Stefano Pioli has rejected suggestions Milan are favourites to retain the Serie A title this season, claiming the Rossoneri will struggle to match last campaign's tally of 86 points in a "very competitive" league.

Milan ended an 11-year wait for the Scudetto when they edged out rivals Inter at the end of a fierce title race in May, and began the new campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Udinese last week.

But several sides, including Inter, Juventus, Napoli and Roma – all of whom also started the season with a victory – have been tipped to challenge Milan for their crown, and Pioli expects a difficult fight.

"We have to be an interchangeable team," Pioli said ahead of Sunday's trip to Atalanta.

"It will be such a balanced championship that it will be difficult to score last year's points. Difficulties will come for everyone, even with teams that you don't expect.

"There are seven or eight strong teams, a very balanced and competitive league. One game at a time we must continue on our path and work to become more and more competitive.

"We are strong, here we all have to feel important, but nobody is indispensable. What is indispensable is the mentality and the work. 

"The winner will be whoever is the most consistent in results and performances. You have to play with intensity and quality. 

"Head-to-head matches are important and last year we won precisely because we scored so many points with the big teams."

Milan started both of their previous full Serie A seasons under Pioli with consecutive victories, beating Bologna and Crotone to begin the 2020-21 campaign before overcoming Sampdoria and Cagliari last term, and will be looking to maintain that record in Bergamo on Sunday.

Meanwhile, since clinching the title, Milan have acquired Belgian attackers Charles de Ketelaere and Divock Origi, and Pioli has refused to rule out further activity before the closure of the transfer window.

However, the 56-year-old insists the Rossoneri will only move for the right target, as he revealed Simon Kjaer is closing in on a return after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year.

"As for the market, we have the will - if the situation were right - to improve certain situations," he added.

"But the squad is strong, Kjaer is approaching 100 per cent. I repeat, if we find something to improve well [we may be active], otherwise we are already competitive like this."

Wesley Fofana was left out of the Leicester City squad for Saturday's game against Southampton amid ongoing transfer interest from Chelsea.

The Blues have reportedly seen several advances for the Frenchman rebuffed, with Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers insistent the club do not want to sell the defender.

Speaking in Friday's press conference, Rodgers reiterated the club's stance has not changed and Fofana is not for sale.

"The idea is that he is very much a Leicester player. He's not for sale. Unless anything changes, I would expect him to be here," Rodgers said.

The 21-year-old Fofana is reportedly keen to secure a move to Stamford Bridge though. With that distraction a factor, he was not included for the visit of Saints on Saturday.

Fofana played in both of Leicester's previous games this season, where the Foxes drew with Brentford on the opening weekend before enduring a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

Youri Tielemans, who has entered the final year of his contract with Leicester and has been linked with a transfer to Arsenal, dropped to the bench against Southampton.

Leicester faced a youthful Southampton, with the Saints starting XI showing an average of 23 years and 238 days – the youngest named in a Premier League game since Manchester United's line-up against Crystal Palace in May 2017 (22y 284d).

Harry Kane set another Premier League record and maintained Tottenham's positive start to the campaign by heading his side to a 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.

Spurs beat Southampton in their opener and battled to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea last weekend, but they struggled to get going in a quiet first half against a still-winless Wolves.

Antonio Conte's men stepped things up in the second half and were rewarded after 64 minutes when Kane met full debutant Ivan Perisic's flick-on and nodded in from close range.

That was Kane's 250th goal for Spurs and his 185th in the Premier League – the most of any player for a single club – and was enough to secure all three points for the hosts.

Wolves had 12 shots in a first half the visitors edged, but the closest they went to a breakthrough was a glancing Ruben Neves header and a deflected shot from new signing Matheus Nunes.

Neither of those efforts tested Hugo Lloris, however, whereas Tottenham's only attempt of the first half saw Jose Sa brilliantly tip over Kane's looping header.

Conte elected against making any half-time changes but Tottenham improved considerably in the second half, with Kane thumping another header against the frame of the goal.

Son Heung-min was next to hit the post, doing so from closer range with a shot on the turn, though Tottenham did not have to wait much longer for their opener.

