Carlo Ancelotti accused football's authorities of punishing players by packing the calendar with too many games as the Real Madrid boss faces a hectic finish to the season.
Victims of their own success, Madrid have a Copa del Rey final against Osasuna coming up in May, plus two legs of a Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, while also vying to finish as high as possible in LaLiga.
They will play on every weekend and in every midweek through to the start of June, which leaves Ancelotti with a tough task to keep his players fit and healthy.
He is eager not to suggest any weakness in his ranks, stressing Madrid would be able to recover between games, but it is far from a satisfactory situation for the veteran Italian coach.
He said: "The schedule doesn't make sense. It's too tight, with too many games. You have to evaluate a little the health of the players, who are the most important part of football.
"Here everyone thinks about themselves: LaLiga, the federation, UEFA, FIFA. The players don't count for anything for them and this is not correct. Something has to be changed, there are too many games.
"I have also heard that we have given too many days off. I looked at the calendar and I told myself I was wrong but no. In four months, since December 30, we have had eight days off, not taking into account the national team break. There have been only eight."
The former Milan and Chelsea boss added: "Right now, the rotation depends only on giving rest to the players that I see as the most tired, and to have more players in good physical condition.
"I have to give minutes to keep the players physically fit in the final stretch of the season."
He spoke of the need to carefully manage the likes of veteran captain Karim Benzema, who was substituted late in the game as Madrid completed their European quarter-final win at Chelsea on Tuesday.
"I took him off in London because when I think the game is over I want to preserve the players and give them a bit more rest," Ancelotti said.
The coach said Benzema is now "fine" and in contention to start the LaLiga home clash with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
On the horizon are the clashes with Pep Guardiola's City, a repeat of last season's Champions League semi-final that Madrid won with an extraordinary late comeback in the second leg.
Ancelotti took pride from hearing former Barcelona boss Guardiola say Madrid remain the team to beat in the competition.
"Yes, Madrid are highly respected and that's a good thing," Ancelotti said. "And that a coach like Guardiola says it, it's even better."
He expects a tremendous battle against a City side who last season typically played with a 'false nine' striker but now have the most predatory goal-getter in Europe in Erling Haaland.
"We are teams that can play differently," Ancelotti said. "I don't think they have completely changed their style, just that they have such a strong striker that the way of attacking changes a bit compared to last year. City can play a transition or possession game without problems."
As for whether City are favourites this time, Ancelotti added: "I don't know. It is not a subject that is in my head. We have to know that we are very close to a final, that they are a very strong rival in a very even tie. Let's see what happens."
Madrid trail leaders Barcelona by 11 points in LaLiga, so their hopes of a successful title defence look bleak at this stage.
City rivals Atletico Madrid could help out Los Blancos by winning at Camp Nou on Sunday; however, third-placed Atletico are just two points behind Madrid, so what may appear to be a favour, should a surprise result occur, could also spell trouble for Ancelotti.
"They are going to fight until the last moment for second place, which is important," Ancelotti said of Atletico. "They are on an important run and playing very well."
Madrid will not take Celta lightly, particularly with the likes of Spain striker Iago Aspas and much-coveted midfielder Gabri Veiga in their ranks.
"Yes I like him," Ancelotti said, when asked about Veiga. "They have quality players, like Iago Aspas, who are doing very well."
Fernando Tatis Jr. was grateful to be on the field as helped the San Diego Padres to victory in his first game back after being banned for a drugs violation.
Tatis was hit with an 80-game suspension in August 2022 after testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance.
The star shortstop claimed he had taken a medicine containing Clostebol to treat ringworm, subsequently apologising for letting his team-mates down with the positive test.
Having undergone surgery on a wrist injury earlier in the year, Tatis sat out the entirety of the 2022 MLB season, which saw the Padres beaten by the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series.
Tatis went 0-for-5 when making his first MLB appearance since October 2021 against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, though he did make a highlight-reel catch as the Padres clinched a 7-5 win.
