Chris Richards says Crystal Palace could compete with anyone when they are at the "top of their game" ahead of their trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Palace have won just once in the league this season, a 1-0 home victory against Tottenham, and are yet to win on the road in the English top-flight, drawing two and losing three. However, they did beat the Villans 2-1 at Villa Park in the EFL Cup round of 16 at the end of October.
Richards acknowledged Palace's poor start to the campaign but remains confident in their ability to go toe-to-toe against anyone they face.
"[Oliver Glasner] told us from the jump that there was no reason we shouldn't be in a higher spot in the table, no reason why we should lose to any team," Richards told the club's in-house media.
"We could play a team winning the league – even when we played Manchester City, we were winning.
"City are City, and we lost the game, but it shows that while we were at the top of our game, we could play with any team in the league."
Meanwhile, after an impressive start to the season, Villa faltered slightly before the international break, going on a five-match winless run in all competitions, and losing the last three.
Morgan Rogers, who recently signed a new long-term extension with the club, has been a bright spark for Villa this term, netting three goals and registering two assists in the league, and he believes his form is helped by the faith shown in him by Unai Emery.
"I think any player would say that trust from a manager is the most important thing, and he gave me that from day one," he said.
"He threw me in the deep end when people were injured last season and gave me a chance to shine and develop and to become the person I am now.
"He's the perfect person for me. He demands and pushes me every day, and so do the players. I've got players around me that push me every day to improve and get better."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aston Villa – Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez has the fourth-lowest save percentage in the Premier League this season (60.5%, minimum two games).
Only Alphonse Areola (-3.6) and Jose Sa (-2.9) have conceded more goals than expected according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model than the current Yashin Trophy holder (-2.2).
Crystal Palace – Jean-Philippe Mateta
Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored more Premier League goals (four) and recorded his joint-most assists (two) in the competition against Aston Villa than any other opponent.
The Frenchman was directly involved in four of the Eagles' five goals in their 5-0 win over the Villans on the final day of last season (three goals, one assist).
MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN
Villa have lost just one of their 12 Premier League home games against Palace (W7 D4), never conceding more than once in any of these 12 meetings (six goals conceded in total).
The away side has won just three of the 24 Premier League meetings between Villa and Palace (D6 L15), with the Eagles' only victory at Villa Park coming in December 2013 (1-0).
However, Villa have lost both of their last two Premier League games and could lose three in a row in the competition for just the second time under manager Unai Emery, also doing so in February 2023.
Meanwhile, Palace have registered just seven points from their opening 11 league games this season (W1 D4 L6), only picking up fewer points at this stage of a Premier League campaign in 2013-14 (four) and 2017-18 (four).
A repeat of their last meeting would be a welcome sight for Oliver Glasner though. Following their 5-0 win against Villa on the final day of last season's Premier League, Palace are looking to win consecutive league meetings with the Villans for the first time since a run of three between 2005 and 2014.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Aston Villa – 57.2%
Draw – 22.3%
Crystal Palace – 20.5%
Kevin Durant wants to be with the Phoenix Suns and is expected to sign a contract extension, according to franchise owner Mat Ishbia.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP and four-time Olympic gold medallist, who joined the Suns in February 2023, is under contract at Footprint Center through the 2025-26 season.
Durant made a strong start to his 18th NBA season - averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 53.3% shooting and 42.9% from three-point range - though he is currently sidelined with a calf strain.
And Ishbia expects the 36-year-old to retire as a Sun, with both parties set to pursue a two-year, $120 million maximum extension following the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign.
"[Durant] loves being in Phoenix, we love having him," the Suns owner told ESPN.
"He's off to an amazing start this season, and we're off to a very good start. We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long term. We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix.
"You can't sign a two-year extension this last summer, you can't do it based on the NBA rules. So, we figured after the season, we'd talk about it, take care of it.
"Kevin wants to be here, we want Kevin here. There's never been one grumbling of anything different."
Despite a 3-1 loss to England in their recent five-match series, West Indies captain Rovman Powell and Shai Hope were both successful in making moves up the ICC Men’s T20I Rankings.
