoring 29 goals, which was a new club record for a new head coach across that period.

However, since a 5-0 thumping of Werder Bremen, Bayern have gone three games without a victory, which included a 2-0 defeat in the Champions League to Aston Villa. 

Ahead of the international break, Kompany's side drew with Eintracht Frankfurt, with Omar Marmoush netting a late leveller in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Bayern welcome Stuttgart to the Allianz Arena this Saturday, though they know failing to win could see their lead at the Bundesliga summit snatched from them. 

Despite their stuttering form of late, Kompany has the confidence of the bosses at Bayern, who are enjoying his possession-based style of football. 

"We are extremely happy with our coach," Hainer told Bavarian broadcaster BR. "Because we play extremely attractive football.

"We had not seen that in the past few years at Bayern.

"On Sunday in Frankfurt (against Eintracht) it was dominant football we had not seen for a long time."

There is reason for confidence ahead of this weekend's meeting with Stuttgart for Bayern, though.

They have won 69 of their 110 Bundesliga games against Stuttgart (D22, L19) – no other side in league history has recorded as many wins against a single opponent.

Bayern have also amassed the highest expected goals (xG) of any club in the Bundesliga this season (13.8), closely followed by this weekend's opponents (13.7). 

But there has been a soft underbelly to Kompany's free-flowing attacking side, with Bayern conceding seven goals across their first six Bundesliga games in 2024-25.

Over the last 15 top-flight campaigns, they have only let in as many at this stage during the 202-21 campaign, when they let in nine under Hansi Flick.  

While the late setback against Eintracht was a body blow for Bayern, Hainer insisted he is not worried about the path the club are currently on. 

"Yes, unfortunately, we did not win, but that will come," Hainer said.

"I have no fear because with our style of play we will win matches. We could have won against Aston Villa and against Eintracht Frankfurt."

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve knows it takes a "special mental toughness" to deal with the pressures of the WNBA Finals.

The Lynx are 2-1 down to the New York Liberty following a 77-80 defeat at home on Wednesday.

Minnesota blew a 15-point lead in front of a franchise-record home crowd, but four-time WNBA champion Reeve says the swings in momentum are part and parcel of a Finals series.

"There's so many ups and downs and swings all around, and it takes special mental toughness and physical toughness to sort of weather those swings, and here we are," said Reeve, who has been named WNBA Coach of the Year four times.

"We're disappointed. We're home. We played well and just couldn't come up with the win."

Having sunk half (10/20) of their shots in the opening quarter, the Lynx only converted 19 of 55 for the rest of the game.

They now face the prospect of having to be the first team to overturn a 2-1 deficit heading into the last two fixtures since they won the Finals in 2017.

"I feel like they were making plays at the end of shot clocks and like the coach said, we were getting really good looks," said Napheesa Collier, who finished with a team-leading 22 points for the Lynx.

"We just weren't executing on the offensive end. It's just hard when you get that and then obviously they are a great offensive team."

Breanna Stewart led for the Liberty with 30 points and 11 rebounds.

But Sabrina Ionescu was the hero for New York, with her 3-pointer coming with just two seconds remaining. The Liberty are now just one win away from their first championship.

Ionescu said: "I had to go look at the video really quickly to see how far I was.

"Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn't. I've practiced that shot a thousand times in my head, on the court, and I feel like that’s just something that as athletes, you put yourself in that position to want to be able to make a shot."

Iga Swiatek has confirmed Wim Fissette as her new coach as she continues to prepare for next month's WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Swiatek parted ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski earlier this month after three successful years with the Pole, which included four grand slam titles. 

Fissette has previously coached five world number one players.

The 44-year-old had stints with Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and, most recently, Naomi Osaka.

Fissette has coached Osaka in two matches against Swiatek, with the Japanese losing in the 2022 Miami final and in the second round at Roland-Garros earlier this year. 

"I'm happy to announce that Wim Fissette is joining our team," Swiatek posted on social media.

"As you know, I'm preparing for the WTA Finals but my perspective is, as always, long-term, not short-term.

"I said many times that my career is a marathon for me, not a sprint and I'm working, operating and making decisions with this approach.

"I want to say that I'm very excited and looking forward to working with Wim. He seems to have a great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis.

"It's always crucial to try and get to know each other better but we're off to a good start and I can't wait to compete soon."

Swiatek has not competed since her quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the US Open, pulling out of the China Open, where she was defending champion, due to "personal reasons". 

She now faces a battle to remain at the summit of the WTA rankings, having seen Aryna Sabalenka close the gap following her successes at the US and Wuhan Open. 

