Miralem Pjanic has hit out at former Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman, claiming training sessions lacked intensity, tactics and ideas during the Dutchman's spell at Camp Nou.

Pjanic made 19 league appearances for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season after joining from Juventus, spending the last campaign on loan at Besiktas before joining Emirati outfit Sharjah last month.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international has been critical of Koeman in the past, accusing the Dutchman of "disrespecting" him following his move to Turkey in September 2021.

Speaking to Cadena Ser on Friday, Pjanic attacked Koeman's methods once more, saying: "I was very surprised in training with Koeman.

"There was no intensity, no tactics, no ideas. We did not prepare for the games."

Pjanic spent his most recent pre-season at Barcelona under Koeman's successor Xavi, and was far more enthusiastic in his assessment of the current Blaugrana coach.

"Preparation and training was good under Xavi, similar to what I was used to at Juventus, for example, where we won everything," Pjanic added.

"Now the sessions at Barca have a lot of intensity. Xavi and his staff were very clear with us at the start of the season. They told us this year we would have to run and go 2000 miles per hour.

"Every day is like a game in training at Barcelona now, because there is so much quality in the squad and a lot of intensity."

Xavi has led Barca to an unbeaten start to the season in LaLiga, having overseen a second-placed finish after taking over from Koeman midway through last season. 

Stefano Pioli has called for Milan to respond to Wednesday's demoralising defeat at Chelsea when they host Juventus in a huge Serie A clash on Saturday.

Goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James condemned Milan to their heaviest ever Champions League group-stage loss last time out, ensuring the Rossoneri remain third in Group E.

Milan have fared better on the domestic front, however, and sit four points clear of the under-fire Bianconeri in the early-season Serie A table.

Speaking at Friday's pre-match news conference, Pioli called for Milan to set their chastening defeat at Stamford Bridge aside as he demanded defensive improvements.  

"We put the game in London behind us straight away and we'll revisit it from Sunday onwards," Pioli said. "The players are eager to react. 

"This doesn't necessarily mean we'll win because the opponents exist too, but we won't be lacking in desire, motivation and determination.

"We've conceded a few too many goals. We can do better, and Chelsea did well to make the most of our mistakes the other night. 

"When there are simple situations, a team of our quality needs to be more attentive. We're a bit more of an attacking side than last year, but I don't think that it can be put down to this.

"Often, we have the numerical superiority, and we can interpret certain situations better."

Milan's last home outing saw them lose to Serie A leaders Napoli, ending a six-match winning streak at San Siro in the competition. The Rossoneri have never lost successive home league games under Pioli.

Meanwhile, Pioli has defended young forward Charles De Ketelaere, who has yet to score since joining from Club Brugge, comparing his early struggles to those of Rafael Leao and Sandro Tonali.

"He's on the right path, and I'm happy with what he's doing. I remember Rafa three years ago and Tonali in his first year," Pioli said.

"Many were quick to criticise them and question their qualities. Charles is talented and needs time to adapt and learn about certain situations, but he's on the right path."

Although Juventus have made an underwhelming start to the new campaign, they have lost just four Serie A games in 2022, and Pioli expects a stern test.

"During a season, there are two or three games that carry more weight, and going up against Juventus is of particular importance for many reasons," Pioli said.

"We're all responsible for the performance in London, and we're determined to show that we're a different team compared to the one that showed up on Wednesday."

It is a long time since the winners of a Klassiker may not be sitting pretty at the top of the Bundesliga at the end of the game.

But even a ninth successive victory for Bayern Munich over Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday may not be enough for the champions to be at the summit.

Bayern head into the first showdown with Dortmund this season in third place, level on points with Edin Terzic's fourth-place side as Union Berlin surprisingly lead the way ahead of Freiburg after eight matches.

It is the first time in 13 years that neither side have been in the top two when this fixture has kicked off.

Dortmund have already suffered three Bundesliga defeats this season, but they come into the game buoyed by a 4-1 Champions League victory at Sevilla.

Bayern hammered Viktoria Plzen in midweek after a 4-0 rout of Bayer Leverkusen, so there could be goals aplenty this weekend.

Stats Perform previews the 132st showdown between the two rivals in all competitions in the Bundesliga era by picking out some standout Opta data.

