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."
Prosecutors are seeking a nine-point deduction against Juventus for their player transfer accounting, following the resignation of the club's board in November.
Former chairman Andrea Agnelli and the rest of Juve's directors quit en-masse last year amid investigations 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 are hoping to punish Juve as they seek new documents collected by public prosecutors in Turin surrounding Juventus' conduct.
According to widespread reports in Italy, prosecutor Giuseppe Chine filed another motion on Friday, and the court of appeal will now consider the request.
Chine believes a nine-point deduction should be applied should Juve be found guilty.
Such a move would seriously hamper Juve in their quest to secure European football next season, denying them of a major source of both income and attraction to top players.
The club has denied any wrongdoing, while lawyers claimed prosecutors had not brought enough in to reach the adequate threshold for a new ruling.
In addition, Chine is seeking bans for both Agnelli and former chief football officer Fabio Paratici, who is now with Tottenham.
An emotionally charged encounter is on the cards when the Buffalo Bills host the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional round given the events when the two sides met just over two weeks ago.
In the Week 17 contest in Cincinnati, Damar Hamlin's collapse and cardiac arrest brought the NFL to a standstill.
Now, the Bills will continue to be spurred on by news of Hamlin's improving health throughout the playoffs – not that they have needed much help of late.
A 34-31 Wild Card victory against the Miami Dolphins was the third playoff game in a row in which they have scored at least 34 points. Prior to this run, the Bills had tallied 34 or more points in just five of their first 34 playoff games.
Buffalo are 11-2 in the postseason when scoring at least 28 points, compared to a 7-17 record when scoring 27 or fewer.
The Bills will have confidence in Josh Allen to lead them to another big score after his latest impressive playoff showing. His 352 passing yards against the Dolphins last week represented the third-best such performance by a Bills quarterback in the playoffs, behind only Jim Kelly (405 in the 1989 Divisional round) and Doug Flutie (360 in the 1998 Wild Card round).
It was Allen's fourth playoff game with at least 300 passing yards and multiple touchdown passes, making him one of only 10 players in NFL history to have at least four such games. He has only played seven playoff games in total.
The Bengals might represent a step up, however, with this the first game at the Divisional round or earlier in NFL history to have both teams entering on winning streaks of at least eight games.
Both previous playoff encounters between the sides have gone in the Bengals' favour, although their last postseason meeting was in the 1988 season.
The Bengals reached this stage with a 24-17 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, which made this the first time they have had wins in back-to-back postseasons.
Even so, they have a knack for close playoff games, with their last six all decided by seven or fewer points.
To come out on top in another tight matchup, the Bengals will need to do a better job of protecting Joe Burrow, who was sacked four times against the Ravens and has been sacked 23 times in his five career playoff games, tied with Wade Wilson from 1987 to 1989 for the most through a QB's first five playoff starts since at least 1970.
An NFC East rivalry clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants in the Divisional Round might seem set to be one-sided.
The Eagles won both of their games against the Giants in the regular season.
A series sweep for the first time in three seasons boosted a dominant record for the Eagles against the Giants in recent history, having won 20 of 26 meetings since 2010.
However, they have never beaten a team three times in the same season.
Playoff encounters between the Eagles and the Giants are split down the middle with two wins each. The last such encounter came in the 2008 Divisional Round, which saw Philadelphia become the first sixth seed in the NFC to defeat the top seed.
When coming off a bye in the Divisional Round against a team who played in the Wild Card round, the Eagles stand 3-0 and are 5-0 at home in this stage of the playoffs all-time – the best record for any side in NFL history.
In a bid to continue that run, Jalen Hurts will look wide to inflict damage upon the Giants, with 65.4 per cent (200) of the quarterback's 306 completions this season being to wide receivers – of QBs with at least 250 completions this season, only the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa had a higher percentage (72.2).
The Eagles also possess a giant killer on the ground. Running back Boston Scott has scored a touchdown in all eight of his career appearances against the Giants (10 total), tied for the third-longest such streak against New York in the league.
While all of that will be a concern to the Giants, they enter the encounter with an impressive run of results away from home in the playoffs.
Victory in Minnesota against the Vikings in the Wild Card round secured the Giants' sixth triumph in seven road playoff games dating back to the 2007 season, with only the Baltimore Ravens (eight) having more postseason road wins in that time.
