Mikel Arteta is confident his Arsenal players can cope with the "jungle" atmosphere Liverpool's supporters will generate at Anfield in Sunday's Premier League contest.
Arsenal have won seven Premier League games in a row to retain a healthy lead at the summit, but they have lost each of their past six top-flight visits to Liverpool.
Gunners boss Arteta was captured playing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' during training ahead of Arsenal's most recent trip to Anfield in November 2021, which resulted in a 4-0 loss.
Speaking ahead of his side's latest visit to the red half of Merseyside this weekend, Arteta explained that rather unorthodox ploy.
"You have to prepare the players, you have to tell them what they're going to be facing and you have to recognise that," he said.
"An error and a mistake comes after an opportunity to do that and develop yourself. You have to expose yourself.
"You cannot train the players in the zoo and then go to the jungle on Sunday. It's impossible."
While Liverpool are struggling down in eighth place, 29 points adrift of Arsenal, they have won five of their past six home league games.
The Reds have won the past three of those games by an aggregate 11-0 scoreline and have not conceded at Anfield in their last seven hours and 26 minutes of league football.
But Arteta believes his side, who are looking to complete their first league double over Liverpool since the 2009-10 campaign, can cope with whatever is thrown at them.
"The team is full of enthusiasm and positivity," he said. "We know that we have a big challenge.
"But it is a big opportunity to go to Anfield and do something we haven't done in many years and that is what [has been] driving the team the last few days."
Ja Morant allayed concerns about an injury he sustained in Friday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks that secured the second seed in the Western Conference for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jaren Jackson Jr. top-scored with 36 points as the Grizzlies came from a point down at half-time to comfortably beat the short-handed Bucks 137-114.
Morant finished with 12 points and eight assists despite having to leave the court early in the game following a collision with Jae Crowder.
He was later seen with a protective wrapping on his right arm for a wrist and hand issue, but the 23-year-old dismissed the significance of the injury, saying: "I'm good."
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins confirmed that X-rays had come back negative and revealed Morant should be able to "ice it up and be good to go."
The third quarter was where Memphis effectively won the game, outscoring Milwaukee 37-15, with Jackson crediting it to "better discipline, a little bit more effort."
He added: "We figured it out and I'm glad we did."
After sealing the second seed in the west for a second season in a row, the Grizzlies will have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
"It's very important," Morant said. "We're a very good team at home, so we obviously want that home-court advantage. Definitely big time for us."
Ederson believes Manchester City can make this their greatest ever season by winning a famous treble.
City can reduce Premier League leaders Arsenal's advantage to five points by beating bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Saturday, with the Gunners taking on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's side then face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
City travel to Bavaria for the second leg on April 19 and face Sheffield United in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley three days later.
Goalkeeper Ederson thinks the Premier League champions have a great chance of getting their hands on all three trophies.
The Brazil international told Sky Sports: "I think for me personally it has been a good season but for the team as well.
"We are still in three competitions and that is really important. We are still capable of winning them all.
"In the Premier League, we are behind Arsenal but with a game in hand and a game against them at home, so we are still in the race. In the Champions League, we have a really difficult game against Bayern Munich, a good team with experience in the competition.
"In the FA Cup, we are facing a Sheffield United team that are having a really good season in the Championship.
"But we are still alive in all those competitions and the team feels in a good way. We started the season really well, had that little dip, but now it feels like we are back to our best, and if we keep that up until the end of the season, I think we have a really good chance in all three competitions."
Anthony Joshua is hoping to carry momentum from his victory over Jermaine Franklin by returning to the ring within the next three months.
Two-time heavyweight champion Joshua ended a two-fight losing streak with last weekend's unanimous points triumph over Franklin at London's O2 Arena.
Joshua went eight months between losing his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia and facing Franklin, but he does not expect the gap to be as long this time around.
"It's been nine months since I was last in the ring and I don't want to leave it that long again," he told BBC's One Show.
"I want to get back in there in the next three months, I'd say, and just kind of get the ball rolling."
Tyson Fury has been touted as the most obvious next opponent for Joshua, who called out his countryman after overcoming Franklin 118-111, 117-111, 117-111.
"I know who the fans want – they said Fury. The ball is in his court," Joshua told DAZN in his in-ring interview.
"I would 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. It would be an honour."
Drawn-out talks between the camps of Joshua and Fury have broken down on multiple occasions in the past.
Joe Joyce and Dillian Whyte have both called out Joshua over the past week, but the 33-year-old is still pondering his next opponent.