Dortmund desperate to end dismal Klassiker run

The last time Dortmund got the better of Bayern was back in August 2019, when they 2-0 winners in the German Super Cup.

Their two goalscorers in that game are no longer at the club, with Jadon Sancho at Manchester United and Paco Alcacer with Sharjah.

Dortmund have not beaten Bayern in the Bundesliga since winning a classic 3-2 in November 2018, Marco Reus – who is missing this weekend due to an ankle injury – claiming a double.

Only against Hamburg between 1982 and 1985 have Dortmund lost eight competitive games in a row, so another defeat this weekend would set an unwanted record.

Hummels could make timely return

Mats Hummels has missed the two games since the international break due to illness, but could return against his former club.

Nine of the 10 goals Dortmund have conceded in the Bundesliga this season have been when Hummels was not on the pitch.

They have shipped only goal in 512 minutes while the vastly experienced centre-back has been on the field, but let in one every 23 minutes without him.

Terzic said ahead of the match: "We would be very happy if he were an option. It's a case of seeing how he feels and how his body reacts to the workload."

Sane and Musiala firing for free-scoring Bayern

Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala have made great starts to the campaign for Julian Nagelsmann's side.

Sane endured a difficult start to life at Bayern after his move from Manchester City, but the winger has scored nine goals this season – four of those coming in the Champions League.

Only Gerd Muller has scored more than Musiala's five goals in eight matches at the start of a Bundesliga season as a teenager, the Bayern and Germany legend striking seven times at the start of the 1965-66 campaign.

Falling behind may not be a problem for free-scoring champions

The importance of starting strongly is stressed so often, but Bayern may not be too concerned if they go behind.

That is because Dortmund are the only team this Bundesliga campaign to lose twice after leading in games (3-2 v Werder Bremen and 3-2 at Cologne). 

Not that Bayern have been slow to get going, as they have scored 16 goals in the first half of Bundesliga games this season, with no other team scoring more than nine.

Garett Bolles has added to the Denver Broncos' offensive injury woes, suffering a broken leg in the 12-9 overtime defeat to the Indianapolis Colts.

The sixth-year left tackle was forced off with just under four minutes remaining of the fourth quarter on Thursday and was seen on crutches after the game.

Initial tests revealed a broken leg, but the team were awaiting further evaluation on Friday and it was then confirmed by head coach Nathaniel Hackett that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

"Garett Bolles will need surgery. He'll be out for the season." he said.

The Broncos' offense had already lost starting running back Javonte Williams to a season-ending knee injury in a Week 4 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders, with the injuries coming amid on-field woes for the side.

Cornerback Ronald Darby has also been ruled out for the season after suffering an ACL injury and Hackett confirmed he is set for surgery.

Defeat to the Colts left the Broncos 2-3 for the season and are they yet to find their feet under Russell Wilson, following his seismic trade from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Broncos have plenty of time to improve before they take to the field in Week 6 against division rivals the Los Angeles Chargers, the game coming on Monday October 18.

Daniel Jones is expected to be the starting quarterback for the New York Giants against the Green Bay Packers, having recovered from injury.

The fourth-year QB suffered an ankle injury in the win against the Chicago Bears in Week 4 and was briefly taken out of the game, though he made his return to training on Friday.

Jones did not receive an injury status in London on Friday, leaving him set to lead the offense at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

"Early in the week I started feeling better pretty quickly and realised that I was recovering quickly," he said after practice.

While Jones should be passed fit, the Giants' offensive options have been ravaged by injuries, particularly in the wide receiver area with Wan'Dale Robinson (knee), Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and Kenny Golladay (knee) all unavailable.

Despite the Giants' aerial presence taking a hit, Jones remains optimistic, saying: "We've had guys step up throughout the year."

New York are likely to rely heavily on their rushing game again, where Jones and Saquon Barkley have offered a dual threat – the latter standing as the NFL's rushing leader in 2022.

Jones is similarly effective on the ground, having at least six rush attempts in all four contests so far this season and accumulating 193 rushing yards, plus two touchdowns, with Barkley praising the character of his QB.

"He's a gritty guy, he's a tough guy. It does speak volumes when your quarterback has that mindset." he said.

