Robert Lewandowski will find it "painful" watching Barcelona's next three games from the stands after his suspension for an incident against Osasuna last month was upheld.

Poland international Lewandowski was shown two yellow cards in the first half of Barca's last match before the World Cup break – a 2-1 win at El Sadar on November 8.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued Lewandowski with an extended three-game ban for an alleged gesture made towards referee Gil Manzano after being dismissed.

It was announced on Friday that Barca were unsuccessful with their latest appeal against the suspension, and Lewandowski has questioned the severity of the punishment.

"It's difficult because I feel that three games is too much for what I did, that's for sure," he told Sport. "It's painful not to be able to play three games because of that."

Former Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski insists the gesture that landed him in trouble was in fact aimed at head coach Xavi.

"Nothing happened with the ref," Lewandowski said. "The reason I got three matches was nothing to do with the referee, it was to do with me and the coach. That's all I can say.

"One or two weeks before, I had a chat with Xavi, and he told me that I had to watch out if the referee gave me a yellow card.

"That was just a gesture to express he couldn't understand what was going on. We had talked about it, and it was something between Xavi and me. I didn't understand anything."

Lewandowski has 18 goals in 19 games this season – only Kylian Mbappe (19) and Erling Haaland (24) have scored more among players from Europe's top five leagues.

The 34-year-old has continued his prolific goalscoring form in a new country and is hopeful of adding to his trophy collection during his time in Catalonia.

"I will stay at Barcelona as long as I am fit and hungry for titles," he said. "We have to have the mentality of a champion."

Barcelona resume their LaLiga campaign with games against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid either side of facing third-tier side Intercity in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey.

Manchester United's players must prove they deserve silverware as they continue to battle on multiple fronts under Erik ten Hag, according to midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Red Devils defeated Burnley 2-0 on their return to action on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, where third-tier Charlton Athletic await.

Ten Hag's side are also still in the Europa League, albeit with Barcelona up next in the knockout round play-offs, while their FA Cup campaign begins against Everton next month.

Having not won a trophy since their Europa League success in the 2016-17 campaign, Eriksen accepts United are not in a position to prioritise certain competitions.

"It's been a few years since winning a trophy the last time," Eriksen, who arrived at United as a free agent in July, told talkSPORT. 

"From where the club were to where we are now, the aim is to focus on every competition and see where we are in the end.

"It hasn't specifically been said that we have to win this or win that – all of the players just want to win as much as possible.

"But to get there we first need to prove that we deserve to be there. It's about every tournament. Like you saw against Burnley, even the [EFL Cup] is important for us."

Eriksen played the full 90 minutes against Burnley and opened the scoring at Old Trafford, before Marcus Rashford doubled United's lead in the second period.

That was United's first match in six weeks due to the World Cup break, which saw an early exit for Eriksen and his below-par Denmark side at Qatar 2022.

Fifth-placed United now face Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth in the space of a week as the Premier League resumes, and Eriksen is glad to be back playing.

"I think it's nice to be back," he said. "It was important to get through to the next round in the cup and get the feeling of everyone being back and getting the win."

The New York Jets are reportedly ready to move on from Zach Wilson after losing "all confidence" in the second-year quarterback.

Selected as the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Wilson's rookie year showcased growing pains as he threw nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but the hope was he would kick on in 2022.

That has not been the case, however, with Wilson dropped in November following his disappointing showings in two defeats to the New England Patriots – throwing three interceptions in a 22-17 defeat in Week 8, then having a pass completion of just 40.9 per cent in a 20-17 loss in Week 11.

Mike White was elevated to starter, but his rib injury led to Wilson's return in Week 14, and 317 passing yards in the 20-17 loss against the Detroit Lions provided some encouragement.

However, in Thursday's 19-3 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was benched again with just nine completions and 92 yards, with Chris Streveler replacing him.

While the injury to White means Wilson could feature in the final two games of the season, NFL insider Jay Glazer has reported he will not be the team's starting quarterback for 2023.

"They [the Jets] have lost all confidence in Zach Wilson. Zach lost confidence in himself going into that last game and came out with even less confidence. Expect the Jets to move on from him after this season," he said on the NFL on Fox pre-game show.

Sat last in the AFC East on 7-8, a four-game losing streak has seen New York's playoff hopes plummet, with road games against the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins to end the season.

The New York Mets reportedly harbour concerns regarding Carlos Correa's physical, potentially throwing their 12-year, $315million agreement with the star shortstop into doubt.

Earlier this week, free agent Correa appeared set to join the San Francisco Giants after reportedly agreeing a 13-year, $350m contract with the franchise.