"I'm definitely going to be fighting in the next three months. But against who? It's still unknown," he said.
Jurgen Klopp accepts Liverpool's season has not been good enough but insists neither he nor his players are worse than last year.
Liverpool have collected one point from their past three Premier League matches and are down in eighth in the Premier League, 10 points adrift of the top four with leaders Arsenal to come on Sunday.
The Reds not only face missing out on the Champions League places for the first time in seven full seasons under Klopp, they will also finish the campaign trophyless.
It is a far cry from 12 months ago when they had already won the EFL Cup and were in contention for three other trophies, albeit ultimately only adding the FA Cup to their collection.
Klopp, who has regularly bemoaned his side's injury issues this season, is confident Liverpool can come back stronger with some smart recruitment in the transfer window.
"It is one of these moments where it is really not good – I am not native so I can't explain it better in English," he said of his side's season to date.
"You get in this whirlwind and it sucks you in that direction and all of a sudden it's like, 'wow, where are we?'
"I am not a worse manager than last year, definitely not. It doesn't mean the outcome is good enough, not at all. But I'm not worse.
"And the players are not worse players. They just play worse. That's definitely the case. But yes, with smart recruitment we will improve – definitely. That is the plan."
Liverpool have been linked with numerous players, Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham among them, but Klopp is realistic about what is possible in terms of strengthening his squad.
"The difference is whatever we do next year will never be enough from people's point of view and your [the media's] point of view," he said.
"We cannot make 24 changes and say, 'here we go' – not even 10 [changes]. But it is just that we have to make changes, smart changes, and then we go again.
"We have other moments when we think about what happens next year but this is not the moment."
Sunday's opponents Arsenal provide a source of inspiration for Klopp, the Gunners having gone from finishing fifth last season to leading the division this time around.
"I said last week that I hate the fact that I have to rely on what we did in the past," Klopp said. "I couldn't care less what we did in the past, honestly.
"But because we can't ignore the past, it's not like we can't forget it, but if we go through this together we can have a massive benefit next year, not guaranteed but a good chance.
"So it is like it is still hidden somewhere there and we have to let it out again. Next chance for us [to do that] is Arsenal."
LeBron James feels "it is pretty cool" the Los Angeles Lakers will finish with a winning record this season after a dismal start.
The Lakers are not assured of making the playoffs, seventh in the Western Conference and set for the play-in tournament as things stand, but they are 42-39 and will finish above .500.
This comes after the Lakers started 0-5 and then 2-10, records James recalled after Friday's 121-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
"I was just telling AD [Anthony Davis] – I was like, 'man, can you believe that we're going to finish this season above .500? After everything that's gone on this season?'" James said.
"We've turned this thing around. And it's the regular season, obviously – there's a lot more basketball to be played – but to know that we're going to finish a few games above .500? It's pretty cool."
Darvin Ham is in his first year as a head coach and has had to cope without James for 27 games and Davis for 26.
But he is slightly more reluctant to yet reflect on a job well done, adding: "Our work is not done by a long shot.
"It'll be great at some point to think back, but hopefully I'll be thinking about this first year after we're holding the trophy or something.
"In the short form, it's a lot to be proud of. And in the long form, we've got more work to do."
Kyle Walker's future at Manchester City could be in doubt after Pep Guardiola said he "cannot" play the way he wants his full-backs to play.
The 32-year-old has only started two of City's past seven games, with John Stones preferred at right-back.
Guardiola favours a system that sees his full-backs inverted, often coming inside to join the midfield as Stones did to good effect in last week's win over Liverpool.
Speaking ahead of City's Premier League trip to Southampton, the Catalan coach did not sugarcoat the reason why he has left Walker out in recent games.
"[Walker] cannot do it. To play inside, you have to make some educated movements," Guardiola said.
"He has other characteristics. He will always have pace. He will be the fastest in this room at 60 years old."
The City manager added: "The reason why is tactical. It's not because we lost faith in Kyle.
"He can play coming inside, and he has done it many times, but like in the position [against] Liverpool with Rodri and John, he will maybe need time to do it, and we don't have time."
While City have never shied away from moving on players who Guardiola feels no longer suit his team, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss did offer Walker the chance to adapt to try to force his way back into contention.
"What they have to do is two things," he said. "Don't complain or there will be a problem. And try to do it better and better, so when I need them, they will be ready.
"Look at Nathan [Ake] this season. Last season, he didn't play one minute, and now he is undroppable. It happens.
"Nobody has a guarantee with me. They have to earn it, and sometimes we need a different shape for the way we build up or defend. Some players adapt better than the other ones.
