The Playbook

Real Madrid go to Racing Santander at El Sardineros today on the back of a statement week. The 2-1 away win over Barcelona at Spotify Camp Nou last Sunday was settled late, The Guardian reported, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Jude Bellingham creating the move for the winner. It was Madrid's fifth straight win, coming after the 4-1 home win over Sevilla at Santiago Bernabéu and the 4-1 home win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League — 10 goals scored and 3 conceded across those three.

Mbappé is the headline. He has 14 goals and 3 assists in 13 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League, more than four times the output of anyone else at the club. Arda Güler and Yan Diomande both have 3 goals and 4 assists, and Bellingham has 3 and 3. The Guardian framed the Clásico as the moment the manager's plan came together, a relaunch after a difficult start.

Madrid are third on 24 points with 8 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses and a goal difference of +15. Racing are 15th with 11 points and have conceded 26 goals in ten games, so this is a chance to keep the run going and keep pressure on the two sides above them.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Real Madrid's attack depends on Kylian Mbappé to a degree that makes him the club's single point of failure. His 14 goals in 13 appearances are more than the next three scorers combined: Arda Güler, Yan Diomande and Jude Bellingham have 9 between them. Eight wins from ten league games and a +15 goal difference is a strong return built on one finisher.

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Alavés lost 6-1 at Barcelona on Saturday, the 1-6 away loss to Barcelona at Spotify Camp Nou. It came after a 1-1 home draw with Málaga at Mendizorrotza and a 1-2 away loss to Celta Vigo, so Alavés are without a win in three, with 3 goals scored and 9 conceded.

Alavés are tenth in La Liga with 12 points from 3 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses and a goal difference of -2, which Saturday's result swung sharply. Lucas Boyé leads the scoring with 5 goals in 9 appearances, Mariano Díaz has 3 goals and 4 assists, and full-back Ángel Pérez has created 3.

Next is a Copa del Rey tie away at Anaitasuna at Txerloia on Tuesday 3 November, a chance to reset before league play resumes.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 11 matches, Alavés sit 10th with 12 points and a -2 goal difference. That spread — 15 for, 17 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Athletic Club host Real Sociedad at San Mamés today in the Basque derby, arriving on two big wins. Thursday's 6-1 away win over AE Prat in the Copa del Rey followed a 4-0 home win over Getafe in La Liga, and together they answered a 1-3 away loss to Levante at the Estadi Ciutat de València on 21 October. Across the three games Athletic scored 11 and conceded 4.

Athletic are seventh in La Liga with 12 points from 3 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses and a goal difference of +3. Álex Berenguer leads the club with 3 goals and 4 assists, Iñaki Williams has 2 goals and 2 assists, and Robert Navarro has 3 goals. Centre-back Aitor Paredes has chipped in with 2.

Real Sociedad are fifth with 19 points, seven ahead of Athletic, having scored 19 and conceded 18. A home win would narrow that gap and keep Athletic in touch with the European places.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 9 matches, Athletic Club sit 7th with 12 points and a +3 goal difference. That spread — 12 for, 9 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Juventus host Napoli at Allianz Stadium today looking to bounce back from Wednesday's 0-2 away loss to Genoa at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. That defeat followed the 2-0 away win over Lecce at Via Del Mare and the 2-2 home draw with Stade Rennais in the Europa League, leaving Juventus with 4 goals scored and 4 conceded across the three games.

The league table shows how tight the middle of Serie A is. Juventus are eighth on 14 points with 4 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses and a goal difference of +1, and today's visitors have exactly the same record and points from nine games, seventh on goal difference. Randal Kolo Muani leads the Juventus scoring with 3 goals and 2 assists, Nick Woltemade has 3 goals and an assist, and defenders Zeki Çelik and Bremer have 2 goals each, along with Edon Zhegrova.

Napoli have scored 17 and conceded 11, a sharper attack than Juventus can point to. A win today would lift Juventus above them; a defeat would leave them trailing a direct rival in a crowded race for the European places.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Juventus are short of goals, and the scoring list makes the problem plain. Randal Kolo Muani and Nick Woltemade lead with 3 goals each, and the next most productive scorers include two defenders, Zeki Çelik and Bremer, with 2 apiece. A +1 goal difference from nine league games is the result: Juventus are rarely beaten heavily, but they rarely win comfortably either.

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Barcelona answered a bad week with a rout. Saturday's 6-1 home win over Alavés at Spotify Camp Nou kept them top of La Liga with 30 points from 11 games, a record of 10 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss and a goal difference of +34. It came six days after the 1-2 home loss to Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou, a Clásico BBC Sport said was settled by a late Kylian Mbappé goal, and 11 days after the 2-4 away loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Lamine Yamal was at the centre of it again. ESPN reported that the manager said it is easier to substitute the forward when he has already scored, after Yamal starred in the Alavés win. He now has 10 goals and 10 assists in 13 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League, while Raphinha leads the club with 15 goals and Fermín López has added 5 goals and 4 assists.

Next is Aston Villa at Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday in the Champions League. The three-game window reads 9 scored and 7 conceded with two defeats, so the Alavés scoreline settles the league but not the European question. Tuesday is the chance to show the PSG night was the outlier.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Barcelona's attack is good enough to survive almost any defensive lapse in La Liga, and that is exactly why the Champions League is the harder read. A goal difference of +34 across 11 league games is extraordinary, and it comes from two players producing at a rate few sides can match: Raphinha has 15 goals in 11 appearances and Lamine Yamal 10 goals and 10 assists in 13. Ten wins from 11 says the domestic machine is running.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Chelsea's three league defeats are the reason fourth place feels fragile, and the trip to Sunderland on Sunday 8 November is the kind of fixture that decides whether it lasts. Five wins, one draw and three losses from nine games give 16 points and a +4 goal difference, a record of a side that either wins or loses with little in between. The attacking spread is healthy: Morgan Rogers has 5 goals and 4 assists, João Pedro 5 and 3 in just 7 appearances, Cole Palmer 4 and 3 and Pedro Neto 4 goals.

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Brentford beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, the 2-0 home win over Nottingham Forest giving them, BBC Sport reported, their first win in five. Igor Thiago scored in the second half. It followed a 2-3 away loss to Sunderland in the Carabao Cup and a 1-1 away draw at Hull City, where BBC Sport reported Dango Ouattara's equaliser earned the point.