Hope, who was brought in for the last three games in St Lucia, moved 16 spots up to 21st on 599 rating points, following his half-century in the penultimate contest, and he also looked steady in the last contest before rain had the final say.
Powell, who had three tidy knocks of 43, 54, and 38 in the series, inched one place up to 33 on 575 rating points.
Though slipping three places, Nicholas Pooran remains the best-ranked West Indies batsman (624 rating points) at 12, a position he now shares with Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis and Australia’s Josh Inglis.
Brandon King is the next best Caribbean batsman on the list, though he too slipped three places to 16th on 613 rating points. Johnson Charles (587 rating points), who slipped seven spots to 26th, is the only other West Indies batsman in the top 50.
Meanwhile, India’s Hardik Pandya returned to the top of the T20I All-rounders Rankings after making significant contributions to his team’s successful, 3-1 series triumph over South Africa. It is his second time at the top of this list this year, the first time following India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup victory in the USA and West Indies.
Pandya moved two places to reach the top with 244 rating points, swapping places with England’s Liam Livingstone, who slipped to third place with 230 points, just one point shy of Nepal’s Dipendra Airee, who holds second place with 231 points.
Tilak Varma’s sensational exploits with the bat for India saw him leap 69 slots to the top 10 of the batters list for the first time, taking over third place with 806 points from his skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, who fell one spot to take fourth.
Sanju Samson also made significant gains after his remarkable back-to-back centuries, jumping 17 spaces to 22nd place among the batters.
South Africa’s Marco Jansen shot up 65 spots to reach a career-best 14th position among the all-rounders, with his captain, Aiden Markram, moving up one place to number nine. Their teammate, Tristan Stubbs, continued his rise among the batters, rising three places to 23rd.
The bowlers list saw a lot of movement as well, with Australia’s Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis making significant gains following their three-match series sweep against Pakistan. Zampa rose five slots to third place with 693 points, while Ellis mounted 15 slots to 11th on 628 points.
India’s Arshdeep Singh went up three places to ninth position (656 points), with teammate Axar Patel sailing 10 spots to 13th (632 points), while Pakistan’s Haris Rauf went from 24th to 20th with 601 points. Marco Jansen also featured with a 20-slot jump to 25th place among the bowlers with 576 points.
Warren Gatland has urged Wales to "show real courage and front up" in their final Autumn Nations clash against South Africa.
Gatland's side bring the curtain down on a disappointing year when they welcome the reigning world champions to the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Wales have lost an unprecedented 11 straight Tests, and could go an entire calendar year without tasting success for the first time since 1937.
Gatland has made four changes from last weekend's 52-20 defeat to Australia, with Sam Costelow, Rio Dyer, Christ Tshiunza and Taine Plumtree all coming into the starting XV.
Gareth Anscombe, Aaron Wainwright and Cameron Winnett drop out of the squad, while Adam Beard misses out through injury.
And Gatland wants his players to demonstrate fighting spirit against the Springboks.
"Last week's result hurts, and we are just as disappointed by it as the fans," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference.
"Our focus now is on training and preparing well for our final game of this Autumn Nations Series.
"There were good elements that we can definitely build on going into Saturday, but we have to improve our accuracy.
"We know what a quality side South Africa are and the physicality they bring. This week, we need to show real courage and front up against the world champions."
Carlos Alcaraz says Rafael Nadal's legacy "is going to be eternal" after the 22-time major winner brought the curtain down on his glittering career.
The 14-time French Open champion played his final match on Tuesday, as Spain bowed out of the Davis Cup following defeat by the Netherlands.
Following the conclusion of the tie, Nadal fought back tears as he received a huge ovation from the Malaga crowd.
Alcaraz, who partnered the 37-year-old in the men's doubles at the Paris Olympics, is widely expected to follow in his footsteps, having already landed four major singles titles.
The 21-year-old thinks his compatriot's "legacy is going to be eternal".
"He has been great for tennis, for the sport in general," Alcaraz said. "It is difficult, at least for me, to feel that I should continue the legacy that he has left.
