Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain believes they face a difficult task in the last 16 of the Champions League after drawing RB Leipzig.

Pep Guardiola's men will take on the Bundesliga side in the knockout stages next February, having faced them twice in the group stages last term.

On that occasion, City opened their European campaign with a 6-3 rout at the Etihad Stadium, before losing the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena.

Having dodged heavyweight foes such as Paris Saint-Germain and Milan, City have theoretically one of the easier ties on paper, but Begiristain says they will not take their opponent lightly.

"Leipzig are not new ones in this competition - they are doing an unbelievable job," he said. "They are in Europe, always, and they are fighting us in the last 16. They are growing as a club and growing as a project.

"This is German football - very open, box-to-box, which we don't like too much, because we like to have the control. It's going to be difficult, this kind of football.

“We are going to meet old friends - we played last season against them. They were very open games, and we can be sure they will be very attractive games."

In comparison to their rivals, City have indeed been handed a kind draw, with Liverpool facing Real Madrid and Bayern Munich squaring up with Paris Saint-Germain.

With possibly two of the last four tournament winners set to miss out on the quarter-finals, Begiristain feels it shows the increased competition within the Champions League.

"Some big names and big clubs are already out - some of them are now not playing in Europe because they were last in the group," he noted.

"It shows how difficult it is in this competition. Everyone has to respect their opponent in this competition and that is what we try to do.

"Liverpool and Real Madrid are two unbelievable clubs, and they were two of the candidates to win, but one will be out.

"But still the ones who are there in the quarter-finals are going to deserve to be there. We want to be one of them."

Dani Alves will become Brazil's oldest World Cup star after earning a recall for Qatar 2022, while Roberto Firmino has missed out on Tite's final squad, with Gabriel Martinelli preferred.

Alves is now 39 and made his international debut in 2006, but he is heading to his third World Cup this year.

The former Barcelona right-back will make Selecao history, with Djalma Santos – 37 at the 1966 World Cup – previously their oldest player at a finals.

Alves is not necessarily a hugely popular choice, but Tite responded to the veteran's critics.

"I didn't come here to please people on Twitter, which I don't even know what percentage of the Brazilian people represents," the coach said.

"I respect differing opinions and I'm not here to convince everyone. I just want to give information so that people democratically form their own opinion.

"Now, everyone has their opinion and everyone has my respect."

Alves' inclusion was the standout news from Tite's squad announcement on Monday, although the coach also had a big call to make in attack.

Arsenal pair Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus each made the cut, but Liverpool's Firmino did not due to the wealth of alternative options at Tite's disposal.

Firmino does not return after being named in the Brazil squad at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, although nine members of that group are included again.

Alisson and Ederson remain among the goalkeepers, while defenders Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Danilo all return.

Manchester United pair Fred and Casemiro are unsurprising choices in midfield, as Neymar again joins Jesus up front amid a sensational season with Paris Saint-Germain.

Brazil World Cup squad in full:

Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Weverton (Palmeiras); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Alex Telles (Sevilla), Bremer (Juventus), Dani Alves (UNAM), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Thiago Silva (Chelsea); Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Casemiro (Manchester United), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo), Fabinho (Liverpool), Fred (Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham); Antony (Manchester United), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).

Conor Murray will miss the remainder of Ireland's Autumn Nations Series campaign after sustaining a groin strain in Saturday's 19-16 win over South Africa.

Murray saw his 100th cap end in disappointing fashion when he was forced off in the first half in Dublin, but Ireland handled his absence admirably to seal a 10th consecutive home triumph.

On Monday, a squad update issued by the world's top-ranked side revealed Murray was to return to Munster to undergo rehabilitation and would play no part in Saturday's meeting with Fiji.

Stuart McCloskey and Tadhg Furlong joined the scrum-half in making an early exit against the Springboks, but both are expected to take part in training this week.

Captain Johnny Sexton is also said to be "recovering well" after suffering a dead leg, while Leinster's Robbie Henshaw is set to return this week after missing the South Africa fixture due to a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Ulster lock Iain Henderson has returned to Andy Farrell's squad, and uncapped Leinster prop Michael Milne has also been called up.