"They take it personally, but we are not against them. We just need something and try to use it."
If the Golden State Warriors stay healthy, Klay Thompson sees a clear path to another title this year.
With a single game of the regular season remaining, the defending champion Warriors have not yet booked their playoff spot – in large part due to the key absences they have had this year.
Stephen Curry has been restricted to 55 games so far, while Andrew Wiggins will not add to his 37 games before the postseason, although he is then expected back.
Still, the Warriors have their destiny in their hands: they will avoid the play-in tournament by winning at the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
That is due to an impressive 119-97 victory at the Sacramento Kings on Friday, only their 10th road win of the year.
It is not a record that suggests the Warriors will be among the leading contenders in the playoffs, but Thompson is expecting improvement in the coming weeks.
"It always feels great to win," he said after making five threes and scoring 29 points. "I think it'll click even more when Andrew's in the lineup, because he's such an important player to what we do.
"We still have another level to reach, so I think we should just keep staying humble and working hard, and we'll get there. I know we will."
Health is a key factor, but it is not the only one; the Warriors rank third in scoring (118.5 points per game) but 22nd in defense (117.3 points).
"I always say we have to value the ball more, take great shots and communicate on defense," added Thompson.
"Do those three things, and I don't see a team who can beat us in a seven-game series when we're healthy. If we do those three things going forward, I think we'll be in a great position to repeat."
Thompson's fitness at least has not been a concern this year.
He missed two and a half years through injury before returning for last season's title run, and he is back to somewhere near his best in 2022-23, scoring 21.9 points per game and leading the NBA in made threes (295).
"I've played a full season. I've missed like 13 games or whatever, but to play in almost 70 games is a huge milestone for me," Thompson said.
"To shake off the early season rust and have the shooting year I did is even more impressive.
"I give myself a pat on the back for those years of so much hard work when nobody was watching. Those were really tough times for me, and I persevered and still am hungry to be even greater than I was."
Next, though, focus turns to a must-win game in Portland, where the Warriors are 2-7 since 2017-18 – their fourth-worst road record against any opponent in that span.
Thompson added: "Anything can happen in this league, but we've got to go up there and just take care of business and play with that Warriors brand of basketball that's made us the dynasty we are."
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson produced a vintage performance to carry the Golden State Warriors to a 119-97 road victory against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
One of the few teams still with plenty to play for in the final games, the Warriors needed a win to avoid falling into the play-in tournament placings, as they would get leapfrogged by the 42-39 New Orleans Pelicans if they finish with an equal record.
But with Kings stars Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox both out resting – with Sacramento (48-33) locked into the Western Conference's third seed – the Warriors took full advantage.
In a terrific defensive outing, Golden State did not allow a single Sacramento starter to score more than Harrison Barnes' 13 points, while Curry and Thompson combined for 54 points and shot eight-of-15 from three-point range.
Thompson top-scored with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting (five-of-eight from deep), while Curry chipped in 25 (eight-of-14 shooting, three-of-seven from deep), seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
Donte DiVincenzo continued to excel when given an opportunity, with the 26-year-old backup guard putting together 18 points (seven-of-10 shooting), nine assists and six rebounds.
He vastly outplayed fellow rotation guard and sixth man Jordan Poole, who shot a poor zero-of-10 from the floor, and the two will likely be competing for minutes in the playoffs.
The victory means the Warriors can secure their spot in the playoffs by finishing the season with a win against the tanking Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, avoiding the play-in tournament in the process.
Reaves, Beasley lead important Lakers win
The Los Angeles Lakers (42-39) are only a half-game behind local rivals the Los Angeles Clippers (42-38) after a crucial 121-107 triumph at home against the undermanned Phoenix Suns.
With Phoenix resting Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, the full-strength Lakers made sure to capitalise, although it was neck-and-neck until the fourth quarter.
Both LeBron James (six-of-19 from the field) and Anthony Davis (four-of-12) had poor shooting nights, combining for just 30 points, but role players Austin Reaves and Malik Beasley came to the rescue.
Reaves was arguably the Lakers' best player, scoring 22 points on nine-of-13 shooting with five assists, while Beasley came off the bench to hit seven-of-14 shots, including four-of-10 from long range for 21 important points.
The Lakers will finish their regular season at home against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, and they can steal the sixth seed if the Clippers lose their final two games against Portland and Phoenix.
76ers ruin Trae's big night
Trae Young put up a ridiculous stat line of 27 points and 20 assists, but it was not enough as his Atlanta Hawks went down 136-131 to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.