Perisic guided Son's corner into the path of Kane and the England striker could not miss from a few yards out as he brought up his landmark goal, with that proving enough.

Harry Kane swept past Sergio Aguero on Saturday to establish a Premier League record for the most goals with a single club in the competition.

The England captain has tormented top-flight defences as the leader of Tottenham's attack, and he took his Premier League tally to 185 goals by scoring for Spurs against Wolves.

It shuffled him one ahead of Manchester City great Aguero, and two clear of Wayne Rooney, who struck 183 times for Manchester United.

Kane began the season level with Rooney and one behind Aguero, before moving level with the latter by netting in the dramatic 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

Spurs' opener against Wolves was also their 1,000th in the Premier League - the fifth team to reach that tally after Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 29-year-old Kane still has a long way to go to become the Premier League's all-time record scorer, given Alan Shearer ended his career with 260 goals in the competition, netting 148 for Newcastle United and 112 in his time at Blackburn Rovers.

Tottenham are not the only team Kane has played for in the English elite league, given he featured three times for Norwich City during a loan spell in the 2012-13 season.

He could not find the back of the net for the Canaries but has been a consistent marksman for Tottenham over the past eight seasons, hitting at least 17 goals in each Premier League campaign.

Kane managed 29 goals in 29 games in 2016-17 and 30 in 35 appearances during the following campaign, arguably his peak years.

Although he has only reached the 20-goal mark once in the last four seasons, Kane has remained integral to Tottenham's plans, with the club resisting strong interest from Manchester City last year to keep him in north London. 

Leicester City have been his favourite opponents in goalscoring terms, with Kane scoring 17 times in 14 Premier League outings against the Foxes, while he has managed 13 against both Everton and Spurs' fierce rivals Arsenal.

Kane has also reached double figures against Southampton and West Ham, hitting 11 against both sides.

Of all the Premier League teams he has faced, Kane has only failed to grab a goal in the competition against Brentford, missing out in his two games against the Bees to date.

Lisandro Martinez can recover from a tricky start to life at Manchester United, former Red Devils striker Louis Saha has told Stats Perform.

Argentina international Martinez, a £56.7million signing from Ajax (€66.8m), was hauled off at half-time with United 4-0 down to Brentford last weekend.

That came on the back of an equally disappointing display in the 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion on the opening weekend.

Speaking after that match, Brighton midfielder Adam Lallana revealed the Seagulls deliberately targeted new signing Martinez with aerial balls into the box.

Much has been made of Martinez's size, which is officially given as 5' 7" by the Premier League, and Saha accepts that is something the defender will have to deal with.

"Size does matter," Saha said. "You know it changes perception of you. That will pose challenges from time to time, but he does have other qualities.

"I remember Gabriel Heinze wasn't the biggest but he managed to get to every header and was a threat in both boxes, so it's more about how you adapt.

"The Eredivisie is different in style. Yes, teams like to play on the floor in this league [the Premier League], but there is a bit more aerial competition when you play direct teams.

"Brentford and Brighton both identified there was maybe a possibility to do something in that area. He was taken off [at Brentford] but that could have been any defender.

"There's more to it than thinking 'oh yes, if he has been five centimetres bigger he would have won the challenge'. That's unfair, but it is something he'll have to address quickly. 

"He needs to learn to anticipate the situation and communicate better. All this may change in a few weeks, though of course it's a big challenge and something he must face."

United have started their campaign with back-to-back losses for the first time since 1992-93, which was also the most recent occasion they found themselves bottom of the table.

Erik ten Hag is the first United manager since John Chapman in 1921 to lose his first two matches, meanwhile, in what has been a chastening start for the Dutchman.

Saha, who won four trophies in five seasons at Old Trafford, believes it is down to the players to turn things around heading into Monday's huge showdown with Liverpool.

"It's a shocking start," Saha said. "We were all kind of confident that things were looking better because of the pre-season games. But that has completely changed. 

"The first half against Brentford it was just shocking. You can blame individuals, but the overall performances of the side is really bad and they need to address it. 

"It's not only down to attitude, it's also the approach. It's more about getting the right tools in place for you to approach the game correctly. 

