Pep Guardiola has confirmed Erling Haaland will be fit to return for Manchester City at Southampton on Saturday.

The prolific striker missed a 4-1 Premier League thrashing of Liverpool last weekend due to a groin injury but was back in training this week.

City boss Guardiola on Friday revealed Haaland, who has scored a staggering 42 goals in his first season at the club, will be available to lead the line when second-placed City face bottom-of-the-table Saints at St Mary's.

The Catalan said: "He's been training really good the past two days; he will be ready."

City have won seven games in a row in all competitions and can reduce Arsenal's lead at the top of the league table to five points with another victory on the south coast, with the Gunners taking on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

The champions have scored 17 goals in their past three games as they challenge for more trophies.

Southampton beat City 2-0 at home in the EFL Cup three months ago, though, and Guardiola expects another tough battle.

"The patterns are quite clear," he said. "Every team is playing for something: a fight for the Premier League and a fight to be in the Premier League.

"Every game has its own characteristic, and you have to be ready. Southampton have always been so tough there. The game we made it to 100 points [in 2018] they were much better than us; we've drawn before.

"It's tough, and I have a feeling tomorrow won't be an exception."

Meanwhile, Guardiola does not believe playing before Arsenal is an advantage for his side.

Asked if that might benefit City, he said: "I don't think so. When we had a title race with Liverpool, we sometimes played before, sometimes later. We have to win our games."

Christophe Galtier described Paris Saint-Germain's form as "unacceptable" as the champions look to prevent their lead atop Ligue 1 from being trimmed again.

After losing their last two games at home to Rennes and Lyon, PSG sit just six points ahead of second-place Lens, having already been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.

Ahead of a trip to his former side Nice, who have not lost since early January, Galtier has made his feelings clear to PSG's star-studded squad.

"We have prepared well for Nice," he said at a press conference. "I spoke to my players the day after the [Lyon] game and I asked them to be more committed and show more personality.

"We also need to be more respectful of instructions during games. That relates to our setup and commitment, which were not enough."

He added: "We know we need to do more, and I mean everyone, including me. We need to do much more. We need to play better football and show more personality.

"We also need to be proud because at PSG, we need to perform well in every game, and the current situation is unacceptable... When the players are on the same page and are fully committed throughout the game, we know we can perform very well."

Having only lost four games in the whole of 2022, PSG have already been beaten eight times in 2023, leaving Galtier's future shrouded in doubt.

But the 56-year-old insists he is not feeling the pressure.

"Of course, when we lose, and that was the eighth one and it was a significant one, it is not about pressure," he said. "It is about analysing that moment and getting the analysis right so that there are no excuses.

"As to whether I feel comfortable, I do. But we need to get out of this spiral and put some wins together. We are after our 11th league title and this is what I said to the players as well. We have a six-point lead which may seem like a lot, but it can change quickly in football."

Galtier also drew a line under Kylian Mbappe's unhappy reaction to being used by the club in a promotional video for season ticket renewals without his knowledge.

"It is very difficult for me to talk about that," he said. "Kylian Mbappe has a relationship with the club and this morning he was very smiley and committed as always.

"He also has had a small hip problem, but that will not affect him playing on Saturday against Nice.

"Everyone has their own way of reacting. Kylian has been talking to the board and if we call that an incident, maybe there has been a misunderstanding, which has now been put to bed."

Ferrari have lodged an appeal against Carlos Sainz's five-second penalty for his collision with Fernando Alonso during the Australian Grand Prix last Sunday.

Sainz was demoted from fourth to 12th place after the Spaniard was sanctioned for making contact with his compatriot's Aston Martin following a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart.

There were another two crashes prior to a red flag being waved for a third time at Albert Park.

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a collision, while Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries but none of those four drivers were penalised.

Sainz was not impressed with the punishment imposed on him and Scuderia team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed the team have challenged the decision to hit the 28-year-old with a penalty that left him out of the points.

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a heavy collision, while William's Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries.

Vasseur said: "We did the petition for review of the case, we sent it to the FIA.

"As we are discussing with the FIA, I don't want to disclose any details of this discussion."

He added: "The only thing is that about Gasly-Ocon, also Sargeant-De Vries turn one, and the reaction of the stewards was not the same.