The Giants stand 3-1 heading into the matchup against the Packers, tied with the Dallas Cowboys and behind the Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) in the competitive NFC East.

The Atlanta Falcons will be without second-year tight end Kyle Pitts when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South lead on Sunday.  

The Falcons ruled Pitts out with a hamstring injury after he was held out of practice all week.  

Parker Hesse and Anthony Firkser could see more snaps at tight end, but neither option provides the vertical threat of Pitts, who was drafted fourth overall out of Florida in 2021.  

Pitts' absence is another blow for an Atlanta offense that is already missing starting running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who is out at least four games after undergoing a minor knee procedure.  

Pitts' role in the offense so far this season has been a point of contention for some Falcons fans. The 6ft 6in tight end has just 10 catches for 150 yards through four games, although he has been targeted 22 times.  

The Falcons dropped the first two games of the season but bounced back by beating the Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns the past two weeks. The Buccaneers are also 2-2, coming off losses to the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.  

There is "much more to come" from Jude Bellingham, according to Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic.

Bellingham captained the Bundesliga side during Wednesday's 4-1 win at Sevilla, where he became just the second teenager to score in the first three games of a Champions League campaign.

The only other player to achieve that feat is his former Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland, who did so with Salzburg in the 2019-20 season.

Bellingham's tally of three Champions League goals this season is already a joint-high among English teenagers for a single campaign, along with Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, back in 2004-05.

The 19-year-old England international has been in good form for club and country, and Terzic believes he can get even better.

"[Bellingham] has been playing very consistently, getting more control and balance in his game," he said at a press conference ahead of Dortmund's Der Klassiker clash with Bayern Munich.

"We are very happy with the way he presents himself here every day. But this is not the end, there is much more to come."

Dortmund and Bayern head into Saturday's contest level on points in the Bundesliga, both two points behind surprise leaders Union Berlin and second-placed Freiburg.

Terzic is hopeful his team can produce a similar performance to the one in Seville, rather than their last league outing, where they lost 3-2 at Koln.

"We will not only need a good and disciplined tactical performance; we will need courage too," he said. "Courage to keep the ball, courage in one-on-ones and to get shots away.

"Not only against Bayern, but especially against Bayern."

The 39-year-old confirmed Marco Reus will not return for the game, having already been out with an ankle injury before illness halted his rehabilitation this week.

However, Mats Hummels could be back after his own illness, with a hopeful Terzic saying: "We would be very happy if he were an option. It's a case of seeing how he feels and how his body reacts to the workload." 

Novak Djokovic set up a semi-final meeting with Daniil Medvedev at the Astana Open on Friday, cruising past Karen Khachanov in the last eight.

Djokovic complemented a fine display of serving by converting three of his five break points in a 6-4 6-3 victory, recording his seventh consecutive win following his absence from the US Open.

The 21-time grand slam champion has now reached six semi-finals this year, but saw room for improvement in his performance after beating the world number 18.

"I didn't play as well from the baseline as I did in the first two matches, but still it was enough," Djokovic said. "I managed to produce some good tennis when it was most needed in both sets."

Looking ahead to his final-four match, the Serb added: "I always expect highs from myself. Hopefully I can elevate still the level of my game for tomorrow, because it's going to be needed." 

Djokovic will face an 11th tour-level meeting with Medvedev in the next round after his fellow former world number one recorded a dominant 6-1 6-1 win over Roberto Bautista Agut.

On the other side of the draw, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (10-8) 6-3, and will now face Andrey Rublev after he eased to a 6-1 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino.

At the Japan Open, a knee injury forced Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios to withdraw from his meeting with Taylor Fritz, with the American set to take on Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals.

Seventh seed Shapovalov saw off Borna Coric 6-4 6-3 to reach the final four, while fourth seed Frances Tiafoe advanced with a 6-0 6-4 win against Miomir Kecmanovic.

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo claimed the final place in the semi-finals in Tokyo, beating Spain's Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-0

Arsenal are hugely impressed with William Saliba, but Mikel Arteta has stayed away from comparing the youngster to Virgil van Dijk.

Saliba has been fantastic for Arsenal this season, after finally getting his chance following loan spells at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.

The 21-year-old signed for Arsenal from Saint-Etienne back in 2019, but spent the next season back on loan at the French club.

