Arsenal and Manchester United lock horns at Emirates Stadium on Sunday in perhaps the biggest clash between the two sides since the title-tussling encounters of the mid-2000s.

The two Premier League greats are a shadow of their former selves; the Gunners have not won the title since 2004 while United last lifted the Premier League in Alex Ferguson's final season in charge, 10 years ago.

Yet the 2022-23 season has seen the old rivals show signs of vast improvement.

Arsenal's patience in Mikel Arteta is paying off. A return to the Champions League might have been the target heading into the campaign, but the Gunners find themselves in pole position in the title race.

Similarly, Erik ten Hag has steadied the ship at Old Trafford, following a difficult start at the club, to give United a shot at becoming involved in the title equation.

Those hopes were dented slightly by a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday, though claiming a second win of the season over the Gunners, whose only league loss of the campaign came at Old Trafford back in September, would greatly enhance their status as contenders.

Crucial to the form of both teams have been two playmakers; classic number 10s in terms of their technical ability and distribution, but the pair also possess the keys to success in the modern game – aggression and work rate.

Martin Odegaard, Arsenal's captain, has excelled since he was handed the armband by Arteta ahead of the campaign. The Norway international, signed by Real Madrid back when he was 16, has gone from strength to strength, and clinched the Premier League Player of the Month award for November/December.

United, meanwhile, have Bruno Fernandes back at his best and, though his displays have gone under the radar in comparison to Odegaard, the Portugal midfielder stands as one of the Premier League's finest performers this term.

Two sides of the same coin

Odegaard's numbers in front of goal this season have been the driving force behind conversations that there may well be another Norwegian in the running for player of the year alongside Erling Haaland.

The 24-year-old has scored eight times and set up his team-mates on five occasions. His tally of direct goal contributions (13) is bettered by only three Premier League players.

While Fernandes is behind his rival in that regard, the Portugal international shares plenty of similarities this season with Odegaard – particularly when creating chances for team-mates.

Odegaard's expected assists (xA) this season stands at 4.23, averaging 0.26 per 90 minutes, with Fernandes tallying an almost identical 0.27 per 90 (4.89 xA).

Fernandes (2.2) and Odegaard (2.6) are close too in the number of chances created per 90 minutes, as well as progressive passes (4.9 per 90 for Fernandes, 4.4 for Odegaard).

The pair also rank among the top six players in the Premier League for attacking sequence involvements from open play, Fernandes standing top of the pile with 128 while Odegaard comes sixth with 102.

That puts Odegaard narrowly ahead of team-mates Bukayo Saka (98) and Gabriel Martinelli (97), evidence the Gunners are sharing the attacking burden more widely.

United are seemingly more reliant on Fernandes' involvement – his 49 chances created is 24 more than any of his club-mates.

Leading by example

Arsenal have hardly lacked a creative midfielder down the years. They boasted Mesut Ozil, another former Madrid player, previously, but fan frustration towards the World Cup winner eventually grew to a perceived reluctance to shoot and instead look for an extra pass to create a goal, while the German's languid playing style also drew criticism.

Prior to this campaign, Odegaard was perceived as also attempting to play an extra pass where the option to shoot was on. This term, though, he has taken a more direct approach, and he is Arsenal's leading goalscorer in the top flight.

A shooting accuracy of 60.71 per cent puts him ahead of Gabriel Jesus (54.05) and Saka (48), while just narrowly behind Martinelli (62.07).

Odegaard also has the best shot conversion rate of the quartet (19.05 per cent) and averages a goal every 179 minutes in the Premier League, again higher than the others in Arsenal's first-choice attack.

His willingness to shoot is made clear when compared to his fellow Premier League midfielders, with only Bryan Mbeumo (29), Kevin De Bruyne (30), Harvey Barnes (31) and Kai Havertz (31), who is often utilised as a forward at Chelsea, trying their luck on more occasions – though none of those four have a better minutes-to-goal ratio than the Arsenal man.