Liam Lawson revealed he has been set a target of beating Yuki Tsunoda to be in contention for a Red Bull seat in 2025 ahead of his return to the track this weekend. 

Lawson will partner up with Tsunoda for RB at the United States Grand Prix in Austin after replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of the season. 

The New Zealander returns to the grid for the first time in a year after deputising for Ricciardo for five races last season, scoring points at the Singapore Grand Prix on just his third start.

Lawson has the chance to impress again this time around, with a potential view of joining Max Verstappen at Red Bull next year. 

It is no secret that Sergio Perez is under pressure. Since the beginning of 2023, the six-time race winner has scored almost 500 fewer points than Verstappen.

The Mexican has also failed to reach the podium in his last 13 races, with his best finish coming at the Miami Grand Prix where he finished fourth. 

And Lawson has said that beating Tsunoda is the target Red Bull have set, with the 22-year-old aiming to give Christian Horner a headache ahead of next season. 

“[The target set by Red Bull of needing to beat Tsunoda is] pretty much what I expected, they don’t want to see me going in there and seeing me outperformed for the rest of the year – but it’s always been like that,” Lawson said.

“With Yuki, we’ve been compared since we were 17 or 18 years old.

"He’s had a really good start to the season, and he’s been performing better this year than any other year but also the team has changed up a lot this year and is heading in a really great direction so it’s exciting to be part of that as well.”

“The conversations have always been in the direction of becoming a Red Bull driver in the future and that’s what I’ve said to them – that’s what I want to become, that’s why I joined the team and want to stay with them and join them in F1. 

“That’s my goal and their goal, I think, is to have drivers to replace current drivers in the future at some point.

"That’s the goal. When that could happen, I have no absolutely idea. But I know it’ll be based on how I perform in the car.”

Tsunoda currently sits 12th in the drivers' championship, claiming 22 points so far this season, with his last top 10 finish coming in Hungary back in July. 

Lawson will only have one practice to get up to speed this weekend in Austin, which is one of three sprint weekends in the final six races of the season. 

Though he has had time to prepare for this moment, saying he knew during the Singapore Grand Prix he would be replacing eight-time race winner Ricciardo this weekend. 

Lawson explained the difficulty of that particular race, but said a conversation with the Australian has stuck with him ahead of his return to the track.

“Luckily, he’s a great guy,” Lawson said. “He knew it was nothing to do with me. And that’s probably the thing with Daniel for the whole time we’ve been in this situation.

“Even for the last 12 months, it’s never felt like we were in direct competition as much as we all are in the sport in some way.

“With Daniel, it never really felt like that, he was always open to giving advice when I was driving. He was good to me throughout the year, in any way he could be.

“So, it never felt like we were in direct competition for a seat. We were also at very different point in our career, so that’s something that probably helped that.

“I went and saw him and said obviously sorry about this whole situation as it’s not nice, and sorry you had to go through it.

"But he said there’s obviously nothing against me, and he said ‘you get one shot at F1, make sure you take it’ – and he said ‘good luck’.”

Two teams who are flying high so far this season go head-to-head in this weekend's big Premier League game.

League leaders Liverpool welcome in-form Chelsea to Anfield for a mouthwatering encounter.

The Reds have been in excellent form under new boss Arne Slot, who is the first Liverpool manager to win as many as nine of his first 10 games in charge of the club.

However, Opta's power ranking system suggests that Liverpool have actually had the easiest start of any Premier League team.

Chelsea, who have won four of their last six league outings after losing to Manchester City in their opening match, are sure to present an altogether tougher test.

Here, we delve into the data.

What's expected?

Having lost three consecutive league games against Chelsea between 2013 and 2014, Liverpool have now lost just two of their last 19 against the Blues (W7 D10).

Indeed, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with Chelsea, though five of these have ended level (W1).

With a recent record that strong, it's hardly surprising that the Reds are made the favourites by Opta's supercomputer.

The model gives Liverpool a 59.4% chance of taking the three points, while Chelsea came out on top in 19.4% of its simulations. The likelihood of a draw is 21.2%.

Chelsea have won just one of their last nine Premier League away games against Liverpool (D5 L3), and they went down 4-1 in the corresponding fixture last season.

That big win for the Reds came less than a month before the EFL Cup final, which a depleted Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to Virgil van Dijk's header deep into stoppage time, with Chelsea – then of course overseen by Mauricio Pochettino – passed up four big chances, defined by Opta as an opportunity from which a team would reasonably be expected to score.