However, Arteta did not call on the centre-back in the 2020-21 season, and Saliba subsequently left for Nice before spending last season on loan at Marseille.

This time around Arsenal kept hold of Saliba despite Marseille's interest and have been rewarded by some superb displays, with the France international starting all eight Premier League matches.

His form has seen him compared with Liverpool defender Van Dijk, though ahead of the meeting between the Gunners and the Reds, Arteta urged Saliba to "make his own career."

The Arsenal manager told reporters: "I think the way he has established himself, the composure and leadership that he's shown on the pitch – it's done in a very natural way without any flashlights, just being himself.

"Being very quiet but at the same time, very confident."

On the Van Dijk comparisons, Arteta said: "Wow, that's a big call. We're very happy with where he is at the moment.

"He's Saliba: he's no one else, and he needs to make his own career."

How do Saliba and Van Dijk stack up?

Arteta may have strayed away from comparing the players, but the data throws up some interesting head-to-head records.

While Van Dijk has struggled to hit his best form in an underperforming Liverpool team, Saliba has helped Arsenal keep three clean sheets this season, which ranks him joint-top in terms of defenders in the Premier League.

He has made 12 headed clearances, one more than Van Dijk, though both are way behind the league-leading defender in that regard (Joachim Andersen - 36). Saliba has also made 25 clearances to Van Dijk's 23.

Despite Van Dijk's struggles, he nevertheless boasts a better tackle success rate (60 per cent to 46.2) and duel success rate (72.1 to 56.3) than Saliba, while the Netherlands international has also won 25 of hs 32 aerial duels, compared to Saliba succeeding in eight of his 17.

Saliba's ability on the ball has also drawn comparisons to Van Dijk. He is able to find his team-mates with long passes, though Arteta's preferred style of play means Saliba has only attempted 32 long passes in the league.

An impressive 22 (69 per cent) of these have been successful, which betters the success rate managed by Van Dijk, who has landed 38 of his 69 long passes (55.1 per cent).

Standing as the only undefeated team across the NFL, the 4-0 Philadelphia Eagles will need to bring an end to a poor record in Arizona, having lost four consecutive matchups against the Cardinals.

The Eagles have not won in Arizona since Week 8 of the 2001 season, a 21-7 win highlighted by Brian Mitchell's 94-yard touchdown return of the opening kick-off, and will hope for similar magic on Sunday.

Miles Sanders enters the contest in fine form, setting a new career high in rushing yards last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars with 134 and scoring two rushing touchdowns for only the third time in his career (Week 5 & 14, 2020).

That saw him become the first Eagles player with 130+ rushing yards and two TDs in a single game since LeSean McCoy in Week 16, 2013, and only the sixth player to do so in the franchise's history.

This season, Sanders boasts 356 rushing yards to rank third among the league's rushing leaders behind only Saquon Barkley (463) and Nick Chubb (459) – the trio the only three players across the NFL to have 350+ rushing yards in the opening four games of the season.

However, the Cardinals have been strong against the rush this season with their opponents averaging just 87 yards per game, ranking fifth in the NFL, though only two teams have faced less rushing plays than Arizona (81).

For the Cardinals' offense, the onus will be firmly on Kyler Murray, who has attempted 173 passes this season, behind only Matt Ryan (195), whose 128 completions make him the sole quarterback to tally more than Murray (113, tied with Josh Allen).

However, a pass completion percentage of 65.3 is only enough to rank 14th in the NFL, with Murray's 991 yards leaving him 16th in the league and indicative of his bizarre lack of downfield threat. Murray's air yards per attempt average of 5.47 is the worst in the league among quarterbacks with at least 10 attempts.

The Eagles have allowed their opponents a gross passing yards total of 821, the seventh-lowest total in the NFL, so Murray will face a stern test if he is to lead the Cardinals to a fifth win in a row against their NFC rivals.

Manchester City have been fined £260,000 by the Football Association (FA) and warned about their future conduct after their supporters invaded the pitch following the title-clinching victory over Aston Villa on the final day of last season.

Pep Guardiola's side secured a fourth title in five seasons with a dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Villa at the Etihad Stadium on May 22.

