All eyes will be cast towards north London on Sunday for a derby that could have significant implications in the tussle for the Premier League title and the hunt for a top-four finish.

Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League will be just two points if Manchester City beat Manchester United on Saturday, while victory for Erik ten Hag's side would put them five ahead of Spurs in the quest for Champions League football.

Having so much at stake is nothing new for clashes between Arsenal and Spurs, with a meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last May being decisive in the two sides' battle to clinch fourth spot, where a 3-0 win for the hosts saw the Gunners miss the chance to secure a return to Europe's elite club competition.

Arsenal then lost to Newcastle United and saw Spurs leapfrog them to secure a top-four spot on the final day of the season, but Mikel Arteta's side have responded superbly.

Gunning for glory

Arsenal's pursuit of a first league title since 2003-04 has caught many by surprise this season, as has Tottenham's inability to kick on having beaten their arch-rivals to Champions League football last term.

Since that loss to Spurs in May, Arsenal have won 15 of their 19 Premier League matches, picking up 47 points out of a possible 57, with losses coming in the aforementioned trip to Newcastle last season and at Old Trafford against United in September.

Spurs, meanwhile, have won 12 of 20 Premier League fixtures since the win against Arsenal, picking up 39 points from a possible 60 – six of which came in back-to-back victories to finish the 2021-22 season.

In attack, the two great rivals boast a similar record, with Arsenal scoring 45 goals in 19 matches and Spurs finding the net on 43 occasions, having played a game more, though five came in a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich City on the final day of last season.

Defence is where Arsenal have shown the biggest improvement, conceding 17 goals in 19 matches – just 14 of which have been this season – while Spurs have conceded 25 goals in the same period,

Those improvements for Arsenal have put them 15 points better off than they were at the same stage last season, while Spurs have exactly the same points total as they did at the halfway mark last year.

Kane leading the way as Arsenal come of age

Unsurprisingly, England captain Harry Kane has the best goalscoring record since the two sides met at the back end of last season, scoring 17 goals in 20 games – 15 of which have come this season, only Erling Haaland (21) having more.

A lack of goals from alternative sources has been an issue, however, with Son Heung-min scoring six in the Premier League since May 13, 2022, and Richarlison yet to find the net for Spurs in his 10 Premier League appearances.

Arsenal's top-scorer in the same period is Gabriel Martinelli (eight goals in 19 appearances), though Bukayo Saka is closely behind with six and Eddie Nketiah's fine run since stepping up to replace the injured Gabriel Jesus leaves him with three goals in 17 appearances, only five of which have been as a starter.

Saka (seven) and Martinelli (three) both have more assists than Kane, Richarlison and Son (two), though the England captain's tally of goals gives him the best minutes per goal/assist average of 105 minutes, with Arsenal's best being Nketiah (189 minutes).

Nketiah (17 per cent), Saka and Martinelli (both 15 per cent) have been similarly efficient in front of goal, while Kane's 21.8 per cent shot conversion rate is significantly higher than Son (11.5 per cent).

The fairly even spread of Arsenal's attacking options displays the shared responsibility that Arteta's side have in the final third, whereas Kane continues to carry his team-mates.

Kane stands as the highest-scoring player of all-time in the north London derby with 14 goals, scoring in all but one of his eight home Premier League games against the Gunners as he stands one away from matching Jimmy Greaves' all-time record for the club of 266.

Luciano Spalletti hailed Victor Osimhen for his performance in Napoli's 5-1 thrashing of Juventus and says he is "amazed" by what the striker still has to offer.

Osimhen opened the scoring for Napoli in Friday's top-of-the-table Serie A clash with a close-range finish, ending Juve's run of 770 minutes without conceding in the league.

The 24-year-old then assisted Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, before doubling his strike tally in the second half in between goals from Amir Rrahmani and Elif Elmas.

He is only the third player to score and assist in the first half against Juve over the past 15 seasons, after Cagliari's Luca Gagliano and Roma's Diego Perotti (both in 2020).

But while now boasting 13 goals and three assists in 17 appearances this season, Spalletti believes there is more to come from the Nigeria international.

"I am amazed by the potential Osimhen hasn't put into practice yet," Spalletti told DAZN. "He is devastating on long balls, can stand strong physically and has courage too.

"He's had his face cut two or three times because he never backs down. He almost always takes risks but he's a player who has potential and room for improvement."

Napoli have now scored 64 goals in 24 matches this season, making them the fourth-highest scoring team across Europe's top five leagues in all competitions.

More important than that is the 10-point margin Napoli now have on Juventus and Milan at the Serie A summit, though the latter have a game in hand at Lecce on Saturday.

The Partenopei are heavy favourites to win their first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season, even if Spalletti has suggested otherwise, after sending out another message.

