Danny Mills believes Manchester City will benefit from resolving Pep Guardiola's uncertain future at the club sooner rather than later.

Guardiola is in the final year of his contract with City and had dropped hints towards the end of last season that this could be his last on the blue side of Manchester.

However, recent reports suggest he could be signing a one-year extension to keep him at the Etihad for a 10th year.

The Spaniard joined the club in 2016 and has won 18 trophies with the club, including six Premier Leagues, winning the last four in a row, a Champions League, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, a UEFA Super Cup, and a Club World Cup.

Mills, who played for City between 2006 and 2009, says it will be better for everyone at the club when a decision over his future has been made.

"It's very, very difficult to know what Pep is going to do. He's very much a man inside his own head," Mills told Stats Perform.

"I don't think he gives too much away about his thought process. We know he's incredibly intense. His dedication is unrivalled at times.

"He's constantly thinking about football, thinking about Manchester City. That's what he does, and he's incredibly good at it. Only he will know what the next stage of the process is."

"We saw before at Barcelona that he needed a break after three or four seasons because he was burned out. He needed a break after three seasons at Bayern. He's been at Manchester City longer than at any other club.

"He's been very, very successful in that time, remodelled the team several times, changed the style of play, dealt with players coming in and leaving, and handled all types of pressure. He's won everything there is to win in that time.

"I think he's earned the right to decide what he wants to do. If he stays, recruitment might look a little different compared to if he decides to leave. A new manager might want a slightly different style of player.

"Look at what Liverpool did with Arne Slot. The players Klopp wanted will be similar, but a new manager always wants to put their own slant on things.

"The conversations now about recruitment for January or next summer will be slightly different if Pep is involved compared to if a new manager is coming in. Some players might look at Pep and think, 'I want to play under him because we know each other, and he knows how I play'.

"A new manager with a different style might not give those players the same security. So, they'll start wondering, 'If Pep goes, where does my future lie at the club?' It just creates a bit of uncertainty. The sooner that's resolved, the better for Manchester City."

Guardiola has won 353 of his 490 games in charge of City in all competitions (D70 L63), boasting a 72.04% win rate. In that time, they have scored 1,200 goals.

The 53-year-old has seen a number of records broken while at the helm, including the record points total in a Premier League season when they won the title with 100 points in 2017-18.

Having overseen so much success in his first eight seasons, Mills admitted it would be hard to find someone to fill the gap he will leave behind.

"I think it's really difficult to find someone to replace Pep. It's a bit like replacing Alex Ferguson. It's very, very difficult," he added. "Or replacing Arsene Wenger.

"Okay, Wenger maybe stayed a little too long, but when he was in his prime period, there wasn't anyone who could replace him.

"Pep reinvented football in the Premier League, changed the way Manchester City play, and influenced how a lot of teams play."

"Who do you bring in to take that to the next level? There will be young coaches who get an opportunity. Obviously, Arteta is a big rival at the moment, but he knows the football club, so his name will be in the conversation.

"Someone like Ruben Amorim might have been mentioned, but he's now crossed to the red side of Manchester, so that rules him out.

"Manchester City used to have the people in place to ensure the succession plan was lined up. Some of those people are now moving on, which creates some uncertainty. City's planning has always been exceptional from top to bottom, from the sporting director to academy coaches, but that's been disrupted recently.

"You also throw in the 115 charges against the club. Who knows what's going to happen with that? I think a lot of the charges are spurious. Look at Forest and Everton – they got penalised for two charges, and City have 115. Some will be trivial, like not dating a piece of paper properly or signing in the wrong place.

"Still, we have to wait for the outcome of that. It doesn't affect the players now, but it could impact the team and the club going forward."

Even if Guardiola stays, there will come a time when he no longer sits in the City dugout, but Mills believes he will have a lasting legacy due to his influence over the English top-flight.

"I think Pep's legacy is incredible. What's he won at the moment? Four Premier Leagues in a row, six out of seven, which is phenomenal. Pep has only ever finished outside the top two once," Mills said.