"It is difficult, almost impossible. I will just try to do my best. Right now, it's time to say great things about Rafa."
"There are people who will be remembered for their achievements in life, others until the end of their days, and others eternally," Spain captain David Ferrer told Nadal. "You will be remembered eternally."
LeBron James heaped praise on Dalton Knecht after he tied the NBA's single-game rookie record in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
He scored nine 3-pointers, including going 6-for-6 in the third quarter, while scoring a career-high 37 points in the Lakers' 124-118 win, their sixth on the bounce.
Knecht now shares the record with Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Utah's Keyonte George (2024).
The Lakers' six-game winning streak is their longest since February 2021, while they have also extended their perfect home record this season to 7-0.
James, who had 26 points and 12 assists, had previously said that he was a fan of Knecht, having watched him at Tennessee while he was in college.
"Same s*** I saw last year," said James, when asked about being ahead of the curve in praising Knecht.
"Everybody on the internet called me a liar. So, what am I now?
"I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot. I did not think he would fall to us. I thought it would be impossible."
Knecht was the 17th overall in the 2024 NBA draft, and James brushed off the suggestion that the Lakers 'found' him.
"They [The Lakers] didn't 'find' DK," he added. "The other 16 teams f***** it up. Did anybody watch him? You don't 'find' an SEC player of the year."
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that he is struggling to keep all of his talent happy ahead of their game against Leicester on Saturday.
The Blues' first-team squad page listed 43 players at the start of the season, with 10 players having joined over the summer.
As a result, this has meant limited game time for some of the club's more senior players, such as Joao Felix who is yet to start a Premier League game since joining permanently in summer.
Despite this issue, Chelsea have started the season well and currently sit third after 11 matches, but Maresca feels a tinge of regret at not being able to involve everyone.
"I feel a shame for Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League but we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole [Palmer], Christo [Nkunku]," he said.
"I’d like to put all of them on the pitch but then you need to defend, and you need the right balance.
"I don’t have any doubts that if Joao keeps working well, he will find his moment in the Premier League."
Leicester manager Steve Cooper, meanwhile, will have to pick his team up following a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United prior to the international break. He will have to do so without key player Ricardo Pereira, who is out for four months with a hamstring injury.
"It's a real blow for everybody, and especially him. We'll all be with him now in his recovery," he told BBC Sport.
Having kept just one clean sheet in 11 league games, Cooper is also aware of where his side need to improve.
"We're not going to hide away from the chances and goals we're conceding, and we'll keep showing intent to improve that," he said.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Leicester – Jamie Vardy
Vardy is 37 years old, but tops the scoring charts at Leicester having netted four goals in the Premier League.
He has opened the scoring on one occasion this season and has a conversion rate of 33.33% having scored his goals from 12 shots on goal.
Chelsea – Cole Palmer
Palmer ranks fifth in the Premier League top scorers so far this season, having scored seven goals. He also ranks equal-second for goal involvements, having added five assists alongside his goals.
The Chelsea forward has had at least three shots in five of his last six league games and ranks fourth for total shots in the Premier League with 36.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in their last match before the international break, which left them third in the table and four points behind second-placed Manchester City
That draw means that Chelsea have lost just one of their last 10 league games (W5 D4), which came against league leaders Liverpool in October.
Chelsea have lost just one of their last seven away games against Leicester (W4 D2), winning four of their last five meetings overall.
Leicester are winless in their last 13 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top four of the table (D3 L10). They come into this with three defeats in their last four matches in all competitions (D1).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Leicester – 19%
Draw – 21.6%
Chelsea – 59.5%
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal are still struggling to get key players back to fitness ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Captain Martin Odegaard made his first start since August in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea prior to the international break, having suffered an injury with Norway in September, but his side are struggling elsewhere.
Both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were substituted in the second half of that match with injuries and subsequently pulled out of the England squad.
"We are still missing a lot and some of the guys out there are not in the best condition," Arteta told BBC Sport.
"That is all we are asking, that they are fit and available and in the physical condition to play at this level. We have not had any of that.
"It was patch, after patch, after patch. A lot of players starting and not in the condition to finish games, so that is what I am praying for."
Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, insists his side will take lessons into this weekend from their 3-1 defeat against Newcastle last time out.
"When you lose and win there is always a lesson to be learnt. We must learn an important lesson, we have been punished the way we have been punishing other teams," he said.
Despite the loss, Nottingham Forest are still fifth in the Premier League table after 11 matches, level on points with Arsenal. Nuno himself was also named September's Manager of the Month.
"Even though we lost the game, everyone at Forest should be proud of the players and how we have been working together. OK, let’s go again," he said.
"I’m just proud from day one of the way we have been working as a team."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
No player has supplied more assists in the Premier League than Saka (seven), with Mohamed Salah trailing by one.
The winger has also scored three goals for the Gunners and is one behind Kai Havertz as the club's leading scorer.
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood
Wood is equal-second alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Salah in the Premier League scoring charts with eight goals.
The 32-year-old has opened the scoring on six occasions in the league this season, while he has the best conversion rate (38.1%) of any player to have made more than 10 appearances.
MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal are currently in fourth place, one position above their weekend opponents Nottingham Forest.
They are unbeaten in eight home games in all competitions so far this season (W6 D2), including in their five home games in the league (W3 D2).
The Gunners have won six of their last seven Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, including back-to-back victories last season.
The visitors come into this on the back of a 3-1 defeat at home to Newcastle last time out, which ended a four-match unbeaten run.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Arsenal – 67.1%
Draw – 18.8%
Nottingham Forest – 14.1%
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal are still struggling to get key players back to fitness ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Captain Martin Odegaard made his first start since August in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea prior to the international break, having suffered an injury with Norway in September, but his side are struggling elsewhere.
Both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were substituted in the second half of that match with injuries and subsequently pulled out of the England squad.
"We are still missing a lot and some of the guys out there are not in the best condition," Arteta told BBC Sport.
"That is all we are asking, that they are fit and available and in the physical condition to play at this level. We have not had any of that.
"It was patch after patch, after patch. A lot of players starting and not in the condition to finish games, so that is what I am praying for."
Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, insists his side will take lessons into this weekend from their 3-1 defeat against Newcastle last time out.
"When you lose and win there is always a lesson to be learnt. We must learn an important lesson, we have been punished the way we have been punishing other teams," he said.
Despite the loss, Nottingham Forest are still fifth in the Premier League table after 11 matches, level on points with Arsenal. Nuno himself was also named September's Manager of the Month.
"Even though we lost the game, everyone at Forest should be proud of the players and how we have been working together. OK, let’s go again," he said.
"I’m just proud from day one of the way we have been working as a team."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
No player has supplied more assists in the Premier League than Saka (seven), with Mohamed Salah trailing by one.
The winger has also scored three goals for the Gunners and is one behind Kai Havertz as the club's leading scorer.
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood
Wood is equal-second alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Salah in the Premier League scoring charts with eight goals.
The 32-year-old has opened the scoring on six occasions in the league this season, while he has the best conversion rate (38.1%) of any player to have made more than 10 appearances.
MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal are currently in fourth place, one position above their weekend opponents Nottingham Forest.
They are unbeaten in eight home games in all competitions so far this season (W6 D2), including in their five home games in the league (W3 D2).
The Gunners have won six of their last seven Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, including back-to-back victories last season.
The visitors come into this on the back of a 3-1 defeat at home to Newcastle last time out, which ended a four-match unbeaten run.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Arsenal – 67.1%
Draw – 18.8%
Nottingham Forest – 14.1%
Evan Mobley says the Boston Celtics were a "good test" for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they saw their perfect start to the NBA season ended.
The Cavaliers were 15-0 going into the game, the fourth team in NBA history to open with that record, but a slow start cost them as they lost 120-117 to the defending champions on Tuesday.
Cleveland fought back to cut a 21-point deficit to two in the third quarter, with Donovan Mitchell making it a four-point game with 24 seconds remaining, but they could not snatch a win as Al Horford's late dunk sealed it.
Mobley had 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, and chose to focus on the positives from the defeat, in particular, their response to the half-time deficit.