Speaking after his return, Tatis said: "It felt amazing, just to be back out there with my boys in the jungle. [I'm] just happy. Happy to get that 'W' and just to be back out there.
"Being away for a period of time – it gave me time to realise how really blessed I am to be able to play this game at the level that I play it.
"All the kids that are watching, the vibes they give me, that love they give me, it just feeds me every single time.
"There were more Padres fans here than Arizona fans. It's amazing how they show up. They were loud. I felt like we were at home."
Tatis received a predictably mixed reception when entering the batter's box for the first time, and he expects more of the same at opposing ballparks, given the nature of his ban.
"That's going to come," Tatis said. "Everybody has freedom of expression in this country, and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just going to keep playing this game and enjoy every part of it."
Thomas Tuchel slammed speculation about the Bayern Munich future of Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic by stating the off-field leaders "shaped the club".
This has been a tough week for Bayern, with Champions League elimination coming at the quarter-final stage for a third successive season after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City meant a 4-1 aggregate defeat.
Tuchel allowed himself a joke in Friday's pre-match conference, ahead of the clash with Mainz, when he reacted to the arrival of set-piece mastermind Anthony Barry from Chelsea by saying: "Finally there is a good coach."
Most focus has fallen on the possibility of departures, however, with reports casting some doubt on whether Bayern will continue to back CEO Kahn and sporting director Salihamidzic.
"I read absolutely nothing," said head coach Tuchel. "I come here in the morning and I feel a good energy here. I try to influence what I can influence.
"I don't want to comment on the rumours. My cooperation with the club management is goal- and solution-oriented. Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic shaped the club."
He added: "I don't rule out that some unrest affects the players. But it will never be completely calm. We focus on the things that we can influence ourselves. I don't know any other way."
Tuchel's team must reset and train their focus on the Bundesliga, their last remaining trophy target. Bayern head into this weekend's games with a two-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund after both drew their last league matches.
According to Tuchel, Bayern are not themselves at the moment. "I rather sense an insecurity, an unrest that paralyses us a bit," he said.
He said the team should look to "turn dissatisfaction into energy", and Tuchel, appointed on March 25, has seen plenty of cause for dissatisfaction.
Bayern exited the DFB-Pokal to Freiburg under his watch in early April and have not gone beyond the quarter-finals of that competition in the last three seasons.
But Tuchel said: "This is not a crisis. We must not question everything. There is always a sense of reality involved. Many big clubs didn't make it to the [Champions League] quarter-finals. But we remain ambitious and we always want more. We're still first in the Bundesliga."
The arrival of coach Barry is a timely boost, with a deal agreed to take him from Chelsea, where he and Tuchel previously collaborated.
"He just arrived," Tuchel said. "Finally there is a good coach. I am very happy. We really wanted to have him with us. The whole package is right for him: his personality, the love of the game, the love of his job, his passion and his quality. He brings a lot of energy. His work with set-pieces at Chelsea was on a whole new level for me."
Anthony Joshua says there "might be some truth" in reports that he could fight Deontay Wilder on a blockbuster night of heavyweight boxing in Saudi Arabia.
There has been talk that Joshua and Wilder could do battle on the same card as a unification bout between world champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in December.
American Wilder has vowed to produce the first knockout in Saudi Arabia if he steps into the ring with Joshua.
Briton Joshua, who beat Jermaine Franklin this month following back-to-back defeats to Usyk, has suggested he could do battle with Wilder at the end of the year.
"Have you ever heard of anything like that before? Two heavyweight clashes on the same night," former world champion Joshua told Sky Sports News.
"The rumours that are circulating, there might be some truth behind it."
Joshua hopes he has two more fights to come in 2023 as he builds towards trying to become a world champion for a third time.
He added: "I'm preparing for that big fight, when it comes. I'm just taking it one fight at a time and building, so that by the time I get to that finish line, I've got something in the tank. That's how I'm getting on with this year.