Daniel Jones enters the game on the back of a stellar performance, throwing for 301 yards and rushing for 75 against the Vikings to become the third player all-time to have at least 300 yards in the air and 75 on the ground in a playoff game, joining Lamar Jackson and Steve Young.
Jones' aerial tally against the Vikings was his third-highest this season, behind 341 yards in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions and 334 yards against Minnesota in Week 16.
However, it was the only game of the three where the Giants emerged victorious.
While hitting such numbers against the Eagles could well be too much to ask, Jones will certainly need to improve upon his total of 169 from Week 14 against Philadelphia – his third-lowest tally on the season.
West Indies left arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell took 3-14 from his four overs to help the Desert Vipers secure a dominant 118-run win over the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the DP World IL T20 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The Vipers took first strike and piled up an impressive 219-4 from their 20 overs thanks to an excellent 59-ball 110 from man-of-the-match Alex Hales which included seven fours and six sixes.
Captain Colin Munro added 56 while Guyanese left hander Sherfane Rutherford contributed a rapid seven-ball 23 including two fours and two sixes.
Sri Lankan pacer Lahiru Kumara was the Knight Riders’ best bowler with 2-31 from his four overs.
Then, despite a fighting 57 off 29 balls from Andre Russell, the Knight Riders were reduced to a paltry 108 all out in just 15.1 overs.
Cottrell was well supported by Sri Lankan leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and English medium pacer Benny Howell who took 2-21 and 2-6, respectively.
The Vipers now have three wins in as many games and are top of the table while, on the other hand, the Knight Riders are last with four losses from four matches.
Chelsea have an opportunity to truly turn a corner under Graham Potter when they face Liverpool in Jurgen Klopp's 1,000th game as a manager.
Just four months into the job, Potter had to fend off questions regarding his future on the back of a run of one win in eight matches, six of those ending in defeat.
Last weekend's slender 1-0 win over Crystal Palace has brought the "buzz" back to Chelsea, in the view of Potter, but another loss at Anfield on Saturday could change all that.
Tenth-place Chelsea are not the only Premier League giant to have struggled this term, with opponents Liverpool level on points in ninth, albeit having played a game less.
Indeed, this weekend's meeting will mark the first time since the 2015-16 campaign that both sides have been outside the top six at this stage of a season.
Stats Perform has picked out the standout Opta numbers to preview the big game, with both clubs needing to put a strong run together to have any change of securing a top-four finish.
Poor form laid bare
Chelsea have won just two of their past 10 Premier League matches, collecting nine points from a possible 30 in that period.
Both of those victories – against Bournemouth late last month before seeing off Palace – have been on home soil, with the Blues winless in five away top-flight matches since mid-October.
Liverpool's form has been equally as patchy, having lost back-to-back league games in 2023 against Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion, the two sides directly above them.
They picked up their first win of the year in all competitions at the fourth attempt against Wolves in the FA Cup on Tuesday to lift the gloom.
Not since 1953 have the Reds started a year with three straight league losses.
Draws galore
Both teams are therefore in need of a victory if they are to make up any ground on the top four, though this fixture has often ended all square in recent times.
The two league games last season were drawn – 1-1 at Anfield in August and 2-2 at Stamford Bridge five months later, with Chelsea recovering from two goals down in the latter.
Then came the EFL and FA Cup finals contested in the space of three months that defined both sides' seasons; each ending goalless before Liverpool prevailed on penalties.
Never before have Liverpool and Chelsea drawn three consecutive league games, though, so that streak looks set to end this weekend.
No home comforts
Preceding that run of draws, Chelsea won 1-0 at Anfield in March 2021 – Mason Mont scoring the only goal – to continue an interesting sequence in this fixture.
The home team has won just three of the past 17 league games between Liverpool and Chelsea – and none in the Reds' case since July 2020 on the day they lifted the title.
Due to the high number of draws, though, Liverpool have lost only two of their past 15 top-flight games with Chelsea at Anfield, winning six and having to settle for a point seven times in that sequence.
Mudryk to make his mark?
One of the big factors behind Liverpool's drop-off this season has been their struggles at the back, having conceded 25 goals in 18 games – compared to 26 in 38 last season.