"The only message is to ourselves," Spalletti said. "Juventus are a colossus and that run of results they were on allowed them to go into this match in second place.

"What we said before kick-off was that we didn't want to end the game with remorse or being hesitant. Instead, we attacked in an open way and took control of the match."

Angel Di Maria had levelled up before half-time for Juve, who entered the game on an eight-match winning run in the league without conceding a single goal.

Despite Napoli stretching their lead at the top, Juventus defender Danilo is not giving up hope of catching Spalletti's side in the second half of the season.

"The Scudetto will be decided in June," he said. "We will think only match-to-match; only in this way can we get higher in the standings. Then we will see what happens.

"Juve must always aim for the Scudetto. We must understand that from tomorrow our thinking must change. As a club we know we have to leave everything on the pitch."

Massimiliano Allegri has told his Juventus players not to let their heads drop after being thumped 5-1 by Napoli as there is still plenty to play for this season.

Juve missed the chance to close the gap on Napoli at the top of Serie A, instead slipping 10 points behind the leaders with their heavy loss at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

The Bianconeri entered Friday's contest on an eight-match winning run without conceding, but they shipped five times in a league match for the first time in close to 30 years.

Allegri has no complaints with the scoreline and is now looking for a quick response when Juve face Monza in the Coppa Italia last 16 next Thursday.

"There are some defeats that are deserved and some that are undeserved. This time it was deserved," Allegri told DAZN.

"We had the strength to try to turn it around, but it didn't turn out like that. We can't let our heads drop because there's a long road ahead.

"We must congratulate Napoli. We were low on energy and were too deep for the first 20 minutes. We had good chances but every time they had a shot they could've scored.

"It is now about getting back on our feet, recovering energy and starting work again. The championship race is long so we must look forward."

Juve's run of 770 minutes without conceding in Serie A – their fifth-longest streak – was ended by Victor Osimhen early on before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second.

Angel Di Maria pulled one back for Juventus before half-time, but Amir Rrahmani restored Napoli's two-goal cushion and Osimhen's second put the game out of reach.

Substitute Elif Elmas then added a fifth for Napoli, who made it four home league wins in a row against Juve for just the second time in their history.

Asked why his side crumbled so badly in the second half in Naples, Allegri said: "You don't always have to find justification.

"These goals we conceded, that wouldn't have happened had we had more energy. After the third goal, the world falls in on you.

"Osimhen had an extraordinary match and Napoli are showing they are the strongest team. Maybe in two months things will change. What is valid today is not valid tomorrow."

Super Bowl champion head coach Sean McVay has informed the Los Angeles Rams he will return for the 2023 season, the team announced on Friday.

McVay had been pondering his future following the conclusion of a difficult 2022 campaign that ended with Sunday's overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. 

The 2017 NFL Coach of the Year confirmed he was weighing up his options when speaking at Monday's end-of-the-season press conference.

The Rams dropped nine of their final 11 games to finish 5-12, the highest loss total in a season for any team defending a Super Bowl title, amid a mounting swarm of injuries to several key players that included quarterback Matthew Stafford, 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.

"I think what I liked to do is be able to take the appropriate time," McVay said on Monday. "I've never gone through anything like this, but you want to make sure that you're considerate of the people that are affected.

"That's the most important thing and you want to be able to have the consistent conversations and dialogues that have existed with the people that I love and really care about.

"But that doesn't mean it takes away the empathy, the level of responsibility that I do feel for the people that would be affected as it relates to my decision moving forward, and so those are the things that you don’t take lightly.

"You want to be able to make sure that you're intentional about taking the appropriate time, while also making a decision in a manner that's considerate of those people that would be affected."

McVay, who at age 36 became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with the Rams' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last February, has four years remaining on a new contract he received prior to the start of this past season.

The Rams reached the playoffs four times in McVay's first five seasons in charge and won 55 regular-season games over that span, tying him with Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin for the third-most victories of any coach through his first five seasons in NFL history.

McVay is also the youngest head coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl after guiding the Rams to the title game during the 2018 season at the age of 33.

The Rams have compiled a 60-38 record with three NFC West titles during McVay's tenure, as well as a 7-3 mark in postseason play.

Napoli ended Juventus' eight-match winning run without conceding in Serie A with an emphatic 5-1 victory in Friday's top-of-the-table clash to move 10 points clear at the summit.

Juve had gone on a remarkable run of form since losing to Milan in early October, but their defence was finally breached by Victor Osimhen with 14 minutes played.

Osimhen turned provider by playing in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Napoli's second at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but Angel Di Maria pulled one back before half-time.

However, Luciano Spalletti's side pulled clear through another goal from Osimhen, either side of strikes from Amir Rrahmani and Elif Elmas, to put one hand on the Scudetto.

