Arne Slot believes it is "good news" for the Premier League that Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension with Manchester City.

The Spaniard signed a two-year extension with the reigning champions and will remain in the dugout at the Etihad until 2027.

He has won 18 major trophies in his time at City, including six Premier League titles, and twice beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to the top-flight crown by a single point.

Guardiola averages 2.35 points per game in the Premier League, the highest rate of any manager (20+ matches). Indeed, he is so far ahead of the next highest (Alex Ferguson's 2.16), he could lose his next 26 league games in a row and would still be top.

Slot is yet to face City since taking over from Klopp at the start of the season, with the rivals' first meeting of the season set for December 1.

"It's good news for City and for the league because everyone wants the best managers and the best players over here," Slot said when asked about Guardiola's new contract.

"He is definitely one of the best managers, maybe the best manager of the league.

"He's won four titles in a row, so it's fair to say he's maybe the best manager in the league.

"On the other hand, they have so many quality players that, if he would have made the choice to leave, I wouldn't have expected them to end up bottom of the league next season."

Other Premier League managers echoed Slot's sentiment, with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who inflicted a fourth consecutive defeat on City before the international break, saying it is the "best thing that can happen to the Premier League".

"He is one of the best coaches in the world," Hurzeler said. "With his ideas, he always brings something new to the football stage, and it is always a challenge to compete against him.

"He always adapts quickly, always has new ideas and he can always win the game. I'm very happy because we can learn from him and to compete with him is a big, big experience."

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe added: "He's contributed so much to English football. He's revolutionised how a lot of teams play.

"I think he's incredibly talented, and it's good for the English game that he's still here.

"He will continue to develop and evolve his style, and people will potentially continue to follow that. From the competition side, I think it keeps the Premier League as the best in the world."

Jofra Archer will be in the IPL auction after all, having been left off the shortlist initially.

The fast bowler was an entry on the longlist but did not appear among the names after it had been whittled down to 574 last week.

There had been no word from Archer as to why he had pulled out of the auction and re-entered, although the prospect of playing in the IPL in future could have been key.

According to new rules in the competition, a player will be ineligible to play in the IPL for two years if they do not enter the auction.

Archer has struggled with injury since 2020 and has carefully worked his way back from an elbow problem he suffered last year. Having been part of England's white-ball set-up since May, he has a desire to get back into Test cricket.

The 29-year-old has not played the longest form of the game in nearly four years and, if picked for the IPL, could find it harder to get back into it.

With the early rounds of the County Championship season clashing with the IPL, it could harm Archer's ability to prove his fitness and reduce his chances of playing in a home Test in 2025. Additionally, he could also find it difficult to force his way in for the Ashes in Australia next winter.

Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to AC Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.

Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.

"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.

"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."

Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.

Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.

"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.

"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."

Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A, but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.

"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.

"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."

Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.

JJ Redick accepts the "small things" cost the Los Angeles Lakers as their unbeaten home run was ended by the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Franz Wagner scored a 3-pointer inside the final two-and-a-half seconds to earn the Magic a 119-118 win at the Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers had been on course for an eighth home win in a row when taking a 118-114 lead with 27 seconds of the contest to go.

Anthony Davis missed two free throws after the Magic had cut the deficit to two points, which Wagner took advantage of in a dramatic finale.

Reflecting on the defeat for his side, which leaves the Lakers 10-5 for the season, Redick said: "I'd have to go back and re-watch every possession there in the last couple of minutes.

"I didn't love the thought process and the mindset when Wagner hit the three. Overall, I felt comfortable with our execution up until the missed free throws and the Wagner three."

On the game-winning moment from Wagner, Redick added: "We talk all the time about our isos. We don't want to allow threes in isos, especially late in the game. It could have been a little bit better. Small things."

The Magic improved to 10-7 to stay fourth in the Eastern Conference, with this a seventh win in eight games. 

"It was big-time," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his side's most impressive win of the season thus far. "They missed the free throw, which makes it a two-point game. 

"[Wagner] comes down, doesn't have to rush it, lines it up. That's the thing, we work on those spacing situations, those shots. He works on those shots. He's not afraid of big moments, and that's what we've asked him to do."

Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists for the Magic, while Jalen Suggs added 23 points and Moritz Wagner had a season-high 19.

"I was a little mad I missed the first [three-point attempt], so I was glad I got another shot," Wagner said post-game.

"They were set up pretty well, so I didn't really see any driving lane. The one before felt really good. In those moments, you don't really think too much, but I guess I made a good call.