The Giants were set to make their agreement with the two-time MLB All-Star public on Tuesday, only for the news conference to be postponed amid reports of a medical issue arising during Correa's physical.

That delay allowed the Mets to swoop for Correa, with team owner Steve Cohen subsequently telling The New York Post a deal was close to being finalised.

"We need one more thing, and this is it," Cohen said. "This was important. This puts us over the top."

However, Correa could now see a second move collapse in quick succession after a report from The Athletic claimed the Mets are concerned about his surgically repaired lower right leg.

He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a fractured right fibula and minor ligament damage at the age of 19 in 2014.

The report said the Mets have reservations about Correa's long-term fitness, while acknowledging Cohen's public statements on the progress of the deal could make it difficult for them to withdraw entirely.

The New York Post's baseball columnist Jon Heyman said both parties were trying to "work it through".

Correa has made seven trips to the injured list since 2015, with a torn ligament in his thumb, lower back soreness and a fractured rib.

If the Mets were to perform a remarkable U-turn on their decision to pursue Correa, it would represent a severe blow for a player who has only played at least 150 games in a season once in his eight-year career.

Fabinho believes Liverpool are well-placed to benefit from the World Cup break as Jurgen Klopp's team look to chase down their Premier League rivals.

Having fallen narrowly short of winning a second title of the Premier League era when amassing 92 points last season, Liverpool now sit sixth in the top flight, seven points adrift of a top-four place.

Jurgen Klopp's side did improve before the Premier League paused in November, and they could win three consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

With France's Ibrahima Konate the only Liverpool player to remain involved beyond the quarter-finals at the World Cup, Fabinho believes the break has benefited the Reds.

"It can be good," he told the club's website. "I hope this will be good for the team because, as I said before, our position in the Premier League is not the position that we wanted it to be. 

"But this is the reality. We have to face it, we have to try to close the gap to the other teams and yes, game by game, try to play better and win."

Fabinho played 45 minutes as the Reds returned to competitive action with a 3-2 EFL Cup defeat to Manchester City on Thursday, and he was pleased to resume with a game of that magnitude. 

"In the game against City it was [important] to show that we are there, that we will fight with the best teams because we are one of the best teams as well," Fabinho said.

"I hope that we will keep this level because we will need it. To have this as the first game back from the World Cup, I think, was good for us. The intensity of the game was really good."

It's that time of year, which will warm the hearts of most but possibly send a chill down the spines of Denver Nuggets fans.

Denver are 1-6 (.143) all-time on Christmas Day, the second-worst record among active franchises, and they come up against last season's Western Conference top seeds this year.

Coach Michael Malone will be confident of providing a rare moment of Christmas cheer to their fans against the Phoenix Suns, though, with his team in excellent form heading into Sunday.

The Nuggets lead the Western Conference, tied with the Memphis Grizzlies at 20-11, and have picked up victories in six of their last seven.

Friday's 120-107 win against the Portland Trail Blazers was a good example of what has been Denver's strength this season, with Nikola Jokic leading the way with 29 points but also being ably backed up by the other four starters each scoring 13 or more.

The Suns have the fifth-best record in Christmas Day games at 12-7 (.632) and have also won each of their last two meetings with Denver.

However, Monty Williams' men have not been able to follow up their impressive 64-18 regular season record from last year, now 19-14 to sit fourth in the West.

A 125-100 defeat to the Grizzlies on Friday was chastening enough without the six losses from the prior nine games; five of those seven defeats have been by double-figures.

They have missed the influence of Devin Booker in their last three games, absent with a groin strain since he put up 58 points against the New Orleans Pelicans, and it remains to be seen if the man averaging 28.0 points per game this season will be back on Sunday.

The future looks bright for the Suns, with Mat Ishbia recently agreeing to a record $4billion purchase of the franchise, but their immediate target is to get back on track, starting by trying to dampen Denver's Christmas spirit even further.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Phoenix Suns – Chris Paul

Should he play, Booker will of course provide a significant boost for Phoenix, but if he is missing again, Williams will need someone to step up in his absence, which has not happened in their last two games.

The experienced Paul made a big contribution in the recent win over the Lakers, yet he has otherwise not been putting up his usual numbers this season. His plus/minus of 1.7 is well down on last year's 7.1, but if the 37-year-old can find his best form at Christmas, it could go a long way against a strong opponent.

Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic

The back-to-back league MVP keeps putting up numbers to compare with the greats of the game. In the recent win against the Charlotte Hornets, Jokic became the first man to finish a game with at least 40 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.

The Serbian star is averaging 24.9 points per game this season, as well as 10.9 rebounds and a career-best 9.3 assists.

