Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players to not even waste a second thinking about the prospect of winning a treble this season.

The reigning English champions saw off second-tier side Bristol City 3-0 on Tuesday, thanks to Phil Foden's brace and a Kevin De Bruyne strike, to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

City are level with RB Leipzig at 1-1 after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and trail Arsenal – who have a game in hand – by two points in the Premier League.

Guardiola has previous experience of winning a European and domestic treble during his time with Barcelona, but he is not giving that any consideration right now.

"No, forget about it," he said when asked about the possibility of lifting three trophies this season. "Forget it.

"When you start to talk about that, you start to lose competitions and drop competitions. We are not ready. We will not spend even one second thinking about that. We just think about [the next game against] Newcastle.

"The only thing I've said many times – I'm so annoyed to say it again and again and again and again after what happened in the last years – we are still two, three months away from finishing the season, we are still in three competitions."

City have won the Premier League in four of the past five seasons, and Guardiola says toppling Arsenal – while also holding off in-form rivals Manchester United – remains the top priority for his side.

"That is the biggest credit. This is the biggest title. The biggest one," he said. 

"I know we cannot drop points in the Premier League because we have on top of us a team [Arsenal], and United are coming from behind.

"And the Champions league, we see what happen in two weeks. What is important is we are there, but of course, we are going to continue as long as possible."

A decision on New Zealand's next head coach following the Rugby World Cup in France will come in the next six weeks.

Ian Foster has confirmed he will not reapply for his role, having previously urged New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to wait until after September's World Cup to decide his successor.

However, competition for talent in the global rugby market has forced NZR's hand to begin the hunt sooner and the process is now under way.

"Following wide-ranging consultation and after carefully weighing up all scenarios and the key lessons from 2019, New Zealand Rugby is now commencing a process for selecting the All Blacks Head Coach from 2024," NZR chairwoman Patsy Reddy said in a statement.

"Noting the divergent views as to the best timings for this process and that neither timing window is perfect, out of respect for the people involved, New Zealand Rugby will not be making any further comment after today until a decision has been reached. This will be concluded in the next four to six weeks."

Scott Robertson is widely considered to be the leading candidate for the role, having lost out to Foster in 2019 but overseeing success with the Canterbury Crusaders since.

New Zealand meet Italy, Uruguay, Namibia and hosts France in the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup.

In the space of about 24 hours over the weekend, the outlook for Real Madrid and Barcelona changed considerably even if the table didn't.

While their results weren't exactly polar opposites, clearly Madrid came into a new week – the week of a Clasico – with more of a spring in their step.

Los Blancos were held to a draw by local rivals Atletico Madrid. While failing to beat such infamously obdurate opponents – even at home – may not be the most embarrassing of results, it was a bit of a comedown from the Anfield demolition they inflicted on Liverpool and, more crucially, there was a certain assumption about the outcome of Barca's clash with Almeria on Sunday.

As it happened, Barca fell to a shock 1-0 loss. They went from an assumed 10-point lead at LaLiga's summit to being seven points clear of Madrid.

In the context of a seven-point lead, it does seem a little daft to be trying to frame Barca's situation as anything other than positive, but they're undoubtedly going through a testing period – arguably their trickiest such spell of the season.

Sunday's surprise defeat came just three days after Europa League elimination by Manchester United. Although their 4-3 aggregate defeat was close on the scoresheet, not even ardent Barca fans would suggest they were deserving of progression – Erik ten Hag's men were, over the two legs, the better team.

Of course, it's not possible to say at this point whether the past couple of weeks simply represent a minor blip for the Blaugrana, or if it's part of something broader.

But Thursday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Madrid is the start of a spell that includes three Clasicos in just over a month.

It's a period that will almost certainly define Madrid's season, and potentially Barca's.

In LaLiga this season Barca have been far more consistent – in terms of results – than Madrid. Since their mid-October meeting, a 3-1 win for Carlo Ancelotti's men, the defending champions have dropped points six times in the league; Barca have won 12 of 14 matches.

But Barca's form in Europe this season has understandably raised concerns. Two defeats to Bayern Munich, one to Inter, a fortunate draw and loss agains United – it does bring into question their ability to rise to the occasion in the biggest games, and against the teams who are willing to take the fight to them.

