Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface has recovered well after suffering minor injuries in a car crash and could make Saturday's trip to Werder Bremen, Xabi Alonso has revealed.

Nigeria international Boniface was a passenger in a car that crashed one day after he scored the winner in the Bundesliga champions' 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week.

The 23-year-old, who scored 14 league goals as Leverkusen won their first top-flight title last season, sustained minor injuries to his hand and foot in the collision.

But Alonso has confirmed he is in contention to be involved this weekend, saying on Friday: "We will decide after training today.

"He had a few days to put it behind him. I saw him yesterday and he said he felt better.

"We will wait. If he feels better then he will travel with us to Bremen. Today is training and the last test."

Boniface has scored five league goals so far this season, but he missed their 1-1 Champions League draw at Brest on Wednesday.

Leverkusen are currently fourth in the Bundesliga on 14 points, three off the top after only winning one of their last three matches.

They will be without midfielder Amine Adli for several months after he broke his fibula in the game against Brest, and Alonso recognises he will be a major loss.

"A big loss for us. We will miss him," Alonso said. "A very important player for the squad and always a big influence.

"It was the worst news. Now we have to wait a long time for him."

Sean McVay is happy to have Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp back out on the field and "expects it to stay that way".

The Rams caused an upset on Thursday, beating the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 as they were boosted by the returns of Kupp and Puka Nacua, playing together for the first time since their opener.

It is the first time the Rams have recorded back-to-back wins this season, and scored a season-high 30 points, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive games with fewer than 30.

Kupp recovered from a left ankle sprain he suffered in week two to play the Vikings, and had five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown.

In the build-up to the game, there was trade speculation over the 31-year-old, with LA reportedly approaching teams about him before the November 5 deadline, but McVay was quick to shut down the idea.

"I'm really glad to have Cooper Kupp back with us and I expect it to stay that way," McVay said.

"Teams reached out," he added when asked about the trade speculation. "Some of the things that I've seen out there, they're just not true.

"We've addressed that with those individuals. Teams have called about him, and we let him know what the dialogue was there. And then there's a lot of stuff out there where there's not a lot of accountability to the reports. And that's unfortunate."

Nacua, meanwhile, was only activated to play on Thursday, having recovered sooner than expected from a posterior cruciate ligament in week one.

He led the team with seven catches for 106 yards on nine targets, making it his eighth career game (out of 19 played) with 100 receiving yards.

Overall, McVay was pleased with the spark that the pair's return provided to the team.

"There's a confidence, there's a comfort, there's a rapport that's been established with Matthew [Stafford] and Cooper over the years and then Puka and Matthew last year and then leading into this season," McVay added.

"And so, these guys are ballers. Matthew brought out the best in everybody. But I thought Puka and Cooper were ready to go. They made an impact."

Derrick White believes Neemias Queta is "more sure of himself" after helping the Boston Celtics cruise to a 122-102 win over the Washington Wizards.

The Celtics maintained their perfect record in the NBA this season with their first road win of the season, with Jayson Tatum leading the charge with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown scored 27, while White added 19 as the reigning champions extended their winning streak over Washington to five games.

The Wizards struggled to gain any momentum in what was their season opener and trailed the Celtics throughout.

Boston were much changed from their opening win over the New York Knicks, as Joe Mazzulla went with a double-big line-up to make up for Sam Hauser's absence.

One of those brought in was Queta, who scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, including a game-high four on the offensive end.

And White was impressed with the influence Queta had despite his short time on the court.

"He's athletic, seems to get every offensive rebound, and is just a big body around the rim," White said.

"I just think he's a little more comfortable, a lot more sure of himself, of where to be in the offense. I think last year he was maybe thinking too much, but this year he's just playing and doing what he does.

"He was really good for us in training camp and again [against Washington]."

Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet were the other backups brought in by the Celtics, and proved their most efficient scorers, shooting a combined 10-of-14 from the field.

"The standard is the standard and no matter who we put in there, we expect the same things," White added.

"Obviously, it's not Sam Hauser running around out there, but there's a lot of ways for us to create advantages and I thought all the bigs did a great job for us today."

Borussia Dortmund need to claim their first Bundesliga away win of the season this weekend, according to head coach Nuri Sahin.

The German side were beaten 5-2 by Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, having initially gone 2-0 up at the Santiago Bernabeu, and travel to Augsburg in the Bundesliga this weekend.

An inconsistent start to the domestic season has them seventh in the table, while they are still waiting for their first victory away from the Westfalenstadion.

