Robert Lewandowski harbours no ill will towards Poland's World Cup adversary Lionel Messi following the duo's battle to land the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

Messi saw off fierce competition from Lewandowski to capture his seventh Ballon d'Or last year, despite the Poland striker scoring 58 goals to Messi's 34 in club action in 2021.

In the aftermath of that triumph, Messi called for Lewandowski to be handed the 2020 Ballon d'Or, with the prize not being awarded after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted football that year.

With Poland set to face Argentina in their third group-stage match at the World Cup later this month, Lewandowski says he does not resent Messi for claiming the prize.

Asked whether he would shake hands with Messi to clear the air ahead of the teams' meeting, Lewandowski said: "I don't exactly understand the question.

"Why not? Why would I need to shake hands? Between me and Messi, everything is fine. I have nothing [bad] with him, I never had.

"Leo Messi is in great shape. At Barcelona, you can see everywhere he's a legend."

Poland will begin their Group C campaign against Mexico on Tuesday, with Lewandowski looking to score his first World Cup goal after failing to find the net at the 2018 tournament in Russia.

The Barcelona striker contributed to 13 goals in Poland's World Cup qualification campaign (nine goals, four assists) – more than twice as many as any of his international team-mates.

Czeslaw Michniewicz's side will hope to cast aside their poor record in World Cup openers against Mexico, having only started one of their eight previous campaigns at the tournament with a win (D3 L4), beating Argentina 3-2 in 1974.

Belgium's final warm-up match before the World Cup ended in defeat as Mostafa Mohamed and Trezeguet struck to earn Egypt a 2-1 victory in Kuwait.

Mohamed took advantage of an uncharacteristic mistake from Kevin De Bruyne to fire the Pharaohs into the lead, before Trezeguet scored a minute after half-time to put them two goals to the good.

Lois Openda reduced the deficit with a close-range finish, but they could not find an equaliser as Roberto Martinez's men fell to a second consecutive defeat.

The defeat exposed¬ serious defensive deficiencies for Belgium ahead of their trip to Qatar, where they are hoping to better their run to the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup.

Belgium hit the bar within 10 minutes when Michy Batshuayi rattled the woodwork, though replays later showed the former Chelsea man was clearly offside.

After Thibaut Courtois twice denied Trezeguet, Arthur Theate sent a long-range curler looping onto the top of the net.

Mohamed gave Egypt the lead, capitalising on De Bruyne's poor touch before side-footing beautifully into the bottom right corner from outside the box.

Mohamed El Shenawy then made a big stop to save Yannick Carrasco's fierce drive and preserve his side's lead heading into the interval.

Egypt doubled their lead moments after the break, Trezeguet latching onto Mohamed Salah's excellent throughball before rifling home as Belgium continued to look shaky at the back.

Martinez's men screamed for a penalty when half-time substitute Openda was felled by Ahmed Hegazy, but a VAR review decided not to award a spot-kick.

Belgium pressed to pull a goal back but they struggled to break though Egypt's resolute defence, with Youri Tielemans firing well over from range almost out of frustration.

They did find a goal back through Openda when he was picked out by a superb Carrasco cross, but they could not kick on and find an equaliser.

Eddie Jones says England must "light the crowd" when they do battle with New Zealand in a mouth-watering Test at Twickenham on Saturday.

The All Blacks will be looking for a measure of revenge for a 19-7 defeat to the Red Rose the last time the two heavyweight nations collided in a Rugby World Cup semi-final in Yokohama three years ago.

You have to go back a decade for England's last victory over New Zealand at their headquarters in London.

There was drama before the 2019 semi-final kicked off in Japan, with England crossing the halfway line as they lined up in a V formation while the All Blacks performed the haka.

Owen Farrell, who will win his 100th cap this weekend, was also caught smirking on the big screen as his opponents were laying down the pre-match challenge with their famous ceremonial Maori war dance.

England head coach Eddie Jones expects his players to whip the crowd into a frenzy for their penultimate Test of the year.