Ireland are just two home victories away from matching the longest such winning streak in their history (12 between November 2016 and November 2018) and welcome both Fiji and Australia to the Aviva Stadium before the end of November. 

The Indianapolis Colts have fired head coach Frank Reich.

Reich became the second coach to be fired in-season in 2022 on Monday following a dismal 3-5-1 start. Matt Rhule was the first, dismissed by the Carolina Panthers in October.

Indianapolis suffered a 26-3 defeat at the New England Patriots in what proved to be Reich's final game in charge.

Reich was hired in 2018 after Josh McDaniels went back on his decision to take the job.

While he was not the Colts' first choice, he initially enjoyed great success, leading Indianapolis to a 10-6 record in his first season. After beating the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Andrew Luck's shock retirement ahead of the 2019 season saw them take a step back and finish 7-9 and, though they got back to the playoffs with Philip Rivers at quarterback in 2020, the Colts' decision-making at the game's most important position following Luck exiting the stage played a crucial role in Reich's downfall.

Reich reunited with Carson Wentz in 2021 after the Colts gave up a first-round pick to land the quarterback he coached as the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator in 2017, when Wentz was in the MVP race before suffering a season-ending injury and the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl.

But Wentz has never since reached the same heights and represented a huge gamble by the Colts, one that backfired in Week 18 of last season when he and Indianapolis imploded in a loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, missing out on a playoff berth as a result.

The Colts subsequently traded Wentz this offseason and landed 2016 MVP Matt Ryan in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

However, a seemingly astute move proved a misguided one and Ryan was benched for Sam Ehlinger prior to a Week 8 loss to the Washington Commanders.

The quarterback switch has not yielded the desired results, with the Colts unable to overcome their lack of talent at the skill positions and regression by an offensive line that has received little investment at tackle.

The Colts are 30th in the NFL with an average of 4.77 yards per play, their efforts offering little help to a defense that is seventh by yards per play allowed.

Reich departs with a regular-season record of 40-33-1 and the Colts next face the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 2-6 under the leadership of McDaniels, in Week 10 of a season that looks set to end in a rebuild for the Colts.

Owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have stated they are “fully committed to the success of Liverpool” following reports they want to sell the Premier League club.

The Athletic on Monday reported that the Boston-based FSG are “inviting offers” for a takeover of the Reds.

FSG, who bought Liverpool in 2010, responded by clarifying that they would consider new shareholders, but are not looking to sell up.

An FSG statement said: “There have been a number of recent changes of ownership and rumours of changes in ownership at EPL clubs and inevitably we are asked regularly about Fenway Sports Group’s ownership in Liverpool.

"FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool. FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club.

"FSG remains fully committed to the success of Liverpool, both on and off the pitch."

Liverpool have made strides under the ownership of FSG, led by John W. Henry, with the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager 2015 proving to be a masterstroke.

They Merseyside club won the Champions League in 2019 and celebrated crowned champions of England for the first time in 30 years in 2020 before pulling off an FA Cup and League Cup double last season.

Liverpool have made a poor start to the Premier League season, but beat Tottenham to go move into eighth place on Sunday and will face holders Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.

Patrick Mahomes' extraordinary success with the Kansas City Chiefs has largely been built on his incredible rapport with tight end Travis Kelce.

On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, it was his connection with an unheralded tight end that proved to critical for Mahomes and Kansas City.

The Chiefs fought back from a 17-9 deficit to see off the Titans 20-17 in overtime and move to 6-2.

Mahomes produced magic with his legs to help the Chiefs tie the game, a 20-yard rush on third-and-17 keeping alive a scoring drive he capped with a 14-yard touchdown run. He then added the two-point conversion on another scramble.

His 68 passes were just two shy of the all-time single-game record. Mahomes completed 43 passes, again two short of the league record, with the gap between his tally and that of Titans rookie Malik Willis (five) representing the largest between two starting quarterbacks in a game.

No completion was more important than Mahomes' 27-yard connection with tight end Noah Gray on third-and-1 from the Tennessee 49-yard line.