"I'm happy how we fought back," said Mobley. "That was the main thing that I can be happy about.
"I feel like we didn't start the best. That was the main thing that really shot us in our foot. But overall, I feel like we played a pretty good game.
"I think it was a good test, and from what I saw out there, we could beat anybody."
Mitchell, Cleveland's top scorer with 35 points, added: "[I learned] that it's the group I thought we were.
"It's just a test. This is a big test. Whether you win, lose or draw, it's just a test, and obviously, you want to learn through wins, but we lost tonight.
"But there's a lot we can take away from the good in the second half and a lot we can learn from the first half to get better at."
The Celtics bounced back from a defeat to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA Cup with this result and made it three wins on the trot.
They improved their record to 12-3, though they still sit below the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, and Derrick White says Boston knew a lot was riding on this result.
"Everybody knew that they were undefeated and coming to our building," he said. "And also, it's an NBA Cup game, and we already lost one game.
"So, it was a really big game in that aspect. So, we were all aware [of the excitement around it]."
Former Manchester City defender Danny Mills believes Erling Haaland is an "enigma", which is why it is so hard to leave him out of the side.
Haaland has been a revelation since joining City in July 2023, and he has won the Premier League Golden Boot in both seasons so far, while also scooping up the Premier League Player of the Year award in his debut campaign.
He has scored 105 goals in 114 appearances in all competitions for City, netting 16 times this term already.
Haaland is averaging 1.09 goals per game in the Premier League this season, after making a record-breaking start to the campaign in which he scored 10 times in the opening six matches.
Mills, who played for City between 2004 and 2009, thinks the 24-year-old's high-scoring record comes down to the efficient way he approaches matches.
"Erling Haaland is a bit of an enigma," Mills told Stats Perform. "He's not your usual centre forward.
"We expect our centre forwards to either drop deep, be a bit of a playmaker and create chances, or put on a high press, work the channels, and have lots of touches, closing people down.
"Haaland stands in the middle of the pitch, makes the runs when he needs to, is very efficient, and puts the ball in the back of the net more often than not. He gets himself in good positions.
"We can talk about him missing big chances, but he's also scored an awful lot of goals. That's the thing — a centre forward will always say you're better off being in the position and missing the chance than not being in the position because the goals will come. Everybody misses chances."
Haaland also set the record for most Premier League goals in a single season in 2022-23, with 36, and he once again sits top of the goalscoring charts this term, though he has seen his goals dry up somewhat in recent weeks after his lightning-quick start.
The Norwegian netted his 12th Premier League goal of the campaign in City's 2-1 loss to Brighton before the international break, ending a run of three games in all competitions without a goal.
Nobody has had more shots than Haaland in the English top-flight this season (55), while only Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins (11) has missed more big chances than him (10).
Mills suggested that Haaland is held to a higher standard than other forwards in the competition, but says even when he is not scoring, he offers too much to be left out of the starting line-up.
"When we talk about patchy form for Erling Haaland, patchy form for him is still way better than most other players' form. It's better than 95% of Premier League strikers," Mills added.
"That's why he gets criticised for missing big chances, because we expect him to score every single time. But he's just different.
"I think it's very, very difficult to leave him out because he offers so much. He's so big, strong, powerful, and scores all types of weird and interesting goals at times.
"He occupies three or four defenders because they’re all worried about his pace in behind, his aerial ability, or what he's doing. Leaving him out would be a big, big call.
"It's not like he's going through a drought. An Erling Haaland drought is that he hasn't scored for two games. There are centre forwards all over the world who would love that to be their record, not their drought.
"So, I think we need to have some perspective. Yes, he might miss one or two chances, but he's a massive threat and a fantastic goalscorer."
Julian Nagelsmann insists Germany "can do things better" after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Hungary due to a last-gasp penalty.
Felix Nmecha had given the visitors the lead in the 76th minute, but Dominik Szoboszlai equalised in the 99th minute from a controversially given penalty for an alleged handball by Robin Koch.
Nagelsmann's side had also had a Leroy Sane goal disallowed by VAR before Kai Havertz struck the post moments after coming off the bench.