Napoli edged in front when Wojciech Szczesny palmed Kvaratskhelia's acrobatic attempt into the path of Osimhen for a simple finish from close range.

Di Maria sent a dipping effort against the crossbar, but Kvaratskhelia doubled Napoli's lead with a composed finish after Bremer's error allowed Osimhen to play his team-mate in.

Juve gave themselves a lifeline through Di Maria's low finish past Szczesny after exchanging passes with Arkadiusz Milik, though Napoli should have cut out the danger.

Meret did brilliantly to prevent Rrahmani putting into his own net and that proved an even bigger save when the same player fired in on the half-volley from a corner.

The hosts were out of sight with 65 minutes gone as, after more sloppy play from Bremer, Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen again linked up for the latter to header across Szczesny.

Elmas, brought on at half-time for the injured Matteo Politano, added a fifth for Napoli with a shot that deflected in off Alex Sandro to round off a five-star showing.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made a strong impression on Casemiro with a winning mentality he has seen in few coaches throughout his career.

Casemiro joined United from Real Madrid in August in a deal potentially worth £70million (€78.9m), having played under the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and Zinedine Zidane.

The Brazil international signed for the club amid a period of relative uncertainty given the disappointing nature of the previous season and Ten Hag's arrival a few months earlier ushering in a new era.

But after a slow start for both, Casemiro has excelled and Ten Hag has overseen significant collective improvement, with United fourth in the Premier League and hoping to go a point behind champions Manchester City with a win in Saturday's derby.

Ten Hag has applauded Casemiro for the impact he has made and the midfielder reciprocated with praise of his own.

"He's certainly a manager who is obsessed with winning," Casemiro told ICS. "Few managers in my career had the same obsession to win.

"He's someone who always wants to win: even in training, he always wants the best. He's a hard-working manager who demands a lot of his players so that we're always at our best and that's important for us.

"I also view him as a manager with the desire to see Manchester United grow and develop, that's one of his most important characteristics, not just his but all the coaching staff who follow his lead."

Casemiro has transformed United's midfield with a crucial blend of destructiveness and playmaking ability.

Every 90 minutes he averages 6.3 involvements in open-play passing sequences that end in a shot, a record bettered by only five central midfielders in the Premier League this term (minimum of 500 minutes), including more recognised creators such as Bruno Fernandes (7.3) and Kevin De Bruyne (8.0).

Additionally, just five players in the league (min. 500 minutes) have been involved in more shot-ending build-up sequences (48) without creating or taking the shot. Both of these highlight how central Casemiro's playmaking skills are from his deep-lying position, even if he is not necessarily the one playing the key pass.

But it is off the ball where many fans feel his presence is most welcomed, given the only other United central midfielder to record at least three tackles and eight duel wins (3.8 and 8.1) on a 90-minute basis over a season in the past 15 years is Marouane Fellaini in 2013-14 (3.1 and 9.3) and 2016-17 (3.0 and 10.8).

Casemiro does not think he is doing anything that would not be expected of him, though, and it is this simplicity and clarity from Ten Hag that he values.

"He's a very intelligent coach," Casemiro told ICS. "He knows what he can ask for from each player.

"I'd say he doesn't ask me for anything I can't do, obviously I can contribute to the team. The manager makes adjustments of course, but he doesn't ask for anything different from what I've been doing throughout my career.

"Nothing special is requested. Of course, the league and the games themselves allow you to get forward more.

"Everyone, including the manager, knows my role: bring balance to the team, support my team-mates, play between the centre-backs, provide cover for the full-backs, help the midfield, play out from the back with a quality pass. Nothing different from what I've always done in my career."

The Miami Dolphins are looking for a first playoff victory since 2000 when they travel to face the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's Wild Card clash, where two quarterbacks will be the talk of the town.

While the Bills will look towards Josh Allen, who has thrown just one interception in 228 career passing attempts in the postseason (0.4 interception rate, the lowest in NFL playoff history among those with a minimum 200 attempts), the Dolphins will be hoping to get by without Tua Tagovailoa.

Miami head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed ahead of the game that Tagovailoa, who has not featured since Christmas Day, remains unavailable due to concussion – an issue that has plagued a turbulent season for the Dolphins.

With Tagovailoa leading the offense, the Dolphins are 8-4 in games he has finished and 1-4 without him, while a passer rating of 105.5 leads the NFL, ahead of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, and leading MVP candidate, Patrick Mahomes.

In Tagovailoa's absence, the Dolphins face a tough test in their bid to end a streak of four consecutive losses in the playoffs and will need Tyreek Hill to step up in their first postseason appearance since the 2016 season.