"Technically, you have a manager who is going to determine the tactics and the positions, but the aggression you put into the games is down to the players. 

"This is where we tend to see that they have the ability to stay in their comfort zone. You have to consider that every 50-50 is an opportunity to establish yourself. 

"You are not at a club that should be accepting less running, less sprinting, less winning balls. It's just about winning."

Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel is "surprised" by the club's pursuit of Casemiro, expressing doubt as to whether the midfielder can adapt to life in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag's side are widely reported to be closing in on the capture of the Brazilian from Real Madrid for an initial fee of around £60million (€70.6m), with his weekly wage said to be £350,000.

Such a significant outlay on the 30-year-old, who is set to pen a four-year deal at Old Trafford, has raised eyebrows given the fact he is entering the twilight years of his career.

Schmeichel has further concerns though, as he is not convinced that Casemiro will be able to fit into the role that United are recruiting him for, highlighting the differences to his current position at Madrid.

"I'm surprised, I have to be honest, because Casemiro hasn't been mentioned at all throughout the transfer window, at no point was that name mentioned," he told the BBC's Football Focus.

"I think he's been absolutely fantastic at Real Madrid, I've been impressed with how well he's played. He had an injury, came back and really tightened up the back.

"But what he did at Real Madrid was to sit in front of the back four, just to give them protection, then when they had the ball he took part in play but they had Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to give the ball to, then he just stopped.

"If you're a number six for Manchester United, you are supposed to also drive and take part in the game."

"Ten Hag says he wants to be in possession of the game, to be in control of the game, put pressure on the ball all the time, and that's a big difference from LaLiga. Even playing in the Champions League to playing every week in the Premier League.

"So I'm surprised that this player is now being mentioned at that amount of money with those wages at that age, when we don't know if he can do the job.

"I'm not sure. Maybe sign somebody who we know can play in the Premier League, just for now, then maybe next year or the next transfer window you go and sign the players like Casemiro, exciting players to watch.

"For me, it's an open question, I don't know."

United, who have lost their opening two Premier League matches, have spent much of the transfer window chasing Frenkie de Jong from Madrid's rivals Barcelona.

Pat Perez has withdrawn his name from the lawsuit filed by LIV Golf players against the PGA Tour, stating the situation is "too ugly now".

The PGA Tour suspended all players who jumped ship to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which resulted in 11 players filing a lawsuit after claiming the action would harm their careers.

Carlos Ortiz removed his name from the suit shortly after it was filed and Perez's withdrawal leaves the total remaining at nine, as he acknowledged the messy situation that is developing in the golfing world.

"I'm a LIV guy 100 percent. I'm going to play for them. But I don't feel any need to go after the PGA Tour," Perez told Sports Illustrated.

"They gave me a wonderful opportunity for 21 years. I've got nothing against them, no hard feelings toward anybody. I earned everything I got out there, don't get me wrong."

Asked whether the LIV Golf and the PGA Tour could co-exist, Perez added that he felt any resolution is extremely unlikely.

The American added: "It's too deep; it's too ugly now. I don't see it happening anymore.

"There's just too much on both sides and it's gotten ugly. I just don't see a resolution, unfortunately. There was a time I did."

Elsewhere, LIV Golf chief Greg Norman has backtracked on his claims that Tiger Woods was offered a contract of $800million to defect after previously claiming that an offer in "that neighbourhood" was made.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Norman clarified the situation and said: "I just want to make sure for clarification here, the numbers that were thrown out were inclusive of future franchise value.

"And so if you take a look at this number that’s being thrown out there, the generational wealth that this franchise opportunity has for the individual players is incredible.

"That's how it is. It's not the cash value. We never offered that cash value to Tiger Woods. That's the reality of it."

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has hit out at his team following another lacklustre performance on Friday.

A 4-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays marked the Yankees' fifth shutout loss in August, more than anyone else in the majors, having come into the month with six shutout defeats all season.

The Yankees now hold a 5-12 record this month, being held to two or fewer runs in eight of those games, which has seen their season derail.