While the result of the match had no bearing on the standings – Germany had already secured top spot with a game to spare – it did end a three-game winning run.
Germany have now scored in their last 12 matches, including friendlies, but Nagelsmann was still left frustrated by the disjointed nature of their performance in Budapest.
"To be honest, I don't really want to talk about the game. I think we can do things better," he told ZDF.
"We took too long in the first half to get things together, partly especially in the twenty minutes before the break."
On the penalty decision, Nagelsmann said: "I spoke to the referee after the game and asked if he also saw the game against Spain [at the Euros]. I don't think he understood what I said.
"I don't think it was a penalty at all. [Robin] Koch turns away from the shot and draws his hands closer to his body."
Germany will find out their opponents for the Nations League quarter-finals in Friday's draw.
Antiguan fitness athlete Kimberly Percival is gearing up to close out an extraordinary 2024 season in style as she heads to Chile this weekend to compete in the Mr. Universe Chile competition. Fresh off claiming the Bikini Fitness title at the IFBB Pro Championship in Cancun, Mexico, on Sunday, Percival is determined to finish her year on a high note.
The Cancun victory marked a significant milestone for Percival, as the competition holds sentimental value. It was a venue she had previously visited as an amateur, narrowly missing out on earning her Pro card. Returning as a professional and winning the title made the achievement even more meaningful.
“This victory has huge sentimental value for me because I would have travelled to Cancun as an amateur, aiming to get my Pro card and narrowly missing out. Being able to return this year as a pro and claiming that title really adds some sentimental value to that event for me,” she shared.
This latest success adds to an already remarkable season that began in Barbados in May, where she secured a second-place finish at the IFBB Roger Boyce World Cup. The highlight of the year came in October at the Arnold Classic Europe in Madrid, where she reclaimed the world championship title she first won in 2021 during her debut professional year.
“This year’s Arnold was extremely sweet because I would have claimed the title in 2021, placed second in 2022, placed second in 2023, and now this year returned to claim it for a second time,” Percival said. “To be declared world champion and Arnold Classic Europe champion is extremely fulfilling.”
Following her Arnold Classic triumph, Percival continued her strong form with a victory at the Grand Gala St. Vincent in Italy and a second-place finish at the Night of Champions in London. Initially planning to end her season after London, she reconsidered while traveling home, deciding to push through to compete in Chile.
“My intention was to lock down my season for 2024 at that point, but on the plane ride home, I kept thinking about Chile. It’s three weeks away, and I thought maybe I could push through and make it happen. Subsequently, I decided to commit to it,” she explained.
The Cancun competition was not initially part of her plans but appeared unexpectedly on her calendar. Viewing it as an opportunity to stay sharp ahead of Chile, she made last-minute adjustments and successfully claimed the top prize.
As she prepares for what will be her final competition of the year, Percival is making final tweaks to her approach to ensure a strong showing.
“In terms of Chile, I am anticipating an even more competitive lineup, but we are going to make some adjustments for the weekend in anticipation of success,” she noted.
A victory in Chile would cap off what has already been a career-defining year for Percival, solidifying her status as one of the top athletes in Bikini Fitness.
Genoa have appointed former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira as their new coach, the Serie A club said on Wednesday.
The Frenchman has been out of work since parting ways with French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg in July, having previously managed Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Genoa sacked coach Alberto Gilardino on Tuesday, with the club hovering just one point above the relegation zone with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
Gilardino registered just two wins in Serie A this season, while the club were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Serie B Sampdoria on penalties in the second round.
Vieira began his managerial career with Manchester City's Under-23 team between 2013 and 2015 before he took over at MLS side New York City FC. He then spent two-and-a-half years at Ligue 1 side Nice before moving to Palace.
In his sole season at Strasbourg, the former France international won 13 of his 38 league games (D10 L15), averaging 1.29 points per game during his tenure.
Vieira is now the first French manager to work in at least three of the five major European championships in the 21st century.
He will reunite with new signing Mario Balotelli, having coached the Italian striker for 10 matches when they were both at Nice in the 2018-19 season.
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