"I've had my first fight; I've spoken to my coach, hopefully I can fight in July or August – keep that momentum – and then by December, there's rumours going around that I'm going to be in a big showdown – and I can't wait."
Iga Swiatek believes it is "pretty confusing" to see the International Olympic Committee backing sports stars from Russia and Belarus to return to top-level sport while the invasion of Ukraine continues.
Since Russia launched its assault in February 2022, supported by Belarus, many sports have banned athletes from the two countries outright, while tennis has been among those that has largely allowed them to compete but under a neutral flag.
Swiatek, the women's tennis world number one, hails from Poland and has been a vociferous critic of the war and a fervent supporter of Ukraine.
Interim recommendations were issued by the IOC last month to international federations and organisers of events regarding the involvement of Russians and Belarusians.
The Olympic body urged federations to exclude any athletes or support personnel "who actively support the war" and said teams from either country should not be allowed to compete in international sport for now.
However, in a statement, the IOC said it should be "the sole responsibility" of sporting bodies to decide whether individuals can compete, and this should be "based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports".
There is a clear possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as neutrals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, although IOC president Thomas Bach stressed there has been no decision taken on that matter.
Swiatek was asked about the IOC stance after her opening match at the Stuttgart Open, and the 21-year-old said: "Human rights are important, but I always feel like there are values that you have to kind of treat respectfully, and war is not something that we want in the world. I was pretty open about that since the beginning.
"Right now the situation is pretty complicated, because at the beginning of the war there weren't many decisions one way. At first they were kind of banned in other sports, not in tennis.
"Then it changed a little bit, and they are starting to be allowed, the Russian and Belarusian players, which is pretty confusing, because I feel like nothing changed in Ukraine and the cities are still under attack and many Ukrainian athletes are fighting in the war and actually losing their lives.
"It's heartbreaking. I just hope, no matter what the decision is going to be, the sport will be able to kind of put people together and not separate them.
"But there are tensions, so it may be tricky and hard to do. As just one athlete, I don't have full influence on what's going on, so we kind of have to just compete our best no matter what the circumstances are."
Russell Westbrook believes the Los Angeles Clippers were missing "the best in the world" as Kawhi Leonard sat out a Game 3 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
Devin Booker scored 45 points as the Suns beat the Clippers 129-124 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead, and only the Phoenix star is scoring more points so far in the postseason (36.3 per game) than Leonard (34.5).
But Leonard was not on the floor, watching instead from the sideline due to a knee injury.
The setback was only reported hours before the game in Los Angeles, although it was quickly clarified it was not related to the ACL injury that saw him miss the whole of last season.
Leonard could be back for Game 4, but his absence was a blow – especially as the Clippers came so close to beating the Suns even without him.
"I just feel sorry for him," team-mate Westbrook said. "He probably was playing his best basketball in a while, probably the best in the world, honestly. It just sucks just for him mentally.
"But it was good to see him be around and communicate with us on the bench. Hopefully we can see how he's feeling and see what's next.
"If he's not back, we have to rally around each other, support each other, find ways to make something happen. It's a series. First to four. Get ready for Saturday afternoon."
Coach Ty Lue added of the injury: "It's very deflating. I think more so for Kawhi.
"You have a guy who's coming off ACL, hasn't missed a rehab session, eats right, eats clean, does everything he can for his body, works extremely hard to get to this point. Then you have something like this happen.
"So, it's tough for him, for all the work that he puts in. I feel bad for him."
Fabio Paratici has resigned from his role as Tottenham's managing director of football after his worldwide ban was upheld.
Former Juventus managing director Paratici was among those suspended from football by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in January, following an investigation into the Bianconeri's historic transfer dealings.
FIFA extended Paratici's 30-month suspension worldwide in March, a ruling which led the Italian to step back from his duties with Spurs.