But under Enzo Maresca, who is freshly minted as Premier League Manager of the Month for September, Chelsea have been more clinical. Only Man City (17) have scored more goals than the Blues (16), who have also outperformed their 14.7 expected goals (xG), so they will be hoping to capitalise on any big opportunities that come their way on Sunday.

Getting past Liverpool's defence, though, is another matter.

Solid foundations

Replacing a club legend like Jurgen Klopp was not going to be easy, though Slot is making a good fist of making it look simple so far.

The former Feyenoord coach has reduced the chaos and brought slightly more control to Liverpool's play, and for the most part, this has worked a treat, bar in that shock 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest in September.

Liverpool have still registered the third-highest xG in the league over the first seven games (14.0), behind Chelsea and Tottenham, but Slot has looked to build on a strong base.

Slot's team have conceded the fewest goals (two), kept the most clean sheets (five), and have the lowest expected goals against (xGA) figure (5.2) of any side in the Premier League this season.

In the 266 minutes Liverpool’s Premier League games have been level on the scoreline this season, the Reds have faced just 16 shots, an average of 5.4 per 90. This is both the lowest total faced and per 90 faced when drawing of any side in the competition this term.

They have ridden their luck at times, though. They were shaky and perhaps fortunate that Virgil van Dijk did not give away a penalty for pulling on Marc Guehi's shirt in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace prior to the international break.

That victory came at a cost, too, with goalkeeper Alisson sustaining a hamstring injury that will keep him out until after the November international break.

In Caoimhin Kelleher, Liverpool have a fantastic number two (and one that wishes to move on), though. The Republic of Ireland international has always stood up to be counted when required, and since the start of last season, has recorded an impressive goals-prevented figure of 2.9, having conceded 10 goals (excluding own goals and penalties) from an expected goals on target (xGoT) against of 12.9.

Kelleher also played against Chelsea in the EFL Cup final in February, so he has good recent form against them.

Top travellers

Chelsea are no pushovers on the road, though, so do not expect a repeat of last season's 4-1 drubbing.

In fact, these two teams are the only ones with a 100% away win rate in the Premier League this season (three wins out of three).

Only in 2005-06 (four) and 2008-09 (eight) have Chelsea ever won their opening four away matches of a league season.

Maresca, meanwhile, is looking to become only the fifth boss to win each of his first four away Premier League games, with one of the previous four to do so being Slot (also Bobby Gould, John Gregory, and Luiz Felipe Scolari).

Chelsea will want to get on the ball, but they may be best served being patient and waiting for their moments to pounce on the break.

Key to that tactic would be Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke, who have created 15 chances for each other in the Premier League this season, the most of any duo.

Indeed, Palmer's four assists for Madueke is also the most from one player for a team-mate so far this term. Though in Nicolas Jackson and the likes of Joao Felix, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho, Chelsea have plenty of attackers who can test that mean Liverpool defence.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool - Mohamed Salah

Salah has accumulated 4.1 xG in the league this season, which is the highest of any player in Liverpool’s squad. With 231 goal contributions for Liverpool (159 goals, 72 assists), he ranks sixth on the all-time list for Premier League goal contributions for a single side.

The Egypt star has scored four goals in 13 Premier League games against former side Chelsea, averaging a goal every 257 minutes against the Blues. Among opponents he has played 10+ times in the competition, only against Burnley (778) does he have a poorer minutes per goal rate.

Chelsea - Cole Palmer

Palmer has directly contributed to more Premier League goals (44 – 28 goals, 16 assists) than any other player in the top flight since the start of last season.

The 22-year-old was named Premier League Player of the Month for September. He has won two of the last three Player of the Month awards, with only Frank Lampard (four) winning more for the Blues than Palmer (two).

Phil Salt sees no reason why Joe Root cannot overhaul Sachin Tendulkar as Test cricket's all-time run scorer. 

Root surpassed Alastair Cook to become England's all-time top Test run-scorer as he mounted his highest score in the format in the first Test of their ongoing series with Pakistan. 

England achieved a historic Test milestone during that encounter, recording the highest innings score in the longest format this century (823-7), and the fourth-highest of all time.

They also became the first team to win a test by an innings after conceding more than 500 runs in the first innings.

Root now sits in fifth on the all-time leaderboard, with Rahul Dravid (13,288) next in his sights, though fellow England international Salt believes the 33-year-old can go beyond Tendulkar's 15,921 runs.

"I think he will. I can't see a reason why not, so yeah, I think he will," Salt told Stats Perform. 