Captain Fernandes

In contrast to Odegaard, Fernandes has not taken on the role of club captain on a full-time basis but has been called upon regularly by Ten Hag this season, with Harry Maguire out of favour.

Fernandes has captained United in 14 of their 19 league games, with Maguire and the now departed Cristiano Ronaldo taking the armband for the other five matches, and United perform far better when the former Sporting CP midfielder is in the role.

United have won 71 per cent of their matches with Fernandes as captain (10 of 14), losing just once, compared to a 40 per cent win percentage without him wearing the armband – winning two and losing three of those five games.

With Fernandes as captain, United have scored more goals per game and conceded less per game than with Maguire or Ronaldo in the role. Perhaps the Portugal international's influence on the team stems further than just his numbers in the final third.

Now Ronaldo is out of the picture, Fernandes' opportunities with the armband should increase, particularly if Maguire fails to win back favour, and that will serve as a positive for United's push to enter the title picture.

Come Sunday, whoever can come out on top in the battle between the two number eights might just win the game.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray collected the first triple-double of his career as he filled in as his side's top option during Friday's 134-111 home victory against the Indiana Pacers.

The Nuggets were without reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic for the fifth time this season as he sat out with hamstring tightness, allowing Murray to slide in as the primary initiator in what was Denver's ninth consecutive win.

Murray made the most of his opportunity, producing a Jokic-like performance as he attempted only eight field goal attempts on his way to 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

He was not alone as the Nuggets shot 61 per cent from the field and 50 per cent from three-point range, with Aaron Gordon also dominating on his way to 28 points (11-of-15 shooting), six assists and five rebounds. 

Michael Porter Jr chipped in 19 points (eight-of-14 shooting) and eight rebounds, while Bruce Brown was everywhere on his way to 17 points (seven-of-11), five assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block.

As a team, the Nuggets finished with 38 assists, which was just four away from the league's best total this season, which was set at 42 by the Brooklyn Nets in December.

Speaking after the game, Murray joked he would have more triple-doubles if he did not play with Jokic.

"He steals a lot of my triple-doubles," he said. "It was nice to finally get one on the board.

"I was just playing our game, playing aggressive. We were just having fun out there, the ball was hopping."

Fill-in head coach David Adelman – who is 3-0 while standing in for Michael Malone – spoke about how Murray's game changes with Jokic out of the team.

"I think sometimes you have to [take into consideration] that Jamal plays with Nikola – his job is to score," he said. "The facilitating has gotten better, but we're a unique team in that sense.

"Our guards are out there to cut, move, make plays and score baskets off Nikola, but there are nights where the coverage is what it is and he takes advantage of it.

"We've talked a lot about Aaron Gordon being a possible All-Star – we're the number one team in the West – if Jamal Murray is not in the conversation, then you don't value winning.

"All three of those guys have been so consistent throughout the year, they deserve the accolades they're getting."

The Nuggets are now 33-13, and sit one-and-a-half games clear atop the Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Lakers produced a late comeback to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-121, denying the visitors what would have been a franchise-record 12th consecutive victory.

Memphis looked well on their way to breaking their record, jumping out to a 13-point lead late in the third quarter, but a 41-point final period from the Lakers turned the game on its head.

Los Angeles trailed by five points with under a minute on the clock, and after Dennis Schroder cut the margin to one with 19 seconds left, he then stole the ball and laid it in – with a foul – to put the Lakers in front for good.

Brandon Clarke had a chance to tie the game with two free throws in the final seconds, but after hitting the first, he missed the second. He was arguably the Grizzlies' best player, shooting a perfect seven-of-seven from the field for 20 points and 10 rebounds in his 22 minutes.

Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, adding six assists and five rebounds, while LeBron James had 23 points (eight-of-21), nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

The win improves the Lakers' record to 21-25, leaving them 13th in the Western Conference, but only two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers (24-24) in the race for the six seed.

