Vincent Kompany says Bayern Munich are relishing the prospect of facing champions Bayer Leverkusen as they look to re-assert themselves as top dogs in the Bundesliga.

Bayern have won all six of their matches in all competitions under Kompany, scoring 20 goals in their last three games, and sit top of the Bundesliga with a 100% record.

On Saturday, they host second-placed Leverkusen, who last season became the first team to finish a Bundesliga campaign unbeaten and lifted the trophy to end Bayern's run of 11 straight titles.

"It's good that everyone's excited about the game," Kompany told reporters. 

"Obviously, it'll be an important game, against the best team from the last 12 months. We're looking forward to the game. It won't be easy.

"We want to test ourselves against a good opponent at the Allianz Arena. Bayern are always the favourites. We're looking forward to playing against the champions and want to win.

"The next game is what counts in football. If you've performed well, you need to keep going.

"We've scored 20 goals in the last three games, but it's my job to show what we can do better. Anything is possible in a game like against Leverkusen. We'll prepare the team to perform to their max on Saturday. Then we move on."

While Bayern's attack has made headlines in recent weeks, their early-season success has also been founded on defensive solidity, with two clean sheets in their four league matches.

In their 5-0 win over Werder Bremen last week, Bayern did not allow their opponents to record a single shot. Bremen also had just 10 touches in the opposition box and entered the final third just 29 times across the 90 minutes.

Kompany hailed the team's collective defensive effort, adding: "We didn't allow a single chance against Bremen. That's not just down to the defence.

"We need to do everything as a team. We've done that very well in the last few games. I have a lot of trust in the squad."

Graham Potter says he is ready to return to management and "hasn't ruled out" the possibility of managing England.

Potter has been out of work after being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, leaving the club with the joint-lowest points-per-game return of any manager to take charge of 20+ Premier League games for the club (1.27).

He took charge of 31 games in all competitions in his seven-month spell with the Blues, losing 11 of those, and leaving when they were 11th in the top-flight.

Despite taking a break from the public eye following his dismissal, Potter has still been linked with high-profile jobs, including the England position following Gareth Southgate's decision to step down after Euro 2024.

The 49-year-old was reported to be among the favourites, along with Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola, and he admitted that he would be open to the position if it came along.

"I've felt ready to return for a little while," Potter told The Telegraph. "But it still has to be the right thing.

"I'm excited to hear what the opportunities are, and I'll take each one and judge it on its merits."

When asked how he would feel about the England job, he added: "I like the day-to-day and the building process of club management. International management is a different rhythm, and there are pluses for that. It's more intense when it's on, but you've got a bit more breathing space in between.

"It's nothing that I've ruled out, but at the same time, I do like the day-to-day bit of working with the players and being in at the club and trying to build and make a difference.

"Making a difference to people is why you do this. When you look back at the players you've helped in some way. That's the most rewarding part."

Having fallen short last term, both Manchester United and Tottenham started the 2024-25 season with Champions League qualification their primary aim.

However, five games into the new campaign, neither side has exactly marked themselves out as the team to beat in the race for a top-four finish.

With just seven points apiece, United and Spurs sit 11th and 10th, respectively, in the early-season standings ahead of their headline clash at Old Trafford on Sunday.

United's woes deepened as they were held to a Europa League draw by Twente on Wednesday, while Spurs eased the pressure somewhat by beating Qarabag on Thursday.

Both Erik ten Hag and Ange Postecoglou have come under pressure already this season, and should either taste defeat on their return to league action on matchday six, the criticism will only be amplified.

But what should we expect at the Theatre of Dreams, and what does the data say about both teams? Here's our Opta-powered match preview.

What's expected?

United have won 24 Premier League home games against Tottenham – only Arsenal have beaten an opponent more often at home in the competition's history (25 versus Everton).

With that in mind, it is perhaps not a surprise to see the Opta supercomputer make the Red Devils favourites, albeit not comprehensively.

Across 10,000 pre-match simulations conducted by the supercomputer, United were victorious in 41.1%, with Spurs winning 34.6% and the other 24.3% finishing level.

Tottenham are unbeaten in their last three Premier League games against the Red Devils, however, winning one and drawing two after losing four straight against them between 2021 and 2022.

Postecoglou's team twice fought back to recover a 2-2 draw when they last visited Old Trafford in January, Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison cancelling out goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.

United have not lost at home to Spurs since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer oversaw a dismal 6-1 defeat in October 2020, winning two and drawing one of their three home matches against them under Ten Hag.