But the setbacks the team have faced, according to Sahin, have all contributed to the team's development, and a first win on the road would be a great confidence booster.

"It has to work now with an away game win," he told a press conference. "It is an important game. Especially with a look at the table where we need to stay in touch with the top spots.

"The demands we have set for ourselves mean we have to win away games. You cannot reach your goals without away wins."

Dortmund do have a 100% record in all competitions at home this season and come into the weekend having beaten St. Pauli 2-1 in their last Bundesliga outing.

But they have not won back-to-back matches in the league so far this season, while they have picked up just one point in three away games.

Their patchy form has already seen a gap of four points open to league leaders Bayern Munich.

"Our demand is to get the three points and finally to reward ourselves on the road," Sahin said.

Sahin found himself the subject of much criticism in midweek, with his team having conceded five goals in 30 second-half minutes following his tactical substitutions.

"We need to keep working, remain clear. Every day, every match, every training session is important to progress. We will keep going down that road," he said.

"When you hit this flow it will be easier. We are not in that flow yet. It is a bit bumpy but, I have to accept it. Hopefully, [on Saturday] it will work out."

Lando Norris accused Max Verstappen of "incorrect" driving following the incident at the United States Grand Prix that led to him receiving a time penalty.

The McLaren driver overtook Verstappen in the latter stages of the race but was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track to gain an advantage while making the pass.

The penalty meant that Norris dropped from third to fourth, and now sits 57 points behind the Drivers' Championship leader with only five races remaining.

McLaren have announced plans to launch a bid to overturn the penalty on Thursday, saying the Brit was left with no option but to go off the track as Verstappen broke late and ran wide and off the track on the turn.

"We'll ask questions. We've already asked certain questions. It's not something that needs to be done publicly or anything," Norris told Sky Sports F1 when asked about whether the rules need to be clarified when two cars go off track.

"But we can just have conversations on why I got the penalty because I don't believe it was correct. I think the majority of people don't agree it was correct, but that's life and sometimes it doesn't go your way.

"I think things just need to be clear for the future on what's allowed and what's not. I think the fact of getting off your brakes to achieve just the ruling of being ahead at apex, no matter how wide you run on the exit, is incorrect and I don't think that's how racing should be.

"Of course, that's the ruling at the minute and that's just what you've got to deal with. So I think there needs to be some tweaks."

Norris also admitted he did not think Verstappen's driving in the incident was "how racing should be".

"Max is the best in the world in this style of defence and attacking. So, I have to be at his level and at the moment I am not quite at the level I need to be at.

"It's a shame to say, but it's probably the truth. At the same time, it's a chance for me to learn and progress."

However, Verstappen did not understand the frustration, pointing out that he was following the rules during the incident in Austin.

"It's how the rules are written. I don't make the rules, first of all. I just follow the rules, as much as I can," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

"Of course, sometimes you get caught out with it. We've had that in the past. I just implement the rules and play with them.

"At the end of the day, you cannot overtake outside of the white line. That's a very clear rule, and I've been done by it myself.

"So, I don't understand why then, suddenly now, we need to ask and scream for changes in the regulations when it's been like that forever.

"I mean, I grew up go-karting, F3, F1 - you know that you cannot pass outside of the white line, it's as simple as that."

Klay Thompson was delighted with his "great" debut, after setting a new franchise record in the Dallas Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs.

He got 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes, with eighteen of those points coming from 3-pointers, a record for a Mavericks player.

Thompson, who left the Golden State Warriors after 13 years in the close season, helped push the Mavericks to a 120-109 victory on Thursday.

"Great debut," Thompson said.

"It's only one game in October, but it feels good just to get that first one out of the way.

"I had a ton of excitement, really just an awesome feeling. And you only get the first time of something so often."

Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, finished with 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting with nine rebounds, one assist and a game-high-tying four turnovers to open his second season with the Spurs.

Due to his involvement in the Paris Olympics, Wembanyama was limited to fewer than 40 minutes in preseason, and he admitted he felt that in their season opener.

"Some moments felt great," Wembanyama said. "A little hard conditioning-wise at first, of course [as] I expected.

"But I think we had some good basketball moments and some really bad ones.

"None of us really have played four games since [the] middle of the summer for me. It's a struggle.

"Every player in the NBA goes through it. Conditioning is not an excuse [for missed shots]. I'll have different weapons we need to know when to use.