And while Juventus successfully appealed their 15-point deduction in Serie A on Thursday, with the Collegio di Garanzia referring the case back to the FIGC, Paratici failed in an attempt to have his ban overturned.
As a result, Paratici resigned from his role at Tottenham on Friday, with a club statement saying "there continues to be a dispute as to the scope and extent of the ban" but that it "prevents Fabio from fulfilling his duties".
Paratici will now "focus on his legal position in respect of the FIGC and FIFA rulings", it added.
Chairman Daniel Levy said: "This has been a stressful time for Fabio and his family. We wanted to ensure that we allowed for due process to be followed. Fabio is a man who lives and breathes football – we wish him well.
"As outlined in our year-end results, we started several months ago to restructure our football operations and last week announced the appointment of Scott Munn as chief football officer to head up all the departments.
"We shall continue to strengthen our football functions over the coming months."
James Harden could not understand why he was ejected from Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, although he was not the only individual frustrated with the officiating on Thursday.
A hot-tempered affair saw a player from each side ejected and the Nets claiming Joel Embiid should have joined them.
Embiid and Nic Claxton clashed after the MVP frontrunner was fouled in the first quarter. As Claxton stared Embiid down, the Sixers big man appeared to aim a kick at his opponent.
While Embiid was issued a flagrant foul one, Claxton was hit with a technical and would later be ejected for a second technical, again for confronting Embiid.
Embiid later described himself as "too valuable" to allow that situation to escalate, but team-mate Harden was thrown out of the game in a separate incident.
He caught Nets forward Royce O'Neale while in possession late in the third quarter, and referee Tony Brothers explained after the game: "Based on the point of contact directly to the groin, it rose to the level of excessive and ejection."
Harden disagreed, not even believing the incident was worthy of a foul.
"Unacceptable, unacceptable flagrant two," Harden said. "First time I've been ejected.
"I'm not labelled as a dirty player, and I didn't hit him in a private area. Somebody is draped on you like that defensively, that's a natural basketball reaction. I didn't hit him hard enough for him to fall down like that.
"For a flagrant two, it's unacceptable. This is a playoff game. We've seen around the league, things are much worse than that play was.
"Honestly, I didn't think it was a foul on me. But that's unacceptable. It can't happen."
By contrast, Brothers said Embiid's foul was "unnecessary" but "didn't rise to the level of excessive" as contact was made with Claxton's leg.
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn responded: "I don't think I've ever seen that in my career before.
"For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards, for him to continue to play...
"I've never seen that before in a game and a guy continues to play. Intentional."
Despite Harden playing only 29 minutes and Embiid scoring just 14 points, the 76ers won 102-97 to take a 3-0 series lead.
Stephen Curry acknowledged the "noise" around Draymond Green's suspension but was determined the Golden State Warriors would "make it about basketball" in Game 3 – with a nod to his team-mate's "history".
Green was ejected from the previous game against the Sacramento Kings – a second straight Warriors defeat – for stomping on Domantas Sabonis after the center appeared to grab his leg.
The Golden State star was then issued a one-game suspension in a statement that referred to his "history of unsportsmanlike acts".
Joe Dumars, the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, also described Green as "a repeat offender", with this the fourth suspension of his career.
Most notably, Green was suspended during the 2016 NBA Finals, which the Warriors lost, for an altercation with LeBron James. He has also twice been banned for confrontations with team-mates in Kevin Durant and Jordan Poole.
But Curry suggested this latest "tough blow" became a source of motivation for the Warriors, who continued their strong home form from the regular season with a 114-97 defeat of the Kings on Thursday.
"There's a lot of distractions and noise around the series," Curry told TNT after scoring a game-high 36 points.
"Obviously, losing both games up there was a tough way to start, and we wanted to come home with some good focus. Then you get that call that he's suspended. It's a tough blow.
"But yesterday, at practice, we had really good energy, understanding what the mission was, understanding that we couldn't change anything about the decision that we knew was wrong.
