Juventus are yet to concede a goal in Serie A this season and will face another solid defence when they take on RB Leipzig in the Champions League, but Thiago Motta expects an open game.

The Italian giants have played six Serie A games without conceding while Leipzig have the best defensive record in the Bundesliga, where they are unbeaten after five games and have only shipped two goals.

"The numbers mean a lot, it gives us solidity," Motta told reporters ahead of Wednesday's trip to Germany.

"We are two teams that don't sit back and wait for the opponent's mistakes. I expect an open game, a dynamic match against a competitive team who play good football.

"To do well, we will have to play with quality and maintain a good defensive phase as we have done so far, facing different teams, as well as the offensive phase of course."

The only goal Motta's side have conceded this season came in their opening Champions League game, a 3-1 win over PSV, but the former midfielder has dismissed suggestions the Bianconeri have played differently in Europe.

"It's not a question of the cup or the league. All games are different, when it comes to how we will face the opponent," Motta said.

"One thing is certain, we will not sit back, we will always try to compete for control of the game.

"We have never played defensively, not even in the league, and we will not do it this time."

Motta has no new injury worries and remained tight-lipped regarding his lineup, but he has already made his mind up over who will take to the pitch against Leipzig.

"No doubts about the formation, I am very sure of the choices," Motta said.

"Of course, that's if nothing happens between now and the game. I can't tell you, but the players already know the team."

Unai Emery wants to make Champions League nights a regular fixture at Villa Park in the coming seasons, as Aston Villa prepare to host Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final.

Emery led Villa to a fourth-placed Premier League finish in his first full campaign at the helm last term, and they beat Young Boys 3-0 in their first match in the Champions League last month. 

On Wednesday, they welcome Bayern, who they beat 1-0 to win the European Cup at De Kuip 42 years ago, to the West Midlands for their second game back among Europe's elite.

Emery is determined to ensure this European adventure is not a one-off, saying: "Hopefully we can play more times in the Champions League, but it's the first match after a long time. 

"It's a new competition for us because before it was the European Cup. I want to play matches like this and I want to play consistently. In the Premier League, we are facing teams like them, favourites – Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal – that can win this competition this year.

"They are favourites with other teams like Bayern Munich."

Villa have received a boost in recent days with long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, as well as full-back Matty Cash, returning to training. However, none of that trio will be available to face Bayern.

"The injured players, I know it's the worst for them. Every player wants to play in the Champions League and matches like this. We have to accept it," Emery said.

"I want the best players on the field tomorrow and I want to face their best players. I want to play with our best players, accepting that we have some players injured. We're ready to compete.

"Matty is starting to train with us but for tomorrow, he is not going to be available. Kamara and Tyrone Mings are training but also not going to play tomorrow."

Forward Ollie Watkins, who could face his England team-mate Harry Kane, was speaking alongside Emery and said excitement was building ahead of Wednesday's game.

"It's been a long time since Champions League nights at Villa Park. Everyone is excited and looking forward to it," Watkins said.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expects Diogo Jota to feature in their Champions League clash with Serie A side Bologna at Anfield, despite the Portuguese forward's absence from training on Tuesday.

Jota received a knock in the 2-1 Premier League win at Wolves on Saturday but is set to play instead of Federico Chiesa, who arrived at training on Tuesday with an injury.

The Italian winger joined Liverpool from Juventus in August and grabbed an assist in the 5-1 EFL Cup rout of West Ham but will miss out on facing familiar opponents on Wednesday.

"It's a shame for him because he was looking forward to a Champions League night at Anfield, especially because we face an Italian team," Slot told reporters of Chiesa.

"How long is he out? It's always difficult because it happened yesterday but I am not expecting him to be out for a very long period of time.

"We will see if he can be in the team for Saturday [a Premier League match at Crystal Palace]."

Liverpool are off to a strong start in Slot's first season in charge. They top the Premier League standings on 15 points, opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Milan, and have booked their spot in the EFL Cup's last 16.

"One of the reasons we can compete is we have a lot of quality. We have a lot of cohesion in the team. Those who are not playing are happy with us scoring and winning so those are two really positive things," Slot added.

Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister had kind words for how well the Dutchman has done in filling the huge shoes left by former manager Jurgen Klopp.

"He's definitely an amazing manager. You can see how he's been from the first day," the Argentine said.

"We understand what he wants from us, and I think that's the main thing as a coach, to get the ideas in the players."