"So, for the missed shots, it's more getting used to taking shots, getting used to again taking shots in a game."

Andre Onana says Manchester United's draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League "is a big disappointment" after the club failed to hold out for their first win in the competition.

Christian Eriksen had given the Red Devils the lead in the first half, but they were pegged back by Youssef En-Nesyri four minutes after the break in their 1-1 draw.

United have now won just one of their last eight games in Europe when scoring first (D5 L2), drawing each of their last four games when going 1-0 up.

It was a third consecutive stalemate in the Europa League for United, who were indebted to their goalkeeper as he made three saves, including an incredible double stop to keep his side in the lead at half-time, but he was left frustrated by the result.

"It is a big disappointment for me and the fans, for the club, as a Manchester United player you have an obligation to try to win," Onana told TNT Sports.

"We didn't win, but at least we didn't lose. Not happy, of course, but we move on, take responsibility and go again.

"We conceded an early goal in the second half, we had to show character, and I think that is what we did. We didn't win, but I thought we were better than them."

United were without a number of players through injury or suspension, with Bruno Fernandes one of those to miss out after being sent off against Porto.

In fact, United have failed to win any of their last five away games without their captain in all competitions (D2 L3), with the Red Devils scoring just two goals in total across those five matches.

Despite the result, Erik ten Hag was keen to take the positives from a game which also saw them lose Antony, who came on as a second-half substitute, to injury.

"We've shown we are a team which is hard to beat," said Ten Hag. "We can take confidence and take it into the game against West Ham.

"We have to win, and we came in the position to win. We created the chances, but we have to be killing more. We let the opponent get away with a point.

"[Antony's] training performances are that good that he deserved to come on. When you have to come off so quickly, that is really sad to see. Hopefully, it's not too bad, we have to wait 24 hours for what the assessment is."

Tomas Soucek says West Ham's mentality must improve after they were trounced by Tottenham last week, ahead of Sunday's headline clash with Manchester United.

West Ham have taken eight points from as many Premier League games under Julen Lopetegui, but the low point of the Spaniard's reign to date came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week.

The Hammers shipped three goals in the space of eight second-half minutes in a 4-1 defeat, and Soucek has revealed stern words were required in the dressing room after that match.

"It's very frustrating, and we're all angry," Soucek said. "We said in the dressing room that this cannot happen because it's a derby for us, for the fans, and it's a massive game. 

"We also said this is only one result, and we have the whole week to overcome this setback and make sure we're ready for the game against Manchester United.

"We went in with a draw at half-time, but in the second half we were not good enough for an eight-minute spell and conceded three goals in that space of time. That killed the game. 

"We spoke about mentality after the game and if we concede a goal, we can't concede again like we did."

Opponents United are only three points better off than Sunday's hosts, having fought back from 1-0 down to beat Brentford 2-1 in their last league match.

Erik ten Hag's under-fire side then squandered a 1-0 lead in a 1-1 Europa League draw with Fenerbahce on Thursday, however, leaving goalkeeper Andre Onana frustrated. 

"It was a big disappointment for me and the fans, for the club, as a Manchester United player you have an obligation to try to win," Onana told TNT Sports.

"We didn't win, but at least we didn't lose. We're not happy of course, but we move on, take responsibility and go again.

"We had more control than them in the second half and more chances. We conceded an early goal in the second half, we had to show character and I think that is what we did.

"We didn't win but I thought we were better."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

West Ham – Jarrod Bowen

West Ham will be without the suspended Mohammed Kudus after his red card at Spurs, but they have not lost any of their five games without the Ghanian since his Premier League debut last season (two wins, three draws).

Bowen is one of three other West Ham players to match Kudus' return of two league goals this term, also creating a team-high 20 chances in 2024-25.

Manchester United – Alejandro Garnacho 

Garnacho has scored 12 goals for Manchester United in the Premier League. 

Only eight non-British players have ever scored more in the competition before turning 21, with the only player to do so for the Red Devils being Cristiano Ronaldo (14).

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

West Ham have won their last two Premier League home games against United without conceding – they have never kept three consecutive home clean sheets against the Red Devils in their league history.

They last managed three straight home league wins against the Red Devils, meanwhile, between 1974 and 1977 (a run of four).

Indeed, United have suffered more Premier League defeats in eight trips to the London Stadium (four – three wins, one draw) than they did in 20 trips to the Boleyn Ground (eight wins, nine draws, three defeats).