Brentford are sixth in the Premier League with 14 points from 3 wins, 5 draws, 1 loss and a goal difference of +7. Thiago leads the club with 4 goals and 2 assists, Jaidon Anthony has created 5 goals, and Kevin Schade and Callum Wilson have 3 goals each. BBC Sport reported the manager praised the side's maturity.

Next is a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion at the American Express Stadium on Sunday 8 November. Brighton are third with 19 points and have conceded only 7 goals.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 9 matches, Brentford sit 6th with 14 points and a +7 goal difference. That spread — 16 for, 9 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Celta Vigo lost 3-0 at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, the 0-3 away loss to Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas following a 0-0 home draw with Real Betis at Balaidos. Before that came a 2-1 away win over Celtic in the Europa League, so Celta have one win in three, with 2 goals scored and 4 conceded.

Celta are ninth in La Liga with 12 points from 2 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses and a goal difference of 0. Six draws in eleven games is the story of the season. Centre-back Javi Rodríguez leads the club with 3 goals and an assist, Hugo Álvarez has a goal and 3 assists, and Miguel Román and Hugo Gonzalez have a goal and 2 assists each.

Next is Union St.-Gilloise at Balaidos in the Europa League on Thursday 5 November, a chance to get back to scoring after two league games without a goal.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 11 matches, Celta Vigo sit 9th with 12 points and a +0 goal difference. That spread — 10 for, 10 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Next: RB Leipzig vs Manchester City  |  2026-11-04  |  UEFA Champions League

Complete standings — your club highlighted

The Playbook

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Crystal Palace's receipt for the season so far: 2 wins, 1 draws, 6 losses across 9 matches, 7 points banked, sitting 18th in the league. The 9–21 goals tally is what underpins it — 0.78 ppg is the steady-state pace this group has set.

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Fulham drew 1-1 at Aston Villa on Saturday, the 1-1 away draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park earned when, BBC Sport reported, Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki made a second-half mistake after Nicolas Jackson had given the hosts the lead. Sky Sports noted Suzuki had made a string of saves before conceding the own goal.

The point followed a 0-1 home loss to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup and a 1-0 away win at Coventry City, so Fulham are unbeaten in two league games. They are 15th with 9 points from 2 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses and a goal difference of -2. Josh King leads the club with 2 goals and 2 assists, and César Palacios, Oscar Bobb, Gonzalo García and Rodrigo Muniz have 2 goals each. Sky Sports reported the manager saying his side can beat anyone.

Next is Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on Saturday 7 November. Newcastle are 12th with 11 points, two ahead of Fulham.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 9 matches, Fulham sit 15th with 9 points and a -2 goal difference. That spread — 9 for, 11 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Arsenal go to Anfield today second in the Premier League on 21 points from eight games, and they arrive carrying a cup wound rather than league momentum. Tuesday's 1-1 away draw with Fleetwood Town was billed by The Guardian as "Arsenal fail at Fleetwood", a League Cup exit five days before the biggest league fixture of the autumn. The league line still reads 7 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss with a goal difference of +8, so the damage from that night is to the mood, not the table.

The selection debate is up front. Sky Sports asked whether Kai Havertz, on 2 goals and 1 assist in 12 appearances, should keep his place in a goal drought, and the three-game window shows why the question is live: 5 goals scored and 3 conceded across a Champions League draw, a league win and a cup draw. Bukayo Saka leads the club with 4 goals and an assist, Martin Ødegaard has 3 and 1, and Declan Rice has created 4 goals from midfield, so the supply is there even when the finishing has stalled.

Liverpool are fifth on 15 points with 4 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss, six points behind, and they also come off a 1-1 cup draw midweek. The last league outing for Arsenal was the 2-0 home win over Everton at Emirates Stadium eight days ago. A win at Anfield would push the gap over Liverpool to nine points; anything less hands the chasing pack a way back in.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Arsenal's lead is built on defending, not on finishing, and the numbers say it is the defence that has to travel to Anfield. Eight league games have produced 13 goals scored and only 5 conceded, and seven wins from eight with no draws means the side has turned narrow control into full points almost every week. Liverpool, at 11 scored and 8 conceded, have the attacking output to test that: Alexander Isak's 6 goals and Cody Gakpo's 5 assists are the sharpest single threats either side owns.

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Inter Miami visit the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium today in a meeting between the second- and third-placed sides in the Eastern Conference. Miami are third on 56 points with 15 wins, 11 draws, 6 losses and a goal difference of +20, two points behind New England, who have 58 points from 18 wins, 4 draws, 10 losses. Wednesday's 2-2 home draw with FC Cincinnati at Nu Stadium followed the 0-2 away loss to Red Bull New York at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

That makes it one win in three, after the 3-1 away win over Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on 17 October, with 5 goals scored and 5 conceded across the three games. The form has cooled at the wrong moment for a team chasing a higher seed for the MLS Cup playoffs.

New England have scored 54 and conceded 44, while Miami's +20 goal difference is the better season record. A win in Foxborough would move Miami above the Revolution; a defeat would leave them five points behind.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Inter Miami have the better season numbers but the worse recent form, and today's game is about which one matters more. A +20 goal difference over 32 games is double New England's +10, and 11 draws mean Miami have lost only six times. The Revolution have more points because they have won 18 to Miami's 15.

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Hull City drew 2-2 at home with Ipswich Town on Saturday, the 2-2 home draw with Ipswich Town at The MKM Stadium making it two draws in a row after the 1-1 home draw with Brentford a week earlier. Before that came the 0-1 away loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage, so Hull are without a win in three, with 3 goals scored and 4 conceded across those games.

The season picture is steadier than that run suggests. Hull are tenth in the Premier League with 11 points from 2 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses and a goal difference of +1, and five draws in nine games show a side that is hard to beat but struggling to finish teams off. Mohamed Belloumi leads the club with 3 goals and 2 assists in 9 appearances; nobody else has more than one goal, with Oliver McBurnie, Semi Ajayi, Nobel Mendy and Kieran Dowell all on 1.