A record of 44-16 (.733) in the first 60 games of the season saw the Yankees ranked as baseball's best but the franchise has subsequently gone 29-31 in their past 60, becoming the first team in MLB history with a .700 win percentage across their first 60 to then go sub .500 in their next 60.

Naturally, that has left Boone furious and he criticised his team following the most recent loss.

"We should be ticked off right now and we need to start playing better. Plain and simple," he said.

"You pour a lot into trying to shake hands at the end of the day, and we've been able to do that on balance on a really high clip this year. We've hit a rough patch and we've got to dig ourselves out.

"We can sit here, and I can keep answering questions and talk about it but we've got to go do it. And the good news is we've got all the pieces in that room to do that. I know that's coming. I know it's going to happen, but it really sucks going through it."

With the record earlier in the season, Boone remains encouraged that the team can turn their fortunes around.

"We've done it most of the year. I have total faith in that room and those players. We've got more than our share of struggling right now. But we've got to find a way," he said.

"I don't really care about the number [of games in the divisional lead]. If we play like this and keep walking away at the end of the night, it ain't going to matter. 

"If we get it together and play our game, then we'll run away. So eight, nine, 10, seven, five, we've got to play better. We've got to start racking up some wins. And hopefully that starts tomorrow afternoon."

The Yankees currently hold a lead of eight in their division, having seen their margin dwindle from 15.5 on August 8.

Raheem Sterling has opened up on the disappointment he felt on how his career with Manchester City ended, having been left "raging" by his treatment.

The England international sealed a move to Chelsea ahead of the 2022-23 season, bringing an end to seven trophy-laden years at the Etihad Stadium.

Sterling's final year at City saw the former Liverpool man struggle to secure regular playing opportunities amid fierce competition in Pep Guardiola's squad, which left the forward frustrated.

The forward felt he sacrificed a lot during his career in City but has got his happiness back in his new surroundings in west London.

"Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different. When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids' birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it's disappointing," he told Sky Sports.

"At the time I was fuming, raging, but it's gone, it's in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I've got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.

"As a player you always want to do your best and help your team, but when you don't think things are going fairly, it's always a disappointment.

"If you are not happy playing your football you've got to look at other options to get that happiness back, and that's exactly what I have done.

"It was the right time for me to move on. I wouldn't stay part of something I knew I couldn't give my all in.

"It [City] is a fantastic club, it's a club that wins lots of trophies, it's a club that has helped my development massively in the past couple of years, but there comes a time when you've got to think about yourself, what's best for yourself, and what you want for the future.

"That's the sole reason why I am here [at Chelsea]."

A move to Chelsea saw Sterling arrive as the first marquee recruit of the Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge and he admitted it did not take much persuasion to agree to a move.

He added: "It was a possibility I wouldn't let pass - it's a blessing in disguise, another challenge and a challenge I'll look back on at the end of my career and know I stepped up to the plate and I can be happy with myself.

"The most part was just getting to play football week in, week out. It was the first time in my career experiencing that, it was kind of a shock, so I just wanted to get back playing and enjoying my football again. 

"It was as simple as that, and I knew that once I could do that, I could be happy and show that on the field."

Leicester City have confirmed Jamie Vardy has signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until the end of June 2024.

Still a key player for Brendan Rodgers' side at the age of 35, Vardy's deal was due to run out after the 2022-23 season.

However, it seems likely Vardy will play out his top-level career with the Foxes after penning a one-year extension.

Speaking to LCFC TV, Vardy said: "Once I heard it was something the club was looking at, there was only one thing that was going to happen, and I was going to sign it. The decision was easy. 

"I've been here long enough now that I feel like part of the furniture. I think you can see with the way we're trying to play, the way the club's wanting to go, that it's going to be onwards and upwards.

"To carry on being involved with that, I was over the moon. Now it's all about this season and finishing as high as we can.

"My legs are still feeling great so I'll carry that on helping the club as much as I can, whether that's scoring or assisting, that's what I'm here to do."

Vardy scored 15 Premier League goals last season, with all of those coming from open play. He averaged a goal every 120 minutes, with just Mohamed Salah managing a better ratio among players to have netted 10 times or more in the division.

