Barcelona boss Hansi Flick will rely on his experienced players as the Blaugrana navigate an injury crisis early on in his first campaign at the helm.

A perfect seven wins from as many matches in LaLiga this season means Barca could match the best start in their league history on Saturday, when they visit Osasuna.

Only once have Barca won their first eight matches to start a league campaign, doing so in 2013-14 under Gerardo Martino but ultimately finishing second to Atletico Madrid that season.

Flick's impressive start at Camp Nou has come despite injuries biting at his squad, with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen the latest casualty as he underwent knee surgery this week.

He has joined Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and Andreas Christensen in the treatment room, while Inigo Martinez is doubtful after suffering an injury against Getafe on Wednesday.

De Jong and Gavi are closing in on returns, but Flick is confident in his team's ability to cope in their absence.  

"This is about quality of the players. They are very well prepared and train with so much passion and mentality," Flick said. "Evidently, as we did before, there will be some rotations.

"But also it's important the experienced players are with us, like Raphinha and [Robert] Lewandowski. Inigo received a blow, so we will see how that is.

"From what I see in training, [De Jong] is in good shape, also Gavi picking up the pace. 

"Frenkie is very close to returning. Tomorrow he will have a rest because he needs it, he trained a lot."

The return of De Jong, who last played in April, could be a major boost for Barcelona as they brace for a tough October, when they host Bayern Munich in the Champions League three days before visiting Real Madrid in LaLiga.

"De Jong is an experienced player and he can help us greatly, even if he plays 20 minutes, but we will see what happens next week," Flick said.

Flick was also asked what it would mean to equal Barca's best start to a season, but the German is focused purely on the task of overcoming Osasuna.

"It's always great to win though we aren't focusing on the record," he said.

"From 11 points, Osasuna have won 10 points at home, where the crowd really gets behind them and I like that atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Barca have been banned from selling tickets for their next Champions League away game, at Red Star Belgrade on November 6, after their supporters were found guilty of racist behaviour during their match against Monaco. 

Naomi Osaka rallied to beat Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the China Open on Friday, ending a wait of over two years for a comeback victory.

Osaka came from a set down to win 3-6 6-4 6-2 and tee up a third-round meeting with Katie Volynets, extending her winning streak at the Beijing event to eight matches.

She had failed to win any of her previous 22 matches when going a set down, a streak she was mightily relieved to snap.

"I heard that stat from my agent," Osaka told reporters after her win. 

"I wanted to break it really badly because I knew that I also had a stat about three-setters before I took my break, so that was really important to me.

"I also wanted to show myself that I could win a match and fight without playing as perfectly as I wanted to."

Data Debrief: Back-to-back for Osaka

This is the first time Osaka has won back-to-back matches since June at 's-Hertogenbosch, where she reached the quarter-finals before falling to Bianca Andreescu.

The last time she won from a set down, meanwhile, was in the Miami Open semi-finals in 2022, when she beat Belinda Bencic before losing to Iga Swiatek in the final.

Thiago Motta is relishing the chance to end Juventus' three-match winless run in Serie A against former club Genoa this weekend. 

Motta, who has taken nine points from his first five games as Juventus head coach, returns to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris after playing and managing the Grifone. 

The 42-year-old made 27 appearances for Genoa in all competitions, scoring six goals in the 2008-09 season before moving to Inter the following campaign. 

Motta then returned as their head coach in 2019, replacing Aurelio Andreazzoli, but managed just two wins from his 10 games in charge (D3 L5) before being sacked. 

"I've experienced so many good moments. It was a privilege. I enjoyed it both as a player and as a coach. I'm always happy to return there," Motta said.

While Juventus come into the encounter unbeaten, and the only team yet to concede in Europe's major top five leagues, they have struggled at the top end of the pitch.

The Bianconeri have drawn each of their last three league matches against Roma, Empoli and Napoli with a score of 0-0. 

Juventus could draw four goalless games in a row for the first time in their history in Serie A, but Motta was not worried about his team's goal-scoring form. 

"The offensive phase is not just one player, but the whole team," Motta said.

"We took an important step in the game against Napoli. We took the ball away from a great team.

"We have to put attackers and midfielders in a position to do well. We have to create as a team.

"They always want to win. I always want to win too. But there are many things behind a win.

"In the end, our goal is to win with our game. I have never perceived anxiety in my team. We always want the positive result." 

Unai Emery is not satisfied with Aston Villa's performance levels despite their impressive start to the Premier League season, demanding a step up when they go to Ipswich Town.

Villa have won four of their five Premier League games this season to sit third in the table, just one point adrift of pacesetters Manchester City.