Hill smashed the franchise record for receiving yards this season, tallying 1,710 yards and becoming the first Dolphins player to register 1,400 receiving yards for the season, the next closest being Mark Clayton in 1984 with 1,389 yards.

The Dolphins' big worries for Sunday's clash will be Tagovailoa's absence and a lack of playoff experience, a complete contrast to the Bills, who have seen Allen continue to grow and have reached the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.

Only Mahomes (41) has thrown more touchdown passes than Allen (35) this season, though a tally of 14 interceptions is the joint next highest in the NFL behind Davis Mills and Dak Prescott (both 15).

Allen has thrown only one interception in his playoff history, however, with 14 touchdowns in the postseason, and averaged 10.3 yards per attempt in the 2021 playoffs – something the Bills will hope he can repeat this year.

A close game could be on the cards, though, with the Bills overcoming the Dolphins by just a three-point margin less than a month ago with a 32-29 victory in Buffalo, while the reverse clash in Week 3 saw Miami victorious 21-19.

That win was a significant one for the Dolphins, preventing a fourth consecutive series streak for Buffalo and standing as only the second win for Miami in the last 12 meetings.

Jurgen Klopp has demanded Liverpool's players show some "fight" to salvage their season.

Klopp is concerned his players are not winning enough challenges, and he has told them to take responsibility.

Liverpool's tackle success rate in the Premier League has been strong enough, with their 60.73 per cent record ranking them third among all clubs, behind only Arsenal and Everton.

But the record in duels is a different story, and dismal from a Reds perspective. A duel is defined by Opta as a '50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides'.

Only in seven out of 27 games across all competitions has Liverpool's duels success reached 50 per cent this season.

In Premier League games only, Liverpool's duels record heading into the latest round of games was the worst of all teams, with a 47.54 per cent success rate.

Klopp said the only way around the problem was to "win more challenges".

"I cannot win challenges for them," he said. "That's what we are talking about, and it's something we have to do, and that will change a lot.

"It's a basic thing to win challenges, and that's why we're talking a little bit about it.

"We are not the most shiny star because we don't play the football people expect and we expect as well, but we have good moments, and we have to fight through this."

Klopp was adamant Liverpool "have more problems than other teams at this moment", with injuries to key personnel undoubtedly hampering their progress.

They sat seventh in the table going into the weekend, after losing to Brentford in their last league game, with a tricky away game at Brighton and Hove Albion awaiting them on Saturday.

Klopp is sure Liverpowill win football games again", after their sticky start since the season resumed after the World Cup.

Liverpool's EFL Cup defence ended with defeat to Manchester City in December, while hopes of another run to FA Cup glory are hanging by a thread as they face a third-round Molineux replay against Wolves after an Anfield draw.

Klopp said the Brighton game was a "very important game for us for different reasons".

He stressed there are aspects of Liverpool's recent performances "we didn't like" and said there was no danger of underestimating Brighton, a team he feels are "full of confidence" under Roberto De Zerbi's leadership.

The game should mark Mohamed Salah's 300th appearance for an English club, with the Egypt international having to date played 280 games for Liverpool and 19 for Chelsea.

He has proven to be one of Klopp's best signings, and Liverpool hope there is plenty still to come from the 30-year-old, who has blossomed at Anfield after a spell with Roma.

"Oh my god, what a journey," Klopp said. "I would say his dreams and our dreams came true during that period, but it's not over yet.

"Mo is fit, still after all these years, after all these games, and that's important, that he's available pretty much always.

"Sometimes the performance drops here and there, but it doesn't happen too often, so I think it was a perfect match."

Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a transfer raid to lift Liverpool for a push towards the Champions League places.

The Reds manager became riled by questions on the subject when speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, ahead of the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are sidelined by injury, reducing Klopp's options in attack, and Darwin Nunez could also miss the Brighton game.

Key defender Virgil van Dijk is also out of action, but Klopp dismissed the idea Liverpool could use the January transfer window to solve their problems.

"I don't think so," he said. "My job is to use the boys we have, so that's it. I like the teams we line up, but when we start to change things you see we don't have three, four, five options, and if we have options they are pretty young.

"You cannot solve all problems in a transfer window. In a dreamland you would just buy players now and bring them in, but I don't see that coming."

Liverpool have been linked with the likes of Benfica's Argentina World Cup star Enzo Fernandez, but judging by Klopp's tone there will be no deal materialising there in the near future.

Asked why Liverpool would not be targeting the market for new additions, Klopp said: "What could be the reason? That we have money like crazy, but we don't buy the players even when they are available?

"That's what you think of me after all the years? Why ask the question when the answer lies on the table? I really don't understand that.

"If I sat here and said we have money in the bank, massively, like we don't know what to do with, but the players are out there but nah, we don't do that...