Next is the hardest trip on the calendar: Arsenal away at Emirates Stadium on Saturday 7 November. Arsenal are second with 21 points and have conceded only 5 goals in eight league games, so Hull's thin scoring list will be tested against the tightest defence they have faced.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Hull's season is being held together by a defence that does not lose, and the attack is too thin to turn draws into wins. Five draws and only two defeats in nine games is the record of a side that is hard to break down, and a +1 goal difference says the margins in both directions have been tiny. Mohamed Belloumi, with 3 goals and 2 assists, is the only player who has scored more than once.

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Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield today fifth in the Premier League, six points behind their visitors, after a week that kept them unbeaten but did not move them up. Wednesday's 1-1 home draw with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup followed the 2-0 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield, and across the last three games the side has 2 wins, 1 draw, 7 goals scored and 4 conceded. The league record stands at 4 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss for 15 points and a goal difference of +3.

The story around the club is a midfield that has found its edge again. The Guardian credits Alexis Mac Allister, on 4 goals and an assist, with firing the revival after shaking off contract doubts, and BBC Sport describes a feel-good factor back at Anfield built on intensity and rotation. Up front, Alexander Isak leads the scoring with 6 goals, and Cody Gakpo's 5 assists make him the side's chief creator.

Arsenal arrive second on 21 points with seven wins from eight, 13 goals scored and only 5 conceded. A home win would cut the gap to three points and put Liverpool back in the conversation at the top; a defeat would leave them nine adrift. Kick-off at Anfield is this afternoon.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Liverpool's problem is draws, not defeats, and today's visit from Arsenal is the cleanest test of whether the attack can turn pressure into wins. Eight league games have produced W4 D3 L1, 11 goals scored and 8 conceded. Arsenal have the same number of games, one defeat as well, and six more points, because they have not drawn once. Alexander Isak's 6 goals and Cody Gakpo's 5 assists make the front line the club's best route to closing that gap.

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Leeds United lost 2-0 at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, the 0-2 away loss to AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium ending a run of two straight draws. Before that came the 0-0 away draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and the 1-1 home draw with Manchester United at Elland Road, so Leeds have scored just once in three games and conceded 3.

The league table is still respectable. Leeds are 11th in the Premier League with 11 points from 2 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses and a goal difference of +1. Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the scoring with 4 goals and an assist in 11 appearances, while full-backs James Justin and Jayden Bogle have 2 goals each and Tarik Muharemovic has created two.

Next is Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on Saturday 7 November. Spurs are eighth with 12 points, one ahead of Leeds, with 10 goals scored and 10 conceded. A home win would lift Leeds above them; another blank in front of goal would make it one goal in four.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Leeds have a scoring problem, and the numbers say it is concentrated in one man. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's 4 goals are twice as many as anyone else at the club, and the next scorers are defenders, James Justin and Jayden Bogle with 2 each. One goal in the last three games is what happens when the main striker goes quiet.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Inter's attack is narrower than its league position suggests, and the derby defeat exposed what happens when the main forwards are held. Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram have 11 goals between them, and Carlos Augusto's 4 from wing-back is the only other meaningful contribution in the scoring list. Piotr Zielinski has 2 goals and Andy Diouf 4 assists. A side second on 25 points from ten games is winning through two men.

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Paris Saint-Germain won 5-1 away at Le Havre AC at Stade Océane on Friday, and ESPN reported it was a historic night: Achraf Hakimi scored the first hat trick of his career and added two assists, and the win made the manager the most successful coach in the club's history. It followed a 2-0 home win over Lyon at the Parc des Princes and a 4-2 home win over Barcelona in the Champions League.

The cost of that Barcelona win was heavy. BBC Sport reported Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will have surgery on a ruptured ACL suffered in the game. PSG are top of Ligue 1 with 20 points from 6 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss and a goal difference of +11. Ferran Torres leads the scoring with 7 goals and an assist, Ousmane Dembélé has 4 goals and 5 assists in 8 appearances, and Hakimi and Désiré Doué both have 3 goals and 3 assists.

Next, PSG travel to Villarreal at Estadio de la Cerámica in the Champions League on Tuesday 3 November. Three straight wins, 11 goals scored and 3 conceded, give them momentum for it.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

PSG's attack has enough depth to absorb the loss of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and the scoring list is the evidence. Five players have at least 5 goal involvements in Ligue 1 and the Champions League: Ferran Torres with 8, Ousmane Dembélé with 9, Achraf Hakimi and Désiré Doué with 6 each, and Fabián Ruiz with 5. Top of Ligue 1 with a +11 goal difference is what that spread produces.

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Napoli visit Juventus at the Allianz Stadium today in a meeting of two sides level on points. Napoli are seventh in Serie A with 14 points from 4 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses and a goal difference of +6, and Juventus are eighth on the same record with a goal difference of +1. Wednesday's 4-1 away win at Monza followed a 3-3 home draw with AS Roma and a 4-3 home win over Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.

That is 11 goals scored and 7 conceded in three games, and the attack is spread around. Matteo Politano leads with 3 goals and 4 assists, Kevin De Bruyne has 4 goals and 2 assists, Scott McTominay has 4 goals in 8 appearances, and Rasmus Højlund has 3. The Guardian wrote last month of growing doubts about the squad and the manager's approach after a setback in Venice.

Juventus lost 0-2 at Genoa on Wednesday and have scored 11 league goals to Napoli's 17. A win in Turin would move Napoli clear of a direct rival.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Napoli's receipt for the season so far: 4 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses across 9 matches, 14 points banked, sitting 7th in the league. The 17–11 goals tally is what underpins it — 1.56 ppg is the steady-state pace this group has set.

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Manchester United Women drew 0-0 at Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, a result BBC Sport said extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions. The Guardian reported United barely tested Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan for 75 minutes, and quoted the head coach: "We need to be better."

The draw followed a 3-0 home win over Burnley in the League Cup and a 1-1 home draw with Manchester City at Leigh Sports Village, a comeback BBC Sport used to explain how United have turned around their WSL form since last month. United are fourth in the Women's Super League with 12 points from 3 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, although their goal difference is -2. Mared Griffiths leads the club with 6 goals in 7 appearances, and Lea Schüller has 5.