Salt also believes that Root's commitment to the cause is what makes him so special, citing his work ethic as a key contributor to his success. 

"There are a lot of things, the list could go on. I think with Root, his work ethic sets him apart," Salt added. 

"He's always hitting balls, he's always thinking about how he can get better. You don't spend as much time as he has at the top of your game without that work ethic.

"So, if there's something that sets him apart, I'd say it's that."

Salt also showered praise on Harry Brook, who plundered 317 in Multan.

Brook's knock was England's first triple century since 1990, with Graham Gooch the last to reach the 300-run mark. 

His innings in Multan also placed him alongside Andy Sandham, Len Hutton, Wally Hammond and Bill Edrich, all of whom have scored triple centuries for England. 

Brook, along with Root, also smashed the highest partnership in England’s Test history on day four of the first Test in Pakistan, posting a stand that was finally broken at 454.

In doing so, they broke a 67-year record when they passed Peter May and Colin Cowdrey’s partnership of 411, made at Edgbaston in 1957.

And Salt believes Brook has the potential to follow in Root's footsteps. 

"Yeah, he's brilliant. Obviously, he's a brilliant batter, Brookie. We all know that, in all formats. It comes as no real surprise to me, to be honest, seeing how he trains," Salt said. 

"I played against him a fair bit in the summer and played with him a lot more. It comes as no real surprise to me.

"Obviously, it's a hell of an achievement, but I think the two lads we're talking about—Ruti and Brookie—are very special players."

Salt also considered Brook could lead England in the future, saying: "I think so, yeah. I think he's got a very good head on his shoulders.

"I don’t have a crystal ball, but I certainly think he's capable of doing it."

Phil Salt was speaking at the launch of cinch’s new store in Manchester.

Russell Martin wants to see his Southampton side replicate their performances against the Premier League’s biggest clubs when they face opponents closer to them in the table.

Following their return from the international break, the Saints face Everton and Wolves, but start by welcoming Leicester City to St. Mary's this Saturday. 

Having watched his team go toe-to-toe with Arsenal in their last encounter, Martin is targeting the same approach in the upcoming games that he’s labelled “absolutely vital”.

“We’ve had Newcastle away; Manchester United at home, where for half an hour we’ve been outstanding; and here,” Martin said.

“Now we have to transfer that into the games that are going to really define our season, and we have three or four of those coming up in the next block of games that are going to be absolutely vital.

“The league is so tight and is going to be so tight for so long, but today I saw so much in a lot of the guys and the team, the way it felt, to make me feel really excited about what’s to come.”

Leicester, meanwhile, earned their first win since their return to the Premier League with a 1-0 triumph over Bournemouth last time out.

Facundo Buonanotte’s only goal sealed the victory, notching his fourth goal involvement in six Premier League appearances this season – already his joint-most across a single campaign in the competition (also four in 2023-24)

The Foxes also kept a clean sheet at home in the Premier League for the first time since October 2022, though head coach Steve Cooper insisted it was just a small step in the right direction.

“Everybody gave everything in the game,” Cooper said. “They give everything every single day in training. Of course, in the first quarter of games there’s things we could have done better, but some things have really gone against us as well.

“To get that grey cloud away from us of getting that win, we’ve really got to think now about getting some more positive results like this. It’s brilliant and you’ve got to enjoy it, because it’s so hard to win games in the Premier League, but it’s one win.

“From now, there won’t be a day that goes by without me thinking about how we beat Southampton. Obviously, we’ll reflect, but all with the idea of how we can improve to try and go back-to-back when we return after the international break.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Southampton – Cameron Archer

Archer opened his Premier League account in Southampton’s defeat to Arsenal ahead of the international break, and he will be hoping to continue his scoring streak on Saturday.

This will be the 22-year-old’s first senior outing against Leicester, having played two games against them with Aston Villa’s Under-18’s, winning once and losing the other.

Leicester – Jamie Vardy

Vardy has been involved in 12 goals against Southampton in his English league career (eight goals, four assists) – against no side has he had a hand in more.

Six of these eight goals have come at St Mary’s Stadium, including a hat-trick in October 2019, while he has also scored two goals from five shots in the Premier League this term – no player to have had at least five attempts has a better conversion rate than the veteran Foxes striker (40%).

MATCH PREDICTION: SOUTHAMPTON WIN

While Southampton are favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, they are winless in their last 20 Premier League games (D5 L15) – failure to win in this match would set a club record for their outright longest winless run in their top-flight history.