"We have on top of that the problem that in the moment four of our offensive players are injured, strikers.

"So if we buy another one and they come back, and we have seven strikers, we couldn't even put them all on the Champions League list. We'd have to make a decision.

"So it's just not that easy, you cannot solve the problem, especially with injuries.

"Injuries, that's the main, big, big shadow over all of us, because you cannot solve it in the transfer window. Sometimes you have to, but usually you have to get through until the boys come back and then you can use them again.

"The transfer market is for us not in this moment a solution. But if something's out there and someone tells me we can do it, we will do it, but in this specific situation I don't think it will happen."

Liverpool were held 3-3 by Brighton at Anfield in October, in a game that saw Leandro Trossard hit a hat-trick for the Seagulls.

That was early in the reign of Roberto De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter as Brighton head coach, and the south-coast club won none of their first five Premier League games under the Italian (D2 L3).

They have won four of their last six under De Zerbi, however, while Liverpool have lost three of their last seven in the league, as many as in their previous 37 games combined (W26 D8).

Klopp's side sit seventh in the table entering the latest round of games, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

A defeat last Monday to Brentford was a jolt for the Reds, who have not begun a calendar year with two league losses in a row since 1993, in the inaugural Premier League campaign, when they were beaten by Aston Villa and Wimbledon.

Klopp said of the trip to the Amex Stadium: "It will be a tough one, but I'm really looking forward to it because we've had a good week [in training] and I hope the players who are available during the week will stay available and be ready for a fight."

Manchester City will attempt to celebrate a landmark game for Pep Guardiola by securing a fourth consecutive win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The eagerly awaited derby will be Guardiola's 500th match as a top-flight manager in an incredible trophy-laden career.

Of more importance for the City boss will be claiming a victory that would leave the champions only two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who face a derby of their own at Tottenham on Sunday.

The Red Devils were hammered 6-3 when the two sides met at the Etihad Stadium in October, with Guardiola's men having done the double over their fierce rivals last season.

Fourth-placed United are flying under Erik ten Hag, though, and a win over City – who suffered a shock EFL Cup defeat to Southampton on Wednesday – would leave them only a point behind their neighbours.

Stats Perform has used Opta data to preview a huge derby showdown.

Another huge milestone for Pep

Guardiola has long since established himself as one of the best managers in the world, achieving great success with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.

He took charge of 152 LaLiga games during his Barca tenure, 102 in the Bundesliga with dominant Bayern and this will be his 246th Premier League match as City boss.

Guardiola has won 379 of the 499 top-flight encounters he has overseen, suffered 52 defeats and drawn 68 games. 

With a win percentage rate of 76, he has the most victories and highest win rate - for managers who have taken charge of at least 100 games - of any boss in Europe's big-five leagues since his first top-flight season in 2008-09.

United on a roll

Ten Hag has lifted the gloom and there is more of an air of optimism at Old Trafford, with United having won eight consecutive games in all competitions.

Since and including their win over Liverpool on August 22, no team has earned more Premier League points than United's tally of 35, winning 11 of their 15 games during that time.

The Red Devils have won all three Premier League games since the World Cup without conceding a goal and reached the EFL Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Tuesday.

City to add insult to injury by breaking scoring record?

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scored hat-tricks as City put United to the sword just over three months ago.

Guardiola's men could break their record for the number of goals scored against United in a season, which stands at eight established by 5-0 and 3-2 victories way back in the 1954-55 campaign.

The most goals the Red Devils have conceded against an opponent in a Premier League season is nine against Liverpool in 2021-22.

Rashford can do no wrong

Marcus Rashford can do no wrong at the minute, scoring in every game since the World Cup.

He came off the bench to help himself to a late double in the win over Charlton, making it seven goals in six matches since returning from England duty in Qatar.

Rashford, who found the back of the net twice for the Three Lions in the World Cup, has scored 15 times this season for United – who are certainly not missing Cristiano Ronaldo.

It's time for the Wild Card round on the road to Super Bowl LVII.

Things kick-off on Saturday when the in-form San Francisco 49ers welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Levi's Stadium, while the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A trio of games on Sunday see the Buffalo Bills host the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings facing the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals going up against the Baltimore Ravens, before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys bring the round to a close on Monday.

Stats Perform has taken a look at the more pertinent stats heading into what should be another exciting three days of NFL action as the playoffs begin.

Seattle Seahawks (9-8) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-4)

This will be just the second playoff game ever between the Seahawks and 49ers (Seattle won the other in the 2013 NFC Championship Game).

The 49ers are on a 10-game winning streak, the 13th team in the Super Bowl era to enter the postseason on a double-digit winning streak. The previous 12 teams to do so were 7-5 in their first playoff game that season.