Next is Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday 8 November. Villa are eighth with 9 points and have conceded 14 goals in seven games.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 8 matches, Manchester United Women sit 4th with 12 points and a -2 goal difference. That spread — 9 for, 11 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Bayern Munich are still unbeaten, but Der Klassiker cost them two points they thought they had. Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena came after Harry Kane missed a penalty, ESPN reported, and BBC Sport said a late Fabio Silva goal earned Dortmund the draw. Bayern stay first in the Bundesliga on 18 points with 5 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses and a goal difference of +19.

The week around it was strong. The 3-1 away win over SC Freiburg at Europa-Park Stadion and the 6-1 home win over 1. FC Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal give the side 11 goals scored and 4 conceded across the last three games. Kane still has 10 goals and 7 assists in 11 appearances, and Michael Olise leads the club with 11 goals and 5 assists. All of it has come with the head coach away from the bench: The Guardian reported Bayern expect him to miss "weeks, not days" while he is treated in hospital for a virus.

Next is Atlético Madrid away at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Tuesday in the Champions League. Bayern take an unbeaten record to Madrid, plus the question of how a side this prolific let a lead slip at home.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Bayern's attack does not depend on Harry Kane as much as his reputation suggests, and that matters more after the miss from the spot against Dortmund. Michael Olise has 11 goals and 5 assists in 11 appearances, one more goal than Kane's 10, and the two of them have been directly involved in 33 goals between them. Add Luis Díaz's 5 and the 3 goals each from Alphonso Davies and Ismael Saibari, and the side's +19 goal difference in eight league games has several authors.

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AC Milan won the Milan derby 3-1 at San Siro on Saturday, the 3-1 home win over Internazionale built on three first-half goals. BBC Sport reported Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira scored before the break, and ESPN said Pulisic struck inside five minutes while Moreira scored and added two assists.

It was a quick response to Wednesday's 2-4 home loss to Bologna, which had followed a 2-0 away win at Udinese. Milan are fourth in Serie A with 21 points from 6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss and a goal difference of +9. Rabiot leads the club with 4 goals and 4 assists, Alphadjo Cissè has 7 goals, and Gonçalo Ramos and Moreira have 3 goals and an assist each.

BBC Sport also examined the new San Siro plans shared with Inter. Next is Ferencvaros at San Siro in the Europa League on Thursday 5 November.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

After 10 matches, AC Milan sit 4th with 21 points and a +9 goal difference. That spread — 21 for, 12 against — is the cleanest read on whether the squad creates enough and concedes too much, and the ratio rarely lies over a full season.

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Brighton & Hove Albion won 1-0 at Manchester City on Saturday, the 1-0 away win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium coming three days after the sides drew 2-2 at the same ground in the Carabao Cup. That bounced Brighton back from a 0-2 away loss to Liverpool at Anfield a week ago, and across the three games they scored 3 and conceded 4.

Brighton are third in the Premier League with 19 points from 6 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, two points behind City with a goal difference of +17. Pascal Gross leads the club with 4 goals and 4 assists, Georginio Rutter has 3 goals and 4 assists in 9 appearances, Charalambos Kostoulas has 4 goals and 2 assists, and Jack Hinshelwood has 4 goals in only 6 appearances.

Next is Getafe away at the Estadio Coliseum in the Conference League on Thursday 5 November, before Brentford visit on Sunday 8 November.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Brighton & Hove Albion's receipt for the season so far: 6 wins, 1 draws, 2 losses across 9 matches, 19 points banked, sitting 3rd in the league. The 24–7 goals tally is what underpins it — 2.11 ppg is the steady-state pace this group has set.

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Coventry City beat Sunderland 3-1 at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, the 3-1 home win over Sunderland lifting them out of the relegation zone. The Guardian reported Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scored his first Premier League goal after 17 minutes, Taiwo Awoniyi added his first league goal for the club before the break and Jack Rudoni sealed it early in the second half.

The win ended a two-game losing run, after a 0-1 home loss to Fulham and a 1-3 away defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. Coventry are 16th with 9 points from 3 wins, 0 draws, 6 losses and a goal difference of -7. Rudoni leads the club with 3 goals, Victor Torp has 2 goals and an assist in 6 appearances, and Brandon Thomas-Asante has 2 assists.

Next is Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Friday 6 November. Everton are 14th with 10 points, one ahead of Coventry, so a win would take them above their hosts.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Coventry City sit 16th on 9 points from 9 matches — 3W / 0D / 6L. That is 1.0 points per game, a tempo that defines the ceiling and floor of the season. The squad has scored 9 and conceded 16 for a goal difference of -7, a telling fingerprint of how the games are actually being won and lost.

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Toronto FC visit Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium today, coming off a 2-1 home win over D.C. United at BMO Field on Wednesday. That result made it two wins in three, after the 2-0 away win over Red Bull New York at Sports Illustrated Stadium and the 2-4 away loss to Columbus Crew at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Across the three games Toronto scored 6 and conceded 5.

The season record tells the longer story. Toronto are 12th in the 15-club Eastern Conference with 39 points from 9 wins, 12 draws, 11 losses and a goal difference of -10. With the top nine in each conference reaching the MLS Cup playoffs Toronto start the day outside the playoff places.

Atlanta sit 14th with 30 points, 8 wins, 6 draws, 18 losses, 40 goals scored and 56 conceded. Toronto have scored twice in each of their last three games, and Atlanta's goal difference of -16 makes this a fair test of whether that scoring run holds.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Toronto's season has been decided by draws, and the 12 of them are the clearest number in the record. W9 D12 L11 across 32 games is 39 points. The goal difference of -10 shows the other half of it: Toronto lose by more than they win by, so the draws have been the floor that kept the season from collapsing.

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The Seahawks host the Chicago Bears at Lumen Field on Monday night with their best result of the season behind them. Last Sunday's 20-3 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs ended the Chiefs' unbeaten run, The Guardian reported, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba catching nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. It lifted Seattle to 4-3 with 168 points scored and 125 allowed, after a 29-32 home loss to San Francisco and a 14-17 loss in Denver.

Smith-Njigba leads the receivers with 867 yards, far clear of Cooper Kupp's 199, and Sam Darnold has thrown for 1,290 yards. Emanuel Wilson leads the running game with 403 rushing yards. ESPN reported that running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price have no game designations for Monday; Price has 119 rushing yards this season.