"Down two, you never just want to settle for a shot, but the way they were playing me... I do work on my off-the-dribble three a lot, and you work on it for those moments. I stepped into it with confidence and I felt really good."

India wrestled control back from Australia to leave them 67-7 at the close of play, despite having been bowled out for just 150 earlier on a remarkable first day in Perth.

The tourists chose to bat first, having made six changes from their Test defeat to New Zealand earlier this month, but things did not go well for them as they were reduced to 32-3 and 73-6.

Virat Kohli struggled again and went for just five after being caught by Usman Khawaja. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and number three Devdutt Padikkal were both playing in Australia for the first time and were dismissed for ducks.

Rishabh Pant (37) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) dragged India to a level of respectability before their bowlers tore through the Australian batting lineup.

Jasprit Bumrah (4-17) was India's saviour, producing a spell to leave the hosts 19-3. Nathan McSweeney (10) went on lbw after a review, Khawaja (8) was caught in the slips and Steve Smith was out on his first ball after another lbw.

Both Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh went for a combined total of 17 runs, with Marnus Labuschagne next to go for two off 52 balls. Pat Cummins was the final wicket of the day, meaning Australia finished on 67-7 with Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc at the crease.

Data debrief: Australia and India go wicket crazy

It was undoubtedly a day for the bowlers on the first day in Perth, with 17 wickets being the most to have fallen on the opening day of a Test in Australia since 1952.

While all 10 of Australia's wickets were caught, India managed four dismissals through either bowling their opponent or lbw.

Following his unplayable performance in Perth, Bumrah now has 177 Test wickets for his country and can count himself unlucky not to have had more.

Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City's run of four successive defeats was part of the reason for his contract extension.

The 53-year-old recently signed a two-year deal, which will run out in 2027, ending months of speculation about his future after his contract had been due to run out at the end of the campaign.

Following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton before the international break, Guardiola's side have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.

"I felt I could not leave now. Maybe the four defeats was why," he told the club's website.

"I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it's the truth."

Guardiola has led Manchester City to 18 major trophies during his nine-year stint at the club and posted a 72% win ratio.

He added that he was determined to help the club get back to a state where they are "more stable and more consistent".

"We have to recover that because right now we don't have it and that's the target we have to do," he said.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: "Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep's journey with Manchester City will continue, allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.

"His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large."

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is targeting victory in Las Vegas on Sunday following the implosion of team-mate Lando Norris' Championship bid.

While it is still mathematically possible that Norris could catch Max Verstappen – who will secure a fourth successive title by bettering the Brit this weekend – his chances are slim.

As a result of Norris' title bid, Piastri had been under orders to prioritise his team-mate above himself. But with McLaren leading Ferrari in the constructors' championship by 36 points, it is likely focus will shift there.

"There's still some, let's say, very specific scenarios where I might be needed to help out. But for the very large majority of situations, it's back to how it was," Piastri told reporters in Las Vegas.

"The drivers' championship picture is very slim, and the constructors' championship is certainly not over for us.

"So, it's a very specific few scenarios that maybe I'll still help out if that's what I'm asked to do, but I'm going into the weekend trying to win."

Ahead of his potential coronation, Verstappen struggled on the first day of practice in Las Vegas, finishing in 17th.

Norris, meanwhile, was second-fastest behind Lewis Hamilton. Piastri finished in eighth, although bizarrely reported that his car would not turn off after reaching the pit lane, although the issue was eventually resolved.

Separately from Piastri, Norris had told reporters that – despite previous orders for Piastri to let him pass in races – the team had always come first and that would not change.

"Everything we've done, we've just swapped a position," he said.

"It benefited me because I was in the fight for the championship and that's the game we also have to play, just as I've helped Oscar in a few occasions and helped him win in Baku, you know. I did my job there.

"I think Andrea [Stella] made it very clear from the beginning that we would never do something that would make the team result worse. So no, nothing is going to change."

Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.

The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.

Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.

No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.

"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.

"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.

"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.

"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.

"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.

"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."

Franz Wagner hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds to play, and the Orlando Magic roared back to snap the Los Angeles Lakers' six-game winning streak with a 119-118 victory Thursday night.

Anthony Davis missed two free throws with 19 seconds left and then missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer for the Lakers, who lost to a Magic team playing without three starters in its third game in four nights.

Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists for the Magic, who have won seven of eight. Jalen Suggs added 23 points, and Moritz Wagner had a season-high 19.

Davis had 39 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, while LeBron James scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles lost at home for the first time in eight games as James and Davis combined to miss four of six free throws in the final 39 seconds, leaving the door open for Orlando.

Hornets get past Pistons 123-121 in overtime

Some of the top selections in the NBA Draft over the past few years put on a show Thursday night in the Charlotte Hornets’ 123-121 overtime win against the visiting Detroit Pistons.

Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in 2023, chipped in eight of his career-high 38 points in OT, while LaMelo Ball - the No. 3 pick in 2020 - contributed 35 points, nine assists and six rebounds to help Charlotte (6-9) win its fourth straight home game.

It was the first time in franchise history that two Hornets players each scored at least 35 points in the same game.

Miller and Ball combined to hit 12 of the Hornets’ 20 made 3-pointers, with Miller establishing a personal best with eight 3s. Miller also tied a career high with four steals.

Detroit (7-10) was led by 2021 No. 1 overall selection Cade Cunningham, who had 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds but left with a hip injury with 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Barrett scores 31, Barnes returns as Raptors defeat Timberwolves

RJ Barrett had his second straight 30-point game and former NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes returned to the lineup as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-105 to post back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

Barrett scored 31 points after pouring in a season-high 39 in Monday’s 130-119 win over the Indiana Pacers that ended a seven-game losing streak for Toronto.

Wednesday’s victory improved Toronto to 4-4 at home compared to 0-8 on the road.

Barnes, the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year, was back in action for the first time since suffering a right orbital fracture on October 28 against the Denver Nuggets.

He had 17 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal in 27 minutes.

Minnesota (8-7) failed to win a third straight game as Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels combined to score 71 of the team’s 105 points.

Nick Chubb ran for a 2-yard touchdown in heavy snow with 57 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns stunned division rival Pittsburgh 24-19 on Thursday night, ending the Steelers' five-game winning streak.

Chubb's score came in his first game against the AFC North-leading Steelers (8-3) since the running back sustained a season-ending left knee injury on a carry last year at Pittsburgh.

The Browns (3-8) had blown a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and were down 19-18 before getting the ball back with 3:22 remaining after Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman shanked a 16-yarder.

With snow piling up and covering the yard lines on the field, Cleveland's Jameis Winston completed a third-down pass to Jerry Jeudy to the Pittsburgh 9. Two plays later, Chubb barrelled into the end zone.

The Steelers had one last chance, but quarterback Russell Wilson's Hail Mary on the final play was knocked down by Browns safety Grant Delpit in the end zone, touching off a wild celebration at Huntington Bank Field.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were both unanimously selected to win Most Valuable Player Awards in their respective leagues on Thursday.

Judge collected all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. garnered all 30 second-place votes.

Yankees outfielder Juan Soto finished third with 21 third-place votes.

Ohtani was an unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the BWAA. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229.

It is the second AL MVP award of Judge's career after he also won the award in 2022.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. He also drew a league-high 133 walks and posted a spectacular 1.159 OPS.

Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 109 RBIs.

With two MVP Awards to his name, Judge is the seventh player in Yankees history to win multiple MVPs. He joins Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez.

There was an extended stretch over the summer where Judge was on a pace to reach and possibly break his own single-season home run record (62 in 2022). The same goes for a bid at a Triple Crown.

The stretch that truly defined his season began on April 27. Judge entered play on that day in Milwaukee with a .178 batting average and .674 OPS on the season. He had only four home runs with 35 strikeouts across 27 games.

Over his next 100 games, through August 23, Judge hit .378 with 45 home runs. It was the first time in MLB history a player batted higher than .375 with 45-plus homers in a stretch of 100 games within a single season.

Ohtani was unanimously voted AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting. He didn’t pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December.

Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title, playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Ohtani is the first primary DH to win an MVP. He joins Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues.

The Japanese sensation is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each).

Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo expressed his pride in seeing compatriot Ryan Gravenberch show off his qualities ‘to the whole world’ after a fine start to the Premier League season.

Though the Netherlands pair did not become teammates at Liverpool until late summer of 2023, Gakpo knew well Gravenberch’s talents from their respective Eredivisie spells with PSV Eindhoven and Ajax.

Now in his second season at Anfield, Gravenberch has drawn widespread plaudits for his form in a new deeper-lying midfield role under new head coach Arne Slot, having largely been used as a substitute under Jurgen Klopp.