Of course, the most recent Clasico was something of an exception. In that mid-January contest, Barca quite comprehensively picked Madrid apart in the final of the Supercopa de Espana, winning 3-1 in Riyadh. They were even 3-0 up for 21 minutes until Karim Benzema's very late consolation.

That appeared to be a statement win, but the make-up of their team on Thursday will be rather different to seven weeks earlier.

Two of the three goalscorers – Pedri and Robert Lewandowski – will be absent. Also out is Ousmane Dembele, usually the provider of the kind of explosive pace and unpredictability that can stretch any team.

With key injuries, decreased morale, and back-to-back defeats for the first time since last April, Barca couldn't have picked many worse times to descend into difficulty. But then again, could there be a better time to beat Madrid?

Clearly, Almeria did Madrid a huge favour on Sunday, and given how erratic – at least in comparison to Xavi's side – Los Blancos have been in LaLiga, they need a few more boosts yet.

In fact, the aforementioned inconsistency that's blighted Madrid in the league since the October Clasico has meant they've been continuously hoping for the smaller clubs to be a banana skin for the leaders. Before Almeria, only Espanyol had obliged.

Now, Madrid have the opportunity to take matters into their own hands, potentially putting two trophies within their grasp.

It's all well and good Madrid waiting and hoping for other teams to give them a helping hand and derail Barca while they stumble every few weeks, but they're the side best equipped to aid their own ambitions.

Barca haven't lost three in a row across all competitions since April 2016 – inflicting a seven-year low on their bitter rivals would be an emphatic reminder that Madrid are still there, fighting on both fronts in the Copa and LaLiga.

Three editions of Spanish football's biggest game look set to be decisive in one way or another.

For Madrid, these matches will likely dictate whether 2022-23 is a success or not.

Erik ten Hag says any talk of Manchester United being in the hunt for a quadruple this season is "for the fans".

United ended a six-year wait for silverware on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.

The Red Devils have an FA Cup fifth-round tie against West Ham to come on Wednesday and face Real Betis over two legs in the Europa League last 16 after eliminating Barcelona.

Despite being eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal, third-place United are also arguably still in the Premier League title race with the business end of the season still approaching.

On-loan striker Wout Weghorst was bullish after the Newcastle win in declaring United are targeting four trophies this season, but Ten Hag insists it is not something that has crossed his mind at this stage.

"That is for [the] fans," he said ahead of facing West Ham. "We have to focus on the next game and that is the only thing we are doing.

"Us, we are talking for 10 minutes and I didn't hear the words West Ham United. I think it was the press conference for West Ham United so it's only about this we have to talk about.

"We don't have to talk about trophies. We have to talk about West Ham United, that is the game tomorrow."

United have played 19 times since returning from the World Cup break in December and the fixtures continue to come thick and fast on multiple fronts, with games in three different competitions over the next week or so.

Rather than complain about the workload, though, Ten Hag feels playing regularly can only be a good thing for his side.

"In my experience in Ajax, when we dropped out of Europe the levels went down and when you are in it gives energy," he said.

"Until now, we have managed [the schedule] quite well and I think we can do it also until the end of the season. Except Anthony Martial, the availability from all the players is there."

United follow up the visit of West Ham to Old Trafford with a trip to fierce rivals Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, before hosting Real Betis in the first leg of their Europa League knockout tie.

Nikola Jokic became the sixth player in NBA history to reach 100 career triple-doubles as the Denver Nuggets won 133-112 against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

The Serbian center finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 24th triple-double of the season.

It was also Jokic's 15th triple-double in his past 20 games, with the Nuggets winning every game he has achieved the feat this season.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said: "We haven't lost a game in those triple-doubles which speaks to his greatness."

Jokic joined Russell Westbrook (198), Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107) and LeBron James (106) in reaching triple figures for triple-doubles in the NBA.

At 28 years old, Jokic could foreseeably climb up that list if he continues on the trajectory of his past two back-to-back MVP seasons.

"For him to be mentioned with all these historical accomplishments, reminds you that we are so blessed to have a guy like Nikola," Malone added.

"I challenge all of us in Denver to never take him for granted. To never take his greatness for granted."

Malone subtly added that Jokic should win a third straight MVP, while discussing his strengths.