"If we could come out and win tonight, it changes the momentum of the series, and it gives us an opportunity just to make it about basketball.
"That was Draymond's message the whole time: make the right adjustments, come with the right energy, protect the home court.
"When he gets back on Sunday, we've got to capitalise off of that and try to win and even up the series.
"So, we did what we were supposed to do. They say Draymond's got a history? So do we, so we know how to bounce back."
The Colorado Avalanche came from two goals down to beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in Game 2 and crucially level their series, rediscovering their "swagger" along the way.
The defending Stanley Cup champions had been upset in the series opener and looked set to remarkably fall two games behind when the Kraken were 2-0 up at the end of the first period on Thursday.
Seattle were on course to become the first team in NHL history to win their first two playoff games while playing both on the road.
However, quickfire goals from Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin in the second period levelled the game, before Devon Toews came up with the winner for the Avs.
Colorado have only won one of their past nine playoff series after losing the first game, but they at least head to Seattle all square and with some confidence restored.
"We played tight [in the first period]," said coach Jared Bednar. "No one wanted the puck, no one wanted to skate with it in the pocket.
"That was a message [in the first intermission] – that we had to build our swagger back, shift-by-shift, that we have to get more assertive and more engaged competitively.
"I think [Seattle] held the competitive advantage for the first four periods of the series, and I felt like we had another level that we needed to get to that they were already at.
"In the second period, you could see we started to free ourselves up a little bit. Now, you get guys fighting through checks and being more assertive, more engaged.
"We really started to see what our team could do once we scored the first goal. Then we played, and it was still hard-fought for the next 40 minutes."
"Swagger" was the word defenseman Bowen Byram used, too.
"That's something that we're trying to build towards," he said. "We finally broke through there and got some confidence and started playing with some swagger.
"When we're playing like that, I don't know many teams that can beat us. We just had to go out there and prove it, and we did that.
"Now, it's just about putting our best foot forward on Saturday night [in Game 3]."
The Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost to the Avs last year in their third straight Stanley Cup Finals, were pegged back on Thursday as they lost 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets is also tied after a 5-2 home win for VGK.
However, the New York Rangers have control of their matchup against the New Jersey Devils after taking both games on the road, the latest a come-from-behind 5-1 win.
Stephen Curry was the star of the show in Thursday's crucial 114-97 Golden State Warriors victory in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.
After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, it was a do-or-die fixture for a Warriors team who were without future Hall-of-Famer Draymond Green due to his stomping suspension from Game 2.
But Kevon Looney picked up the slack on the interior, snatching down 20 rebounds to go with an equal career-high nine assists as he did his best Green impression, while Curry provided the scoring firepower.
Curry finished with a game-high 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting, hitting six-of-12 from long range, while adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, posting a plus/minus of plus 24 in his 37 minutes.
Andrew Wiggins was the Warriors' top perimeter defender, and he chipped in 20 points (eight-of-16) in an important two-way effort as Golden State survived Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combining to shoot nine-of-28 from the field (32.1 per cent).
For the Kings, recently announced winner of the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award De'Aaron Fox was far from a disappointment, scoring 26 points (nine-of-22) with nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals.
All-Star Domantas Sabonis also had a solid stat line of 15 points (seven-of-14) and 16 rebounds, but the duo combined for 10 costly turnovers, while the Warriors had 11 as a team.
Green will return for an energised Warriors team as they try to tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4, but if the Kings take it, they will get a chance to seal the series at home when things head back to Sacramento for Game 5.
Maxey delivers down the stretch
Third-year standout Tyrese Maxey was the Philadelphia 76ers' hero down the stretch of their 102-97 road win against the Brooklyn Nets to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
It was a strange game for overwhelming MVP favourite Joel Embiid as the 76ers' big-man was lucky to not be ejected for kicking at Nic Claxton as the Nets center tried to step over him, and he went on to post just 14 points (five-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds, with five fouls and five turnovers in 38 minutes.