The three-game window reads 63 points scored and 52 allowed, two close defeats and one statement win. Monday is the chance to show the Chiefs result was the start of a run rather than a one-off.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Seattle's passing game runs through one receiver to a degree that defines the whole offence. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 867 receiving yards, more than four times Cooper Kupp's 199, and that is about half of the 1,712 yards Sam Darnold and Drew Lock have thrown between them. The Chiefs game showed the payoff: nine catches, 150 yards and a touchdown, per The Guardian, and a 20-3 win.

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The Chiefs visit the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High today, a week after their first defeat of the season. The 3-20 away loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field ended an unbeaten start; before it came a 22-6 home win over the Los Angeles Chargers and a 30-27 away win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Kansas City are 5-1, with 143 points scored and 103 allowed.

The Guardian reported the Chiefs signed former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad after Harrison Butker's poor start, noting Butker had missed five of 16 field-goal attempts. Tucker had been banned under the NFL's conduct policy following sexual misconduct allegations, the Guardian added. Patrick Mahomes has 1,474 passing yards, Kenneth Walker III leads the ground game with 701 rushing yards, and Travis Kelce has 343 receiving yards.

Three points in Seattle was the lowest output of the season. A divisional road game in Denver is the first chance to show the offence has recovered.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Kansas City Chiefs' 5-1-0 record sits where the offensive line play and the secondary's coverage grades have left them. Quarterback play covers a lot of sins; pressure rate and explosive-play differential cover the rest.

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The Cowboys host the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium today after their best night of the season. Monday's 38-21 away win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field broke a run of two straight defeats, the 13-23 away loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and the 16-24 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas are 3-4, with 189 points scored and 180 allowed.

Dak Prescott leads the offence with 1,851 passing yards, and CeeDee Lamb has 651 receiving yards with George Pickens on 485. Javonte Williams has 472 rushing yards. CBS Sports argued the trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has already paid off, writing that in his three games with Dallas he profiles as one of the best at his position.

Arizona are a problem opponent. CBS Sports reported that Lamb has never beaten the Cardinals, who have won eight of the last nine meetings, and quoted him: "They've punched us in the mouth every single time." A home win would bring Dallas back to .500.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Dallas have the offence to win most weeks, and the record says the defence has been the reason they have not. The Cowboys have scored 189 points in seven games, 27 a week, but allowed 180, almost 26. A 3-4 record with a positive points differential is a team losing close games it could have won with a few stops.

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The Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Stadium today after a week off. Their last game was a 31-34 loss to the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on 18 October, two weeks ago, which ended a two-game winning run. Before that came a 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a 22-17 away win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jacksonville are 4-2 with 154 points scored and 104 allowed. Trevor Lawrence has 1,480 passing yards, Parker Washington leads the receivers with 416 yards and Jakobi Meyers has 285. Bhayshul Tuten leads the running game with 388 yards. ESPN reported the Jaguars will debut their Rivalries uniforms this week.

Meyers is among the players on the team's injury report this week, so the receiving group may look different against Indianapolis. A home win would take Jacksonville to 5-2.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Jacksonville's record rests on a defence that has kept most games close, and the Houston loss is the exception rather than the rule. The Jaguars have allowed 104 points in six games, about 17 a week, and the two wins in London and Cincinnati came with 17 points allowed each time. A 4-2 record with a +50 points differential is a team that has rarely been outplayed.

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The Eagles visit the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium tonight trying to stop a five-game losing streak. The Guardian reported that Monday's 38-21 home defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, the 21-38 home loss at Lincoln Financial Field, was the fifth straight, dropping Philadelphia to 2-5 with 127 points scored and 175 allowed. The previous two weeks brought a 17-19 loss to Jacksonville in London and a 14-25 home loss to Carolina.

The Guardian also noted the slide has come with Jalen Hurts out injured. Hurts has 933 passing yards and Tanner McKee 426, while Saquon Barkley leads the ground game with 244 rushing yards. The receiving corps is short for tonight: DeVonta Smith, the leading receiver with 310 yards, is out with a hamstring injury, and Dontayvion Wicks, second with 284, has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

Across the last three games Philadelphia scored 52 points and allowed 82. With their top two receivers out, the Eagles will need the running game and the defence to carry far more of the load in Washington.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Philadelphia's slide is a defensive problem more than an offensive one, and the receiver absences make it harder to outscore. The Eagles have allowed 175 points in seven games, 25 a week, and 82 across the last three, more than 27. The offence has scored 127, about 18, which is not enough to keep pace with that.

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The Dolphins host the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium today looking to build on their first win of the season. Last Sunday's 28-25 road win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium ended a run of defeats and lifted Miami to 1-5, with 98 points scored and 157 allowed. Across the last three games the offence put up 62 points, but the 10-15 loss in Minnesota and the 24-31 home loss to Cincinnati show how thin the margins have been.

Malik Willis has thrown for 1,057 yards and added 223 on the ground, Ollie Gordon II leads the rushers with 339 yards, and Malik Washington tops the receivers at 289. Miami's injury report is long this week, so the final inactive list matters.

New England are also short-handed: ESPN reported the Patriots have ruled out wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has an illness. That gives the Dolphins a chance to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this year.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Miami's season comes down to defence, and the gap between points scored and points allowed is wider than the 1-5 record makes it look. The Dolphins have allowed 157 points in six games, more than 26 a game, while scoring 98, about 16. Malik Willis has 1,057 passing yards and 223 rushing yards, and Ollie Gordon II has 339 on the ground, so the offence has a shape. It has not had enough of a cushion.

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The Bills return from two weeks off to host the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium today. Their last game was a 33-30 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on 18 October, following a 37-34 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium, and Buffalo are 5-1 with 197 points scored and 171 allowed.

Josh Allen has 1,504 passing yards and 240 rushing yards, and James Cook III leads the ground game with 627 rushing yards. Dalton Kincaid tops the receivers at 315 yards with Khalil Shakir on 290. The club's injury report runs long this week, so the inactive list will shape the plan against Baltimore.