Lack of firepower costing United

United's season to date has been defined by an inability to make the most of their chances in front of goal, and it was the same old story at Crystal Palace last week.

Ten Hag's side dominated for long periods at Selhurst Park but could not make the breakthrough, failing to take any of their five big chances and seeing their former goalkeeper Dean Henderson make seven saves for Palace in a goalless draw.

With a hamstring injury preventing Hojlund from featuring this season and Bruno Fernandes yet to open his account for 2024-25, United have too often looked toothless.

Their total expected goals (xG) figure of 9.6 for the season is the third-highest in the Premier League, behind only title contenders Manchester City (11.46) and Liverpool (10.1). However, United have only hit the net five times, giving them an xG underperformance of 4.6. 

Only Southampton (two goals from 7.1 xG) have posted a larger negative differential in the competition this term, though United have also been unfortunate to face some in-form goalkeepers, with their expected goals on target (xGoT) figure only slightly lower than their xG at 9.08.

How, then, can Ten Hag get his team firing? New arrival Joshua Zirkzee led the line last week but struggled, only attempting one shot and managing three touches in the box. Zirkzee has amassed more xG (2.19) than any other United player this season, despite only starting three of their five league matches. 

Marcus Rashford, who replaced him just after the hour mark, did not register a single effort at goal or a touch in the Palace area. Ten Hag's decision to drop Rashford for that match, just days after declaring the forward was getting back to his best, gave rise to rumours of a rift between the duo, which the Dutchman was forced to describe as "crazy".

Rashford appears likely to return to the lineup on Sunday, having scored six previous Premier League goals against Spurs – only against Leicester City (eight) has he netted more. 

Since Postecoglou joined the club last year, only Newcastle United (53) and Brighton (47) have allowed opponents more fast breaks than Tottenham (44, level with United). In what could be an open, watchable affair, Rashford may have a major role to play.

Ange targets end to away-day struggles

Tottenham responded to back-to-back Premier League defeats with a much-needed 3-1 victory over Brentford last week, with Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison netting after Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring within 23 seconds.

Since the start of last season, only Man City (31) have gained more points from losing positions in the Premier League than Spurs' 28. It is just as well that Postecoglou's men showed their powers of recovery in that game, with rumblings of discontent starting to emerge in the early weeks of the season.

Postecoglou's team needed another fightback to beat Coventry City in the EFL Cup just a few days earlier, after which he said there would be no "easy or quick fix" to make Spurs competitive at the top level.

The Australian is determined to make the "Spursy" tag a thing of the past, but their soft underbelly has continually cost them on the road since he took charge. 

They took 14 points from their first six away Premier League games under Postecoglou (four wins, two draws), only to garner just 14 from their next 15 on the road (three wins, five draws, seven defeats). 

Among ever-present Premier League teams across the last two seasons, no side has won fewer away games since the start of November 2023 than Spurs (three), with Bournemouth (24), Nottingham Forest (19) and Crystal Palace (15) among the clubs to better their 14 away points won in that span, a figure that puts them level with Everton.

If Tottenham are to contend for a top-four place or better, they simply must improve their away form, starting with Sunday's clash with a direct rival.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes

United captain Bruno Fernandes has had more shots without scoring than any other Premier League player this season (17). Meanwhile, only Southampton's Cameron Archer (2.3) and Bournemouth's Evanilson (2) have amassed a higher xG figure without finding the net so far than Fernandes (1.9).

The Portugal international has, however, been involved in at least nine more attacking sequences (30 – 17 shots, six chances created, seven build-ups to a shot) than any of his team-mates this term (Diogo Dalot is second with 21).

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

Son's involvement in this game has been called into question after appearing to suffer an injury against Qarabag, but Postecoglou was understandably quick to play it down.

The South Korean is likely to be key, having created more chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (13). 

Son has also had a hand in five goals in his last seven league appearances against Manchester United, scoring four and assisting one.

World number 595 Zhang Shuai stunned US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro at the China Open on Friday, just two days after ending a 603-day winless streak.

Zhang ended a 24-match losing run – which began after the Lyon Open in 2023 – by beating American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-1) in her Beijing opener on Wednesday.

That long-awaited victory teed up a clash with world number eight Navarro, who Zhang beat 6-4 6-2 in a major upset in front of a jubilant crowd in the Chinese capital.