"The haka in 2019 had a massive effect on the fans," said the wily Australian.

"On Saturday we've got a responsibility to light the crowd up and we want to, as they can be our 24th player.

"Whether it's during the haka or post the haka I don't really care. We're going to go after them."

Jones is confident England will rise to the challenge of facing the in-form Rugby Championship winners.

"It takes a massive effort to beat New Zealand, our players understand that," said Jones. "It's like if you're a climber going to the top of Mount Everest.

"Traditionally they have bullied teams, so you've got to get on the front foot, be physical. You've got to truly believe you can win; that your strengths are stronger than theirs, that you will expose their weaknesses.

"We believe we've got strength that we can maximise against New Zealand. We believe there are weaknesses we can expose. We're prepared."

Barcelona's 19-year-old full-back Alejandro Balde has been added to Spain's squad for the World Cup following an injury to Jose Gaya.

Valencia left-back Gaya has won 18 caps for Spain after making his international debut in 2018, and he looked likely to deputise for La Roja's vice-captain Jordi Alba in Qatar.

However, Gaya suffered an ankle sprain in training on Wednesday, and while initial reports said his injury was not serious, Luis Enrique has opted against taking any risks ahead of the tournament.

Balde had been preparing to represent Spain's under-21 side against Japan in a friendly on Friday, but he could now win his first senior cap on the grandest stage of all.

Balde made his Barcelona debut in a Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich last September, and has assumed a prominent role in Xavi's new-look team this season.

With Barcelona battling a series of injury problems in defence, Balde has made 16 appearances for the Blaugrana this campaign, starting on 13 occasions.

Spain begin their Group E campaign against Costa Rica at the Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday, before taking on Germany in a huge clash four days later.

Adrien Rabiot hopes an impressive World Cup campaign with France will help him win a contract at Juventus or elsewhere ahead of his deal with the Bianconeri expiring next year.

Having been left out of Didier Deschamps' squad when France won their second World Cup in 2018, Rabiot could make his debut at the tournament in Tuesday's Group D opener against Australia.

With his Juventus contract set to expire at the end of this season, Rabiot was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United in the last transfer window.

The midfielder is likely to feature regularly in Qatar after Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante were ruled out of the tournament, and he hopes to impress Juventus – or any potential suitors – with his displays.

"It excites me to be here and probably a starter. I prefer to be in this position of 2022 rather than four years ago," Rabiot said on Friday.

"It's a chance to be there in the shoes of a starter for a such a competition. I don't know if it's a turning point, but it can help me. 

"Contractually, I'm in my last year at Juve. It can help me for the future."

The absence of Pogba, who scored in France's 2018 World Cup final victory over Croatia, represents a severe blow to Les Bleus' hopes of becoming the first team to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962.

Rabiot says his Bianconeri team-mate has told him to assume a similar leadership role with his country to that which he occupies in Turin.

"We see each other every day. We talked a lot about the competition," Rabiot added. "Did he give me some advice? Not necessarily. 

"He encouraged us and said that he would follow us. He asked me to pull this team and this environment as I do at Juve."

Germany are "quite willing to accept a fine" to allow their players to wear a rainbow armband at the Qatar World Cup, association chief Bernd Neuendorf said on Friday.

The 'One Love' diversity campaign in support of LGBTQ+ rights.was launched in September amid concerns over human rights in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal.

Part of that movement entails a number of captains wearing a distinctive rainbow heart-adorned armband at the tournament to raise awareness against discrimination.

This breaks FIFA regulations, which prohibit teams from choosing their own armband designs at the World Cup, though nations such as England have suggested they will defy those rules.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote a letter to all 32 teams who will play at the World Cup, encouraging them to focus on football.

Neuendorf insists the German Football Association (DFB) would risk any such sanction from FIFA, indicating there will be no backing down.

"I am quite willing to accept a fine," Neuendorf told reporters. "This is not a political statement, but a statement for human rights."

Neuendorf's comments come in the wake of France captain Hugo Lloris opting not to wear the rainbow armband, having initially agreed to do so, saying players should "show respect" in Qatar.