"I think that was his first season at Manchester City. He's only finished outside the top two once in his entire career. That's unbelievable. It's a ridiculous record. He's always finished first or second, and that's part of his legacy.

"The way he changed the style of play is another key part. A lot of people doubted whether it was possible to play that way in the Premier League, playing out from the back.

"Look at what the goalkeeper position has become. Look at teams taking goal kicks and playing one-twos in their own six-yard box. That's all down to Pep. That's another part of his legacy.

"So, I think there are two parts to it. His winning legacy is phenomenal, and his success rate is unrivalled at the moment. He has to be up there with the best of all time. But also, the style of play and the way he moulded what many thought was impossible and now everybody has copied it.

"One of the biggest forms of admiration is imitation, and everybody has tried to copy Manchester City. They haven't quite managed it, certainly, not in terms of quality, but in an ideal world, everyone would want to play winning football in that style."

Brazil recovered from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw at home to a stubborn Uruguay side in Tuesday's CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier.

The hosts were booed by some quarters of their own support in Salvador following the result, which leaves them fifth in the table and five points inside the automatic qualification places.

It was a match of few chances punctuated by two moments of world-class quality, with Uruguay striking first.

Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first half, curling into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to put Uruguay a goal up.

But seven minutes later, Gerson scored his first goal for his country to level things up, a brilliant volley from outside the box.

The draw has Uruguay in second place, two points above Brazil, who could have won it if not for Sergio Rochet's fine save to deny Gabriel Martinelli, and five behind leaders Argentina with six matches remaining.

Data debrief: Brazil struggle to break down Bielsa's Uruguay

Despite Raphinha, Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Martinelli all featuring in this game, Brazil could not find the quality to regularly trouble their visitors.

The home side managed just three shots on target during the match – one more than Uruguay.

While they won the xG battle 1.09 - 0.47, it will be a disappointment that they had 18 attempts in total and could only divert so few goalwards.

Manchester City still have a stronger squad than Premier League title rivals Liverpool even with their numerous injury lay-offs, according to Danny Mills.

Reigning champions City have lost their past four games in all competitions – the first time that has happened in Guardiola's illustrious managerial career – and trail league leaders Liverpool by five points.

Recently crowned Ballon d'Or winner Rodri heads City's list of absentees, which also includes Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and Nathan Ake.

While former City full-back Mills believes Pep Guardiola still has the best selection of players to choose from in the division, he has questioned whether the club could be doing more to prevent the injuries.

"I think you can look at the injuries and say City still have the strongest squad in the world, without a shadow of a doubt," Mills told Stats Perform. "There are two internationals for every single position on the pitch. 

"There's a part of me that then thinks, if you have that many injuries, you have to look at why you've got that many injuries. Are they all freak accidents?

"Are they all impact injuries where you had no choice in the matter? Are they muscle injuries where maybe you have to look at training? So there are lots of factors to look at.

"Is training too difficult? Are the players playing too many games? Is there not enough rotation within the squad? What does recovery look like? 

"You can't just say, 'Oh, we're unlucky, we've got injuries'. Generally, there are reasons why you get injured. You always get two or three freak injuries that there's absolutely nothing you can do about. But you also have to look within and manage those situations."

City have successfully navigated games without the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in the past, both of whom are now back fit, but coping without holding midfielder Rodri is proving a more difficult task.

Guardiola's side have won 28 of their 36 games with Rodri in the side since the start of last season, losing none of those, while they have lost five of their 13 matches without the Spain international.

That win percentage drop-off from 77.8% with Rodri in the team to 53.8% without him also paints a clear picture, but Mills insists City can find a solution as they often have in the past.

"Every team has injuries, every single club that's ever won anything," he said. "Manchester City have done this before. They won the league without Sergio Aguero, playing a false nine at times. 

"They went through spells without Vincent Kompany, without a centre-half. They found a way, and that's what the very, very best teams do. They find a way when maybe they haven't got their preferred 11.