KEY BATTLE – Nuggets' efficiency could decide contest

Denver are very good at putting the basketball through the hoop, which is quite helpful.

No team have a better success rate from beyond the arc than the Nuggets (38.9 per cent) this season, although no team have had fewer than their 923 attempts. Only the Sacramento Kings (943) have allowed fewer three-point attempts than the Suns (996).

The Nuggets are also second in the league for field-goal percentage, with their 50.6 per cent only behind the Brooklyn Nets (50.8).

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Phoenix won their last encounter in March, 140-130 at Ball Arena, which was their 100th victory against Denver in the regular season.

The Nuggets have only 85 wins against the Suns, with the last coming in October 2021, but they have won 18 of the last 23 clashes between the teams.

New York Giants players were believed to have been inside the Mall of America on Friday during a deadly shooting in Minnesota.

A 19-year-old man was killed in the shooting, police in Bloomington said, which sent the mall into lockdown.

Giants executive vice president of communications Pat Hanlon told The Associated Press the team were staying in a hotel adjacent to the mall and some players were believed to have been inside at the time of the incident.

"Everyone is back in the hotel and accounted for now," Hanlon said after the incident on Friday.

The Giants are in Minnesota for Saturday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, in which New York can clinch a spot in the playoffs if they win and two of the Washington Commanders, the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions suffer defeat.

Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin never expected to achieve the "miracle" of overtaking Gordie Howe into second place in the list of the NHL's all-time record scorers.

Ovechkin scored twice in Friday's 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets to equal and then surpass Howe's tally of 801 on what was his 1,305th career outing.

The Russian now trails only Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history, the latter scoring 894 in 1,487 games.

"You never think it's going to happen when you come to the league, that you're going to beat any Gordie Howe record or Wayne Gretzky record," Ovechkin said. 

"The whole situation happening right now, it's some miracle."

Ovechkin has 22 goals for the season and has scored at least 24 in his previous 17 NHL campaigns, his personal best coming in 2007-08 when he netted 65 times.

He was given a standing ovation against the Jets and the game was temporarily stopped as a message from Howe's son Mark was played on the big screen at Capital One Arena.

"It's nice to get it done at home in front of our house, family and friends. It's a great feeling," Ovechkin added. "It's a tremendous feeling."

Gretzky's long-standing record will now be in the sights of Ovechkin, who turned 37 in September and has another three years to run on his Capitals contract.

"It's just crazy to see – it's a huge number," said Ovechkin's team-mate Dmitry Orlov. "It's a great accomplishment for his game, for his person and for his family, too

"The way he is going now, for sure it is awesome, and you hope he is going to stay healthy – another day, another milestone."

Tammy Abraham is unsurprised by reports suggesting both Portugal and Brazil are interested in Roma coach Jose Mourinho, who he views as an "uncle" figure.

Mourinho led Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League title last season, his fifth major continental triumph after winning both the UEFA Cup/Europa League and Champions League on two occasions.

However, the Giallorossi boss has been linked with an exit in the aftermath of the World Cup, with both Portugal and Brazil searching for a new coach following quarter-final exits in Qatar.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma striker Abraham said any side would be fortunate to have Mourinho, crediting the 59-year-old's methods for his own development. 

"Jose is a great coach, everyone wants him," Abraham said. "It's also an honour that an important national team like Portugal is looking for him, but I'm sure the coach is focused on the team. 

"We've read the news on social media, but we haven't discussed it. We're all focused on Roma.

"He's a point of reference, I consider him to be like my uncle in Rome. He wants the best for me, when I don't express myself at my best, he pushes me. 

"Even when I play well, he's never satisfied and that's what I need. I'm not the type for pats on the back, but I need that trust he shows in me every day."

David Warner is set to make his 100th Test appearance for Australia, and is determined to put his run of poor form behind him.

Warner has gone 10 Test innings without a half century, and is averaging just 26.07 in his last 27 trips to the crease in the longest format.

He was out for a first ball duck in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa at The Gabba before managing just three in the second, albeit on a green pitch where the majority struggled with the bat as Australia won by six wickets inside two days.

Should he score 78 or more in the second Test at the MCG, Warner will become just the eighth player to score 8,000 Test runs for Australia, and he promised to take on the Proteas bowling attack in the Boxing Day Test.

"I know when I'm at my best, I'm taking the bowlers on," he said. "It goes well and it flows with the team and the guy at the other end. Now I've probably gone a bit more responsible and trying to put the team into a good position without playing a bit rash.

"If anything I can probably be a bit more aggressive and go back to the older me, take them on a little bit more. But I think that also is dictated from what wickets you are getting.