The last three games show the pattern: 96 points scored and 93 allowed, two three-point wins and a three-point home loss to New England. Buffalo have found ways to win shootouts, but the 171 points allowed this season is the number the defence will want to bring down after the break.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Buffalo's 5-1 record hides a points margin that would usually belong to a .500 team. The Bills have scored 197 and allowed 171 in six games, a gap of 26 points, and each of the last three games was decided by exactly three. Josh Allen's 1,504 passing yards and 240 rushing yards, with James Cook III's 627 on the ground, give the offence enough to win close games. The defence has made every game close.

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The Giants have no game this weekend after their 27-21 win at the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium a week ago. That win followed a 27-34 home loss to the New Orleans Saints and a 27-27 tie at the Washington Commanders, so New York have scored exactly 27 points in each of their last three games.

The Giants are 4-2-1 with 163 points scored and 161 allowed. Jameis Winston has 957 passing yards and J.J. McCarthy 495. Malik Nabers leads the receivers with 605 yards, tight end Isaiah Likely has 395, and Cam Skattebo leads the ground game with 418 rushing yards.

Next is the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday 8 November.

The 49ers have no game this weekend, with the Las Vegas Raiders next at Levi's Stadium on Sunday 8 November, and they are 6-1 with 197 points scored and 139 allowed. Their last outing was the 20-29 road loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a week ago, which followed a 32-29 win at Seattle and a 23-17 home win over Washington. Across those three games San Francisco scored 75 points and allowed 75.

Brock Purdy has thrown for 1,748 yards, George Kittle leads the receivers with 425 yards and Mike Evans has 420. Christian McCaffrey leads the ground game with 389 rushing yards, with Kaelon Black adding 233. The club's injury report through the week was long, so the extra days before the Raiders game are about getting bodies right.

The Atlanta loss is still the only defeat of the season. A 6-1 start built on 197 points says the offence is in good shape; the defence, which allowed 29 in Atlanta, is where the week of work starts.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

San Francisco's 6-1 record is built on an offence that spreads the ball rather than leaning on one player. Brock Purdy's 1,748 passing yards are split almost evenly between George Kittle at 425 and Mike Evans at 420, and Christian McCaffrey's 389 rushing yards plus Kaelon Black's 233 give the offence a second engine. Scoring 197 points in seven games, more than 28 a week, is what that balance produces.

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The Vikings visit the Detroit Lions at Ford Field today unbeaten at 6-0. Their last game was a 16-10 home win over the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium a week ago, following a 23-13 away win over the New Orleans Saints and a 15-10 home win over the Miami Dolphins.

The wins have been narrow. Minnesota have scored 125 points and allowed 74, and ESPN's Aaron Schatz asked this week whether this could be the worst 6-0 team of all time, ranking it by DVOA and point differential against others to start that way. Kyler Murray has 812 passing yards and Carson Wentz 276, while Aaron Jones Sr. leads the ground game with 436 rushing yards.

Justin Jefferson leads the receivers with 302 yards and T.J. Hockenson has 237. Next is a divisional road game in Detroit, and a win would make it seven in a row.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Minnesota's unbeaten record is built on defence, and the offence has done just enough. The Vikings have allowed 74 points in six games, about 12 a week, and the last three opponents scored 10, 13 and 10. They have scored 125, about 21 a week. That is the profile of a team that wins by stopping people.

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The Mets' biggest decision of the early offseason has gone their way. ESPN reported Bo Bichette exercised his $42 million player option to stay with New York next season, the team said Friday. Bichette led the Mets with 78 runs batted in this year.

The 2026 season ended at 74-88, 29 games back in the NL East and out of the postseason. The Mets scored 4.3 runs a game and allowed 4.5. Juan Soto led the team with 27 home runs and 68 RBIs, Francisco Lindor hit 21 home runs, and Nolan McLean led the rotation with a 3.16 ERA and 194 strikeouts, with Sean Manaea adding 144 strikeouts.

CBS Sports wrote that the hot stove was beginning to heat up less than 48 hours into the offseason. Bichette's decision keeps one of the season's most productive bats in the lineup for 2027.

The Dodgers' season ended in the NL Championship Series, swept 0-4 by the Milwaukee Brewers. The last three games were all defeats: 4-7 in Milwaukee on 12 October, then 2-6 and 4-6 at home on 14 and 15 October. Los Angeles scored 10 runs and allowed 19 across those three.

The regular season was a strong one, 100-62, with 4.9 runs scored and 3.7 allowed per game and an 8-2 finish over the last ten. Shohei Ohtani led the team with 30 home runs and drove in 81, Max Muncy hit 29 home runs, and Andy Pages led in RBIs with 85. Yoshinobu Yamamoto anchored the rotation with a 2.53 ERA and 182 strikeouts.

A 100-win team did not win a game in its final series.

The Blue Jays' 2026 season finished at 79-83, 19 games back in the AL East and out of the postseason. They closed it with a home series against the Cincinnati Reds, winning 6-5 and 5-1 around a 1-5 defeat, and went 4-6 over the last ten games.

Kazuma Okamoto led the team with 33 home runs and 92 runs batted in, and Andres Gimenez drove in 59. Dylan Cease was the standout on the mound with a 2.40 ERA and 239 strikeouts. Toronto scored 4.0 runs a game and allowed 4.3, a margin that matched a losing record.

The Blue Jays have no games until spring.

The Nationals' 2026 season finished at 77-85, 26 games back in the NL East and out of the postseason. They closed it with a home series against the New York Mets, winning 7-6 and 6-4 around a 1-7 defeat, and went 6-4 over their last ten games.

The offence carried the year. Washington scored 5.1 runs a game and allowed 5.0. CJ Abrams led the team with 33 home runs and 106 runs batted in, James Wood hit 30 home runs, and Daylen Lile drove in 89. Cade Cavalli led the rotation with a 3.02 ERA and 200 strikeouts.

The Nationals have no games until spring.

The Raptors are 3-2 after splitting a two-game home set with the Orlando Magic, winning 129-99 on Wednesday before losing 121-114 on Friday at Scotiabank Arena. Add the 117-94 defeat in Minnesota a week ago and the last three games come out exactly even, 337 points scored and 337 allowed, with one win and two losses. Toronto sit 2.0 games back in the Eastern Conference.