Emery's team fought back to beat Midlands rivals Wolves 3-1 last week before overcoming Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, while they also started their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Young Boys.

Despite seeing his team win three straight Premier League games ahead of their trip to Portman Road, Emery wants more.

"Ipswich will be different but difficult, like the match before. We are trying to build a team. We have to try to get stronger tactically with our players," Emery said.

"We want to increase our levels individually and collectively through them and the process has been positive because we are getting points in this way.

"But of course, we have to improve a lot of things. The match we played against Wolverhampton was very good to analyse deeply how we were playing.

"We are winning but we are needing to change something to improve because maybe, in our matches, it is not enough to get to the other side like we are."

Ipswich, meanwhile, are one of six teams yet to register a Premier League victory this season, though they did deny fellow promoted club Southampton last time out, Sam Morsy netting a stunning 95th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Boss Kieran McKenna has hailed his captain's tendency to pop up with crucial goals, though he feels the Egyptian needs to work on his celebration.

"It was one of the shortest knee-slides I've seen so I think there's a bit of work to do on the technique of the slide!" McKenna said.

"He's scored a few big goals for us to be fair and he's always come up with a slightly different celebration so maybe he isn't a regular enough scorer to have a stock one.

"If he can keep popping up with big goals, he can do whatever he wants!"

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Ipswich Town – Arijanet Muric

Although he only has one Premier League clean sheet in 14 games for Burnley and Ipswich, according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, Muric has prevented 9.4 goals in the competition (21 goals conceded from an xGoT of 30.4).

That is the best prevention rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League since he made his debut on March 16. He may have a busy game ahead of him this weekend.

Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins

Since Emery's first Aston Villa game in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (66) and Mohamed Salah (59) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Watkins (53 – 35 goals, 18 assists).

Watkins has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) to his name in all competitions this season and could get some joy against an Ipswich defence that has given up 11.09 expected goals against (xGA) this season – the sixth-worst figure in Europe's top five leagues.

MATCH PREDICTION – ASTON VILLA WIN

Ipswich have only won one of their 10 previous Premier League games against Villa (two draws, seven defeats), triumphing 1-0 at Villa Park back in March 1994.

The Tractor Boys are winless through their first five games of the campaign, drawing three and losing two. They last had a longer winless run at the start of a top-flight season in 1982-83, failing to win any of their first six but ultimately finishing in the top half.

Ipswich have actually drawn their last three league matches, last drawing more successive games as a Championship club between February and March 2017. They last had a longer run of draws as a top-flight side in 1992 (five between August and September).

Villa come in as favourites, as they look to win their first three away games in a Premier League season for just the second time, previously doing so in 2020-21.

Emery has won nine of 10 league games against newly promoted clubs as Villa boss, including all four to take place on the road. Overall, he has a win percentage of 78% (14 wins, two draws, two defeats) in 18 meetings with Premier League new boys.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Ipswich Town – 26.2%

Aston Villa – 49%

Draw – 24.8%

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

The Spaniard limped off in the first half of City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal after turning awkwardly in a tussle with Thomas Partey on a corner.

Reports soon claimed Rodri could be out for the rest of the season with the serious-looking injury, and he later visited a specialist in Barcelona.

Guardiola had said on Tuesday that Rodri was facing a long spell on the sidelines, describing him as "irreplaceable", with the club confirming it was a ligament injury the following day.

Now, speaking ahead of their Premier League trip to Newcastle United on Saturday, the manager explained the extent of the midfielder's injury.

"[Rodri had] surgery this morning [on his] ACL and next season he will be here. This season is over," Guardiola told reporters.

"Unfortunately, we got the worst [news] but these things happen. We will be there to support him in his recovery step-by-step.

"What he gives us, we don't have a similar player. But the others can all together replace what Rodri has given since his arrival to us.

"We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us.

"If we don't win, then it is because of Rodri. We are stronger with him and stronger with [Nathan] Ake and [Oscar] Bobb and Kevin [De Bruyne] but that is what it is. We don't want it, but it is football.

"As a club, we have magnificent players, and we will find a solution."

Each of City's last four Premier League defeats have all come when Rodri has not featured in the side. Indeed, the 28-year-old is unbeaten in his last 52 Premier League appearances (W42 D10), a run stretching back to February 2023.

City only lost one of the 50 matches in which Rodri appeared across all competitions last season – the FA Cup final against Manchester United – and their win percentage dropped from 76% to 55.6% in the nine games they played without him.

Asked if City would bring in a replacement for the midfielder in the January transfer window, Guardiola added: "We will talk, we will see what is going on. We have time to see."

Kamindu Mendis' century helped Sri Lanka cruise past 600 in their first innings, strengthening their already iron grip on their second Test against New Zealand on day two.