Lloris declared it should be politicians rather than footballers who are pressured into discussing human rights issues, adding: "There's too much pressure on the players. We are at the bottom of the chain.

"You have to understand that for players this opportunity happens every four years and you want every chance to succeed. The focus has to be on the field. The rest is for politicians. We are athletes."

There has also been controversy over workers' rights in Qatar, with reports of thousands dying while building the seven new stadiums and infrastructure involved in staging the tournament.

Germany's players are donating €1million to a children's village in Nepal in solidarity with the migrant workers.

Neuendorf said: "The money comes directly from the players. It was a special concern for the team. Four hundred thousand migrant workers come from Nepal. We want to support the people where they come from in order to relieve the migration pressure."

With Germany's tournament set to get under way against Japan on Wednesday, Neuendorf feels confident heading into that match, saying: "I am firmly convinced that we will have a positive start and will certainly win the game."

Following the Japan fixture, Hansi Flick's men will take on Spain and Costa Rica in Group E.

Helmut Marko says Daniel Ricciardo will be Red Bull's third driver in the 2023 Formula One season.

Ricciardo is without a seat on the grid next year after his McLaren contract was terminated 12 months before it was due to end.

The Australian paid the price for a disappointing season in which he has finished in the top 10 just six times, sitting 12th in the driver standings.

Ricciardo had stated that spending time away from F1 could be a "blessing in disguise", but Red Bull advisor Marko revealed he will have a part to play after all.

Marko told Sky Germany ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "Ricciardo will be our third driver.

"We have so many sponsors, we have to do show runs and the like, so of course he's one of the most high profile and best suited."

Ricciardo spent five seasons with Red Bull before joining Renault for the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.

World champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will remain Red Bull team-mates for the 2023 season.

England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is confident the World Cup ball will not join the list of controversies at Qatar 2022 – describing it as "better for goalkeepers" and dismissing any comparison to the much-criticised Jabulani.

The tournament will feature the Adidas Al Rihla ball, which Ramsdale has been involved in trialling given his club side Arsenal have a kit deal with the German manufacturer.

The 2010 tournament in South Africa featured criticism by a host of goalkeepers of the Jabulani ball, another adidas model, with Spain's Iker Casillas and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon among them.

That ball was defended by FIFA and its designers but has become a touchstone for measuring future World Cup balls against, and it was mentioned in England's press conference on Friday.

"That's obviously in the past and everything changes now," Ramsdale said. "We trained with it a couple of [England] camps ago, so we got used to it then, and obviously being with Arsenal, being Adidas, we've had time to test it as well for FIFA, so I've had quite a lot of exposure to the football."

Ramsdale is unlikely to start in England's opening match against Iran on Monday, accepting Jordan Pickford has performed "extremely well" for manager Gareth Southgate.

Pickford will also have plenty of experience of playing with the Al Rihla, and Ramsdale said: "It's probably one of the better Adidas balls I've played with. I've never felt another World Cup ball, so I can't go off that, but I've played with Adidas balls before, and European Championship balls and stuff, so it seems fine to me.

"It seems like it's got better for goalkeepers as well as keeping it for the strikers, so hopefully there'll be lots of saves but also lots of goals as well."

Ramsdale, 24, suggested that of greater concern was the heat in Qatar, pointing to England players having on hand "ice packs, ice vests which we can use when resting".

"I knew it was going to be hot," Ramsdale said. "I've been to Dubai on numerous occasions for football or on holiday, so I knew it was going to be hot, but I think adapting to it quick will be the difficult thing.

"Obviously for us, it's normally going into Christmas, dark nights and dark mornings, so how quickly we can adapt to the weather is crucial for us."

A new Formula One competition for young female drivers will start next year.

The F1 Academy will be introduced in 2023 to develop and prepare drivers with the aim of progressing to competitions such as F1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and W Series.

There will be five teams, run by current F2 and F3 constructors, with three cars each to make up a grid of 15.