Liverpool are back in the Champions League after a one-year absence and Slot hopes to see the hunger reflected in his team on Wednesday.

"What I want from the players is them to show they missed this. I want to see this, I want to feel this," Slot said. "I am hoping it's the same from our fans. I hope they feel this desire to show Europe that you missed us."

Naomi Osaka was forced to retire from her China Open meeting with Coco Gauff due to a lower back injury, sending the American through to the quarter-finals.

Osaka, who was aiming for her fourth successive win after returning from maternity leave, had earlier caused Gauff plenty of problems as she took the opening set.

After a series of breaks to open the match, Osaka went into the changeover 3-2 up but received treatment on her back after appearing to struggle with her movement.

Some error-prone play by Gauff allowed Osaka to clinch a third break before serving out the opener, but she swiftly gave up a break to go behind in the second set.

Gauff ultimately edged a hard-fought, 51-minute second set featuring several more breaks, with Osaka retiring before the decider could get underway, having struggled to land her first serves in the latter stages.

Gauff now advances to the China Open quarter-finals for the second year in a row, with Ukraine's Yulia Starodubtsewa up next for the world number six.

Fellow American and second seed Jessica Pegula, meanwhile, was beaten in straight sets by Paula Badosa, who will face home favourite Zhang Shuai in the last eight.

Data Debrief: Twenty up for Gauff

The victory may not have come in the manner she envisaged, but Gauff has brought up her 20th career win over a former grand slam champion on the WTA Tour.

Since 2000, Gauff is the fifth player to achieve 20 such wins before turning 21, along with Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters (28 each), Martina Hingis (24) and Serena Williams (22).

Girona have been rocked by a couple of injury blows ahead of the first home Champions League game in their history, but coach Michel says they will go all out to beat Feyenoord.

The Catalan side, who qualified for Europe's premier club competition for the first time by finishing third in LaLiga last season, lost 1-0 at Paris Saint-Germain on matchday one.

On the domestic front, they played out a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo on Sunday, losing key men Oriol Romeu and Daley Blind to injury.

The former is expected to miss around eight weeks with the latter likely to be sidelined for a month, but Michel is choosing to remain upbeat ahead of Girona's historic outing.

"It's our new reality. We need to take it one game at a time," Michel told reporters ahead of Wednesday's game at the Estadi Montilivi.

"The midfield without Romeu is short-handed. But tomorrow, we need the best possible eleven to win. We have to look at it like that.

"I'm especially worried about the psychological issue. Romeu didn't play against Rayo Vallecano and got injured. The most important thing is that the head is fine. My concern is to go game by game and the team that plays will be the best possible."

After going toe-to-toe with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona for much of the last campaign, Girona are now being tested by the best sides in Europe and Michel acknowledged it is a challenge to juggle domestic and continental duties.

Girona have had an underwhelming start to the season in LaLiga, winning two and drawing three of their eight matches to sit 12th with nine points.

"The pressure of playing LaLiga and Champions League is difficult. We want to win because making history in the Champions League is a dream for us and for our fans, those who will be on the pitch and those who will be away," Michel said.

"Hearing the Champions League anthem at home will be historic in Girona. The maturity of this squad is great. We have players with a lot of experience who know how to handle this situation.

"From my perspective as a coach, from a management point of view, it is easier to manage the change towards the Champions League. 

"From the 'boom' of playing in the Champions League you need to return to the reality of the league, which is what is going to give us the possibility to continue growing."

John Stones says that while Manchester City will miss Rodri, his absence will give other players in the team a chance to shine.

The Spaniard suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that required surgery in City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League on September 22.

Rodri played 50 matches in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side last season, proving a key player as they won a fourth-consecutive top-flight title.

The team often struggled without him in the squad though, with their win rate dropping from 76% to 55.6% in the nine games they played without him.

With Kevin De Bruyne also currently on the sidelines, Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan played in midfield in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday.

And Stones, who has also been utilised in midfield by Guardiola in the past, says it is an exciting opportunity for the other players to step into the role.

"He's a big miss for us, we all know that," Stones told TNT Sports.

"We're still in contact off the pitch, and we miss him on there, as we do anyone who gets injured.

"We all wish him a speedy recovery. He's a big presence for us on the pitch in how he plays the game and what he's done over the past few years.

"But then again, we've got incredible players that can play in that position, and it's time and a chance for them to, not step up, but step in and show their qualities, whoever plays in that position which is quite fluid sometimes.

"He'll be a big miss for us this season, as anyone would who had that injury. It's exciting for us as players to fill that position and see what comes of it."