Zhang, who is the lowest-ranked player to ever compete in the main draw at the WTA 1000 event, got to the net on her second match point to smash a forehand winner past Navarro, teeing up a meeting with Belgium's Greet Minnen for Sunday.

Data Debrief: Beijing witnesses historic upset

Ranked a lowly 595th in the world, Zhang has become the lowest-ranked player to defeat a top-10 player at the China Open since the tournament's 2004 inception.

She had also won her most recent meeting with a top-10 player, beating Caroline Garcia in Tokyo back in 2022. 

Carlos Alcaraz beat big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in straight sets to advance to the second round of the China Open on Friday.

Breaks in the opening games of each set put Alcaraz on course for a 6-4 6-4 win in his opening match at the ATP 500-level event in Beijing, where he was on court for 81 minutes.

Perricard won 81% of points behind his first serve, displaying impressive firepower after those early wobbles, but Alcaraz was never unduly threatened after surviving some early pressure on his own serve. 

The Spaniard only dropped one point through his final three service games as he cruised to victory, teeing up a second-round match against Tallon Griekspoor.

Meanwhile, last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev also made a confident start in the Chinese capital, downing Gael Monfils 6-3 6-4 in 92 minutes.

Medvedev converted five of his 10 opportunities to break, taking advantage of an inconsistent performance from Monfils as the Frenchman committed 46 unforced errors.

The Russian, who lost to Jannik Sinner in last year's China Open final, will face Adrian Mannarino in the second round.

Data Debrief: Medvedev's slow pace

Medvedev's victory over Monfils was his 40th in 56 matches in 2024. Only in 2018 (61 matches) did he require more outings to bring up his first 40 wins of a season.

But back at an event where he went agonisingly close to glory last year, Medvedev produced a composed performance, offering up just 22 unforced errors.

Dak Prescott has called on the Dallas Cowboys to remain grounded following Thursday's victory over the New York Giants, saying their offense can improve after a poor second half.

The Cowboys were under pressure ahead of their trip to MetLife Stadium after back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens, but they got back to winning ways.

Two touchdown passes from Prescott in the first two quarters set them on their way to a 20-15 success, with the Dallas quarterback finishing 22 of 27 for 221 passing yards.

CeeDee Lamb and Rico Dowdle took in touchdown passes from Prescott, who has now won on 13 successive starts against the Giants.

But with another tough test awaiting Dallas next time out versus the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, Prescott is refusing to get carried away.

"At the end of the day, as I said even after those two losses the past two weeks, it's a process," Prescott said. 

"So, we're not going to get complacent, we're not going to get overexcited about what we've done tonight. 

"It's about building and it's about figuring out what we can do better in all phases, but it's a lot easier to do that after a win."

A pair of Brandon Aubrey field goals were the only points the Cowboys managed after halftime, with Amani Oruwariye intercepting a Daniel Jones pass to seal the victory in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys' average of 330.8 yards per game this season is only the 11th-best figure in the league, while seven teams have bettered their 24.3 points per game.

Prescott was frustrated that the Dallas offense was unable to see things out in comfort, saying: "It didn't finish the way we wanted to, not to our standard. 

"We left it in the hands of our defense. Credit to those guys for finishing getting it done, not allowing any touchdowns. 

"But we're an offense that can finish better and score more touchdowns than we did tonight. So, we've got to look at ourselves in the mirror and go get that done."

Meanwhile, the Cowboys saw rusher Micah Parsons exit the game with an ankle injury in the closing stages, and he will now undergo an MRI to ascertain the full extent of the problem.

"Right now, I just iced it," Parsons said, sitting in the locker room after the win. "I know very little. I've got an MRI Friday, and I'm going to try to get back next week."

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was pleased with his team's defensive performance as they beat Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Thursday, but he knows they must create more chances.

Atletico managed to keep another clean sheet to consolidate their status as the best defensive side in the competition, conceding only three goals in seven games this season.

At the other end, Simeone's men only managed two shots on target and generated just 0.62 expected goals (xG) to the hosts' 1.53 xG, but Julian Alvarez's late goal inflicted Celta's first home defeat in seven months.

"Today we took the three points with great defensive patience against opponents who haven't lost since February," Simeone told reporters.

"We've been working well, but we need to improve our attacking. In the first half we performed well in defence but we didn't create opportunities to put our players in front of goal.

"There's a defensive performance that is much better, we still haven't found that area where we can play better offensively."

The Argentine was, however, delighted with the performances of Alvarez, Angel Correa and midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme, all of whom made an impact off the bench.