In Leicester's remarkable title-winning campaign in 2015-16, he netted 24 times in the competition, a tally bettered only by Tottenham's Harry Kane (25).

The former England international signed for Leicester from Fleetwood Town in May 2012 for a non-League record transfer fee of £1million and has since made 387 appearances in all competitons for the Foxes, scoring 164 times.

As well as winning the Premier League in 2016, Vardy has also helped Leicester to the Championship title and FA Cup success in 2021.

Leicester have only taken a point from their opening two Premier League matches ahead of facing Southampton on Saturday, and are yet to sign a player for a transfer fee in this window, with goalkeeper Alex Smithies the only new arrival on a free deal.

The Foxes' main priority is attempting to keep hold of defender Wesley Fofana, but the centre-back will reportedly miss the Southampton game as Chelsea continue their pursuit.

James Maddison has also been linked with a move away, with Newcastle United interested, though reports on Friday suggested the playmaker would join Vardy in signing a new deal.

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he is in talks with Chelsea over extending his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The 48-year-old succeeded Frank Lampard as Chelsea head coach in January 2021 on an initial 18-month basis.

Tuchel then penned a two-year extension to that deal in June last year, less than a week on from guiding the Blues to Champions League glory.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel is now discussing fresh terms to stay on in west London beyond the end of next season.

"There are talks," Tuchel told reporters ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting with Leeds United. 

"I think given the situation where we come from, and where we are in the middle of the transfer period, it is better if I focus on my team and on sports and on being competitive.

"My people talk to the owners and take care of everything else. You know how glad I am to be here and how much I like it. So it's a good thing."

Tuchel was this week fined £35,000 and given a one-match touchline ban after being charged for his confrontation with Antonio Conte in last week's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

While Tuchel accepts the punishment, which has been temporarily suspended, the German reiterated that he would prefer Anthony Taylor not to referee Chelsea games in future.

Chelsea have won 17, lost seven and drawn 11 of their 35 matches officiated by Taylor, who was in the middle for the ill-tempered London derby in which Conte was also sent off.

"I think it is more than just a feeling I have - there are some statistics that underline that we struggle to get the same results with him refereeing," Tuchel said.

"Again, we never attacked or questioned his integrity or honour. It was about this game and I think it was in an acceptable way without being personal or falling out of line.

"I will accept [any decisions] but maybe it would be better [for Taylor not to referee Chelsea again].

"I want to make it very clear I did not attack his integrity. I said very, very early that the two decisions were decisions for the VAR.

"I was not happy for the way he whistles the game but this is okay. But this is what happens. That will go to the FA and they will decide."

Chelsea make the trip to Leeds looking to bounce back from their draw with Tottenham, which followed a 1-0 win at Everton on the opening weekend of the campaign.

Since Tuchel’s first away Premier League match in February 2021, only Manchester City (23) have won more away games than the Blues (19).

When Kamaru Usman steps into the cage on Saturday against Leon Edwards, he will be defending not just his UFC welterweight title, but also his status as mixed martial arts' top pound-for-pound talent.

Usman, 35, has never lost in the UFC, compiling a 15-0 run in the welterweight division since winning his season of the popular reality show The Ultimate Fighter.

After nine wins with the promotion, Usman was rewarded with a title shot against Tyron Woodley and manhandled the champion in dominating fashion, and since his first defence against Colby Covington in a competitive win, he is yet to be truly challenged.

Against an elite striker, he defeated Jorge Masvidal twice, including a stunning knockout in their second meeting.

When faced with an elite wrestler in Covington – who has arguably not lost a single round to anybody other than Usman since 2015 – the champion showed incredible toughness to outlast his outspoken opponent for a technical knockout in the first fight, before completely dominating the rematch to close that chapter.

Completing his championship resume is his knockout victory against Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Gilbert Burns, who figured to be too good of a grappler to be manhandled by Usman, so he instead unveiled his new and improved jab to pummel the challenger to a third-round stoppage.

To this point of his championship reign, Usman has fought specialists, and has passed every test with flying colours – so what happens against a supreme jack of all trades like Edwards?