Scottie Barnes is carrying the load. He leads the team at 24.0 points per game and adds 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists, while RJ Barrett scores 19.4 a night and Immanuel Quickley adds 17.4 points with a team-high 6.0 assists. Kawhi Leonard, whose return to Toronto The Guardian profiled last month, is on the team's injury report, as is Nate Bittle.

The Raptors faced the 4-2 Los Angeles Lakers at crypto.com Arena late Saturday, Toronto time, a result that will feature in tomorrow's paper. The Friday loss to Orlando showed how quickly a 30-point win can be undone.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Toronto's offence runs through three players, and the early record says that is enough to compete but not yet enough to separate. Scottie Barnes at 24.0 points, RJ Barrett at 19.4 and Immanuel Quickley at 17.4 account for 60.8 points a game, and Barnes adds 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists to make him the centre of everything. A 3-2 start with a 129-99 home win over Orlando shows the ceiling.

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The Knicks lost 98-93 at the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, the 93-98 loss dropping them to 2-4. It came two days after a 133-127 win at the Chicago Bulls and followed a 102-111 home loss to the Orlando Magic, so New York have lost two of their last three.

The Guardian's season preview had tipped the Knicks to repeat as champions, and the opening night defeat to Philadelphia, a team the Guardian said had added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, set the early tone. Jalen Brunson leads the team with 25.5 points a game, Karl-Anthony Towns averages 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds, and OG Anunoby adds 16.2 points. Tyler Kolek leads in assists with 6.2.

Next is the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden on Monday 2 November. The Nets are 0-5, which makes it a chance for the Knicks to steady a slow start.

Next: Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers  |  Sun 1 Nov 2026  |  NBA

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

Next: Boston Bruins vs Vegas Golden Knights  |  2026-11-02  |  NHL

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

The Canucks lost 4-2 at home to the Maple Leafs on Saturday, a second straight defeat that leaves them at 3-12-1 with 7 points from 16 games. The 2-4 home loss to Toronto Maple Leafs followed the 2-3 away loss to San Jose Sharks on Thursday, both decided in regulation, and it undid the lift from the 6-5 overtime win in Anaheim on Tuesday. Over the three games Vancouver scored 10 and allowed 12.

Elias Pettersson leads the team with 16 points, 4 goals and 12 assists, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki has a team-high 6 goals among his 13 points. Brock Boeser also has 13 points and defenceman Filip Hronek has 11 assists. Filip Chytil and goaltender Thatcher Demko are on the club's injury report.

Next is a rematch with the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday, the side Vancouver beat in overtime a week earlier. With a two-game losing streak and 12 regulation losses already, the Canucks need the home ice to turn close games their way.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Vancouver's offence is not the reason for a 3-12-1 start, and the numbers point squarely at goals against. Ten goals in the last three games is a respectable return, and the points are spread: Elias Pettersson has 16, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Brock Boeser 13 each, Filip Hronek 12 from the blue line. A team scoring at better than three a night over that stretch should be winning more than once.

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The Hurricanes host the Winnipeg Jets at Lenovo Center tonight on a three-game winning streak. Thursday's 3-2 home win over the Columbus Blue Jackets followed a 2-1 home win over the Boston Bruins and a 4-0 win at the St. Louis Blues, so Carolina scored 9 goals and conceded 3 across the run.

Carolina are 11-2-2 with 24 points from 15 games. Sebastian Aho leads the team with 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points, Jackson Blake has 15 points, and Logan Stankoven's 9 goals are the most on the team. Andrei Svechnikov has 13 points and Nikolaj Ehlers 12.

A win tonight would make it four in a row.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The Islanders are winning close games and losing the others clearly, and that pattern says more about the team than the record does. Both wins in the last three came by a single goal, one in overtime and one in a shootout, while the loss to Edmonton was 4-0. A 7-5-2 record and 16 points from 14 games is a team scraping results.

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The Maple Leafs finished a three-game road swing with a win, beating the Canucks 4-2 in Vancouver on Saturday. The 4-2 away win over Vancouver Canucks snapped a two-game skid that had followed the 2-5 away loss to Calgary Flames and the 4-5 away loss to Seattle Kraken, and it leaves Toronto at 8-6-2 with 18 points from 16 games and a one-game winning streak. Across the three road games the Leafs scored 10 and allowed 12.

Auston Matthews leads the club with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points, and William Nylander has 10 goals and 21 points. Jack Roslovic has 16 points and Easton Cowan 14. Kirill Marchenko, also on 14 points, is on injured reserve and will not be part of the plan for the next game; Miles Wood and John Tavares are also listed on the club's injury report.

Next is the Utah Mammoth at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, the first home game after the road swing. The goals have been there all week; the question for the return home is whether the Leafs can cut the 12 allowed on the road down to something a winning streak can be built on.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Toronto's scoring is concentrated enough that the injury list matters more than the record suggests. Auston Matthews and William Nylander have 45 points between them in 16 games, and the next three names, Jack Roslovic at 16 points and Kirill Marchenko and Easton Cowan at 14, make up the rest of a top five that carries the offence. With Marchenko on injured reserve, one of those five scoring lines is out of the lineup.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Edmonton's start is being driven by the top of the lineup, and two shutouts in a row have added a defensive edge. Connor McDavid's 37 points in 14 games, Leon Draisaitl's 26 and Evan Bouchard's 23 give the Oilers three players scoring at or above a point a game. A 10-2-2 record and 22 points from 14 games is a team winning most nights.

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The Rangers host the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden tonight trying to end a three-game losing run. Monday's 3-6 home loss to the Los Angeles Kings followed a 4-7 loss at the Ottawa Senators and a 4-5 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs, so New York scored 11 goals but conceded 18 across the three games.

The Rangers are 7-6-1 with 15 points from 14 games. Adam Fox leads the team with 17 points, 16 of them assists, Alexis Lafrenière has 9 goals and 16 points, and Mika Zibanejad has 11 points. J.T. Miller and Tye Kartye have 10 each.