Kawhi back to his best for the Clippers

Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard looked back to his All-NBA self as he scored a season-high 36 points in the Los Angeles Clippers' 131-126 road win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Leonard shot 13-of-18 from the field while adding seven assists and two steals, marking his sixth consecutive game with at least 24 points and a steal. 

During that stretch, his 30.0 points per game is the seventh-highest figure in the league, all while shooting 57.4 per cent from the field, 50 per cent from deep and 93.8 per cent from the free throw line.

He was supported well by fellow All-Star Paul George, who dished a season-high 12 assists to go with his 16 points.

Undermanned Warriors shoot the lights out

The Golden State Warriors came into their road fixture against the Cleveland Cavaliers without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins – but still came away with a 120-114 victory.

In the absence of their top stars, the Warriors received a 32-point outburst from Jordan Poole on 10-of-23 shooting, while Ty Jerome posted season-highs in points (22) and assists (eight).

As a team, the Warriors shot 23-of-43 (53.5 per cent) from three-point range, opening a 20-point lead in the third quarter that was too much for the Cavaliers to overcome.

Newly hired Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon will take some time to assess whether veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill will remain the starter going forwards.

Carthon was hired on Tuesday after six years in the San Francisco 49ers' front office, earning his first general manager role at 41 years old.

He takes over as decision-maker for a Titans franchise that missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2018, and his first order of business will be assessing the quarterback situation.

Tannehill has guided the Titans to their past three postseason berths, but after going 7-3, 11-5 and 12-5 as a starter in those seasons, he battled injuries and struggled to 6-6 in his 12 games this campaign.

After missing out on the playoffs two weeks ago, Vrabel told reporters he still has faith in Tannehill.

"He is our starting quarterback," he said. "If he is healthy, he is our starting quarterback."

It may not be that simple, however, as Carthon said during his introductory press conference on Friday that he needs more time before deciding on the franchise's future at the sport's most important position.

"We're still evaluating the roster," he said. "Ryan has been great here. He's won a lot of football games. 

"I look forward to us winning football games, but I still need more time to evaluate and make those decisions."

He added: "This is a quarterback-driven league – people are hired and fired every day over that position. 

"I want to spend more time evaluating that position so I will have my own opinion. Then, Mike and I will confer and we'll figure it out."

Behind Tannehill, the Titans also have Malik Willis coming into his second season. The third-round draft pick made three starts in his rookie year, but did not reach 100 passing yards in any of his appearances.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes a 72-game regular season would mostly eliminate the need for rest games after choosing to sit his stars against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

The Warriors were coming off an overtime loss against the Boston Celtics on Thursday where reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry played 43 minutes, while his future Hall of Fame team-mates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson both eclipsed 36 minutes.

Asking them to jump straight on a plane after the game and suit up again 24 hours later against the Cavaliers was too unrealistic, according to Kerr, who was apologetic about the fact that paying fans would not get the opportunity to see the headliners in action.

Speaking to the media before the game, Kerr made it clear these situations are avoidable if the league would be willing to shorten the 82-game regular season.

"I feel terrible for fans who buy tickets expecting to see someone play and they don't get to see that person play," he said. "It's a brutal part of the business. It's why I'm going to continue to advocate for 72-game seasons.

"You take 10 games off the schedule – it always feels like with 10 games left in the year everybody's sort of had it anyways. 

"That creates enough rest where we don't have to have some of these crazy situations. I think you'd see way fewer games missed from players."

He added: "We have so much more data, so much more awareness of players' vulnerability. It's proven that if guys are banged up, back-to-backs, players are much more likely to get injured and miss more games – and that's why you're seeing it league wide.

"Everybody is being cautious when a guy is banged up. You're just playing the long game."

The Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins pulled off a blockbuster trade Friday, with Minnesota sending AL batting champion Luis Arraez to Miami in exchange for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and two minor leaguers.