Should they concede against Chelsea, it will be the first time since between May and October 2016 they have gone nine successive Premier League games without a clean sheet.
Not since December 1953 have they shipped three-or-more goals in three straight top-flight matches, meanwhile, which they are risk of doing on Saturday.
But that seems highly unlikely on the face of it as Chelsea have only scored more than twice in a league game once this season, coming in October's 3-0 win at Wolves.
Mykhailo Mudryk's arrival has bolstered Chelsea's attack, and he is out to become the first Ukrainian to score on their Premier League debut.
Leeds United and Manchester United are set to face each other twice in five days after their Old Trafford match was allocated a new February slot.
The Premier League game was originally set to take place on September 18 but was postponed due to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and now it is set to happen on Wednesday, February 8.
Erik ten Hag's side are then due to travel to Elland Road to face Jesse Marsch's men on February 12, with the Red Devils chasing an unlikely title charge and the Whites aiming to dodge another relegation battle.
With both teams into the fourth round of the FA Cup, the February 8 league clash between the old rivals could still be changed again in order to facilitate any replays.
"The Premier League is giving supporters as much notice as possible by announcing this potential fixture date ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round weekend [on January 28-29]," read a statement from the two clubs.
"The Premier League also acknowledges the unique circumstances of the teams playing each other twice in the same week. This is to avoid potential fixture congestion later in the season.
"Should either side require an FA Cup fourth-round replay, the Premier League will look at alternative dates to place this fixture."
Manchester United will face Reading in the FA Cup while Leeds will travel to Boreham Wood or Accrington Stanley.
The San Francisco 49ers Divisional Round clash against the Dallas Cowboys is a game where the number 11 tells a different story for both sides.
For the 49ers, their run of 11 straight wins, each of which has come without multiple turnovers, puts them in good stead to advance to the penultimate round of the playoffs under the stewardship of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.
No side in NFL history has ever recorded 11 consecutive wins in a single season without conceding multiple turnovers in any of those games, with the last such occasion for the 49ers being a trio of turnovers against Kansas City in Week 7 – the second game in a row that saw three turnovers for San Francisco.
The 49ers' winning run has come with Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, excelling in a remarkable run that could result in accolades should San Francisco go all the way.
Purdy has become one of 12 QBs in NFL history to enjoy a six-start undefeated stint with 120.0 or better passer rating and had his team score over 200 points, with all the previous 11 either winning the Super Bowl or an MVP award in their careers.
Despite throwing three touchdown passes and accumulating 332 passing yards against the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round, Purdy was not at his best, finishing the game with 60 per cent passing accuracy, completing 18 of 30 attempts.
While Purdy boasted the third-most passing yards of the Wild Card round, behind only Josh Allen (352) and Tom Brady (351), only Tyler Huntley threw fewer completions (17) in last week's contests.
Averaging 11.07 yards per completion, incomplete passes did not hinder the 49ers against Seattle but better efficiency against the Cowboys may be required.
In contrast to the 49ers' fine winning streak this season, Dallas are looking to bring an end to a disappointing franchise record, having failed to reach the Championship Game in their last 11 playoff appearances.
Dallas' last Championship Game appearance came 27 years ago, on their way to victory at Super Bowl XXX, with their streak being the longest across the NFL in that regard.
Victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week was only their fifth playoff win since Super Bowl XXX, and the Cowboys' hopes rest on Dak Prescott.
Prescott enters the game on the back of a stellar performance against the Buccaneers, where he became the first QB in NFL history to complete 75 per cent of his passes (when counting players with at least 30 attempts), throw four TD passes without an interception and rush for 20 yards and a TD in a single game.
A similar performance will likely be required to cause an upset against the in-form 49ers, though last season's defeat in the Wild Card game at home to San Francisco may serve as encouragement.
Mikel Arteta credited Erik ten Hag for overseeing a rapid transformation in Manchester United's fortunes ahead of Arsenal's huge Premier League clash with the Red Devils on Sunday.
Arsenal hold a five-point lead at the Premier League summit ahead of facing United, who remain the only team to beat the Gunners in the competition this season, winning 3-1 at Old Trafford in September.
While United's hopes of entering the title race appear slim following Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, the Red Devils are fancied to finish in the top four after going unbeaten in their past six Premier League games (W5 D1).