"You don't want to have a dig at the curators, but the last two years our wickets have been green. If I go out there play a cover drive and nick one, you guys [the media] will have a feeding frenzy.

"But now I'm in good positions and I'm nicking off, that's the nature of the beast. This might be a wicket where I can go out and play like the old me. So you have to adapt to those conditions that's what I've been doing the last 18 months."

In what will be the 100th men's Test between Australia and South Africa, the hosts' selectors have a tough decision to make on whether to recall Josh Hazlewood, who has recovered from a side strain, or retain Scott Boland, who took a combined 4-42 in the first Test.

Australia must keep their Head in Melbourne

The pitch in the first Test in Brisbane was labelled "below average" by the ICC, though Travis Head was still able to muster 92 from 96 balls in the first innings, a crucial contribution that made a key difference.

Although he was out for a first ball duck in the second innings, it was immaterial as Australia eased to victory shortly after, and the man of the match will be keen to show his worth again in Melbourne.

Landmark looms for Elgar

South Africa captain Dean Elgar was not happy with The Gabba surface, but will be hopeful of scoring more than the combined five runs he managed in the first Test.

Elgar is just 24 away from becoming the eighth player to score 5,000 runs for the Proteas in men's Tests, though his Test batting average in Australia of 18.4 is his lowest in any country.

Joe Root believes his decision to step down as England Test captain has been justified following a remarkable end to 2022 for Ben Stokes' red-ball side.

England became the first visiting team to win three matches in a Test series in Pakistan this week, taking them to nine victories from 10 Tests since Stokes replaced Root as skipper in April.

Prior to Root's decision to step down, England suffered a demoralising 1-0 series loss to West Indies and were thrashed 4-0 by Australia in the Ashes. 

With England now earning plaudits for their fearless style under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes, Root has no regrets concerning the end of his time at the helm.

"We weren't performing," Root recalled in an interview with Sky Sports. "We weren't delivering what I thought we were capable of, and it had a massive impact on me away from cricket as well.

"If you can't even be yourself, then you aren't able to give what that role requires, lead in the right way or lead a group of players.

"For a number of reasons, it was the right thing to do, to step back. It needs someone to throw absolutely everything at it.

"As soon as I made that decision, it was quite clear that it was the right one, and I've not looked back. I gave everything to that role and threw everything at it. I am really proud of the way I went about that."

England's aggressive approach was on display as they posted their fifth-highest innings total in history (657) in their Pakistan opener, and Root feels the team's enjoyment of their new style has paid dividends.

"Brendon's got a very aggressive approach to how to play the game, I think Ben is even more aggressive! It is exciting," Root said.

"When you are 10, 12, or even younger, you're playing in the back garden – that's the feeling that you get – that raw enjoyment of smacking the ball, bowling fast, or spinning it miles. That's something you should never really lose as a player.

"It's easy to forget, in the hype of the pressurised environments and demands of constantly putting in performances and winning. But it is so important that you enjoy what you do, and you're more likely to get the best out of yourselves and it's something that we've paid quite a lot of attention to."

England will attempt to reclaim the Ashes on home soil in 2023, with the series set to begin at Edgbaston on June 16, and Root is enthusiastic about their prospects.

"Everything ramps up. The interest around Test cricket in this country goes up a notch," Root said of playing in a home Ashes series.

"It's a great opportunity for us, and with how we played our cricket under Ben last summer, it's a very exciting place to be with a big series like that coming around.

"We've proven to ourselves we can do it against two of the best teams in the world in our own conditions, so it will be great to take Australia on and take that one step further again."

Manchester United have triggered one-year extension clauses in the contracts of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Fred, Erik ten Hag has confirmed.

With United three points adrift of the Premier League's top four with a game in hand ahead of the competition's resumption, each of the quartet has played a key role for Ten Hag's side.

In particular, Rashford has looked rejuvenated since the Dutchman took charge, leading the Red Devils' scoring charts with four Premier League goals this term and netting three times for England at the World Cup.

Rashford's deal had been due to expire at the end of the season, leading the forward to be linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but Ten Hag has confirmed the 25-year-old is set to stay.

Asked about widespread reports claiming United had extended the players' contracts, the United boss told MUTV: "Yes, I can confirm it.

"We are happy because the squad is going in the right direction and those players [have made] a massive contribution in that direction.

"We want to develop, we want to support those players and we want them to keep in our process, so that's why we came to those decisions, I'm sure they are the right decisions. 

"We want to construct a team for the future, for longer years, and those players have to be part of it."

United will resume their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Tuesday, having won four of their last five home games in the competition (D1).

The Red Devils have won each of their last six games against Forest in all competitions, recording an 8-1 victory in the teams' most recent meeting in February 1999.