City's next match is against Slavan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday. 

Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster China Open final after the Italian downed home favourite Buyunchaokete in the last four.

Sinner, who overcame Daniil Medvedev in last year's final in Beijing, beat Buyunchaokete 6-3 7-6 (7-3) on Tuesday, extending his winning streak to 15 matches.

Buyunchaokete did well when standing up to Sinner in baseline rallies early on, also impressing when under pressure by saving eight of the nine break points he faced.

Sinner did manage to break six games into the opener, however, and he drew on all his experience in the second-set tie-break, surging into a 6-1 lead before seeing out his two-hour, seven-minute victory.

Sinner has won four of his nine head-to-head meetings with final opponent Alcaraz, beating him in their only previously final clash for the Umag Trophy in 2022.

"Of course, tomorrow is going to be completely different," Sinner said. "We know each other very well. It's going to be tactical, but I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm happy to be here again in the final. My season is going very, very well and playing finals is always great. I just hope tomorrow is going to be a good match from both of us."

Data Debrief: Sinner stands alone

Since the start of 2023, Sinner (13/23) has reached the final on 56.5% of his ATP main-draw entries on hard courts.

He has now surpassed Novak Djokovic (54.5%, 6/11) for the highest rate on the surface over that span, among players with a minimum of 10 tournaments entered.

Rohit Sharma says India were willing to be bowled out for a low score in the first innings to avoid defeat in their 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh.

The second Test was severely hampered by rain, with days two and three lost due to the weather, but the hosts eventually prevailed in a seven-wicket victory.

However, in their return to action on day four, India first dismissed Bangladesh for 233 before setting a record first-innings run rate for any men’s Test, declaring on 285-9, to put themselves in the driving seat on the final day.

In a dominant performance, they bowled the tourists out for 146, before reaching their target of 95 in just over an hour, claiming their 18th consecutive home Test series win.

And they certainly started fast on Monday. They scored at a rate of 8.2 runs per over through their 34.4 overs before declaring, the fastest-ever rate recorded by any team in the first innings of a men's Test.

In the first innings, Rohit got off to a flying start, hitting 23 off 11 balls, including successive sixes off the first two, but Yashasvi Jaiswal was the star, scoring half-centuries in both innings, and the captain said they decided the reward would be worth the risk.

"We had to think a lot [about] how the game can keep moving forward once we lost two-and-a-half days," Rohit said.

"When we came on day four, we thought, okay, let's try and get them out as quickly as possible and then see with the bat what we can do.

"Once they had got 230-odd, we said it was not about the runs we got, but it was about the overs we wanted to bowl at them. It meant we had to try and up the run-rate, and score as many as possible because the pitch did not have much for the bowlers.

"To make a game out of that pitch was a super effort from the bowlers, and then for the batters to buy into that thought of going and getting the runs as quickly as possible," Rohit said.

"It was a risk we were willing to take because when you're trying to bat like that, it is very easy that you can get bundled out for a low score as well.

"But we were ready with that factor as well, that even if we get all out for 100-150, we wanted to give ourselves a chance to be in the game and try and get a result."

Carlos Alcaraz is through to the China Open final after powering past Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Tuesday.

The Spaniard prevailed 7-5 6-3 in the semi-final in Beijing in 86 minutes, extending his hard-court hot streak.

The pair were evenly matched in the opening exchanges and traded breaks, with Medvedev defending three of the six break points he faced in the first set, as both failed to find an early edge.

Eventually, Alcaraz nosed in front, winning the last three games in a row to take the lead.

The second set followed a similar story, though Medvedev would lose his serve in the fifth game, giving himself a mountain to climb.

Alcaraz stayed in control after that, even as the Russian valiantly defended three match points in the final game, setting up a meeting with either reigning champion Jannik Sinner or home wild card Bu Yunchaokete.

Data Debrief: Coming in hot

Alcaraz has won each of his last eight tour-level matches and is in strong form as he bids to finish the year as world number one. 

This win over Medvedev moves him to a record of 7-1 against ATP top-five opponents this year, surpassing Sinner (six) for the outright most ATP top-five wins of any player so far in 2024. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal got another half-century, helping India to a 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh, claiming a seven-wicket win in what had looked like it would be an unlikely victory in a rain-affected second test.

After setting a new first-innings run-rate record on day four, having lost two days to rain, India followed it up with another strong performance on Tuesday.