Arraez, 25, had a breakout season for the Twins last season, batting a league-best .316 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs in 144 games while denying the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (.311) a Triple Crown. The return of shortstop Carlos Correa allowed Minnesota to deal from a position of strength.

''Anytime you have a player that's well-liked in the environment, who you know is going to go work and do it every day which we got to see with Luis, it makes it harder,'' Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. ''We'd love to have Luis and Pablo on our team, but to get something as impactful as what Pablo brings to our team, you have to give something impactful.''

The 26-year-old Lopez went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in a career-best 180 innings over 32 starts last season, his fifth in the major leagues. He posted a 1.83 ERA in his first 10 starts and pitched to a 2.86 ERA through the All-Star break before slumping to a 4.97 ERA in the second half.

The right-hander shoulder bolster a deep rotation that features Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda and Joey Ryan.

''I'm really excited about coming to this team, the leaders they have in the clubhouse and the players they have to support each other,'' Lopez said on a video interview with reporters. ''It's a mentality that really motivates me too. I ask and expect more of myself when it comes to my performance and the ways I can help out the team.''

Also headed to Minnesota in the deal are infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio. The 19-year-old Salas was picked as the organisation’s fifth-best prospect in the most recent MLB Pipeline rankings. Chourio, 17, played in the Dominican Summer League last season after signing with the Marlins in June.

Arraez spent most of his time at first base last season for the Twins, with 61 starts there, 34 at designated hitter and 31 at second base. He also appeared at third base and left field.

He is one of baseball’s toughest outs with only 131 strikeouts in 1,569 career plate appearances. Arraez only had 14 career homers in 389 games, but has a career on-base percentage of .374.

Even with Lopez’s departure, the Marlins still have a rotation topped by NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and newly acquired right-hander Johnny Cueto.

Offense was a bigger need after Miami ranked 14th in the National League last season with a .230 batting average and last with 586 runs.

After two rounds at The American Express it is Davis Thompson and Jon Rahm who have broken away from the field, both at least three strokes clear of third place.

Thompson was the first-round leader after riding back-to-back eagles to a 10-under 62 – the best score of his PGA Tour career – and he added three more eagles in his second round to follow it up with a 64 and head into the weekend at 18 under. His five eagles ties the PGA Tour record for the most through 36 holes at any event.

He is two strokes clear of Rahm at 16 under after the world number four went bogey-free for his second 64 in a row.

Both players began their week on the La Quinta Country Club course, and both played the PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament course on Friday. They will play Saturday's round on the PGA West Stadium Course, which is also where Sunday's final round will be contested.

There are some big names in the chasing pack, with South Korean rising star Tom Kim and former world number one Jason Day part of a five-man group at 13 under.

Patton Kizzire is alone in eighth at 12 under, while world number six Xander Schauffele rounds out the top-10 in a tie for ninth at 11 under.

World number two Scottie Scheffler and number five Patrick Cantlay are still in the hunt at 10 under, while number seven Will Zalatoris is one shot inside the theoretical cut line at six under, but all players will get one more round before the cut at the conclusion of round three.

Frank Lampard said he has "given it everything" at Everton as he aims to claim a crucial victory that might ease the pressure on his job.

On Saturday, Everton face fellow strugglers West Ham, managed by former long-time Toffees boss David Moyes, in a huge clash at the bottom of the Premier League, with both teams level on 15 points.

A win could see Everton – who have lost seven of their past 10 games in all competitions and last won a match in October – rise to 14th.

However, defeat at London Stadium, combined with Southampton avoiding a loss against Aston Villa, would see them head into a two-week break propping up the table.

Lampard has been backed by Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, but he along with the club's board is facing increasing scrutiny. The Toffees have not yet signed a player in January despite their manager acknowledging they wish to reinforce their squad, though the Chelsea great is not looking for excuses.