"It's never easy to lose one of your main players, even if you have pretty adequate replacements. Rodri makes Manchester City tick. We've seen it before with Fernandinho in that role. He was absolutely superb. 

"But you have to find a way around that. You still have Kevin De Bruyne. You still have Mateo Kovacic in there. You've still got Phil Foden that can drop into those spaces, Bernardo Silva. We've seen Ilkay Gundogan has been in there as well." 

Losing four games in a row is also a rarity for City, having last done so in August 2006 when Stuart Pearce was manager of the club.

The most recent of those defeats, a 2-1 reverse at Brighton and Hove Albion, saw the Citizens lose a league game they led at half-time for the first time since May 2021 – also away at Brighton.

Liverpool have taken full advantage of City's blip as they have collected 28 points from the first 33 on offer – only in 2019-20 (31) have they accrued more at this stage. 

However, Mills insists Guardiola's side are still more than capable of overhauling Liverpool, who they face at Anfield on 1 December.

"I don't think the title race is over by any stretch of the imagination. I know Liverpool are top at the moment, but City have been there, seen it, done it several times, with a manager who's done it as well. 

"I know the Liverpool players have done it, but the manager hasn't been in this situation. Liverpool will go through a tricky spell. How they deal with that is yet unknown."

Mills also pointed to the uncertainty surrounding the future of Guardiola as another reason behind City's drop-off.

"Pep's future is uncertain, and I don't think that helps," Mills said. "We saw it with Alex Ferguson [at Manchester United] the first time around, when he said he was going to retire at the end of the season, and United dropped off. 

"We saw it last season with Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool were top by about five points clear. I know City had a game in hand at that stage, but they ended up nine points behind Manchester City. It clearly has an effect.

"There will be the argument that Alex Ferguson won the title in his last season, but maybe after such a long time, that was just one last hurrah, and maybe that was more about the players."

The defending NBA champions held off the league’s hottest team on Tuesday night, with Jayson Tatum scoring 33 points and adding 12 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120-117 victory over Cleveland and hand the Cavaliers their first loss after 15 straight wins to open the season.

Cleveland cut a 21-point deficit to two in the third quarter, and Donovan Mitchell hit a rainbow 3-pointer with 24 seconds left to make it a four-point game. Tatum sank one of two free throws, and then collided hard with Mitchell at the other end, leaving the Cavaliers guard on the floor in need of medical attention.

Mitchell eventually stepped to the line and sank both free throws, but Boston inbounded the ball without trouble and passed it downcourt for an easy Al Horford dunk to clinch it.

Tatum sank six of Boston’s 22 3-pointers and added seven assists for Boston’s third straight win.

Mitchell scored 35 points, and Evan Mobley had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were the fourth team in NBA history to open the season with 15 wins in a row. The 15-game winning streak was the longest in franchise history.

The Celtics scored 19 of the last 26 points in the second quarter to turn a five-point lead into a 65-48 advantage at the break. Cleveland cut a 21-point deficit to two in the third.

The Celtics were 14 for 22 from 3-point range in the first half. They were up by five with 5:05 left when they hit four straight 3’s, and six in all down the stretch, opening a 65-48 halftime lead.

Knecht matches rookie 3s record for surging Lakers

Dalton Knecht tied the NBA's single-game rookie record with nine 3-pointers while scoring a career-high 37 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 124-118 for their sixth consecutive victory.

LeBron James had 26 points and 12 assists, and Anthony Davis had 26 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers improved to 7-0 at home. Austin Reaves added 17 points for the defending NBA Cup champions, who improved to 2-0 in group play this season.

The Lakers hadn't won six straight since February 2021, shortly after their championship run in the Florida bubble.

Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points for the Jazz, who have lost three straight. Keyonte George scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Collin Sexton added nine of his 19 in the fourth.

Knecht hit 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions in the third quarter, getting the entire crowd on its feet. He scored 21 points in the third alone. His ninth 3 put LA up by 25 early in the fourth, but he didn't score again, and Utah trimmed the lead down the stretch.

Knecht tied the single-game rookie 3-pointer record shared by Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Utah’s Keyonte George (2024).