San Francisco won both regular season meetings but have never beaten a single team three times in one campaign (including playoffs).

Geno Smith led the NFL in completion percentage this season, becoming just the second Seahawk ever do so after Dave Krieg in 1991. With 30 touchdown passes, Smith became the third Seahawk to lead the NFC in that category, joining Matt Hasselbeck (2005) and Russell Wilson (2017 and 2018).

Christian McCaffrey has scored an offensive touchdown in each of his last six games, tied for the second-longest streak in the NFL this season. The last Niner to have a longer streak (including the playoffs) was Terrell Owens in 1998 (nine).

Miami Dolphins (9-8) @ Buffalo Bills (13-3)

The Dolphins have lost their last four games in the postseason, scoring just 24 points over those games. Only one team has scored fewer points over a four-game span in the playoffs in postseason history, the Giants from 1939 to 1944 (16 points).

Miami's hopes of improving on that poor record were reduced when starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) was ruled out of this playoff contest.

But they still have Tyreek Hill, who caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards this season – both career highs. No Dolphin had ever had more than 1,400 receiving yards in one season, with the next closest being Mark Clayton in 1984 with 1,389 receiving yards.

For the Bills, Josh Allen has thrown one interception in 228 career passing attempts in the postseason, the lowest rate in NFL playoff history.

This season, the Dolphins' offense led the league, averaging 6.85 yards on first down plays, while the Bills were third (6.13). The teams were close on defense on first down plays as well, with the Dolphins 14th (5.27 yards allowed per play) and the Bills 15th (5.39).

New York Giants (9-7-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (13-4)

This is the Vikings' 31st playoff appearance, currently tied with the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz for the most by any MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL team that has never won a championship.

Kirk Cousins finished with 25 or more TD passes and fewer than 15 interceptions for the eighth straight season. The only other QB in NFL history to have a streak as long is Tom Brady (10 straight, 2009-18).

The Giants are 8-2 in playoff games since the start of the 2007 season, the best record by any NFL team in that time. Four of the Giants' 16 previous playoff appearances in the Super Bowl era have ended in a Super Bowl victory (25.0 per cent), the highest percentage for any team.

Earlier this season, Daniel Jones became the second QB in NFL history to have 3000+ passing yards, 500+ rushing yards and no more than five interceptions in a season, along with Robert Griffin III in his 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign.

Elsewhere...

This will be the Chargers' first playoff appearance since 2018, when they beat Baltimore before falling to New England. The Chargers have won at least one playoff game in four of their last five appearances. They are also 3-0 against AFC South teams in the playoffs since the division was created in 2002.

The Bengals have won eight consecutive games, which is tied for the longest win streak in team history. The Bengals are the only current NFL team without at least one winning streak of at least nine games in their franchise history (regular season and playoffs).

Buccaneers star Tom Brady has thrown for 13,049 yards in his playoff career, nearly 4,000 more than the combined career total for the other 13 projected playoff starting quarterbacks this season (9,184 combined passing yards).

Arsenal should be labelled as favourites in the north London derby, but Harry Redknapp says Harry Kane will always give his old team Tottenham a fighting chance.

Premier League leaders Arsenal make the short trip across the capital to face their rivals on Sunday.

A 3-0 defeat to Antonio Conte's team in the corresponding fixture last season was the start of Arsenal's capitulation in the run-in, which saw them miss out on the Champions League.

Yet Mikel Arteta's side are flying high this term and, having beat Spurs 3-1 in October, Arsenal are looking to complete their first league double over their rivals since 2013-14, which was also their last league victory away at Tottenham.

Former Spurs manager Redknapp believes Arsenal have the edge, but is confident Kane – the highest-scoring player in north London derby history with 14 goals – will take an opportunity if it comes his way.

"At the moment, you'd have to fancy Arsenal, to be honest, they look so good," Redknapp told Stats Perform.

"They're so full of confidence. I love the way they're playing. I think they've got some real quality players, but when you've got Harry Kane in your team, you've always got a chance, you've got a puncher's chance.

"They might get outplayed for long periods of a game but Kane can land a knockout blow anytime. So I wouldn't write Tottenham off by any means. I think it'll be a tight game."

Kane has scored in all but one of his eight league home games against Arsenal, only failing to find the net in a July 2020 clash, when the competition restarted behind closed doors during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 29-year-old has scored 198 Premier League goals and is just one strike away from matching Jimmy Greaves' record of 266 goals for Tottenham.

Only Erling Haaland (21) has scored more Premier League goals than Kane (15) this season, with the Spurs talisman having far over performed his expected goals of 10.5.

Wayne Rooney (208) and Alan Shearer (260) are the only players to have scored more Premier League goals than Kane, who Redknapp believes is the cream of the crop.