"We all know he's a two-time MVP, about to be a three-time MVP, you talk about the skill level, the IQ, the rebounding, playmaking, scoring all that but the intangibles are the areas Nikola has grown the most," Malone said.

On Jokic's defense, Malone added: "He's a high IQ player. He has tremendous anticipation and outstanding hand-eye coordination.

"People think if you're not a great athlete, you can't be a good defender but I think that's malarkey.  I think Nikola is a living example of a guy who can be an effective defender and not necessarily be an elite athlete."

The NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 15 games after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 118-104 away from home on Tuesday.

Milwaukee are now one win away from tying the third-longest streak in franchise history, while their best-ever run of 20 games, led by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1970-71 season, is now also within reach.

They had to come from behind against the Nets, trailing 35-22 early in the second quarter, but they pulled things level halfway through the third and then hit the front for the entire fourth period.

The Bucks were led by MVP hopeful Giannis Antetokounmpo with a game-high 33 points on 15-of-27 shooting, adding 15 rebounds and four assists on his return, while Defensive Player of the Year candidate Brook Lopez chipped in 13 points (six-of-13 shooting), 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Three-time All-Star wing Khris Middleton continued his road to recovery with 18 points (seven-of-13), six assists and two steals in 23 minutes off the bench, but he is still yet to exceed 25 minutes in a game since the new year began.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges was terrific with 31 points (11-of-19), five assists and two steals, and Spencer Dinwiddie put together a strong stat-line of 26 points (nine-of-17), eight assists and six rebounds.

With the win, the Bucks improved to 44-17, remaining ahead of the Boston Celtics (44-18) for the best record in the league.

Brooklyn have lost seven of their past nine, but still sit sixth in the Eastern Conference at 34-27.

Lakers drop first game of LeBron's absence

Desperate for a strong finish to sneak into the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 121-109 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first game since LeBron James' injury.

James is expected to miss at least two weeks, and Anthony Davis stepped up to try and fill the void, contributing a team-high 28 points (nine-of-19), a game-high 19 rebounds and a game-high five blocks.

But it was not enough to prevent Ja Morant from getting the result for Memphis, with the reigning Most Improved Player putting together a massive 39-point triple-double, shooting 15-of-29 from the field with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Memphis (37-23) are almost a lock for a top-four seed in the west, but the Lakers (29-33) sit 12th, one game out of the play-in tournament places and 2.5 wins out of the six seed.

Warriors pull above .500

It threatened to be the latest Damian Lillard masterclass early before the Golden State Warriors strangled the life out of the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half of a 123-105 home victory.

Lillard – who is leading the NBA in scoring over the past 15 games with a gaudy 39.5 per contest – had 15 in the first quarter to help the Blazers build a 41-27 lead at the first break.

Golden State steadied the ship, and then produced a 75-40 second half, holding Lillard to just 10 points in the next three quarters and nine-of-21 shooting overall.

Jordan Poole led the way offensively for the Warriors, scoring 29 points (10-of-24 shooting) with six rebounds and five assists, while Donte DiVincenzo put together another strong performance in the starting line-up with 21 points (eight-of-11).

The win, combined with the Dallas Mavericks' loss, meant the Warriors (31-30) ended the day sitting sixth in the West.

Cristian Garin enjoyed the hometown advantage during Tuesday's opening round of the Chile Open, defeating former world number three Dominic Thiem 6-2 7-6 (7-2).

Slotted into the primetime fixture, Santiago resident Garin did not let the locals down, securing a break in the first game of the match to set the tone.

The other Chilean hopeful in the field, Nicolas Jarry, kept up his terrific form to also book his place in the second round.

After making the semi-final of last week's Rio Open – where he took a set off world number two Carlos Alcaraz – Jarry beat Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 for an 11th victory from his past 14 matches.

Fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was the highest ranked player in action, and he went down 7-5 4-6 7-5 against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, while sixth seed Laslo Djere had a better outing in his 6-3 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry will meet second seed Francisco Cerundolo in an all-Argentine second round matchup after advancing past Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-1 7-6 (7-1).

Meanwhile, in Acapulco at the Mexican Open it was the Berrettini brothers stealing the headlines on a day where top hopes Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie both withdrew due to injuries.