Young's 20 assists broke his previous career-high by two, and he shot an efficient seven-of-14 from the field, but his nine turnovers were costly. It is the eighth time in Young's career he has committed at least nine turnovers in a game.
While the Hawks were at full strength, the 76ers rode a career-high 16 assists from bench guard Shake Milton in a rare start, with stars Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey out of action.
Jalen McDaniels enjoyed his best game in a Philly jersey with 24 points (eight-of-17 shooting), 11 rebounds and three steals, and Georges Niang also added 24 points (nine-of-13) in a starting role.
Pittsburgh Pirates left-fielder Bryan Reynolds showed why he is one of the hottest hitters in baseball as he batted in six runs during his side's 13-9 home win against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Reynolds came into the game batting .417 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.444. He improved both those figures against Chicago as he went three-for-five at the plate with a single, a triple and a home run.
The 28-year-old had four home runs in his first six games this campaign, and he connected on his league-leading fifth with a three-run shot in the fourth inning. His triple came an inning later, when he also came around to score on the hit after a fielding error.
With his performance, Reynolds improved his batting average to .448 (fourth-best in the majors) and his OPS to 1.572 (third-highest).
It was part of an action-packed contest where the two teams combined for 30 hits, including six home runs.
Exciting 25-year-old White Sox center-fielder Luis Robert Jr blasted two homers – doubling his tally for the season – while going three-for-five with five RBIs.
Pittsburgh right-fielder Connor Joe was the one of two players to record four hits, with three doubles and a single, and he was joined by Chicago lead-off hitter Tim Anderson (four-for-five with two doubles and four runs).
The win improves the Pirates' record to 5-2 as they seek their first playoff berth since 2015.
Trout blasts his first pitch at Angel Stadium this season
Mike Trout could not have made a better start to the Los Angeles Angels' home opener as he crushed the very first pitch he saw for a home run.
The Angels went on to lose to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 thanks to a big three-run homer from Bo Bichette in the seventh inning, but Los Angeles' three-time AL MVP still gave the home fans something to cheer for.
After Taylor Ward was issued a lead-off walk in the first inning, Trout stepped up second and sent a first-pitch fastball 441 feet over the wall at left-center. It was Trout's second homer of the season, and he is slashing .348/.531/.696 in a hot start.
Rays remain MLB's only unbeaten team
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 9-5 to extend their perfect start to the season to 7-0.
After back-to-back series sweeps against the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals to open their campaign, the Rays made a winning start against Oakland thanks to more power hitting.
Tampa Bay hit five home runs in the contest, highlighted by an Isaac Paredes grand slam in the second inning. Harold Ramirez (second inning), Manuel Margot (third inning), Christian Bethancourt (third inning) and Wander Franco (eighth inning) also sent a ball each over the fence.
The Dallas Mavericks entered play Friday facing a must-win game to stay in contention for a play-in spot, but decided as an organisation to give up on their playoff dreams this season.
Facing elimination, the Mavericks decided to sit All-Star Kyrie Irving and four other regulars against the Chicago Bulls in a game with draft implications. They ended up going down 115-112 in a game where superstar Luka Doncic only played the first quarter before sitting out the rest of the way.
Dallas needed to win their final two regular-season games and have the Oklahoma City Thunder lose to the Memphis Grizzlies in their final game for the Mavericks to get the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Despite being alive for the playoffs, the Mavs chose to instead prioritise their potential assets in June's NBA Draft. They had traded their 2023 first-round pick to the New York Knicks back in 2019 as part of the package for Kristaps Porzingis, and placed a top-10 protection on the pick.
It means if their pick this year lands in the top 10, Dallas will get to keep the pick, but if it is 11th or lower it will get sent to New York.
The decision to punt on the rest of this season boils down to the fact that the Mavericks were tied with the Bulls for the 10th-worst record in the NBA at 38-42, but with Friday's loss they greatly improved their chances of landing in the top 10.
Speaking to the media prior to the game, head coach Jason Kidd emphasised that this was not a decision by himself or the players.
"We were fighting for our lives, and understanding this is a situation we're in," he said. "But the organisation has made the decision to change [course].
"So, you know, we have to go by that and that's something that happens. So the guys that are playing, we got to go out there and put our best foot forward, and we talked about that this afternoon.”
When asked if he agreed with the decision, Kidd said: "Those are my bosses – so yes."
Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals last season and appeared primed to make another deep run after pulling off a blockbuster trade for Irving in February, but the team has wilted down the stretch.