Doncic helps Mavericks win in return

Luka Dončić returned to the lineup and scored 26 points, Klay Thompson added 19 and Kyrie Irving had 18 as the Dallas Mavericks beat the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans 132-91 in an NBA Cup game.

Doncic, who missed his first game of the season in Dallas' win at Oklahoma City on Sunday due to a knee injury, shot 10 of 16 overall and 3 for 8 from 3-point distance. He hit a pair of step-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter giving Dallas a 111-75 lead.

Trey Murphy III, playing his fourth game this season because of hamstring issues, scored a season-high 19 points to lead the Pelicans. New Orleans was missing five of its rotation players. Two-time All-Star Zion Williamson missed his sixth consecutive game and is out indefinitely.

The Mavericks won their third straight, finishing with their highest point total of the season and largest margin of victory.

New Orleans has lost 11 of its last 13 games.

The Pelicans cut Dallas’ lead to 81-65 late in the third period before Irving followed a 25-foot 3-pointer with another seconds later, pulling up from 29 feet.

Rafael Nadal has played the final game of his illustrious career after Spain were knocked out of the Davis Cup quarter-finals by the Netherlands on Tuesday. 

Playing in his final tournament, Nadal suffered a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening match in Malaga, despite the home crowd cheering him on. 

The 38-year-old was playing in his first competitive match since a defeat to Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics. 

Teammate and heir apparent Carlos Alcaraz then kept Spain and Nadal's hopes alive by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 to level the at 1-1.

But a 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3) win for Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschlup over Spanish duo Alcarez and Marcel Granollers in the deciding third contest brought down the curtains on Nadal's trophy-laden career. 

“It’s in some ways good maybe if that was my last match. I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle," the 22-time Grand Slam winner said immediately after his defeat. 

Nadal called time on his glittering career as the second-most successful men's singles player of all time, only behind Djokovic.

Wales secured promotion to League A after beating Iceland 4-1 at home in their final Nations League group match, having gone a goal down early on.

Their victory, alongside a 3-1 defeat for Turkiye away to Montenegro, means that Craig Bellamy's side topped their group by a point.

"The feeling hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it's been a real positive camp Whatever the result of this game, it's just been a positive camp," said Bellamy after the match.

"The targets we set right from the start, I feel we've been able to achieve."

Wales started the day knowing they needed to win and for results to go their way to top the group, but went a goal down after seven minutes after Andri Gudjohnsen followed up from a Danny Ward save.

It was the first goal Wales had conceded at home in 321 minutes and the first time they had been behind under Bellamy, but they responded well. The hosts managed to control the rest of the half, with Lewis Cullen scoring twice in the final 15 minutes of the first period.

The determination of his team to stick to the plan was something that pleased Bellamy immensely.

"There were one or two tests today that I feel we've been able to progress [through]. If they had happened one or two games ago, we might not have been able to.

"Where we're at, you go 1-0 down in the first few minutes and you get a performance like that.

"Then after that, when the crowd get a little bit edgy and try to force things for us... No, no. We keep the ball because we believe that's going to benefit us, and the players were able to do that."

In the second half, Wales were able to dominate and bagged goals from Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson to make things more comfortable.

"I thought we took control of the tempo of the game and we're a good team if we're able to do that," said Bellamy.

On promotion itself, the Wales manager could not overstate the importance of being able to mix with the biggest teams in international football in Europe.

"For where we want to be and where we want to go, it's huge. It's so important for us," he said.

Germany were denied victory away to Hungary in their final Nations League group game after conceding a 99th-minute equaliser to a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty.

Julian Nagelsmann made nine changes from Germany's 7-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last time out, with this match confirmed as a dead rubber before kick-off, and they struggled for fluency in the first half.

Germany failed to have a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes and lost the xG battle 0.51-0.17.

Things soon picked up, with Leroy Sane having a goal disallowed following a VAR review before Kai Havertz hit the post with a volley just three minutes later, having only come on as a substitute a minute before. They had their goal after 76 minutes when Felix Nmecha was quickest to react to a rebound to score his first international goal.