"What we can expect is to at least have an open discussion with them.

"Also for the good of the sport, to avoid to have this kind of decision when you have three cases at the same corner and not the same decision."

Carlo Ancelotti feels coaching Barcelona is "not an option" due to his loyalties to Real Madrid, who he labelled the "best club in the world."

Ancelotti has won a LaLiga title and a pair of Champions League trophies with Madrid across two spells, though there are rumours his time at the club could be coming to an end, with Brazil and Chelsea said to be keen on the 63-year-old.

Despite all the talk of the next destination in Ancelotti's hugely successful managerial career, he ruled out ever joining Madrid's Clasico rivals.

"For me, coaching Barcelona is impossible," Ancelotti told reporters at his pre-match press conference ahead of Madrid's LaLiga meeting with Villarreal on Saturday. 

"After 1,272 games [as a coach], I don't have to prove anything.

"I wouldn't change myself. You have to respect my personal history and that of the clubs.

"I won't change myself for anyone because I feel very comfortable here, where the people love me a lot. It's the best club in the world.

"I am loved and I feel secure, so there is no reason for me to change Real Madrid for Barcelona."

Ancelotti's side thumped Barca 4-0 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at Camp Nou on Wednesday to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and confirm their place in the final against Osasuna.

Yet, Madrid lag 12 points behind the Catalan giants in LaLiga and their hopes of retaining the title look all but over.

Ancelotti does not feel his side have been significantly worse than last season, and instead credited Barca for their improvement, saying: "We want to end the season well.

"We only have four less points in the league than this stage last year... Barcelona has many more. We want to continue fighting for the league until the end."

Ancelotti's potential Madrid exit at the end of the season may be one of several major departures at the club, with the contracts of veterans such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema set to expire at the conclusion of this campaign.

The Italian believes the trio will extend their stays, though he remains confident Madrid will continue to enjoy future success even if they do opt to leave.

"I believe they will stay, but the day they stop, something is going to change," Ancelotti added. "[But] we have to look for the club's future along a different line, not the way [they play] with Kroos and Modric.

"We have fantastic youngsters like [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Federico] Valverde, [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Dani] Ceballos, who are going to start an era, different from the others, of course."

It is over a decade since Arsenal won at Anfield in the Premier League, but they will be confident of moving a step closer to winning the title by beating Liverpool on Sunday.

The Gunners head to Merseyside riding on the crest of a wave following seven consecutive top-flight wins.

Manchester City can reduce Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to five points by beating bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Saturday and the champions will be hoping for a favour from the Reds.

Eighth-place Liverpool were held to a drab goalless draw at Chelsea after losing three games in a row and they are in desperate need of points to have any chance of securing a European spot.

The Reds have not lost at home to Arsenal in the top flight since a 2-0 defeat in September 2012 and have won their past six Premier League games against the London club in their own backyard.

Stats Perform use Opta data to preview another huge match for Mikel Arteta's side in the title race.

Reds in need of more home comforts

While this has been a season to forget for Liverpool, their struggles have not been due to their home form.

Jurgen Klopp's side have only been beaten once at Anfield in the top flight and won five of their past six Premier League home games.

They demolished Manchester United 7-0 in their last home match and have gone seven hours and 26 minutes without conceding a goal in the Premier League at Anfield since Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's strike for Leicester City in December.

Klopp is looking to win seven in a row against the same opponent in his top-flight managerial career for the first time since doing so against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund (2009-15).

The last manager to win seven consecutive home top-flight games against Arsenal was John Nicholson between 1921 and 1928 with Sheffield United.

Ramsdale can match Cech and Ederson

Arsenal have only conceded nine goals on their travels in the Premier League this season.

Aaron Ramsdale has kept nine clean sheets away from home in a brilliant campaign that could finish with the Gunners ending such a long wait to be crowned champions.

Petr Cech (11 in 2004-05, 10 in 2008-09) and Ederson (11 in 2018-19, 10 in 2021-22) are the only goalkeepers to have recorded at least 10 shutouts on the road in a Premier League season.

Ramsdale is just one away from joining a very exclusive club.

Salah back with a bang?