"In the second half the substitutions made us better, Rodrigo Riquelme, Julian, Correa... they were feeding us more in a game where both sides looked like they were going to have chances," Simeone said.

"Luckily, in the end [Antoine] Griezmann and Julian found each other."

Atletico host city rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga on Sunday, having taken 15 points from seven matches to trail Los Blancos by two points and leaders Barcelona by six.

South Africa had the chance to clinch their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 last Saturday, only to be edged out by Argentina, setting up a grandstand finish.

Rassie Erasmus' side had a perfect record to that point, but that narrow 29-28 defeat now means the Pumas have a slim chance of getting their hands on the trophy for the first time.

Argentina will be backing themselves for another upset after impressing in the tournament, and they will look to overturn the odds with one more big win.  

Meanwhile, Australia will be aiming to finish their underwhelming tournament on a high, though they face another stern test against the All Blacks.

Ahead of the final round of fixtures, we look at the best Opta facts and figures to preview both games.

NEW ZEALAND V AUSTRALIA

After succumbing to the record-breaking 67-27 defeat against Argentina in the fourth round, Australia failed to turn their luck around despite a spirited fightback against New Zealand last time out.

Joe Schmidt will endeavour to finish the tournament on a high after seeing his side struggle for much of it, though they face an uphill task having won only one of their last 13 Tests against the All Blacks (D1 L11).

The Wallabies have also won only one of their last five Test matches (L4), and have lost their last two, though they have scored more points in those defeats (55) than they managed in the three Tests prior (39 – W1 D2).

New Zealand will still feel fairly confident though, having won their last eight matches against Australia, although their last two victories in that run have come by a three-point margin.

In Wellington, the All Blacks are undefeated in five Tests against their hosts (W4 D1), conceding only 10.8 points per game in that streak.

However, overall, they have won just one of their last seven trips to the city (D2 L4), beating France 26-13 in June 2018, going winless in their last five Tests since in Wellington (D2 L3).

It is likely that Australia will need to take advantage of any opportunity they get, with their success of stealing opposition line-outs an obvious strength.

They have won the joint-most of any team in the tournament so far (nine, level with New Zealand), though they will need to improve on the one they managed against Scott Robertson's side in the last match.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New Zealand – Rieko Ioane

Rieko Ioane has made dominant contact on 64% of his 35 carries (18/35) in the Rugby Championship – the best rate of any player in the tournament (min. 10 carries).

He has made three line breaks across his last three Test matches, more than he logged in his seven games prior for the All Blacks (two).

Australia – Hunter Paisami

Hunter Paisami has scored three tries in his last four Test matches, including one against New Zealand last time out.

He had not crossed the try line in his 26 career appearances for the Wallabies prior to that run.

SOUTH AFRICA V ARGENTINA

South Africa had one hand on the trophy last weekend, and though they have opened the door for Argentina, they still have a great chance of winning the trophy.

The Springboks will be confident they can bounce back from that loss, having won 17 of their 18 Test matches against Argentina on home soil (L1), with their only such defeat coming back in August 2015 in Durban.

Their record in Nelspruit is even stronger, winning all four of their Tests in the city, overcoming half-time deficits in three of those victories. South Africa defeated New Zealand 26-10 in their last match there, which is their largest margin of victory at Mbombela Stadium.

However, Argentina's confidence will be sky-high after snapping an eight-match losing streak against South Africa – they have never won back-to-back games against them before.

The Pumas have also won their last two Tests against Tier One opposition, as many as they managed in their seven such fixtures before that (W2 L5). If they can beat South Africa again, they will register their longest such winning streak since the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

And Felipe Contepomi will be urging his side to maintain their high discipline level as they aim to overturn the odds.

Argentina are the only team yet to receive a red or yellow card in the tournament and have conceded the fewest penalties (50) of any team in the campaign. In fact, they have not received a red or yellow card across their last 12 Test matches.

Only a win by a bonus point, without South Africa picking up one of their own, will be enough to hand Argentina their first title, but they have scored 96 points in their last two outings, so they cannot be overlooked.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

South Africa – Ruan Nortje

Ruan Nortje has won 31 lineouts (including two steals) in the Rugby Championship – seven more than any other in the tournament.

In addition, he has been the first to arrive at 63 of the Springboks' rucks, the second most of any player for a team in the campaign (Carlo Tizzano – 64 for Australia).

Argentina – Mateo Carreras

Mateo Carreras has been directly involved in six tries in his last six Test matches (five tries, one try assist), including two tries and a try assist in his last two Tests.