But after trailing 96-91 with 2:15 remaining, Maxey scored eight points in a row to put Philadelphia up, while the 76ers' defense allowed just one point in the final two minutes.
Maxey finished with a team-high 25 points (10-of-17 shooting), while James Harden was ejected for a low blow after racking up 21 points (eight-of-15) in 29 minutes, although the former MVP did have a plus/minus of minus 15.
Despite being down 3-0, Nets wing Mikal Bridges has shown he has what it takes to deliver offensively as a focal point in the playoffs, averaging 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists across the three games, with shooting splits of 45/42/88.
Booker outduels heroic Powell performance
With Kawhi Leonard ruled out, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker had to deal with an offensive explosion from Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell before emerging victorious 129-124.
The win gives the Suns a 2-1 advantage after dropping Game 1 at home, and they were led by Booker's 45 points (18-of-29 shooting), six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
This series has been a defensive awakening for Booker, who also had four steals and three blocks in Game 1, while Kevin Durant filled a secondary role.
Durant's 28 points (eight-of-15 shooting), six rebounds, five assists and two steals were slightly soured by his six turnovers, and he had no luck slowing down Powell.
Powell's 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting was one off his career-high, while Russell Westbrook also rose to the occasion with 30 points (11-of-23), 12 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, posting a plus/minus of plus one in 40 minutes.
Game 4 will remain in Los Angeles, and if the Suns take it, they can lock up a 4-1 series win back at home in Game 5.
Premier League leaders Arsenal will aim to get back on track when they host lowly Southampton on Friday.
The Gunners' lead at the top has been cut to just four points after successive 2-2 draws against Liverpool and West Ham, throwing away two-goal leads in each of those matches.
But with Manchester City in FA Cup action, Arsenal have a great chance to move seven points clear of Pep Guardiola's side ahead of next week's huge clash between the title rivals at the Etihad Stadium.
Leicester City, Everton and Leeds United will all be hoping Arsenal do the business, with Southampton's relegation rivals all in action on Saturday.
Arsenal v Southampton
Southampton are one of three sides Arsenal have failed to beat in the Premier League this season, along with Newcastle United and City, following their 1-1 draw at St Mary's Stadium in October. The last time Saints avoided defeat in both Premier League meetings with the Gunners was in the 2015-16 season.
This is the first Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Southampton on a Friday, with the Gunners defeating Southampton on each of the other six days of the week in the competition. They have never won a Premier League match against an opponent on all seven days of the week.
James Ward-Prowse has scored nine goals in all competitions for Southampton this season and could reach double figures for the second time in his career following his 11 last term. Six of his nine goals this season have come away from home, with four of those strikes coming in London.
Best bet – Arsenal to win: Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 27 home league games against Southampton (W19 D8) – in their league history, only against Fulham (current run of 30) have they had a longer unbeaten home run. They have never lost in 23 Premier League home games against Southampton (W16 D7), the most one side has hosted another without ever losing in the competition.
Long shot – Southampton to keep a clean sheet: The side bottom of the table has won just four of their 38 Premier League meetings with the league leaders (D6 L28), losing 14 of their 15 such games away from home (D1). Southampton kept a clean sheet in three of their first four under Ruben Selles but have kept none in their last five, while conceding 12 goals.
Opta prediction: The supercomputer has Arsenal winning this one, with their chances of victory rated at 67.3 per cent. The draw is at 20.7 per cent, while Southampton's hopes of a win are slim at 12 per cent.
Fulham v Leeds United
Given they have conceded 11 goals across their last two home games, Leeds will surely be thrilled to be back on the road. That being said, they have lost all five of their Premier League games in London this season, conceding 16 goals in the process.
Fulham have already beaten Leeds twice this season, winning 3-2 in the league and 2-0 in the FA Cup. As a top-flight side, the Cottagers have beaten a team three times in one season on three previous occasions.