Under pressure from Demarcus Walker, Mahomes rolled to his right before deftly evading the defensive lineman and stepping up to fire downfield to Gray, who had uncovered from the coverage of Roger McCreary. Gray leapt to make a juggling catch over the head of McCreary, putting Kansas City on the edge of the red zone.

Though the Chiefs could not clinch the game with a touchdown, Harrison Butker converted a 28-yard field goal and the defense stopped Willis and the Titans in four plays on the subsequent series to wrap it up.

"It's funny," Mahomes said. "I think I said it in training camp: I feel like I don't target Noah enough because a lot of times plays are called either to him or he's one of the options I can give him a chance on. And it seems like I don't throw it to him.

"He's always open — and so as the season's going on and as our careers go on I want to give him more and more chances, because I think he can be a big part of this offense. 

"That whole tight end room has been great for us this season. But for [Gray] to make that catch in that moment? I mean, that was a tough catch that he made; that was a big one for us. That was probably the reason that we were able to get down there and win."

Asked about his third-down run that set the comeback in motion, Mahomes replied: "I definitely saw a lane to get it close enough that I thought we'd be able to go for it [on fourth down].

"When you're in that situation, you know that if you can get it to a fourth-and-5, fourth-and-4, coach Reid's probably going to give you a chance there.

"And then as I was running, I felt the – I think it was the safety — kind of overpursuing so I kind of shot my shot and went out there. I actually tried to get outside again which didn’t work out for me; I’m not fast enough.

"But it was a good play and like I said we just battled at the end of the day. It wasn't like we were designing it up we were just going out there and trying to make some stuff happen."

Mahomes is the NFL king of making stuff happen, and his primetime heroics in Week 9 moved the Chiefs level with the 6-2 Buffalo Bills at the top of the AFC. The Chiefs are in prime position to make another run at a Super Bowl title.

Patrick Mahomes' extraordinary success with the Kansas City Chiefs has largely been built on his incredible rapport with tight end Travis Kelce.

On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, it was his connection with an unheralded tight end that proved to critical for Mahomes and Kansas City.

The Chiefs fought back from a 17-9 deficit to see off the Titans 20-17 in overtime and move to 6-2.

Mahomes produced magic with his legs to help the Chiefs tie the game, a 20-yard rush on third-and-17 keeping alive a scoring drive he capped with a 14-yard touchdown run. He then added the two-point conversion on another scramble.

His 68 passes were just two shy of the all-time single-game record. Mahomes completed 43 passes, again two short of the league record, with the gap between his tally and that of Titans rookie Malik Willis (five) representing the largest between two starting quarterbacks in a game.

No completion was more important than Mahomes' 27-yard connection with tight end Noah Gray on third-and-1 from the Tennessee 49-yard line.

Under pressure from Demarcus Walker, Mahomes rolled to his right before deftly evading the defensive lineman and stepping up to fire downfield to Gray, who had uncovered from the coverage of Roger McCreary. Gray leapt to make a juggling catch over the head of McCreary, putting Kansas City on the edge of the red zone.

Though the Chiefs could not clinch the game with a touchdown, Harrison Butker converted a 28-yard field goal and the defense stopped Willis and the Titans in four plays on the subsequent series to wrap it up.

"It's funny," Mahomes said. "I think I said it in training camp: I feel like I don't target Noah enough because a lot of times plays are called either to him or he's one of the options I can give him a chance on. And it seems like I don't throw it to him.

"He's always open — and so as the season's going on and as our careers go on I want to give him more and more chances, because I think he can be a big part of this offense. 

"That whole tight end room has been great for us this season. But for [Gray] to make that catch in that moment? I mean, that was a tough catch that he made; that was a big one for us. That was probably the reason that we were able to get down there and win."

Asked about his third-down run that set the comeback in motion, Mahomes replied: "I definitely saw a lane to get it close enough that I thought we'd be able to go for it [on fourth down].

"When you're in that situation, you know that if you can get it to a fourth-and-5, fourth-and-4, coach Reid's probably going to give you a chance there.