Despite their struggles, United have kept three straight clean sheets on the road in the Premier League. They last recorded four successive shutouts on the road in July 2020.

Their last two road trips, however, have been goalless draws at Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Given their attacking shortcomings, another draw would be no surprise.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 34.6%

Manchester United – 40.3%

Draw – 25.1%

Oliver Glasner believes Crystal Palace's problems are mental, rather than tactical, as the pressure builds on the Eagles boss ahead of Sunday's London derby versus Tottenham.

Palace are one of four teams yet to win a Premier League match this season – a new record through eight games of a single campaign.

That is despite them winning six of their final seven games of 2023-24, leading some to tip them as surprise candidates for European qualification in pre-season.

Reports have suggested Glasner's position could be under threat if results do not improve before the November international break, but the Austrian is simply focused on giving his players the support they need.

"At the moment we don't score goals, we should score more. Then it's always tough, one mistake and we get punished," Glasner said. 

"I think we've all had better times in football, better times in sports. The players tried everything to win the game, but at the moment, we have to be honest, it's not enough.

"Everybody's frustrated, everybody's disappointed. It's our responsibility, especially mine now, to get chins up, the head up of every single player, to support them.

"At the moment I don't think it's a tactical problem, it's a mentality problem. It's a lack of confidence, we can see it, and so this is what we have to change."

Tottenham, meanwhile, have won three of their last four league games after fighting back to beat West Ham 4-1 in another London derby last week.

Ange Postecoglou withdrew James Maddison at half-time in that game, allowing Dejan Kulusevski to thrive in a number 10 role, and he thinks there is more to come from the Swede.

"Deki's been great all year. He obviously feels more comfortable in that area, he's much more involved in the game, which I think is key with Deki," Postecoglou said.

"He wants to be involved and playing on the wing, sometimes he could get a bit frustrated in himself that he wasn't involved.

"I think we can get more goals out of him, more assists. All season, he's been great. I think he's maturing, as well. He's been captain of his country, which gives him even more self-belief. I think there's more to come."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Crystal Palace – Eddie Nketiah

Since scoring a hat-trick against Sheffield United in October 2023 for Arsenal, Palace striker Nketiah has played 804 minutes in the Premier League without finding the net.

He is currently on a run of 30 shots without scoring in the competition, and if the Eagles are to ease the growing pressure on boss Glasner, they may need him to find his shooting boots.

Tottenham – James Maddison

Spurs midfielder Maddison could make his 200th Premier League appearance in this match. 

Maddison ranks first in the competition for passes played into the opposition penalty area this season (72), while he has five assists in his last 11 games.

MATCH PREDICTION – TOTTENHAM WIN

Tottenham have won 19 of their 30 Premier League games against Palace (seven draws, four losses), their highest win rate against any fellow London side in the competition's history (63%).

They will be confident of another victory here. Postecoglou's side have won three of their last four Premier League matches (one defeat), as many as they had in their previous 11 games (three wins, one draw, seven losses).

One could argue their performances have warranted more points this season, too. Spurs are second only to Manchester City for shots (145), shots on target (55), touches in the opposition box (355) and successful opposition half passes (2,069) in the Premier League. 

Tottenham also rank top for passes played into the opponent penalty area (306) and expected goals (16.95 xG).

Palace, meanwhile, won five of their first seven home leagues matches under Glasner (one draw, one defeat), scoring 22 goals, but have since gone four without victory at Selhurst Park (two draws, two defeats), failing to net in three of those games.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Crystal Palace – 25.9%

Tottenham – 50.1%

Draw – 24%

Anthony Edwards sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Sacramento’s opener by beating the Kings 117-115 on Thursday night.

Edwards was fouled by Domantas Sabonis on a drive with the game tied and calmly hit the free throws to give him 32 points.

Keegan Murray's 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer for the Kings.

Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 33 points in his second game after being acquired in a trade from New York this month.

Demar DeRozan scored 26 points to lead the Kings in his debut for Sacramento after being acquired this summer in a sign-and-trade from Chicago. Sabonis added 24 points and Murray had 23.

Edwards and Naz Reid hit back-to-back 3-pointers that started an 11-0 run for Minnesota that turned a five-point deficit into a 105-99 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

After going 13 for 41 from 3 in the opener, Minnesota shot 20 for 50 from long range against Sacramento. The 91 attempted 3s are the most ever for the Timberwolves in the first two games of a season.