"Oh without a doubt, yeah," Redknapp said when asked if Kane will break the competition's goalscoring record.

"I think he'll smash it to pieces. Harry's just an amazing player, he's the best centre forward in the world in my opinion.

"He's right up there isn't he? Shearer you know how far do you go back you know, but you know, he's up there with the very, very best isn't he?

"The great Jimmy Greaves was a different type of player, Jimmy was a fantastic footballer. Genius. But Harry is just amazing. For me, he's the best all-round centre forward, he can do everything. The complete player.

"There's nothing he doesn't do. Team player. Great guy, not a problem. Perfect professional."

Eddie Howe will support a "remorseful" Joelinton after a drink-driving charge, but the Newcastle United boss has not yet decided whether to drop the midfielder this weekend.

Joelinton starred in Newcastle's 2-0 EFL Cup quarter-final win against Leicester City on Tuesday, scoring one goal and creating the other for Dan Burn.

However, the Brazilian was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning for being over the prescribed limit for alcohol at the wheel of a vehicle.

Joelinton will appear in court on January 26, between the two legs of Newcastle's cup tie against Southampton – the Magpies' first major semi-final since 2005.

The incident has marred what had been a great week for Newcastle, with a huge Premier League clash with Fulham to come on Sunday.

Newcastle enter the weekend in third place, with Fulham in sixth, but head coach Howe told reporters on Friday he had yet to decide what Joelinton's role would be in the match.

No player has made more appearances (47) or starts (45) or played more minutes (3,845) for Newcastle in all competitions since Howe's November 2021 appointment.

Howe added: "It came very much as a shock. Joe was very upset and remorseful yesterday.

"He knows the seriousness of the situation, and so do we as a club. I think he understands his responsibilities, and we are now supporting him.

"We will deal with the matter internally. From day one, he's been a very good professional and hugely passionate about his career and the club.

"I was very surprised about what happened. We will back him and support him but also educate him about what happened. Everyone makes mistakes."

Joelinton has turned his career around under Howe, with only three players topping his nine goal involvements in the coach's tenure.

He has played a key role in Newcastle's 13-match unbeaten Premier League streak; a 14th game without defeat against Fulham would tie the club's record run in the competition.

With or without Joelinton, Fulham represent a tough test, despite losing the reverse fixture 4-1 at Craven Cottage – a rare match in which Newcastle's number seven was left on the bench.

Marco Silva's side could even close to within a point of Champions League-chasing Newcastle with a win, but the Fulham boss said of a top-four challenge: "We are in a great position in the table, but we are not going to change anything from our goals until we achieve that.

"It is clear for me the goal is still at the same level. No one in our football club will achieve the goals until we achieve it. Until we remain in the Premier League, we are not changing anything from our aims and our ambitions.

"We are an ambitious football club, definitely, and I'm ambitious as a manager; my players, too. But we have to be realistic. We are really pleased how we have been playing, how we have achieved great results for us, but the Premier League is really tough."

After a week's break for the FA Cup, the Premier League is back with a full round of fixtures this weekend – in fact, some teams have midweek games too.

As such, fantasy football managers turn their attention back to team selections, transfers and captain choices.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four options that might be worth your consideration…

Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest v Leicester City)

Forest endured a pretty brutal reality check upon their long-awaited return to the Premier League, but things have started looking up in the past few weeks.

Henderson has undoubtedly been a shrewd addition between the posts and his recent form reflects Forest's general improvement.

Four of his five Premier League clean sheets this term have come in his seven most recent appearances, while Forest have collectively restricted their opponents to two or fewer shots on target in four of their past five outings.

Sven Botman (Newcastle United v Fulham)

Newcastle have excelled in many areas this term, hence their position in the top four. Defensively they have been solid, and Botman has more than played his part.

Eddie Howe's men have kept a clean sheet in each of their past four league games, with Botman playing at least 87 minutes in all of them.

Only four players have contributed to more clean sheets than his seven this season, and another will see the Magpies record five successive top-flight shutouts for the first time.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United v Manchester City)

Granted, Fernandes is not exactly an "out there" selection, so this is more of a reminder of the value he can represent.

For starters, he is in good form having provided an assist in each of his past two league games, and for the season only Kevin De Bruyne (41) has created more chances in open play (40).

While he only has three assists, his 4.3 expected assists is the third best in the division, suggesting his team-mates have not fully made the most of his craft.

But with Marcus Rashford in such form and a big game against City – following by a midweek trip to struggling Crystal Palace – up next, Fernandes will be a leading candidate to be decisive.

Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion v Liverpool)

From a slightly obvious pick to a real wildcard, but bear with us.