He has scored a try in each of his two career appearances against South Africa, as well as a try assist in his most recent meeting against the Springboks.

The New York Yankees won the AL East title for a first-round bye in the playoffs, rolling to a 10-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night behind Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole.

Judge hit his major league-leading 58th homer, going deep for the fifth straight game and increasing his RBIs total to 144, the most in the big leagues since Ryan Howard's 146 in 2008. Stanton hit his 27th homer and had four RBIs, and Cole pitched 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball.

Judge and Stanton homered in the same game for the 14th time this year, tying Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 for the most in Yankees history.

When Cedric Mullins hit a game-ending groundout to shortstop Anthony Volpe, the Yankees came out of the dugout and formed a brief jumping huddle between the mound and second base.

New York improved to 93-66 and will open its 59th postseason at home Oct. 5 in a best-of-five Division Series against a winner of next week's wild-card round. The Yankees will have five days off following Sunday's regular-season finale.

Orioles ace Corbin Burnes allowed two hits in five innings with one walk and nine strikeouts. He came out after 69 pitches and is likely to start Baltimore’s postseason opener on Tuesday. Burnes had a 1.20 ERA in five September starts.

The Orioles, who failed to sweep the three-game series, hold a three-game lead in the race for the top wild card.

Trying to hold off AL Central champion Cleveland for home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs, the Yankees have a one-game lead and hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians.

Dodgers rally past Padres to secure NL West

Will Smith hit a tying, two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three more runs in the seventh to beat the San Diego Padres 7-2 and clinch the NL West title.

The rally was dampened by an apparent injury to All-Star slugger Freddie Freeman, who left the game after awkwardly colliding with Luis Arráez and the first base bag trying to avoid being tagged for the second out of the inning. Freeman grabbed at his lower right leg before hobbling off the field.

The Dodgers (95-64) had not clinched at home since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when cardboard cutouts replaced fans. The last time fans were on hand for a clincher at home was 2018.

A sellout crowd of 52,433 packed Dodger Stadium for the finale of the crucial series between the top two teams in the NL West. Both teams had already clinched postseason berths.

The Padres led 2-0 as Joe Musgrove pitched six shutout innings.

But the Dodgers got to him in the seventh. Musgrove gave up a leadoff walk to Max Muncy. Smith followed with a 426-foot blast to center, tying the game at 2-2. It was the Dodgers’ first home run of the three-game series.

Pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández singled and took second when Andy Pages reached on catcher’s interference by Kyle Higashioka. Shohei Ohtani singled and Hernández scored on an error, while Ohtani was safe at second on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s throwing error.

Pages and Ohtani scored on Mookie Betts’ single, making it 5-2, and Pages added a two-run, two-strike, two-out homer in the eighth.

Athletics win final game in Oakland

JJ Bleday hit an RBI single and made a highlight-reel catch in center field, Shea Langeliers had a sacrifice fly, and the Oakland Athletics went out winning in their final scheduled game at the Coliseum by beating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Thursday.

¶Bleday and Zack Gelof delivered defensive gems to delight a sellout crowd of 46,889 under a cloudless blue September sky. Fans alternated chants of “Sell the team!” and “Let's go Oakland!” amid the mixed emotions and nostalgia at the Coliseum, where the A's have played since 1968 and enjoyed so many memorable moments.

The ninth inning featured two fans jumping the fences to run onto the grass, bottles being thrown into center field and smoke bombs set off and tossed into right. Toilet paper and other debris also came down before manager Mark Kotsay took the microphone after the game with a heartfelt thank you to the fans and one last round of “Let's go Oakland!"

The A’s plan to play the next three years in Sacramento with hopes of opening a new ballpark in Las Vegas ahead of the 2028 season.

Green “SELL” banners hung from the outfield railings as fans were treated to a trip down memory lane. Former left-hander Barry Zito sang the national anthem to huge applause, while Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart tossed out ceremonial first pitches.

The current A's entertained, too.

Bleday made a diving catch on his right side to rob Carson Kelly of a hit on his line drive in the seventh. And the hometown fans got one more chance to see flame-throwing closer Mason Miller on the mound.

A’s starter J.T. Ginn left to a loud standing ovation after allowing two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, and the pitcher then applauded right back by clapping his glove.

Oakland's bullpen followed him with 3 2/3 scoreless innings, with Miller recording the final four outs for his 28th save, which leads all major league rookies. He has converted his last 16 opportunities dating to June 18.