Though the Saints have had the fifth-highest share of possession in the top-flight this season (57.4%), just 3.2% of Southampton’s touches have come in the opposition box, the third-lowest ratio this term.

Martin’s side have also conceded more goals following a high turnover than any other side in the Premier League this season (four).

And having done the double over Leicester in their last Premier League campaign together in 2022-23, Southampton lost both Championship meetings with the Foxes last term by an aggregate score of 9-1.

Leicester are one of just three teams (along with Arsenal and Man City) to have scored in every Premier League game so far this season. The Foxes earned their first win of the campaign last time out, last winning consecutively in the competition in February 2023.

However, they are winless in their last three Premier League away games against Southampton (D2 L1) since a 9-0 win under Brendan Rodgers back in October 2019.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Southampton – 42.2%

Draw – 25.4%

Leicester – 32.5%

Joshua Zirkzee has been hugely influenced by NBA great Allen Iverson, the Manchester United forward said ahead of Saturday's clash with Brentford.

United return to Premier League action against the Bees at Old Trafford in desperate need of a victory.

They have lost their last two home league matches, and Erik ten Hag is under pressure.

New signing Zirkzee has failed to hit the ground running, despite scoring on his debut against Fulham in August.

But speaking to United’s official media channels, the Dutchman revealed he was inspired by a different sport than football.

"I started watching basketball when I was around 15, 16 maybe, and it started because of, you know, Michael Jordan and the big ones," he said.

"But the main reason why I really got into watching actual basketball and really got my interest was a documentary about Allen Iverson, and he was the first player that I really saw.

"I was like: oh, he's really different, you know? He's probably the reason I got into basketball.

"America is a lot different. It’s just certain stuff that you can relate to. That really inspired me.

"Also him making it and still being himself. That was cool to see."

United will be hoping Zirkzee can return to form on Saturday.

The Red Devils have the worst difference between goals (five) and expected goals (11.1) in the Premier League this season, netting around six goals fewer than their xG suggests.

However, they also have the best difference between goals conceded (eight) and xG against (11.5), conceding between 3-4 goals fewer than expected.

That being said, their goalscoring issues have mainly been limited to the league. United average 0.7 goals per game in the top flight this season (five goals in seven games), compared to three goals per game across all other competitions this term (12 goals in four games).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United – Christian Eriksen

Former Brentford midfielder Eriksen has been involved in six goals in his last five games in all competitions (three goals, three assists). Indeed, only Alejandro Garnacho (seven) has been involved in more goals for United this season than the Dane.

Brentford – Bryan Mbeumo

Mbeumo has scored six goals in his seven Premier League games this season, netting in each of his last three appearances. His next goal or assist will see him become the first Brentford player to register 50 Premier League goal involvements (currently 28 goals, 21 assists).

MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER UNITED WIN

Brentford have lost all three of their Premier League away games so far this season – they have not begun a league campaign with four straight losses on the road since 1961-62, when they lost their first nine in the third tier.

Four of the five goals scored in the two Premier League meetings between these sides last season came in second half stoppage time (three for United, one for Brentford).

Having won four of their first six league meetings with United between 1933 and 1937 (D1 L1), Brentford have won just one of their last 10 against the Red Devils (D2 L7).

United have won each of their last five home league games against Brentford by an aggregate score of 13-2, with their last such defeat coming in February 1937.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Man Utd – 54.3%

Brentford – 23.6%

Draw – 22.2%

Paul Pogba insists he is "not a cheater", but acknowledges he must take responsibility for the failed doping test that led to his ongoing ban.

The Juventus and France midfielder was suspended for four years in February by Italy's national anti-doping tribunal, after a drugs test revealed elevated testosterone levels in his system.

However, earlier this month, Pogba's ban was reduced to 18 months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled his consuming of the banned substance "was not intentional".

It means the 31-year-old can resume training in January and will be available to play from March, and he is desperate to be back doing what he loves.

"This is not me, I'm not a cheater," Pogba told Sky Sports. 

"I'm someone that loves my sport, I love the game and I would never, ever cheat. I like to win fairly. I'm a bad loser, but I'm not a cheater.

"I take some responsibility because I took the supplement. I didn't triple-check, let's say it like that, even if it came from a professional. If I have to be punished, I am fine with it, but it should never be four years.

"I would just like to be on the pitch, any pitch. First, it's with Juventus. I want to be in training with team-mates, it's tough to be alone, playing passes on to the wall.

"My main focus is to get back in training, be fit and to be on the pitch doing what I love."