The Mavs are just 5-11 when Irving and Doncic play together, and the team are 9-16 since Irving’s debut.
Despite giving their best effort to lose, Dallas led Chicago 91-85 after three quarters as the Bulls rested Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Beverley, having already locked up the East's 10th seed.
The stage is set for a star-studded final weekend at the Charleston Open as top four seeds Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic all advanced to the semi-finals on Friday.
It is the first time since the 2012 Stuttgart Open that all four top seeds reached the final four in a WTA 500 event.
Pegula, the top overall seed and the only remaining American, used her commanding serving game to overwhelm 12th seed Paula Badosa 6-3 7-6 (8-6).
She ended up winning 80 per cent of her accurate first serves – compared to 57 per cent for Badosa – and it resulted in the Spaniard producing just one break point opportunity in the match, which she could not take.
Pegula will meet fourth seed and Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic next after her relatively comfortable 6-3 6-3 triumph against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Switzerland's Bencic needed just 80 minutes to get the job done, creating 12 break point chances compared to Alexandrova's two, while winning the first three games of each set.
After coming into the tournament without consecutive wins since early January, reigning Wimbledon and US Open finalist Ons Jabeur looked back to her best in a dominant 6-0 4-1 (retired) drubbing of Anna Kalinskaya.
Jabeur is yet to lose a set in Charleston, and she will try to keep that the case when she faces Daria Kasatkina in her semi-final.
Kasatkina earned her spot in the final four with Friday's only three-setter, emerging victorious 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-2 against Madison Keys in just over two and a half hours.
Only one match was able to be completed on Friday at the Houston Open as organisers announced they would try to protect the playing surface for a busy weekend of action.
It was the third day in a row that has been washed out due to persistent rain, but after completing their first set on Wednesday, and their second set on Thursday, Max Purcell was allowed to finish off his 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Daniel Altmaier.
It was the final first-round matchup yet to conclude, although there is still a second round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final to schedule in limited time before the ATP Tour rolls on.
The tournament's top seed, Frances Tiafoe, is yet to play a match yet after receiving a first-round bye, and it is the same case for second seed Tommy Paul.
In a statement, tournament director Bronwyn Greer said: "We want to ensure that our courts are in the best possible condition to complete our tournament this weekend, and with that in mind we have decided to forgo play today with the exception of that first-round match that is deep into the third set."
Friday at Augusta National Golf Club was the Brooks Koepka show as the four-time major champion raced out to a three-stroke lead heading into the weekend at the Masters.
Koepka, who opened his week with a seven-under 65 to grab a share of the lead through 18 holes, followed it with a five-under 67 as part of the lucky morning wave who were able to get their rounds in before the harsh weather arrived.
After eight birdies and one bogey on Thursday, Koepka put together a bogey-free round with three birdies and an eagle as he continued his momentum from last week's victory at LIV Golf Orlando.
Jon Rahm was not so lucky to avoid the strong winds and rain arriving later in the day, but he handled it as well as anyone. He started his second round with seven consecutive pars, before birdieing the eighth and ninth to move to nine under right before his round was cut short.
The winds were blowing in with such force that multiple large trees were blown down in spectator areas, but luckily there were reported no injuries.
One further back from Rahm in outright third is 23-year-old amateur Sam Bennett, shooting his second 68 in a row as he bounced back from his first bogey of the week on the fourth hole to go four-under through his final 14.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa and top-10 talent Viktor Hovland (through 10 holes) are tied for fourth at six under, and while Jordan Spieth and Jason Day are still in the hunt at five under, Day will feel he let a golden opportunity slip.
Through 14 holes, Day was in outright second at nine under, but he finished with a double-bogey on 15, a bogey on 16 and another bogey on 18 to slip into a tie for sixth, seven shots off the pace.
In more strong representation from the LIV Golf players, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Joaquinn Niemann are all in the tie for 10th at four under.
Shot of the day
Cameron Smith started his second round with three bogeys from his first seven holes, but his last hole before play was cancelled was one to remember.
On the par-five eighth, Smith found the bunker with his tee shot, but instead of laying up he opted for the aggressive route and hit his fairway wood, trickling its way onto the side of the green and feeding back towards the hole to set up an eagle.
A little birdie told me…
Rookie Bennett made it to the end of his round in solo second at eight under, and if Rahm slips up, Bennett could become the first amateur since 1958 to hold solo second heading into the weekend.
In fact, his score is the second-best 36-hole mark by an amateur at Augusta, bettered only by Ken Venturi in 1956 (nine under), and they are the only amateurs to ever reach the weekend here with a figure better than three under.
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