Dak Prescott threw one of his two touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys held on for a 20-15 victory to continue their mastery of the rival New York Giants on Thursday night.

Dallas has won seven straight and 14 of the past 15 meetings with New York.

Prescott, who has won his last 13 starts against the Giants, hit running back Rico Dowdle on a 15-yard screen pass for a touchdown to put Dallas ahead in the first quarter. He then found Lamb for a 55-yard catch-and-run TD on a play that ended with the receiver being called for taunting.

Lamb slipped past two defenders and trotted into the end zone. He then fired the ball in their direction and flexed his muscles, drawing an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.

Prescott finished 22 of 27 for 221 yards, while Lamb had seven catches for 98 yards.

Brandon Aubrey kicked field goals of 60 and 40 yards for Dallas (2-2), which came into the game with major concerns after being thoroughly beaten at home by New Orleans and Baltimore. A new issue for the Cowboys is an apparent leg injury to star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who was carted off the field in the fourth quarter.

Greg Joseph kicked field goals of 52, 41, 38, 22 and 42 for the Giants (1-3), who controlled the ball for 35:37 but failed to score a touchdown at home for the second straight game.

Daniel Jones completed 29 of 40 passes for 281 yards, finding sensational rookie Malik Nabers 12 times for 115 yards and Wan'Dale Robinson 11 times for 71 yards.

Mitchell Marsh insists Australia have moved on from the "drama" that marred last year's Ashes Test with England, ahead of their return to Lord's.

The Baggy Greens lead England 2-1 in the ongoing ODI series heading into the fourth instalment on Friday.

It will be Australia's first visit to Lord's since unsavoury scenes involving their players and spectators ensued during the notorious Ashes Test, following Alex Carey's controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow. 

The incident culminated in an MCC member receiving a lifetime ban, while two others were suspended for directing "abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language" towards Australia's players.

Carey has enjoyed an impressive series, hitting 74 in the second ODI at Headingley and 77 in the third in Durham, and Marsh insists his team-mates are motivated by last year's events.

When asked if there had been any discussions ahead of their return, he told reporters: "No, there hasn't. We've really moved on from that.

"I think there's always excitement playing at Lord's. It's the greatest ground in the world, bar the WACA, of course - the history and the tradition here, it's always a fantastic place to play.

"Obviously, these things happen in Ashes Test matches. There's not a series that goes by that doesn't have some sort of drama."

On Carey, he added: "I don't think [being motivated by last year's events is] in his character. But Alex certainly loves playing in England. We all do.

"The fans are always incredible, and it's always a tough challenge playing against England, so I think he's just wrapped to be back here playing for Australia."

Ange Postecoglou was impressed by his side's resilience after they responded to an early red card by beating Qarabag 3-0 in their Europa League opener.

Spurs were dealt a blow as kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes due to travel disruptions in North London, and once the game started, Radu Dragusin was given his marching orders just seven minutes in for a last-ditch tackle, receiving Spurs' earliest-ever European red card.

However, goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke turned the tide, even as Qarabag missed a penalty and had a late goal disallowed.

Postecoglou was underwhelmed by Spurs' slow start to the game but could not fault their performance after going down to 10 men.

"[The red card was] not ideal," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "I wasn't happy as I felt we started really sloppy. We talked about starting with a high tempo, and it was almost like the delay got to us.

"We were passive in our passing and when that happens, someone switches off.

"The reaction after that was good, but I'm not happy with the start.

"Brennan's [goal] was great. With 10 men, we still pressed, which is what we wanted to do.

"[Johnson] has some confidence in him, which is great - we need him! We knew if we win [the ball], Brennan and Sonny [Son] would have the space."

Solanke scored for the second consecutive game for Spurs and was one of the key players as he had two shots, both of which were on target, accumulated 0.99 expected goals and had four touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the team.

Postecoglou was particularly pleased with how he led the line, especially as he continues to recover from an early-season injury.

"He has been great for us, Dom. He went through that long drought of two games without a goal!" Postecoglou added.

"He has been fantastic for us, not just goals, but his link-up plays. He is a typical striker.

"He is still working his way back to full fitness."

Solanke himself, though, was just pleased to kick off their European campaign and secure a third-straight win in all competitions.

"Very happy to get the win, the boys fought hard," he told TNT Sports.

"Going down to 10 men it could have been a difficult game, but we all stuck to the game plan, and it shows the spirit of the team."