World number 24 Matteo Berrettini won the first seven games of his match against Alex Molcan before the Slovak decided to retire at 6-0 1-0, and his younger brother Jacopo Berrettini capitalised on his qualifier status with a 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 2-1 (retired) comeback against Oscar Otte.

Australian eighth seed Alex De Minaur was the top seed in action and he discarded of Mexico's own 17-year-old qualifier Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez 6-1 6-2, while rising 21-year-old American Brandon Nakashima overcame Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Top seed and 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Magda Linette was bundled out of the ATX Open in the first round on Tuesday after a three-set loss to Varvara Gracheva.

Gracheva, ranked 88th in the world, needed two hours and 31 minutes to get past Linette 6-3 4-6 6-4 in Austin.

The Pole had led 2-0 in the third set before Gracheva hit back with three breaks in the final frame to run away with a shock victory.

Linette's early exit followed that of second seed Zhang Shuai who withdrew from the tournament on Tuesday due to illness.

Fifth seed Sloane Stephens had no such troubles, progressing into the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Taylor Townsend.

Fourth seed Danielle Collins won 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 6-4 over Magdalena Frech in two hours and 32 minutes, while third seed Anastasia Potapova eased past Elizabeth Mandlik 6-2 6-0.

Top seed Caroline Garcia cruised into the second round at the Monterrey Open in Mexico on Tuesday, winning 6-3 6-4 over Slovenia's Kaja Juvan.

Third seed Donna Vekic survived an early scare to win by virtue of a walkover at 2-6 5-0 against Lesia Tsurenko who retired for the second straight tournament.

Fourth seed Elise Mertens was too strong for Diana Shnaider 6-0 6-4, while seeds Mayar Sherif and Elisabetta Cocciaretto also progressed.

Sixth seed Katerina Siniakova, who made last week's Mexican Open semi-finals, was eliminated after a controversial call on match point in a third-set tie-break, losing to Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6 (8-6) 2-6 7-6 (7-5).

Last week's Mexican Open champion Camila Giorgi was knocked out 6-4 7-5 by Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Australia are persisting with their three-pronged spin attack of their third Test against India, while the hosts made two changes in their side in Indore on Wednesday.

Trailing 2-0 in the series, and with captain Pat Cummins returning home for personal reasons, Australia welcomed back Mitchell Starc from a finger injury as the only full-time pacer bowler in the line-up.

Also coming into the visiting side is all-rounder Cameron Green, with the injured David Warner joining Cummins as the outs, leaving Travis Head and Usman Khawaja to open the batting. Matt Renshaw had replaced Warner mid-game in the second Test as a concussion sub.

Retaining their places are the spinning trio of Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann, while the addition of Green for Warner gives the Australians another weapon in their pace attack.

For India, K.L. Rahul was dropped and Mohammed Shami was rested, with opening batsman Shubman Gill and fast bowler Umesh Yadav taking their place. India won the toss and elected to bat.

New Orleans Pelicans franchise player Zion Williamson will have further imaging on his injured hamstring next week as he "continues to make progress".

Williamson, 22, was named an All-Star starter for averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his 29 games this season, before tearing his hamstring against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2.

Five weeks after suffering the injury, the Pelicans announced he had aggravated the same hamstring, essentially restarting the recovery process.

The latest update from the team on Tuesday stated he is making progress, but that further updates would be provided after a check-up MRI next week.

New Orleans have been flailing in Williamson's absence, falling from near the top of the Western Conference down to 10th after going 7-18 in the 25 games since January 2.

Also included in the Pelicans' injury update was Jose Alvarado being set for an extended stint on the sidelines due to a stress reaction in his tibia, while Larry Nance Jr will have his ankle sprain re-evaluated in two weeks.

Jose Mourinho has threatened legal action against fourth official Marco Serra after the Portuguese was sent off in Roma's 2-1 Serie A loss at Cremonese on Tuesday.

Mourinho's side fluffed the chance to move up to second on the league table, going home without any points after Daniel Ciofani's 83rd-minute winner from the penalty spot.

Not for the first time this season, the Roma boss was given his marching orders by referee Marco Piccinini shortly after half-time with his side 1-0 down following a row on the sidelines with Serra.

"I am emotional, but not crazy," Mourinho told DAZN. "In order to react the way I did, something had to happen first. I need to understand if I can take any legal action.