The inaugural series will include 21 races, with three taking place at seven events on the calendar.

Drivers will be competing in cars with a Tatuus T421 chassis, with Autotecnica supplying turbocharged engines that will produce 165 horsepower.

CEO of Formula Motorsport Limited Bruno Michel will manage the new series, with F1 to subsidise the cost of each car with a budget of €150,000 - with drivers covering the same costs.

"Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula One wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport,” said F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.

"That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1.

"The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed."

The sale of beer around stadiums during the World Cup has been banned after talks between FIFA and Qatari tournament chiefs.

It was revealed on Friday by FIFA that alcohol would not be available as expected in the perimeter area of stadiums.

Budweiser is a major FIFA sponsor and sales of its product had been expected to be allowed close to the stadiums; however, only its alcohol-free variant will now be available.

The news was swiftly criticised, with England's Football Supporters' Association questioning whether such an apparent U-turn could be followed by more promises not being kept.

Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), expressed similar concern, describing the news as an "extremely worrying" development.

FIFA said in its announcement: "Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.

"Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans."

Referencing Budweiser's parent company, FIFA added: "The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev's understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022."

Reports said Budweiser posted on Twitter "Well, this is awkward", before deleting the post.

The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) said its concern was less about the beer decision but about the prospect of fans being affected by possible further unexpected decisions at the controversial mid-season World Cup.

The FSA said in a statement: "Some fans like a beer at the match, and some don't, but the real issue is the last-minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem – the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters."

It condemned the lack of explanation and said fans would have "understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues".

FSE's Evain added on Twitter: "For many fans, whether they don't drink alcohol or are used to dry stadium policies at home, this is a detail. It won't change their tournament.

"But with 48h to go, we've clearly entered a dangerous territory – where 'assurances' don’t matter anymore. This is extremely worrying."

Sadio Mane could face several months on the sidelines after undergoing the surgery that ended his slim hopes of playing for Senegal at the World Cup.

The Bayern Munich forward underwent what his club described as a successful operation on Thursday.

Bayern said in a statement: "During the operation, a tendon was reattached to the head of his right fibula.

"The FC Bayern forward will therefore no longer be available to play for Senegal at the World Cup and will begin his rehab in Munich in the next few days."

According to widespread reports in Germany, Mane's recovery is unlikely to be a quick one, with the former Liverpool forward said to be facing possibly three to four months out of action.

African player of the year Mane sustained the leg injury when playing in Bayern's 6-1 win against Werder Bremen last week.

He was initially judged fit enough to be included in Aliou Cisse's 26-man Senegal squad for the World Cup, with hopes he could be available by the knockout stages, but subsequent medical checks confirmed the need for surgery.

A short statement from the Senegalese Football Federation read: "The FSF wishes a speedy recovery to its player Sadio Mane."

Senegal face Netherlands in their Group A opener on Monday before meeting Qatar and Ecuador.

Bayern are due to resume their Bundesliga campaign against RB Leipzig on January 20. They headed into the World Cup break as leaders, chasing an 11th consecutive German league title.

They face a Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, with games scheduled for February 14 and March 8 in that heavyweight contest.

There are no more perfect teams in the NFL, just some very good ones.

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their 100 per cent record against the Washington Commanders on Monday, and will look to bounce back in Indianapolis in Week 11.

The New York Jets return from their bye week looking to continue to surprise, though they have a tough trip to the New England Patriots to contend with, while the Minnesota Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys in another enticing clash.

Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the more interesting numbers ahead of these and other big games on Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1)

Philadelphia possessed the ball for just 19 minutes and 36 seconds of game time in the loss to the Commanders. It was their lowest time of possession in a game since another loss to Washington in Week 4 of the 2015 season (18:52).

Jalen Hurts rushed for a touchdown last week, giving him 20 in his career. At 24 years and 99 days old, he became the second-youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 rushing touchdowns, trailing only Cam Newton (23 years, 199 days).