Leeds striker Patrick Bamford has been directly involved in six goals in his past four league starts against Fulham, scoring four and assisting two. He has both scored and assisted a goal in both of his Premier League starts against the Cottagers.
Best bet – Both teams to score: Leeds have conceded 16 goals in four Premier League games this month, letting in at least four goals in three of those matches. Fulham, meanwhile, have not kept a clean sheet since beating Leeds 2-0 in the FA Cup on February 28.
Long shot – Harry Wilson to score: In Fulham's 3-1 win against Everton last time out, Wilson scored his first league goal since March 2022, and first Premier League goal since January 2020 while at Bournemouth. He last scored in consecutive league games in September 2021, and last did so in the Premier League in August 2019.
Opta prediction: Only three teams have conceded more away goals than Leeds (30) in the Premier League this season, with no side keeping fewer clean sheets on the road than the Whites (one). Combined with their dismal record in London, it is no surprise to see Leeds have just a 28.5 per cent chance of success. Fulham are the favourites (42.8 per cent).
Crystal Palace v Everton
Palace have won just one of their past 16 Premier League games against Everton (D7 L8), though it did come in this fixture last season (3-1). The Toffees, though, won the reverse match 3-0 in October.
Dwight McNeil has scored two goals in his past five Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 71 appearances. He is one of just two players to score more than once for Everton under Sean Dyche, along with Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Palace have won all three of their Premier League games since Roy Hodgson's return to the club, as many as they had in their previous 18 (D5 L10). They last won four in a row in June 2020, in Hodgson's previous stint at the club.
Best bet – Palace to have 10+ shots: Everton have allowed 50 shots across their last two matches, while Palace are averaging 19 shots, 2.2 xG and 6.3 shots on target per game under Hodgson, compared to 9.9 shots, 0.9 xG and 3.2 shots on target per game before his return.
Long shot – Everton to win and score over one goal: Having won two of their first three Premier League games under Dyche (L1), Everton have won just one of their subsequent eight (D3 L4). All three of their league wins under Dyche have been at home, by a 1-0 scoreline, with the Toffees currently winless in 11 Premier League away games (D4 L7).
Opta prediction: Everton are looking to complete their first league double over Palace since 2004-05, though the Eagles have won their last two home games against Everton in all competitions, as many as they had in their previous 15 (D6 L7). Hodgson's team are ranked as 40.6 per cent favourites, with the draw at 29.9 per cent, while the Toffees' likelihood of a win is 29.5 per cent.
Leicester City v Wolves
Dean Smith could hardly have had a tougher game to start his interim spell in charge of Leicester, who are 19th after losing 3-1 to Manchester City last week. The new Foxes boss will be hoping to rekindle the magic Brendan Rodgers managed at Molineux in October, when Leicester beat Wolves 4-0.
Wolves have never scored in five Premier League away games against Leicester – only Birmingham City have visited a side more without ever finding the net in the competition.
Leicester are the only side without a clean sheet since the resumption of the Premier League following the World Cup, having kept a shutout in five of their six matches before the break. It is their longest run of conceding a goal in consecutive league games since a run of 21 between April and December 1994, which included their first 18 Premier League matches.
Best bet – Leicester to avoid defeat: Wolves have won just one of their past 25 away league games against Leicester (D9 L15), failing to score in five of their past six visits (including the last four) since a 4-1 Championship win in May 2007.
Long shot – Jamie Vardy to score and Leicester to win: Vardy has scored three goals in his last four Premier League games against Wolves, with Leicester winning all three matches. His only league goal so far this season was in the Foxes' 4-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Opta prediction: Despite their place in the bottom three, Leicester are the favourites, at 47.3 per cent. Wolves have won their last two games to drag themselves out of trouble, but Opta give them just a 24.3 per cent chance of victory. The draw is rated at 28.4 per cent.
Anthony Rizzo's hot start to the season continued on Thursday as he reached base safely five times in the New York Yankees' 9-3 home victory against the star-studded Los Angeles Angels.