Mohamed Salah was restricted to a substitute appearance in the stalemate at Stamford Bridge this week, but the forward should be back in the side to take on the leaders.

Salah has been involved in 105 Premier League goals in 105 appearances at Anfield for the Reds (74 goals, 31 assists).

The Egypt star is looking to score in four consecutive home top-flight appearances for the first time since a six-game run between January and June 2020.

He also boasts a record that suggests he enjoys facing Arsenal, having had a hand in seven goals in five appearances against the Gunners at Anfield (5 goals, 2 assists).

Trossard to torment Reds again? 

Leandro Trossard scored a hat-trick for Brighton and Hove Albion in a 3-3 draw at Liverpool back in October.

Only two players have scored at Anfield for two different sides in the same Premier League season: Dean Saunders in 1992-93 (Liverpool, Aston Villa) and Robbie Keane in 2008-09 (Liverpool, Tottenham).

No player has found the back of the net at Liverpool's home for two different away sides in a single campaign.

Paris Saint-Germain will be without Marco Verratti for Saturday's trip to Nice due to a hamstring injury.

The Italy international was notably absent during Friday's training session, which was being watched closely by president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and football advisor Luis Campos.

PSG subsequently confirmed Verratti has been struggling with a hamstring strain that required him to stay inside for treatment.

While the club did not give much of an outline about the injury's severity, they did state more information will be provided early next week.

As such, Verratti will seemingly be unable to feature for Christophe Galtier on Saturday as PSG look to end a slump against the coach's former employers.

Defending champions PSG have lost each of their past two Ligue 1 games, suffering successive top-flight defeats for the first time since September 2020.

Nice have not been in the finest of form themselves, drawing their previous four league outings, meaning PSG will likely be confident of avoiding losing three in a row in Ligue 1 for the first time in 13 years.

You have to go back another three years to the last time PSG failed to score in three consecutive Ligue 1 games (four), with Rennes and Lyon shutting the Parisians out either side of the March international break.

PSG remain at the top of Ligue 1, but the recent blip has seen their lead cut to just six points ahead of Lens, their next opponents after the trip to Nice.

Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel urged his players to retain a positive mindset ahead of a crucial run of fixtures in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Following a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Freiburg in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday, Bayern travel to face the same opponents in the league on Saturday before going up against Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Tuchel repeatedly mentioned a need to be "positive" despite the cup setback.

"We need to continue with a positive approach, we can be angry but still be positive," he said, later adding: "We need a reaction, but we would have needed one even if we won.

"People don't want to hear it but there were positive things in [the Freiburg] game... Things can happen where the result is probably not right after a game like this but we have to accept it.

"We are lacking a bit of precision in the last pass, a bit of trust, cohesion, creativity. We need form and that will only come back if we remain positive, even though we were unhappy with the result."

On the reaction of his players following the loss to a 95th-minute Lucas Holer penalty at the Allianz Arena, Tuchel added: "They are very critical of themselves. I was telling them the same thing I have told you, that we just have to accept it, that the coach is talking about positive things about the game even though no-one wants to talk about it.

"We can have a bad mood for a couple of days but that doesn't help anyone, you need a positive mindset to move forward."

Tuchel confirmed the Freiburg game will come too early for injured pair Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Mathys Tel, while Dayot Upamecano misses out through suspension.

When asked who can play as the striker in Choupo-Moting's absence, he said: "Mathys Tel can play as a nine, that was his answer when I asked him his position, but he is injured.

"Sadio Mane and Serge Gnabry can play there as well, they will be my players of choice."

The former Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea boss was not keen to look beyond Saturday to Tuesday's trip to Manchester, but he acknowledged he cannot use Freiburg as preparation given the difference in approach.

"I don't believe that we can practice the things we need against Man City, Freiburg play a completely different way," he said.

Liverpool are close to welcoming back Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz from injury, but manager Jurgen Klopp will remain "calm" when selecting his side to face Arsenal.

The Reds host Premier League leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday desperately attempting to keep their season alive after collecting one point from their past three games.

Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Chelsea ended a two-game losing run, but it leaves Liverpool 10 points adrift of Newcastle United and Manchester United in third and fourth respectively.

Klopp surprisingly made six changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk dropping out.