"That’s a tough one. I've absolutely given it everything that I can and it's not one for me to analyse all the circumstances," Lampard told reporters when he was asked if he would feel he had been able to fulfil the role to the best of his ability should he be sacked.

Asked if he felt Everton's issues with recruitment were restricting him, Lampard added: "I can't answer that question and I don't want to answer in a way.

"I've been given an opportunity to work at a great club. I had one of the most amazing nights of my footballing career against Crystal Palace [last season], learned a lot about myself, about coaching, about living in this area.

"I've got my own opinions on those things obviously but I also had an understanding of what the job was, the size of the club, all the positive things and then some things that were maybe going to be taxing.

"Some things I can't control on that front so I just work. Part of the responsibility of the job is to keep certain things private and keep working out of respect."

Everton are reportedly close to signing forward Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal, and Lampard reiterated he hopes to add fresh faces to his squad.

"You want to help the squad and that [new players] would help me as a coach, no doubt," he said. "None of us, as coaches, are geniuses.

"Some are probably closer to being geniuses than others but we are not absolute geniuses. And recruitment to get players is generally what will help you have relative success.

"Until that point, there is a responsibility to work with what you have got. There is also my own capacity – can I get better? Can they get better? We have to focus on what we have got here."

Everton's loss to Southampton last week was further marred by the fact that the club's four-person board did not attend the game due to safety concerns.

It was subsequently claimed, through club sources, that chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale had been manhandled after a 4-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on January 3.

Merseyside Police confirmed no complaints had been filed by the club but they were working with Everton to ensure any threats were dealt with.

On Friday, the HerGameToo campaign announced they had been in contact with Everton over fears of the safety of female fans at Goodison Park.

A statement from the campaign confirmed Everton had provided reassurances that "robust procedures and reporting processes" were in place.

Leicester City have confirmed the signing of Danish left-back Victor Kristiansen from Copenhagen.

Kristiansen, a Denmark Under-21 international, has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal, with Leicester reportedly paying Copenhagen £17million (€19m).

The Foxes were in need of defensive reinforcements, particularly at full-back, with James Justin and Ricardo Pereira both out with long-term injuries, though the latter could return to action soon. Ryan Bertrand, meanwhile, has been out of action for over a year.

Kristiansen, 20, told the club's official website: "It feels amazing. It's really exciting to be here and I'm so excited to meet everyone at the club, as well as the fans.

"The Premier League is probably the best league in the world, and Leicester is a top team, so of course, I was excited. It was a no-brainer for me to say yes to this great opportunity."

Leicester might be a "top team" in Kristiansen's eyes, but they are struggling this season.

Brendan Rodgers' team sit 15th, just two points above the bottom three, ahead of Saturday's home game against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Leicester have lost all four league games since the competition restarted after the World Cup, having gone on a run of four wins from five matches prior to the break.

Juventus have been deducted 15 points in the wake of an investigation into the club's past transfer dealings.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed the news on Friday, with ex-Juve director Fabio Paratici – who is now at Tottenham – given a two-and-a-half-year ban from Italian football.

Paratici's ban includes a request for an extension to cover UEFA and FIFA activities, meaning potentially a big knock-on impact for Premier League side Spurs.

Former Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli has also been banned from holding office in Italian football for the next two years.

It has been widely reported the decision is likely to be appealed by Juve.

The Bianconeri had been third in Serie A, but have now dropped to 10th – 12 points off the Champions League places – as a result of the punishment.

Turin Public Prosecutor's Office had been seeking a nine-point deduction following a hearing earlier on Friday.

But the FIGC went with a harsher punishment after Juve were found to have used transfers to artificially boost their balance sheet.

The sanction comes on the back of chairman Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and the rest of the Bianconeri's board resigning en-masse last year.

That came in the wake of an investigation being launched into financial violations during their time in charge.

A separate ruling made last year acquitted Juve and other clubs of their financial conduct within Serie A, with a case centred on player values in exchanges and transfers.