Having instigated a dramatic turnaround of his own at Emirates Stadium, Arteta has been impressed by Ten Hag's work at Old Trafford.
"It's very impressive. He's turned things around pretty quickly," Arteta said at Friday's pre-match press conference.
"I think he has implemented a very clear way of playing. The players have bought into it and there's a really good energy around the place.
"A lot of things have changed in a short period of time, so credit to him and the coaching staff for what they have done."
While United's in-form attacker Marcus Rashford has been involved in eight goals in his 10 Premier League starts against Arsenal, Arteta knows he will not be the only threat to his team on Sunday.
"It's not only him, unfortunately," Arteta said when asked how he would look to contain Rashford. "It's a lot of individuals and the collective organisation that they have.
"We have to be very aware of that. I will try to do that. We prepare for games to try to hide the ways they have to create problems for us."
United were dealt a huge blow ahead of their trip to north London as midfield enforcer Casemiro received his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season at Palace, earning him a one-match ban.
However, Arteta noted the Brazil international did not start when United overcame Arsenal earlier in the season, adding: "It's something that we can't control.
"He didn't play in our first game either and we still didn't do enough to win that match. When you look at the squad they have, it's incredible.
"They have the individuals and collective organisation to beat any opponent in this league, but we'll plan the game knowing he's not available."
Meanwhile, Arsenal's bid for a first league title since the 2003-2004 season has seen skipper Martin Odegaard assume a central role, scoring a team-high eight Premier League goals.
Asked about Odegaard's development since he became captain last July, Arteta said: "He's done it in a very natural way. He's still a really young player with huge talent, but still with more desire than talent.
"He knows he can get much better and he's on that pathway, enjoying playing for us and contributing to the team in a really impactful way. He needs to continue to do that."
Maria Sakkari joined eight of her fellow co-stars from the Netflix series Break Point in suffering an early exit from the Australian Open.
Of the 10 players to have featured in the series, which first aired on the streaming platform last week, only Felix Auger-Aliassime remains following Sakkari's defeat to Lin Zhu on Friday.
Sakkari, the WTA sixth seed, went down 7-6 1-6 6-4 to world number 87 Lin, who claimed her first victory over a top-10 opponent.
Lin became the sixth Chinese female player to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open in the Open Era.
"I mean honestly, am I in a dream?" Lin said in her on-court interview.
"I have to believe in myself that I have the ability to be able to play at this high level. Who knows what's going to happen? You never know."
She added in her press conference: "It means a lot. It makes me believe that I can play at this level and I can beat a player like her.
"It took me a long time to get here, and so that's why I'm so emotional. This is not the end. Let's keep going."
Sakkari's defeat saw the Greek join Thanasi Kokkinakis, Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Ons Jabeur in exiting the season's first grand slam within the opening three rounds.
Ruud and Jabeur were the respective second seeds in the men's and women's singles, while Berrettini and Kokkinakis both fell foul of a resurgent Andy Murray, whose victory comeback over Kokkinakis lasted almost six hours and went on beyond 4:00 am local time.
Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic and Paula Badosa also featured in the five-part Netflix series, which will air its second batch of episodes later in the year, but all three withdrew from the Australian Open due to injury.
A downcast Sakkari, who had rubbished the suggestion of any "Netflix curse" in a previous press conference, told reporters: "I think that my level was not good at all. I started the match by being very defensive and not hitting the ball, just being scared of playing my game.
"She had basically nothing to lose. She was playing free. She was enjoying herself. She was playing very, very well. I didn't handle the situation well.
"She was barely missing anything, [not] making any unforced errors. That's how I felt. She was very solid from both sides. I've seen her on the tour. I've never seen her playing that well, to be honest.
"Of course, beating Jil [Teichmann] in the round before, she was pretty pumped and motivated to have a good result here. She has achieved it already by beating two very good players."
Lin's next opponent will be two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who became the eighth female player in the Open Era to win 45+ main draw matches at the Australian Open by beating Madison Keys 1-6 6-2 6-1.
Azarenka joins Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova on that list.
"She's a great champion," Lin said of Azarenka. "She's a great player. I will just keep playing like I played today and trust myself, enjoy the match. Who knows?"
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