Van Dijk's absence was put down to illness, which Klopp confirmed at Friday's press conference he has now recovered from, while two other key men are now back in training.

Diaz has not played for Liverpool since the reverse fixture with Arsenal in October, while Thiago is further ahead in his recovery after spending two months out with a hip injury.

"Virgil is back in training. Luis and Thiago are training," Klopp told reporters. "The plan with Luis is he will be available 100 per cent for Leeds [a week on Monday]. 

"It was a long injury, so we will have to be careful. We will probably not involve him on Sunday. Thiago is slightly different. He's trained three times and might be available."

Asked if those left out against Chelsea are in contention to start against Arsenal, Klopp said: "We've had one proper [training] session since then.

"The boys haven't shown me they don't want to play. This is not the situation we are in. I have to make decisions about the team based on what I have seen in training.

"That opens the door for everybody. I cannot constantly ask for something I didn't get. I am always really calm in this moment. In the end, we will see what the outcome is."

While Liverpool have struggled for consistency, they have won five of their past six matches at Anfield, drawing the other, including the last three by an 11-0 aggregate scoreline.

Indeed, the Reds have not conceded a goal on home soil in seven hours and 26 minutes of league football stretching back to December.

"Anfield is not the only thing we should rely on, but it is no secret that the combination of our people, the ground and the boys is pretty good," Klopp said. 

"That is what we have to throw in, but not rely on it. I have a very good feeling we can [beat Arsenal]."

Arsenal are 29 points better off than Liverpool, having played a game more, and are seeking their first league double in this fixture since the 2009-10 campaign.

However, Liverpool have won their past six home Premier League games against Arsenal, scoring at least three times in each game (22 goals in total).

Klopp has been impressed by the work of opposite number Mikel Arteta, but he remains hopeful his side can put on a show for their supporters at Anfield on Sunday.

"I know people ask for more time for managers, and I think Mikel deserved every minute when it wasn't going well, because they are there now," Klopp said.

"Arsenal made good transfers and are now pretty stable. They brought in super important players but not too many.

"Mikel has been building for a few years now and the outcome is pretty impressive. I don't know exactly what you can say about us at the moment, so that shows the situation. 

"It's still Anfield, we're at home, and we must show a reaction, an improvement. We have to help the boys with different things. In a home game, the crowd can be a massive boost."

Klopp is looking to win seven home league games in a row against an opponent for the first time since doing so against Werder Bremen with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

The New Orleans Pelicans are still unable to give a timeline for Zion Williamson's return from injury with the playoffs fast approaching.

Williamson has not played for the Pelicans since injuring his right hamstring against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2.

The 22-year-old withdrew from February's All-Star game after failing to recover from the injury, before then aggravating the damage to prolong his time on the sidelines.

Providing another update-of-sorts on Williamson on Thursday, Pelicans vice-president of basketball operations David Griffin confirmed there is still no return date set, even with the team having now clinched a play-in berth.

"After further evaluation, it has been determined that Zion Williamson will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen," Griffin said. 

"We will continue to monitor his progression and updates will be provided as warranted."

Injury-plagued Williamson has struggled to remain fit since being taken with the first overall pick by New Orleans in 2019, missing the entire 2021-22 season with a broken foot.

He has played just 29 times this season, averaging 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Barring a late rally, the Pelicans will have to go through next week's play-in tournament to make the postseason, which begins on April 15.

The Seattle Kraken revelled in their "leap" into the Stanley Cup playoffs after clinching a wild card berth on Thursday.

Seattle are in just their second season in the NHL, having fallen 37 points short of the postseason with the second-worst record in the Western Conference in their expansion year.

However, the Kraken's 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes – the only team to finish below them in 2021-22 – made sure they will not miss out this time.

In the existing format, only the Vegas Golden Knights have made the playoffs quicker, doing so in their first year in the league and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

That was one of two Finals runs in the Golden Knights' first three seasons, but they had only 43 wins in their second season – a mark the Kraken passed on Thursday.

Indeed, Seattle's 44 wins are the most by any second-year team in NHL history, further evidence of their rapid progress.

"You look at the leap that we've made and it's special," said winger Jordan Eberle. "We've got a special group in here."