Ferguson has made a big impact at Brighton over the past few weeks. The 18-year-old has been involved in three goals across his past two games (two goals, one assist).

If he gets another goal against Liverpool at the weekend, he will be the youngest player (18 years and 87 days on Saturday) to score in three consecutive Premier League games since Michael Owen (18y, 12d).

Is it written in the stars?

Erik ten Hag's arrival at Manchester United last year began a process of culture reset. For years, the club allowed big egos to inflate, and the team's mentality to shrink, while an arrogant hierarchy seemingly assumed waving big cheques guaranteed success.

Ten Hag has taken steps to fix all of the above, and in the roughly eight months since he began working in May, the difference has been significant.

"There was no spirit," Ten Hag said last week. "I saw no team dynamic in the squad. The mental resilience was very low. I saw that as an outsider – and also noticed it in my first weeks at the club.

"I looked at the culture of the club. I asked, 'how did Manchester United become great?'. The club has bought an unimaginable number of players in recent years who have not been good enough. Most purchases have been average – and at United average is not good enough. United's shirt weighs heavily."

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and you can't say Ten Hag's impact has come without "waving big cheques". But the problem with previous eras was how the money was spent.

Casemiro, who cost £60million, is the prime example. At 30 years old, there's no doubt some fans were unsure he was the man to reinvigorate a midfield that had quite literally been a problem for over a decade, but he's been exceptional and a big part of United's transformation.

From slow start to key man

Saturday's Manchester derby will be a true litmus test of not only United's progress under Ten Hag, but also the influence Casemiro has.

Let's not forget, City crushed United 6-3 at the start of October. Pep Guardiola's men were even 6-1 up for about 11 minutes before a late Anthony Martial double.

Their midfield of Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes simply couldn't handle City's dynamism, and then Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were irresistible in front of goal.

That was, unsurprisingly, the last game before Casemiro took ownership of the holding midfield role at United. Casemiro has played 1,330 minutes across all competitions since, second only to Fernandes (1,349), while Scott McTominay has managed just 439.

Over the same period, only Newcastle United (24) have claimed more points than the Red Devils (23) in the Premier League, with November's 3-1 reverse at Aston Villa their sole defeat.

Of course, it's difficult to attribute United's improvement to Casemiro alone, but there's no doubt his effective blend of destructiveness and creative subtlety have made Ten Hag's midfield a completely different proposition.

Not only is he so adept at reading the game and snuffing out attacks, Casemiro's long-underrated technical abilities suit Ten Hag's style of play down to the ground.

More than meets the eye

Anyone who regularly watched Real Madrid during Casemiro's long stay will have already known there's more to him than simply kicking people. Admittedly, frequent viewers of arguably the most popular team on Earth is hardly a niche group, yet there was certainly a lack of awareness from fans and pundits alike regarding Casemiro's 'other' talents when he joined United.

Because Ten Hag wants his team to generally dictate possession, players without excellent technique will stick out like a sore thumb, which is presumably one explanation for Aaron Wan-Bissaka featuring so irregularly until the past couple of weeks.

The fact Casemiro has become so influential speaks volumes.

Every 90 minutes he averages 6.3 involvements in open-play passing sequences that end in a shot, a record bettered by only five central midfielders in the Premier League this term (min. 500 minutes), including more recognised creators like Fernandes (7.3) and Kevin De Bruyne (8.0).

Additionally, just five players in the entire league (min. 500 minutes) have been involved in more shot-ending build-up sequences (48) without creating or taking the shot. Both of these highlight how central Casemiro's playmaking skills are from his deeper role, even if he's not necessarily the one playing the key pass.

But he is proving extremely effective without the ball as well, and his powers of ball recovery combined with smart distribution make him such an asset, with only Rodri (32, from 1,391 minutes played) initiating more shot-ending open-play sequences after winning possession than Casemiro (22, from 979 minutes played).

It's arguably that hard-working, destructive nature that makes him so refreshing for United, though. The only other central midfielder they've had over the past 15 years who has recorded at least three tackles and eight duel wins (3.8 and 8.1) on a 90-minute basis over a season is Marouane Fellaini in 2013-14 (3.1 and 9.3) and 2016-17 (3.0 and 10.8).

Fellaini's stats will be boosted by his aerial effectiveness, and obviously the Belgian never had the same technical grasp Casemiro has, with his two brilliant passes in the build up to Marcus Rashford's goals in the EFL Cup win over Charlton Athletic earlier this week prime examples of his class in that respect.

He's probably the most complete midfielder they've had since Roy Keane, and the fact Ten Hag so emphatically filled a void that's been gaping throughout the post-Alex Ferguson era is proof enough of the manager's culture shift at Old Trafford.

Beating City will be another major statement.