But football prosecutors reopened the case Juve after seeking new documents collected by public prosecutors in Turin surrounding the club's conduct.

Juve have denied any wrongdoing, while lawyers claimed prosecutors had not brought enough in to reach the adequate threshold for a new ruling.

The 36-time Italian champions are next in action on Sunday at home to Atalanta, in what was set to be a potentially crucial clash in the race for Champions League qualification.

Bayern Munich were pegged back by RB Leipzig as the Bundesliga returned with an entertaining 1-1 draw on Friday.

Marcel Halstenberg struck in the 52nd minute at Red Bull Arena to draw third-placed Leipzig level against the league leaders.

Julian Nagelsmann had seen his team take the lead against his former club eight minutes before half-time, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting picking up where he left off before the World Cup break.

Bayern were lucky ex-Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano stayed on the pitch after a rash challenge on Dominik Szoboszlai, but the visitors' run of 10 successive wins in all competitions came to a halt regardless.

Jamal Musiala was a rare bright spot for Germany in Qatar, and the teenager teed up the first chance when he played in Serge Gnabry, whose shot was deflected against the post by another World Cup star Josko Gvardiol.

Leon Goretzka thought he had nosed Bayern ahead when he nodded in from Choupo-Moting's flick-on, but the goal was disallowed for Matthijs de Ligt straying offside in the build-up, with the VAR upholding the linesman's decision.

Bayern were not to be denied the lead, though, with Choupo-Moting turning in his seventh Bundesliga goal of the season after meeting Gnabry's pinpoint left-wing cross.

Yann Sommer had little to do in the first half, but the Bayern debutant was picking the ball out of his net seven minutes after the restart.

Joshua Kimmich's slack pass put Bayern in trouble, with the champions failing to clear their lines and eventually allowing Halstenberg to prod home from close range despite appeals for a foul in the build-up.

Upamecano was fortunate to escape a red card when he scythed down Szoboszlai and appeared to be the last defender, yet Bayern made their luck count to come away with a point.

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has blamed a lack of "mental freshness" for his recent costly errors, which he puts down to France's run to the World Cup final.

Lloris played in six of France's seven matches in Qatar, including a full part in their 3-3 final draw against Argentina after extra time that ended in a 4-2 defeat on penalties.

The 36-year-old, who has since called time on his international career, returned to club action with Spurs on January 1 and has made a spate of errors in his four games since.

He was beaten too easily by Riyad Mahrez in Spurs' 4-2 collapse at Manchester City on Thursday, having also been at fault for goals against Aston Villa and Arsenal.

Indeed, his four errors leading to goals – as defined by Opta – are more than those of any other goalkeeper across Europe's top five leagues in all competitions this season.

On the back of a tough month for club and country, Lloris accepts the criticism he is facing.

"I can't complain. You're a professional and you just follow a rhythm," he told the Evening Standard. 

"When you're involved with the national team and you go until the last day of the World Cup, you come back and miss mental freshness. But you need to get back on track.

"When you look at the Arsenal goal, I can be in a good position, but the deflection hit the ball on my chest and with the spin it goes over [the line]. 

"It's something that even if I wanted to do on purpose, I can't. Even on Thursday, when you look at the third [City] goal, a deflection makes the ball go over my knee."

After conceding four second-half goals against City, Tottenham have now conceded 31 goals after 20 Premier League games – their highest tally since the 2007-08 season (36).

Spurs have lost three of their past four league games ahead of Monday's visit to Fulham and are five points off the top four, having played a game more than the sides above them.

Despite crumbling against City, though, Lloris insists his side do not collectively have a mentality issue.

"When you look at the guys working every day, we can't blame anyone," he said. "We have probably lacked consistency in our performances. 

"I believe we struggle a bit to play 90 to 95 minutes at our best, things we were able to do last season, especially in the last two to three months.

"But the most important period is ahead of us: February, March, April and May is where you play for everything, and it’s important going forward to get our level back."