Kraken coach Dave Hakstol added: "The group in here earned it. They earned it from day one and all the way through tonight, finishing off the two points tonight that solidifies it for us.

"That speaks to everybody about the character and the work ethic in the dressing room."

Rory McIlroy was frustrated by an "untidy" opening round to the Masters but is hopeful his chances of landing the title for the first time are not over just yet.

The world number two, whose best finish at the tournament was as runner-up last year, is left playing catch up after an even-par 72 on day one at Augusta National.

McIlroy carded five birdies, but he double-bogeyed the seventh and dropped shots at three further holes to leave himself in a tie for 37th.

Despite being seven shots behind overnight leaders Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland, McIlroy is focused on dragging himself into contention on Friday.

"It felt like a bit of a scramble all day, to be honest," he told Sky Sports when reflecting on his first round.

"I missed a couple of tee shots left and paid the price for that on seven and 17. I was just a little bit untidy in some other areas as well.

"I made enough birdies – it's just about keeping mistakes off the card. I salvaged an even-par round and there's still 54 holes of golf left – a lot of things can happen.

"I didn't feel like I was too far away today. I'm probably two or three shots behind how I'd like to be, but nothing that's insurmountable.

"I've got a quick turnaround overnight, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the course pretty quickly and obviously trying to get myself back in the thick of things.

"Hopefully we get some decent conditions in the morning and I can shoot something in the mid-60s and get myself back in the tournament."

Reigning champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler carded a four-under 68 on Thursday and is three shots off the lead.

Scheffler, who made an eagle on the second hole and dropped just one shot, did not feel any additional pressure entering the opening major of the year as defending champion.

"I didn't think about it really at all today," he said. "The only reason I would think of being the defending champion is because I was playing with [amateur] Sam Bennett.

"Just because I'm defending doesn't mean I start under par. Starting at even, it was just about going out there and getting settled into the round, which I did a good job of.

"I got a lot of looks early, made some nice par putts there on six and seven, but didn't see much go in the rest of the day. But four under is a solid start to the week."

Following the two-week international break and then a double gameweek, the Premier League fixture schedule returns to normal this weekend with 10 fixtures across two days.

That is not to say there are not still some huge selection decisions to make when it comes to picking your fantasy side in what is now very much the business end of the campaign.

Some players are quite simply undroppable at this stage, while others look good value for those willing to take a gamble and make up some points.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four players – one for each position – that look good value to help your side this weekend.

Emi Martinez (Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest)

Villa conceded against Leicester City last time out, but they have kept six Premier League clean sheets in 2023, with that tally bettered only by – surprisingly – Liverpool (seven).

Martinez has been in goal for five of those games, the Argentina international bringing the form he showed at the World Cup with him back to Villa Park.

He has made 38 saves this calendar year and has prevented 2.02 goals – only three goalkeepers have fared better – and is up against a low-scoring Forest side this weekend.

Timothy Castagne (Leicester City v Bournemouth)

Leicester are enduring a poor campaign and have struggled badly to keep clean sheets, doing so just six times all season in the Premier League.

Right-back Castagne has masked defensive inadequacies with some solid attacking play, however, with only three other defenders being involved in more goals this term (four).

In fact, of the defenders to have created at least 15 chances, only Trent Alexander-Arnold (33 per cent) has a higher proportion that are big chances than Castagne (31 per cent).

Kaoru Mitoma (Tottenham v Brighton and Hove Albion)

Brighton attacker Mitoma is not quite the unknown figure he was a few months back, with more and more flocking to put him in their team as the weeks go by.

The Japan international is the first Brighton player to register a goal involvement in five successive Premier League games, with that the longest ongoing run in the competition.

All 11 of his goal involvements this season have come since his first start on October 29 – only four midfielders have been involved in more during that period.

Gabriel Jesus (Liverpool v Arsenal)

Having slowly built up his fitness since returning from a three-month lay-off, Jesus marked his first start in the win over Leeds United with two goals.

The Brazil international, whose most recent start at club level prior to that was against Wolves in November, now has seven goals and five assists in 17 league games this term.

Jesus tends to perform well against next opponents Liverpool, too, as only against three other sides has he been directly involved in more goals than he has versus the Reds (six).