Holmgren’s all-around performance powers Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, Chet Holmgren added 25 as part of a stellar all-around game and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 102-87 in the season opener for both teams.

Holmgren proved to be a handful at both ends of the floor. He tied a career high with 14 rebounds and had five assists and blocked four shots. Reserve Aaron Wiggins added 15 points.

It was an important divisional game right out of the gate. The Thunder and Nuggets both finished 57-25 last season, with the Thunder earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by virtue of a tiebreaker.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić had 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his 131st triple-double.  

Jokic's point guard partner, Jamal Murray, had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Christian Braun added 16 points, while Aaron Gordon, fresh off signing a new contract extension, added 12 points. Denver missed 32 of 39 3-pointers.

New addition Russell Westbrook was held to six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Doncic, Thompson pace Mavericks

Luka Dončić had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 in the opener for both teams Thursday night.

Kyrie Irving had 15 points for the defending Western Conference champions, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.

Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers.

He scored 14 points after halftime and was 4 of 5 from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from deep after making just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field for 17 points to open the young French phenom's second year with the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie scored 18 apiece.

Chris Paul had three points on 1-of-6 shooting to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in his Spurs debut.

Anthony Edwards sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Sacramento's opener by beating the Kings 117-115 on Thursday night.

Edwards was fouled by Domantas Sabonis on a drive with the game tied and calmly hit the free throws to give him 32 points.

Keegan Murray's 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer for the Kings.

Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 33 points in his second game after being acquired in a trade from New York this month.

Demar DeRozan scored 26 points to lead the Kings in his debut for Sacramento after being acquired this summer in a sign-and-trade from Chicago. Sabonis added 24 points and Murray had 23.

Edwards and Naz Reid hit back-to-back 3-pointers that started an 11-0 run for Minnesota that turned a five-point deficit into a 105-99 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

After going 13 for 41 from 3 in the opener, Minnesota shot 20 for 50 from long range against Sacramento. The 91 attempted 3s are the most ever for the Timberwolves in the first two games of a season.

Holmgren's all-around performance powers Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, Chet Holmgren added 25 as part of a stellar all-around game and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 102-87 in the season opener for both teams.

Holmgren proved to be a handful at both ends of the floor. He tied a career-high with 14 rebounds and had five assists and blocked four shots. Reserve Aaron Wiggins added 15 points.

It was an important divisional game right out of the gate. The Thunder and Nuggets both finished 57-25 last season, with the Thunder earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by virtue of a tiebreaker.

Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his 131st triple-double.  

Jokic's point guard partner, Jamal Murray, had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Christian Braun added 16 points, while Aaron Gordon, fresh off signing a new contract extension, added 12 points. Denver missed 32 of 39 3-pointers.

New addition Russell Westbrook was held to six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Doncic, Thompson pace Mavericks

Luka Doncic had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 in the opener for both teams on Thursday night.

Kyrie Irving had 15 points for the defending Western Conference champions, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.

Thompson set a franchise record in a debut with six 3-pointers.

He scored 14 points after halftime and was 4 of 5 from long range, as Dallas went 13 of 21 from deep after making just 6 of 23 in the first half. The five-time All-Star and four-time champ with the Warriors also had seven rebounds and three steals.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field for 17 points to open the young French phenom's second year with the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie scored 18 apiece.

Chris Paul had three points on 1-of-6 shooting to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in his Spurs debut.

Cooper Kupp caught a touchdown pass and Puka Nacua had 106 yards receiving in their returns from lengthy injury absences, and Matthew Stafford passed for 279 yards and four TDs in the Los Angeles Rams ' 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.

Demarcus Robinson caught two TD passes from Stafford as the Rams (3-4) won back-to-back games for the first time this season with 386 yards from an offence that looked exponentially more dangerous with its top two receivers back in uniform.

After missing the previous five games, Nacua had seven catches while posting the eighth 100-yard game of his short career. Kupp returned from a four-game absence with five catches for 51 yards, including a 27-yard grab for a key first down late in the fourth quarter.

Kyren Williams rushed for 97 yards and caught an early TD pass for the Rams. Robinson caught a 25-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to put Los Angeles ahead, and he caught a 10-yard TD throw with 6:17 to play for a 28-20 lead.

Sam Darnold passed for 240 yards for the Vikings (5-2), who followed up their first loss of the season with an ineffective defensive performance.

Justin Jefferson had eight receptions for 115 yards, while Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield caught TD passes from Darnold. Minnesota was held to two field goals in the final three quarters.