"And then as I was running, I felt the – I think it was the safety — kind of overpursuing so I kind of shot my shot and went out there. I actually tried to get outside again which didn’t work out for me; I’m not fast enough.

"But it was a good play and like I said we just battled at the end of the day. It wasn't like we were designing it up we were just going out there and trying to make some stuff happen."

Mahomes is the NFL king of making stuff happen, and his primetime heroics in Week 9 moved the Chiefs level with the 6-2 Buffalo Bills at the top of the AFC. The Chiefs are in prime position to make another run at a Super Bowl title.

Dawid Malan is a major doubt for England's T20 World Cup semi-final against India on Thursday.

The batter suffered a groin injury while fielding in a victory over Sri Lanka on Saturday that saw England through to the last four.

Malan was unable to bat in that crucial win at the Sydney Cricket Ground and looks likely to miss the showdown with Rohit Sharma's side at the Adelaide Oval.

England all-rounder Moeen Ali told the BBC: "He [Malan] is a big player and has been for a number of years.

"He has been one of our best players. I don't know but it doesn't look great."

Phil Salt could come into the side if the former number one T20I batter in the world is ruled out.

England may also consider bringing in an extra bowler, with Chris Jordan, David Willey and Tymal Mills alternative options.

New Zealand face Pakistan in the first semi-final at the SCG on Wednesday.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has called on Arsenal to aim higher than a spot in the Premier League's top four, saying the Gunners' fans deserve to see them challenge champions Manchester City.

Arsenal hold a two-point lead over City at the Premier League summit following their 1-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday – their third successive victory in meetings with 'big six' rivals.

Zinchenko collected four Premier League medals before swapping City for Arsenal in July, and wants the Gunners to adopt the mentality of title contenders.

"It starts in the dressing room and it's on the pitch as well," Zinchenko said following the win at Stamford Bridge. 

"We are trying to push each other, we are trying to help each other. I think this is the right way to do it.

"We have a dream, we believe that we can achieve something this season. Let's see what is going to happen. 

"I can feel that this group of people, they are special. Starting from our staff and then all the people on our training ground, our fans, we believe in ourselves, every single game.

"I got used to hearing that Arsenal were top four. I would say that I really want to kill and destroy this stereotype. 

"We need to look further, and I think this team, this group of people, the fans, they deserve more. That's what we need to do. We need hard work in this and let's see at the end of season.

"You ask me if we can challenge Manchester City. Of course, they are an amazing team, but you never know what can happen in football. We need to go step by step with every single game."

Arsenal's return of 34 points from their first 13 games is their highest tally at this stage of a Premier League campaign – and is one more than Arsene Wenger's Invincibles managed in the 2003-04 season.

The New York Jets do not need Zach Wilson to be their "Superman", head coach Robert Saleh said, after they bounced back from their quarterback's Week 8 horror show to stun the Buffalo Bills in Week 9.

Saleh's Jets welcomed the Bills to MetLife Stadium on Sunday having suffered a 22-17 loss to the New England Patriots a week prior, one in which 2021 second overall pick Wilson threw three terrible interceptions.

Yet against sterner opposition he made no such mistakes, the Jets leaning on their run game and a tremendous effort from their defense to claim a shock 20-17 win.

The win means the Jets are 6-3, just half a game back of the Bills in an ultra-competitive AFC East. New York sit second behind Buffalo, with the Jets owning a tiebreaking win over the 6-3 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots are very much still in the mix at 5-4.

Asked about Wilson's low-key performance, which saw him complete 72 per cent of his passes for 154 yards, a touchdown and zero interceptions, Saleh told Peter King for Football Morning in America: "He had a great throwaway. One of the great things about Zach is how he takes coaching.

"We told him: 'Trust that throwing the ball away is a positive play.' We're not asking Zach to be our Superman yet.

"One day we will. And there will be times we need him to be, but now's not that time."

In the immediate future for the Jets is an extremely imposing run of games. They have a bye in Week 10 but then visit New England before hosting an improving Chicago Bears team and then heading back on the road to face the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings and the Bills.