Thousands of supporters made their way onto the field at the full-time whistle, with smoke flares let off, a goalpost broken and Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen allegedly attacked.

Greater Manchester Police charged two men over the disorder, while the FA formally charged City in August, with the English champions admitting to failing to control their supporters.

An FA statement on Friday read: "Manchester City FC have been fined £260,000 and warned about its future conduct for breaching FA Rule E20 after a Premier League game against Aston Villa.

"The club admitted that it failed to ensure its spectators – and all those purporting to be its supporters or followers – conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening and violent behaviour while encroaching onto the pitch after the final whistle.

"An Independent Regulatory Commission imposed these sanctions during a subsequent hearing and its written reasons for them will be published in due course."

Mikel Arteta hopes his Arsenal team can match Arsene Wenger's expectations for this season, as the Gunners great believes his former side have "a good chance" to win the Premier League title.

Arsenal are top after eight matches of the season, a point ahead of champions Manchester City.

Arteta's men may well have been removed from the summit by the time they play again, though, facing Liverpool on Sunday after City play Southampton on Saturday.

Despite City's own imperious form, three-time title-winning manager Wenger told Sky Sports he did not see "any super dominating team", prompting his optimism for Arsenal to claim a first championship since his last success in the 2003-04 campaign.

Responding to Wenger's thoughts ahead of the Liverpool game, Arteta, who played under the Frenchman, said: "Well, it's great obviously that the people who love the club so much and know the club very well have such an opinion about it.

"Now, unfortunately, we have to show it, but you have to do it on the pitch. And hopefully, he's right. He's been right on many occasions."

Arsenal certainly look in better shape than opponents Liverpool, who enter the weekend down in ninth, 11 points off the pace with a game in hand.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has suggested the Reds are a work in progress, but Arteta responded: "Our team is as well.

"I think you always want to get better. You always hear about the weaknesses that you want to improve. Liverpool are a magnificent team."

Indeed, even with Liverpool struggling, Arteta sees this match as a major challenge for his side.

"Every game is the same [opportunity to make a statement]," he said. "Obviously, it's a big match.

"It's a fixture that everybody's looking for, against an opponent that has shown in the last five or six years the level that they have.

"And we have to show those opponents again that we have reached the level and we are ready to compete against them."

Pep Guardiola is backing Xabi Alonso to make a success of his big break at Bayer Leverkusen.

Former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder Alonso was named head coach of the Bundesliga team on Wednesday.

It is the 40-year-old's most prominent role since retiring from playing in 2017, since when he has been building towards a top job, spending three years as coach of Real Sociedad B.

Like Guardiola, Alonso's playing career was spent largely as a deep-sitting central midfielder. Both men played for Spain, with Guardiola earning 47 caps and Alonso representing his country 114 times.

Alonso won a World Cup and two European Championships in Spain's golden era of success from 2008 to 2012, a period which coincided with Guardiola's reign as Barcelona boss.

He later played for Guardiola at Bayern Munich, where Alonso made a great impression on his compatriot and coach.

"He was an exceptional holding midfielder, and when you are an exceptional holding midfielder you have to understand the game," Guardiola said on Friday.

"He reads perfectly, and he's a lovely, lovely person."

Speaking at Manchester City's regular Friday press conference, Guardiola sent best wishes to Alonso, whose Leverkusen side face Schalke in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Leverkusen sit 17th in the 18-team league, winning one of eight games in the competition so far, form that saw Alonso's predecessor Gerardo Seoane sacked.

They have finished in the top six in each of the last five seasons, and 12 of the last 13 campaigns, so the club's standards are high.

Now Alonso steps in, and Guardiola said: "It's an incredible opportunity. He goes to the Bundesliga, a league that he knows quite well.

"It's a really good team in the Bundesliga, prestigious, still playing Champions League, I wish him the best, and hopefully he can do the job."

Leverkusen have failed to win any of their first four home games of a Bundesliga season (D1, L3) for the first time ever. The Schalke game comes at the BayArena, giving Alonso the chance to immediately halt that dismal run.

It happens that Leverkusen have only had more Bundesliga wins against Stuttgart (39) than they have achieved against Schalke (34), with Alonso's new team unbeaten in their past six league clashes with Die Konigsblauen (W4, D2).