"Piccinini gave me a red card, because unfortunately the fourth official does not have the capacity to understand what he said to me.

"I want to find out if there is an audio recording. I don't want to get into the fact that Serra is from Turin and on Sunday we are playing against Juventus.

"For the first time in my career, a fourth official spoke to me in the most incredible way. It was unjustifiable.

"At the end of the game, I went to speak to them. Piccinini, who was the fourth official in the last game when I was sent off, told me to apologise to Serra.

"I told Serra he should have the courage to explain what happened, but he had memory problems."

Mourinho lamented his side's display with the race for the top four wide open ahead of the Giallorossi's clash with Juventus on Sunday.

"We were a little unlucky, conceding two goals on their one and a half chances," he said. "The responsibility is ours. We lacked intensity, should’ve killed off the game straight away.

"I am taking it one game at a time. I cannot leave this game behind now, I cannot even think about Sunday. There is frustration, which obliges me to analyse. It is a pity this thing happened with Serra: I respect someone as much as they respect me."

The Toronto Raptors addressed a gaping hole in their rotation on Tuesday by securing former Washington Wizards guard Will Barton in the buyout market.

Barton, 32, spent eight seasons with the Denver Nuggets – starting 181 of his 185 appearances in his three most recent campaigns – prior to being traded to the Wizards this past offseason for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

During his time in Denver, Barton averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while playing 30.4 minutes, and in the process he became the franchise's all-time leader in made three-pointers with 804 at a 36.2 per cent clip.

He struggled to find a role on a Washington roster loaded with depth guards, and after agreeing to a buyout in the second year of his two-year, $30million contract, he will now join a Raptors side desperate for their own backcourt depth.

This season, only two Raptors players officially classified as guards – Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr – are averaging more than 15 minutes per game.

Behind them, 23-year-old point guard Malachi Flynn and 24-year-old point forward Dalano Banton have been given chances, but are not yet trusted by head coach Nick Nurse to be key rotation pieces on an aspiring playoff team.

Toronto signalled to the league with their trade deadline acquisition of Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs that they believe they are a live chance to come out of the East again, four years after Kawhi Leonard led them to their sole championship in 2019.

Scooping up Barton is further indication of that belief, as the veteran guard was expected to have his choice among a number of playoff teams, but opted for a Raptors team who have won seven of their past nine to climb up to ninth in the East at 30-32.

To create a roster spot, Toronto waived Juancho Hernangomez, who co-starred alongside Adam Sandler in the 2022 basketball movie Hustle.

The New York Giants held "productive conversations" about the futures of star pair Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley according to general manager Joe Schoen.

Jones and Barkley are both franchise tag eligible and integral members for the Giants, who last season qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Schoen said the Giants intended to tag Jones if they could not secure a deal with him by the March 7 deadline, but was "cautiously optimistic" about completing deals for both players.

"We had productive conversations yesterday. We have some more scheduled today, so we'll just continue to communicate with them," Schoen told reporters on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine.

"We'll continue to hammer out and try to get closer to getting something done hopefully."

He added: "I would love to have them both back. They work well with each other. Their entire careers in the NFL, they've been together. I do think they complement each other well.

"We've had productive conversations with both their representatives – Saquon going all the back to November – and we'll continue to do so. There's not priority on one or the other."

Schoen acknowledged tagging Jones would not be ideal for the Giants given it would cost $32.4million and potentially impact Barkley, who is a pending free agent.

"If you have to franchise tag Daniel, I don't think that's best for the organisation and I don’t believe it's best for Daniel," Schoen said.

"Especially as we try to build the team around him and questions about receivers and other positions on the other side of the ball where we may need depth.

"It does hurt you a little bit in terms of team building process, but we're prepared if that's the scenario that we’re faced with. We have a plan-B and we'll try to execute that the best we can."

Schoen insisted that there was "no doubt" that Jones would be the Giants quarterback next season.

Jones threw 15 touchdown passes from 16 starts in the 2022 season with a career-best 67.2 per cent completion rate and career-best 3,205 passing yards, with only five interceptions.

Pro Bowl running back Barkley scored 10 rushing touchdowns in a bounce-back 2022 season, returning a career-best 1,312 rushing yards in 16 starts.