His British opponent is undefeated in the past seven years, with Edwards' last loss coming against the very champion he is looking to dethrone, going down to Usman via unanimous decision in December 2015.

Why should anything be different this time around? Well, while Usman was a 28-year-old imposing physical specimen in 2015, Edwards was a raw 24-year-old less than a year removed from a split-decision loss to journeyman Claudio Silva.

Usman had grown up as a wrestler, competing his entire life in the sport, culminating in a 44-1 record and a division two national championship as a senior in college before deciding to pivot to mixed martial arts.

Edwards grew up in Birmingham, after moving from Jamaica at nine years old, with no real grappling background, and at such an early stage in his career, he was unequipped to handle the smothering physical presence which Usman presented.

Seven years later, Edwards is a completely different fighter, with some of the sharpest kickboxing in the division, as well as a terrific pressure-grappling game.

Among active UFC welterweights, Edwards absorbs the second-fewest strikes per minute at 2.15, trailing only Michael Chiesa (0.79) who has since moved down to lightweight. He also finds himself in the top-10 for total grappling control time and takedowns landed.

It creates an interesting dynamic, as not only has Edwards become someone nearly impossible to control in the grappling side of things, but he is also an expert in point-fighting on the feet, while being extremely durable.

Despite this being his first title fight, Edwards has an average fight time of 15 minutes and 15 seconds – which is notable considering all non-main events only last 15 minutes. It shows he thrives in long, grinding fights, which he is sure to be faced with against Usman.

It poses the question: What is Usman's game plan?

Against another terrific controlling grappler – Covington – Usman was able to rely on his below-average striking and turn it into a kickboxing match since Covington's striking was also so weak.

Usman's striking has improved significantly, but he will not have an advantage in that area against Edwards, and while Usman is seemingly impossible to finish with strikes, Edwards has shown repeatedly that he is more than happy to point-fight his way to a decision.

So what happens if Usman's first few takedown attempts are unsuccessful, and this turns into a rangy kickboxing battle? 

Does he continue to try and grapple and clinch, pushing Edwards against the cage, using his physicality, or does he try to test out his developing striking skills? If he opts for the latter, he could find himself down a round or two against a fighter who will not slow down, and who has been planning for this rematch for seven years.

Knockouts can be addicting, and after three consecutive eye-opening striking performances from Usman, who has been working with world-famous striking coach Trevor Wittman for two years now, his hubris in his standup abilities could prove to be his fatal flaw against an opponent so skilled in avoiding damage on the feet.

Usman is the deserved favourite, the current pound-for-pound king and the most dominant champion in the male divisions.

But to beat such an established minute-winner in what is almost assured to be a 25-minute decision, Usman must avoid his own ego and steer clear of the striking exchanges that have defined his evolution as a champion.

Rookie wide receivers Chris Olave and Romeo Doubs caught a touchdown pass each for their respective teams in the Green Bay Packers’ 20-10 preseason win over the New Orleans Saints on Friday night at Lambeau Field.

Olave, the 11th overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft, hauled in a 20-yard pass from Ian Book near the end of the first half for the Saints' lone touchdown. The former Ohio State standout finished with two catches for 28 yards.

Doubs, a fourth-round selection who has been rising up the pecking order during his first training camp, caught a touchdown pass for the second straight week when he and quarterback Jordan Love connected on a four-yard score that put Green Bay up 10-3 midway through the second quarter. The Nevada product caught three-of-five targets for 24 yards.

Love, the Packers' controversial 2020 first-round choice, started a second straight week with reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers likely to be held out for the entire preseason. The 23-year-old managed just 113 yards on 12-of-24 passing while playing into the fourth quarter, but did not commit a turnover one week after throwing three interceptions in Green Bay’s 28-21 loss to San Francisco.

Book, New Orleans’ third-string quarterback, played the entire game with the Saints resting veteran Andy Dalton, and starter Jameis Winston sidelined with a foot injury. The former Notre Dame signal-caller completed 16 of 28 passes for 113 yards, while adding 49 rushing yards, but lost a fumble and was intercepted on consecutive drives in the second quarter.