Matt Ryan had a 39-yard rush in last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the longest run of his career. It was the longest rushing play by a Colts quarterback since Jim Harbaugh ran for 41 yards in Week 4 of the 1994 season.

With a win, Jeff Saturday would join Jim Caldwell (2009) as the only Colts head coaches to win the first two games of their careers.

New York Jets (6-3) @ New England Patriots (5-4)

The Patriots have won 13 consecutive games against the Jets, winning every meeting since the beginning of the 2016 season. That is tied for the longest active win streak against a single opponent for any team (the Chiefs over the Broncos).

The Jets entered their bye week with a 20-17 win over the Bills in which they had 136 net passing yards. They are 5-0 this season when having 250 or fewer passing yards in a game compared to 1-3 when they have more than 250.

Players aged 23 and younger have gained 2002 yards from scrimmage for the Jets this season, the most in the NFL (next most is the Colts with 1336). That is already the most scrimmage yards for the Jets by players 23 and under since the 1990 season (2452).

Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots with 457 receiving yards this season, one of five New England players with 200+ receiving yards this season. Only the Green Bay Packers (six) have more players with at least 200 receiving yards in 2022.

Dallas Cowboys (6-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-1)

Last week was the Vikings' third win this season after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, tying the 1980 Dolphins, 2000 Jets, 2003 Colts and 2011 Lions for the most such wins in a campaign in NFL history.

Justin Jefferson has 814 receiving yards over his last six games, the most in a six-game span in Vikings history and the most by any NFL player over a six-game span in a single season since Antonio Brown recorded 868 in 2015.

With his 81-yard rushing touchdown last week, Dalvin Cook has now had a rush of at least 65 yards in five straight seasons, level with Derrick Henry (2017-21) for the longest streak by any player since the 1970 merger.

Last week's loss to Green Bay snapped the Cowboys' streak of 195 consecutive wins when leading by 14 or more points entering the fourth quarter (including postseason), which had been the longest streak in NFL history.

Elsewhere...

The Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns having had at least 100 rushing yards and 300 total yards in 16 straight games, including postseason, the third-longest streak in the Super Bowl era behind the Seattle Seahawks (19, 2014-15) and the Vikings (18, 2002-03).

The Detroit Lions will need to stop Saquon Barkley, who had a career-high 35 rushing attempts for 152 yards in the New York Giants' 24-16 win over the Houston Texans last week. His 35 rushes were the most in a game by any NFL running back this season and the most by a Giant since Joe Montgomery had 38 against the Jets in 1999. 

Ahead of facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 76.8 per cent of his passes over his last four games, the fourth-highest by any QB over a four-game span in a single season in NFL history (minimum 140 attempts, excluding overlapping spans) behind Peyton Manning (78.8) and Philip Rivers in 2013 (78.3), and Sam Bradford in 2016 (77.9).

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, 27-24. Since 2018, six of the nine games between the Chiefs and Chargers have been decided by seven points or fewer, tied for the third most of any matchup since then (Bears-Lions and Texans-Colts, seven each).

Edu has earned a promotion at Arsenal with the Gunners announcing their former midfielder has become the club's first ever sporting director.

The Brazilian played for Arsenal between 2001 and 2005, making 29 league appearances in their 2003-04 'Invincibles' season, before taking over as the Gunners' technical director in 2019.

His time in that role has seen him work with manager Mikel Arteta to improve Arsenal's standing in the Premier League, as their young side head into the World Cup break with a five-point lead at the top of the table.

That success earned Edu a new role, as he takes on responsibility for the academy alongside his existing duties.

In a statement, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said: "We are delighted that Edu is recommitting his future to the Club that he so clearly loves, after making such a positive and critical contribution to our progress in his time with us so far.

"Edu’s promotion formalises his already growing influence over our Academy operations."

Edu himself added: "I’m delighted to have this new role which I see as an evolution and consolidation of the way we’ve been working.

"I look forward to building on the hard work of so many people and helping all of us grow together and enjoy more success, and am thankful for the trust the club has put in me. We move forward together."