Saleh added of that stretch: "Every game's a championship game. Like today, Buffalo's incredibly well-coached. Incredibly talented. The quarterback's ridiculous.

"We can’t let the narrative of this Goliath coming into our building be the story, and we won't in the coming weeks either."

Manchester United have the worst attack among the Premier League's 'big six', according to Gary Neville, who remains unconvinced by the Red Devils' form under Erik ten Hag.

United saw their nine-match unbeaten run halted by a 3-1 reverse at Aston Villa on Sunday, as goals from Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey punished a lethargic display.

The Red Devils went two goals down within 11 minutes at Villa Park – the earliest point of a Premier League game at which they had trailed by two goals since October 2018 (v Newcastle United), and they failed to find a route back into the contest.

Although United are just three points adrift of a top-four spot, they have scored fewer league goals than four of their 'big six' rivals this term (all but Chelsea), leaving Neville concerned.

"Overall, I'm not wholly convinced by this idea that Manchester United are back - they're not," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.

"They're nowhere near Manchester City. They're more watchable [than before] and have got a bit more fight. 

"[Christian] Eriksen has brought quality in midfield and [Lisandro] Martinez at the back has brought tenacity, but he [Ten Hag] can't keep a steady pair. That's a problem.

"United's front three are the weakest out of the top six. You think of [Dejan] Kulusevski, [Harry] Kane and Son [Heung-min]. United would take those three. 

"Arsenal have [Bukayo] Saka, [Gabriel] Jesus and [Gabriel] Martinelli. Liverpool have [Darwin] Nunez, [Luis] Diaz, [Diogo] Jota, [Mohamed] Salah and [Roberto] Firmino. 

"You'd definitely choose three of them over what United have got. You'd even take Chelsea's.

"United's front players aren't as good as they should be, although Erik ten Hag is getting the maximum out of them. 

"I don't know where the money has gone again, the spend over the past four or five years. There are signs that they are getting better, but they aren't back."

Marcus Rashford is United's top league goalscorer with four strikes this campaign, while Antony (three) is the only other player to score more than twice in the competition for the Red Devils.

Finn Russell has been called up to the Scotland squad ahead of Sunday's Test against New Zealand after Adam Hastings suffered a head injury.

Fly-half Hastings has returned to Gloucester after suffering a heavy knock in a tackle from Ratu Leone Rotuisolia early in the second half of a 28-12 win over Fiji on Saturday.

Russell was dropped for the Autumn Nations Series, but the mercurial Racing 92 number 10 is back in the fold in the absence of Hastings.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend had omitted playmaker Russell due to question marks over his "form and consistency".

Blair Kinghorn came on to replace Hastings at Murrayfield last weekend, while Ross Thompson is another fly-half option for Townsend.

The All Blacks will face Scotland on the back of a resounding 55-23 win over Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

Julian Nagelsmann feels Bayern Munich's 100 per cent record in the Champions League group stage was "not rewarded" after being drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.

Nagelsmann's men won all six group games to finish top of Group C, including home and away victories over Inter and Barcelona, becoming the first side in competition history to be victorious in all of their group matches in back-to-back seasons.

Despite this, Monday's draw pitted Bayern against French champions PSG, who boast the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in their squad.

Nagelsmann believes his team have not received the full benefit for their group-stage heroics, telling reporters: "PSG are a difficult opponent.

"The perfect group phase is not rewarded with [drawing that opponent] - they have a lot of world-class players just like we do. 

"But this is the Champions League, so it's normal that there are no easy opponents in the round of 16."

PSG themselves went undefeated in the group stage, winning four and drawing two of their matches.

But a remarkable 6-1 win for Benfica over Maccabi Haifa on the final matchday saw Christophe Galtier's team have top spot snatched off them by virtue of the Portuguese side scoring more away goals.

Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn echoed Nagelsmann's sentiments on the difficulty of the draw, but also spoke of his excitement over watching two of Europe's elite clubs face off in a repeat of the 2019-20 final, which the Bavarian side won 1-0 thanks to a Kingsley Coman winner.

"We can look forward to two great games with the best players in Europe," Kahn told Sky. "I think these will be two highly attractive games."