But Hungary were not to be denied after appeals for a penalty in the 97th minute for an alleged handball against Robin Koch. Following a VAR review, the spot kick was given and Szoboszlai earned a point for the hosts.

Germany's position as winners of Group A3 had already been secured prior to this match, as had Hungary's finishing place of third. Nagelsmann's side will now advance to the Nations League quarter-final, where they will face a second-placed side from League A. Hungary, meanwhile, will face a second-placed side from League B in a relegation play-off.

Data debrief: Germany keep scoring streak going

Germany extended their run of scoring in Nations League matches to seven consecutive games with their 1-1 draw in Budapest.

Nagelsmann's side conclude their group campaign with 18 goals in six matches, helped by their 7-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina last time out.

Following their draw today, Germany have now scored in 12 straight matches, including friendlies.

Netherlands ended their Group A3 campaign in the Nations League with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Stadion Bilino Polje on Tuesday. 

Ronald Koeman's side, who had already secured their place in the quarter-final heading into the final group fixture, finished with nine points - five fewer than group winners Germany. 

Brian Brobbey gave a second-string Oranje the breakthrough in the 24th minute when he headed home a cross from Noa Lang following a short corner kick. 

But Ermedin Demirovic scored on the rebound, after Edin Dzeko's initial effort was stopped by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, to help Bosnia salvage a point in the 67th minute, as the hosts finished bottom of the group with two points. 

Earlier, Dzeko's shot was cleared off the line by Jorrel Hato in the first half and the Bosnia captain also had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up just past the hour mark, before Sergej Barbarez's side found the leveller. 

Data Debrief: Bosnia's spirited comeback

The home side ended the first period without registering a single shot on target and only creating an expected goals (xG) of 0.54, compared to the Netherlands' xG of 1.29. 

But they were a much-improved side after the break as they restricted the visitors to zero shots on target while recording three of their own to secure a point. They ended the second half with an xG of 0.46, which bettered the Netherlands' xG of 0.37 despite being lower than their first-half effort. 

Prior to this fixture, Bosnia and Herzegovina had lost all four of their 2024-25 Nations League matches in which they were losing at half-time. But they fought back this time to end their League A stay with a draw.

Maro Itoje has reaffirmed his commitment to England amid talks of a proposed global breakaway league.

Steve Borthwick’s side are looking to end their five-match losing run when they face Japan in their final match of the autumn series on Sunday.

But there is fear that Borthwick could lose many of his players to the new league that reportedly are offering 40 £1m-a-season contracts for marquee players and more periods of rests for the players. 

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) only select players for the national team from English clubs, meaning any player joining the breakaway league would jeopardise their Test career. 

But Itoje has insisted that playing for England is the pinnacle for him and his teammates. 

"I don't really know any of the details of it as yet, but wearing this rose is extremely important to me and my teammates," said Itoje.

"Playing for England is the Mecca."

Kusini Yengi was the hero for Australia after scoring in the first minute and the 97th to help salvage a 2-2 draw away to Bahrain in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

The result extended manager Tony Popovic's unbeaten start with the Socceroos to four matches, although three of those have been draws.

Things got off to a great start for the visitors, going a goal up inside 40 seconds after Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi nipped in to intercept an underhit back pass from Sayid Mahdi Baqer and find the net.

Yengi had the next moment of note after hitting the post on 61 minutes from a Riley McGree cross, before a poor touch let him down when well-placed three minutes later.

Australia were made to pay for not killing the game, when Mahdi Abduljabbar lobbed Mat Ryan from 45 yards to get Bahrain level in the 75th minute. It went from bad to worse two minutes later, when Abduljabbar got his second following a defensive mix-up between Ryan and Hayden Matthews.

But Yengi rescued his side deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to bury a ricocheting ball in the six-yard box. The result was Australia's fourth draw in six matches and leaves them second in Group C on seven points, with teams from third to sixth – including fifth-placed Bahrain – all on six.