Gravenberch is the only midfielder in Europe's big-five leagues to both make 30+ tackles (30) and 30+ interceptions (33) in all competitions this season, and Gakpo insisted that his Netherlands team-mate can continue to go from strength to strength, starting against Southampton this Sunday.

“We [the Dutchmen at Liverpool] knew Ryan already from the Eredivisie when he played at Ajax, and I think everybody knew already that he is this good,” Gakpo recently told Men in Blazers.

“After that, he made a move to Bayern Munich, and maybe he didn’t play that much over there, but still everybody in Holland knew how good he could be when he was playing.

“And I think maybe the manager [Slot] also knew this. At the beginning of the season, he put him in a slightly different position, but he gave him the confidence to play there.

“Ryan showed his quality in that position, grabbed his chance as well and turned out to be a good match. He is playing outstandingly for us this season.

“I’m very happy that we can see Ryan, as we Dutchmen already knew, but now he can show it to the whole world. I’m very proud of him.”

Southampton, meanwhile, welcome the Reds to St. Mary’s on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Wolves ahead of the international break, leaving them bottom of the table after 11 games of the season.

The Saints are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season (seven), while only Crystal Palace (5.1%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Russell Martin’s side (6.2%). Just 30.1% of Southampton’s shots have been on target this term (34/113), a league-low ratio.

However, the Southampton head coach is relishing the opportunity of facing Liverpool, with his players performing well against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City already this term.

"I'm really excited about Sunday. We're playing the best team in the country at the moment, on their current form and what they have been doing with their manager, built on an incredible foundation from the previous manager, so I'm really looking forward to it,” Martin said.

"I think we showed the guys the Premier League table last season and how much it changed by the end and by the end of December. But it's honestly such an exciting month.

"People talk about the difficulty of the game and every competition we face in the next four or five games, but it's what we all worked so hard for. We should be excited about the challenge.  

“I think teams have shown in the last few weeks that you can pick up big results against big teams, good opposition, and we are going to have to. Our level of performance against teams at the top end of the table has been good on the whole."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Southampton – Mateus Fernandes

Fernandes has become a mainstay in the Southampton team, starting the last eight Premier League games in a row, and has been one of Martin’s standout performers in a lacklustre start to the campaign.

In the Saints’ 2-0 defeat to Wolves last time out, the Portuguese contributed a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 0.22 from his three shots, while only Yukinari Sugawara (10) and Flynn Downes (12) have created more chances in the top-flight than Fernandes (eight) this season.

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah has both scored and assisted in the same match 35 times in the Premier League (including four already this term), just one shy of Wayne Rooney’s record of 36 games with both a goal and an assist in the competition. The Egyptian has been directly involved in 11 goals (seven goals, four assists) in 11 Premier League appearances against Southampton.

He has also been directly involved in 67% of Liverpool’s Premier League goals this season (14/21 – eight goals, six assists), the highest ratio by a player for any side in the division in 2024-25. Indeed, only Matt Le Tissier for Southampton in 1993-94 (69% - 34/49) has scored or assisted a higher proportion of a side’s goals in a single season in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

Liverpool have won nine of their 11 Premier League games under new head coach Slot (D1 L1). A win over Southampton will see the Dutchman become the joint-fastest manager to reach 10 wins from the start of a Premier League career (12 games), alongside Guus Hiddink in May 2009 and Carlo Ancelotti in November 2009 (both with Chelsea).

The Reds’ last Premier League game against the Saints was a 4-4 away draw in May 2023 – they conceded as many goals in that game as they had in their previous six visits to St Mary’s combined.

Southampton have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L10), a 1-0 home victory in January 2021.

This will also be the first Premier League match between the side starting the day bottom of the table and the side starting the day top since April 2023, and Southampton’s 3-3 draw away to Arsenal. The league leaders are unbeaten in 14 such matches (W12 D2) since Wolves won 2-1 against Manchester United in February 2011.

However, Southampton have only lost one of their last eight Premier League home games against sides starting the day at the summit (W2 D5) and are unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2 – including a 1-0 win over Liverpool in January 2021) since a 0-1 defeat to Man City in May 2018.

But Martin’s side have lost nine of their 11 Premier League games this season (W1 D1). Only seven sides in English top-flight history have reached 10 defeats in 12 or fewer matches from the start of a campaign, with all seven going on to be relegated.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Southampton – 9.7%

Draw – 12.6%

Liverpool – 77.7%