Rizzo hit a single in the first inning, another single in the second inning, before drawing walks in both the fourth and seventh frames, and he capped off his great on-base percentage outing with an RBI single in the eighth.
The stat-boosting performance from the Yankees first-baseman improved his batting average to .344 from his 18 starts this season, while also boasting an on-base percentage of .449 and a slugging figure of .578.
Rizzo's sole RBI was the only RBI produced by the top four bats in the Yankees' line-up, with the bottom of their order picking up the slack.
Catcher Jose Trevino did the damage with a bases-clearing double in the first inning to open up a 5-0 lead, while Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa also finished with two RBIs each.
It was a solid start on the mound for Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, making it through six full innings in 94 pitches, allowing three runs from four hits and two walks, and striking out seven.
For the Angels, their superstar duo of Mike Trout (one-for-four) and Shohei Ohtani (zero-for-three with a walk) combined to go one-for-seven at the plate with a walk, but rookie catcher Logan O'Hoppe continued to show promise with a three-for-four day, driving in two runs.
The win improves the Yankees' record to 12-7 – the third-best record in the American League – while the Angels fell below .500 at 9-10.
Outman sends two balls out, man
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie outfielder James Outman had the first multi-home run game of his career in a 6-2 win away from home against the Chicago Cubs.
Outman, who was bumped up to the lead-off spot, connected on a 420-foot bomb in the third inning for his fourth homer of the season. He added number five in emphatic fashion, blasting a grand slam in the top of the ninth to turn a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 triumph.
The 25-year-old is slashing .290/.397/.645 as he looks to insert his name into NL Rookie of the Year conversations early.
Alonso hits MLB-leading ninth homer
New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso now sits alone atop the home run leaderboard after hitting his ninth in a 9-4 road win against the San Francisco Giants.
One of the best power-hitters in the sport, Alonso is coming off a 40-homer campaign, and he broke a three-way tie atop this season's standings in the fourth inning with a 366-foot, two-run shot to left-field.
Alonso went on to finish with four RBIs after a two-run single in the seventh frame, with 30-year-old Japanese rookie Kodai Senga collecting the win on the mound to improve his record to 3-0 from four starts.
New York Mets ace Max Scherzer will miss his next two scheduled starts after he was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for having a foreign substance on his hand during Wednesday's start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scherzer was ejected in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium after he had several interactions with umpires during the customary between-inning hand checks.
Umpire Phil Cuzzi determined after the second inning that Scherzer’s hand was stickier and darker than normal, and ordered the three-time Cy Young winner to wash his hand, which Scherzer said he did with alcohol while a Major League Baseball official watched.
After the third inning, Cuzzi then determined the pocket of Scherzer's glove was "sticky," likely with too much rosin, and he ordered Scherzer to change gloves. The umpires then checked the 38-year-old right-hander again before the fourth, and his hands were even worse than before.
Scherzer said he used only a combination of sweat and rosin to improve tactness. He could be spotted on the TV broadcast yelling that it was "just rosin" on his hands.
"When you use sweat and rosin your hand is sticky," Scherzer said after the game. "But I don’t know how I get ejected when I'm in front of MLB officials doing exactly, exactly what you want and being deemed that my hand's too sticky when I'm using a legal substance. I do not understand that."
Scherzer appealed the penalty imposed by Michael Hill, MLB's senior vice president for on-field operations, and can continue to play until the appeal is decided. The appeal would be heard by MLB special adviser John McHale Jr.
He becomes the third pitcher suspended by MLB since the crackdown on sticky substances started in June 2021. Seattle's Héctor Santiago was penalized June 28 that year, before Arizona’s Caleb Smith was pinged a month later on August 24, with both drawing 10-game penalties.
All three inspections that led to suspensions involved Cuzzi.
Scherzer is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA in four starts this season with nine walks and 17 strikeouts.
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