Eighteen goals allowed in three games is the number the Rangers most need to fix against Edmonton.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

7-6-1 through 14 games, 15 points — New York Rangers' standings ledger reads like a team a tier below the elite and a tier above the pretenders. The 54% points pace is the honest answer to how this group is actually playing.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

San Jose's .500 record rests on Macklin Celebrini more than on any team-wide strength. His 16 points are six more than anyone else on the roster, and his 11 assists make him the playmaker for almost every line he touches. Will Smith's 6 goals lead the team, but the next three scorers, Tyler Toffoli, Jacob Trouba and Ivar Stenberg, sit at 9 points each.

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Red Bull go into the Mexico City Grand Prix today with work still to do on the car. Motorsport reported the team found a "disconnect" in the RB22 during Friday practice, with Max Verstappen fifth, three tenths off the pace, despite damage from an incident with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson that Verstappen called "not very smart".

The recent results are strong. Verstappen took P3 in Austin last time out, after victories in Singapore and in the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, and averages P1.8 across the last five races. Isack Hadjar's best in that run was third in Azerbaijan. Red Bull are third in the Constructors' Championship with 355 points, level with McLaren and 252 behind Mercedes; Verstappen is fourth in the drivers' standings and Hadjar eighth.

Off track, Motorsport reported the team's leadership described its turnaround as "very remarkable", and Autosport set out the timeline for the team's long-awaited new wind tunnel. Mexico City is round 19 of 23.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Red Bull's revival runs almost entirely through Max Verstappen, and the numbers make the gap between the two cars plain. Verstappen averages P1.8 across the last five races, with two wins and two second places. Isack Hadjar averages P6.0 over four, with a third in Azerbaijan as his best. Third in the Constructors' Championship, level with McLaren on 355 points, is a team carried by one driver.

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Lewis Hamilton starts the Mexico City Grand Prix from pole position today, his first pole for Ferrari. BBC Sport reported it is also his first pole for more than three years, and Motorsport said it was Ferrari's first pole of 2026, his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Guardian reported George Russell will start second. The race is round 19 of 23 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Ferrari arrive second in the Constructors' Championship with 474 points, 133 behind Mercedes. Charles Leclerc has finished second at each of the last two races, the United States and Singapore Grands Prix, and averages P3.2 across the last five, while Hamilton's last two results were P4 in Austin and P6 in Singapore. Hamilton is third in the drivers' championship and Leclerc fifth.

With five races left counting today, the constructors' gap is a long way to close, but a front-row start gives Ferrari a real chance at a first win in the recent run. Motorsport quoted Hamilton after qualifying: "I still love what I do."

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Ferrari's problem this season has been converting speed into wins, and the numbers say Leclerc, not Hamilton, has been the more reliable finisher. Across the last five races Leclerc averages P3.2, with second places in the United States and Singapore, while Hamilton averages P4.8 over four classified finishes plus a DNF in Spain. Neither has won any of the five, while Mercedes have taken three of them and Red Bull two.

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Miyu Yamashita won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia by two strokes, finishing at 22 under par to defend her title. Yan Liu finished second at 20 under, Marisa Tojai and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard tied for third at 19 under, and Robyn Choi was fifth at 17 under.

ESPN reported Yamashita took a two-stroke lead into the final round after a 5-under 67 on Saturday, and the Herald Bulletin's headline said she held off Liu to close it out. The margin at the finish was the same two strokes she started the day with.

The win follows Yuri Yoshida's victory at the BMW Ladies Championship at 17 under. Next on the schedule is the TOTO Japan Classic, starting on 5 November.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

LPGA Tour storylines are stacking up as the season moves through its major-championship window. Driving accuracy, strokes gained approach, and closing-round scoring are the metrics separating the leaderboard from the weekend cut line.

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Andrew Novak takes a six-stroke lead into the final round of the VidantaWorld Mexico Open today. Through 54 holes he sits at 23 under par, six clear of Matthieu Pavon at 17 under, with Doug Ghim one further back at 16 under. Pierceson Coody, Max Greyserman and Ben Griffin are tied for fourth at 15 under, eight behind the leader.

The scoring has been low across the board, with all of the top 15 under par, but nobody has kept pace with Novak. A six-shot cushion with 18 holes to play is a big margin; the chasing group needs a fast start, and the gap from second to third is only a stroke, so the fight for the places behind Novak is tight. The event is not over until the final round is complete.

The week follows Austin Smotherman's win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, where he finished at 16 under. Next on the schedule is the World Wide Technology Championship, starting on 5 November.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Andrew Novak's 54-hole position is strong enough that the final round is more about the chasing pack than about him. Six strokes is the gap from Novak at 23 under to Matthieu Pavon at 17 under, and seven to Doug Ghim at 16 under. For anyone outside the top two, catching the leader requires both a very low round and a collapse.

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The 2026 WorldTour calendar is complete, all 36 races done, with the Tour of Guangxi on 18 October the last. Jarno Widar won it ahead of Tom Pidcock and Louis Barré. A week earlier Paul Seixas won Il Lombardia, the final Monument of the year, ahead of Enric Mas and Giulio Ciccone.

Mas had already taken the season's last Grand Tour, winning the Vuelta a España on 13 September ahead of Primož Roglič and Felix Gall. The Canadian races that weekend went to Isaac del Toro in Montréal, with Seixas second, and to Remco Evenepoel in Québec two days earlier. Seixas finished on the podium in two of the final five WorldTour races and won one of them.

The road now turns to next season. ESPN reported that the 2027 Tour de France Femmes will include an 18-kilometre team time trial through central London, finishing on the Mall.

Tom Nolan beat Renato Moicano in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday, with the five-round lightweight bout reaching round 3. LowKick MMA reported it ended in a TKO, and Bloody Elbow reported fans were angry at the referee for standing the fighters up moments before the finish. Nolan moves to 12-1.

Jacobe Smith stayed unbeaten at 14-0 with a win over Randy Brown, and Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani beat Farman Hasanov, who Bloody Elbow reported lost his unbeaten record when a doctor stopped the fight over a cut. Dakota Hope, Luana Santos and Cody Durden also won on the main card, although LowKick MMA described Santos versus Santos as a "snoozefest".

Next Saturday, 7 November, the Meta APEX hosts a 14-bout card headlined by a five-round heavyweight fight between Johnny Walker and Waldo Cortes Acosta. Ciryl Gane holds the heavyweight title.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Today we take a closer look at UFC. Card Recap. Expanded analysis returns in tomorrow's edition.

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