The hosts picked up where they left off on Thursday, with New Zealand offering little resistance as the run count continued to tick over.

Dinesh Chandimal's ton propelled them to 306-3 on day one, and Kamindu carried on their momentum, claiming his fifth Test century in the second session.

His 117-run partnership with Kusal Mendis in that session piled the misery on the tourists, as Kamindu plundered an unbeaten 182, and his partner 106, to help the hosts put 602-5 on the board.

New Zealand's bowling left a lot to be desired, and they struggled to get going with the bat too when they eventually stepped up to the crease.

In just 14 overs, Tom Latham (2) and Devon Conway (9) were dismissed, with Kane Williamson set to continue on Saturday having got six from 42 balls.

With just 22-2 under their belt, they trail by 580 runs and will need a huge performance on day three to chase it down.

Data Debrief: Kamindu steals the show

There was some exceptional batting from Sri Lanka's new star Kamindu, with his unbeaten 182 on Friday his highest-ever score.

He also became the fastest batter to 1,000 Test runs in 75 years (1,004), getting there in 13 innings to equal Don Bradman's pace.

He averages 91.27 a match, maintaining a strike rate of 65.02, and has crossed 50 in nine of those innings, reaching a century in five. 

Bayer Leverkusen will need a perfect performance if they are to earn a result against Bundesliga title rivals Bayern Munich on Saturday, according to Xabi Alonso.

Leverkusen became the first team to go unbeaten through a Bundesliga campaign as they clinched their first title last season, ending Bayern's 11-year reign in the German top flight.

Bayern are determined to bounce back under new boss Vincent Kompany, though, and they sit three points clear of Leverkusen ahead of the teams' huge meeting at the Allianz Arena.

With four wins from four games and a goal difference of +13 (16 scored, three conceded), they have made the joint-best start to a season in Bundesliga history – only Bayern themselves in 2016-17 and Stuttgart in 1996-97 have matched that record.

Alonso is expecting a huge challenge against his former club, telling reporters: "The anticipation is great and we want to show a good game. 

"We need a perfect performance to take something home with us. FC Bayern have made a good start to the season, it will be a challenge tomorrow. 

"We need to play at our highest level, with and against the ball for 90 minutes. Bayern will go full throttle, we have to be ready for that."

Leverkusen have already conceded nine goals in the Bundesliga this term, the most they have allowed at this stage of a season since 2014-15 (also nine).

The last reigning champions to ship nine goals in their first four games of a campaign were Kaiserslautern in 1998-99, while the last holders to concede more were Bayern in 1974-75 (11).

After a rollercoaster 4-3 win over Wolfsburg last time out, Alonso is desperate to see his team tighten up at the back.

"The team has to be compact, we have to defend together as a team. We have a clear gameplan, we can't be too soft and we can't allow large gaps," Alonso said.

"We have a clear gameplan as to how we want to play. We will give everything... If we don't defend well, it's hard for the players to win. We want to be consistent. We don't want to be up and down."

Following their trip to Bayern, Leverkusen host Italian giants AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. 

Heavy rain and poor light saw play halted on day one of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, with the tourists standing at 107-3 after 35 overs of play.

Overnight rain caused the toss to be delayed by an hour ahead of Rohit Sharma opting to bowl, with darkness and a heavy downpour later causing the umpires to call off play at 3pm local time.

During the play that was possible, India – having chosen to bowl in a home Test for the first time since 2015 – went on the attack, with a quickfire double from Akash Deep dropping Bangladesh to 29-2.

Introduced in the ninth over, Deep saw his third delivery edged through to Yashasvi Jaiswal by Zakir Hasan for a duck, then an India review saw Shadman Islam (24) removed lbw at the start of the 13th over.

Najmul Hossain Shanto steadied the ship for Bangladesh either side of a drizzly lunch, striking six boundaries as he racked up 31 runs off 57 balls faced.

Ravichandran Ashwin trapped him lbw in front of off and middle stump in the 29th over, but Mominul Haque (40 not out) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6 not out) survived until the weather had its say and will resume at the crease on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Ashwin's strike decisive?

Shanto's resilient knock appeared to get Bangladesh through the worst of a difficult first day in Kanpur, only for Ashwin to strike six overs before stumps.

Since the start of 2023, Ashwin has taken 30.2% (75 of 248) of India's wickets in men's Tests, with only England's Gus Atkinson (31.2%) taking a higher proportion of a team's wickets in that time (minimum 10 innings played).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's expected?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lack of firepower costing United

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ange targets end to away-day struggles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes

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

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

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Data Debrief: Beijing witnesses historic upset

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

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