Bangladesh started the day on 26-2, but with India's bowlers in fine form, they struggled to really get going, even with Shadman Islam bringing up a half-century.

Ravindra Jadeja (3-34) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) stunted any momentum as Bangladesh suffered a collapse of 7 for 55 and were bowled out for 146.

That left India with a target of 95, which they cruised to in just over an hour, despite losing three wickets in the chase.

Jaiswal set them on their way with a 45-ball 51, but it was Rishabh Pant (4) who hit the winning runs to get India over the line. 

Data Debrief: Clean sweep

While day five did not quite hit the record-breaking heights of day four for India, it was still a success as they earned an 18th consecutive Test series win at home. 

The 312 balls India batted for in this Test is just the second-fewest they have faced to win a Test match, behind the 281 against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this year.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who finished the series with 114 runs and 11 wickets and was named Player of the Series, has now received the award 11 times in men's Tests, the joint-most by anyone in the format alongside Muttiah Muralitharan.

Ashwin has won more Player of the Series awards than Player of the Match awards (10) in Tests.

Jared Goff was proud of making history, as he set an NFL single-game record by completing all 18 of his pass attempts to help the Detroit Lions to victory.

The Lions beat the previously unbeaten Seattle Seahawks 42-29 on Monday, with Goff eclipsing Hall of Famer Kurt Warner's 10-for-10 performance in 2005, the previous standard for most passes in a game without an incompletion.

The quarterback threw for 292 yards, including touchdown passes to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown on his perfect evening, while also hauling in the latter's 7-yard toss for a touchdown in the third quarter.

That made him the first quarterback with a receiving touchdown since Zach Wilson in 2022, while he also became the first QB in NFL history with 15 or more pass attempts with no incompletions in a game.

Goff was aware that he was closing in on a perfect game, even if he had doubts at one point.

"I knew I did it in the first half last week, so I was aware of it then, and I was kind of aware of it today in the middle of the third quarter," he said.

"I couldn't think of one [incompletion], but then I threw the one out of bounds that ended up being offensive pass interference, and I was like, 'Does that count?' I didn't know if that counted or not.

"But yeah, it was a good day."

On his touchdown reception, he added: "No, I think that's my first one, too. Ever.

"And I'm saying all the way back to 7 years old, I think that's my first one."

Lions coach Dan Campbell did not realise how impressive Goff's performance had been after the game, choosing to give the game ball to Williams and safety Kerby Joseph for their strong play.

"I just gave the game ball to somebody else," Campbell laughed. "So, I feel awful right now.

"I knew he played a heck of a game. I did not realize he was perfect. I did not know he was literally 18 for 18.

"I thought what really kick-started him was that he had to move a little in the pocket, got spun around and hung with Jamo [Williams] and hit him on the hook for the first down, that was big because he was rolling after that."

Brendan Rodgers says Celtic are under "no illusions" they are in for a tough test against Borussia Dortmund in front of the 'Yellow Wall' in the Champions League.

Celtic got off to a flying start in the last round, brushing aside Slovan Bratislava 5-1 last month to win their Champions League opener for the first time, and sit second in the table behind Bayern Munich. 

Having also won their final group-stage match last season, Rodgers' side are looking to win three consecutive matches in the competition for the first time since 1976.

But coming up against last season's runners-up, who began their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge, is a different prospect for the Scottish champions.

Asked if this was the "acid test" for his side, Rodgers said: "I think this level is about as much about the head as it is about the skill. I don't doubt that with this team.

"I think we arrive in a great place. I am very relaxed and focused that we can get a result that builds on the first result."

Celtic have started the season in fine form and top the Scottish Premiership having won all six of their games, scoring 20 goals while conceding none.

Despite their strong start, Rodgers is looking back to pre-season to draw inspiration, after beating Manchester City and Chelsea in friendlies, scoring four times past both in back-to-back matches.

"I track it back to pre-season," he said. "The games that we played there, played some big teams and how we wanted to play at this level.

"We got off to a very good start in the last round, so we come here to a stadium very much like Celtic Park in that they breathe football, and we're very excited by the challenge.

"We are under no illusions that we are up against a team who are challenging at the very top of elite football, but for us, I've always said, whether domestically or away in this competition, it is about making us very difficult to play against with and without the ball.

"Offensively, Dortmund are very good. They lost some players in the summer, but I look at the team, and they have some fantastic players in that middle-to-top area, so will put you on the back foot at times.

"It is a top side with top players, and we have to be right on it to get a good performance and result."