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Fulham captain Tom Cairney believes Chelsea must be patient with manager Mauricio Pochettino despite a difficult first season in charge so far.

The Blues are 11th in the table and lost last weekend's Carabao Cup final but beat Leeds on Wednesday to set up a FA Cup quarter-final at home to Leicester.

"I feel like they've got to give him more time because I feel like Graham Potter was fast," Cairney told the Footballer's Football Podcast. "There's a lot of players who have come through the door. They've spent a lot of money so you want results with that but it's not even been a season.

"I feel like he'll get more time. He's got a good reputation and he's managed top players in the past. I feel like he'll get more time but it's a tough one because people like that who spend that amount of money will run out of patience.

West Ham striker Michail Antonio was less positive about Pochettino's future after what he saw during the cup final medal presentation.

"Only thing I'm worried about is everything going on around Poch and the owner," added West Ham striker Michail Antonio.

"It looked like he aired the owner when he was getting his medal.

"When that stuff comes out between the owner and the manager, there's only one winner and it's the man with the money."

Chelsea

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Chelsea have published an injury update, external on the club's official website.

Christopher Nkunku tops a list of players undergoing a "rehabilitation programme", which also includes Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu.

Mauricio Pochettino's side return to Premier League action on Saturday against Brentford, following Sunday's defeat in the EFL Cup final and Wednesday's victory over Leeds in the FA Cup fifth round.

The Chelsea boss is due to speak with the media at 12:30 GMT, when he is sure to be asked for an update on Nkunku's injury after confirming in midweek he could be out for up to four weeks.

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport

Liverpool remain top of the Premier League table by a point from Manchester City and two points from Arsenal and two players key to maintaining that slender lead amid the club’s injury crisis are Joe Gomez and Luis Diaz.

So far this season, Gomez has played at centre-back, right-back, left-back and, in the midweek FA Cup win against Southampton, occupied an unfamiliar defensive midfield role.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp says Gomez has “saved our lives until now 20 times” after the win over the Saints as he praised the impact of the 26-year-old.

Another player who has shown his worth is Diaz. The Colombian winger has been involved in five goals in his last five top-flight outings, with three goals and two assists.

That is more than he had in his 25 previous league outings, which included three goals and one assist.

Just when they have needed him with fellow forwards Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah injured, Diaz has raised his game.

He was an unused substitute in the FA Cup win against Southampton on Wednesday so we can expect him back against Forest as the Reds try to stay top with a win.

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While we have got you thinking about the Premier League title race, we thought it might be a good time to flag that both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will be speaking to the media from around 12:30 GMT.

We will, of course bring you the best lines from the Liverpool and Manchester City managers in these pages as soon as we get them.

After that, you can expect an avalanche of manager quotes, with a total of 14 news conferences due to take place before 14:00 GMT.

So who is going to win the Premier League title race?

Well the analysts at Opta and Nielsen's Gracenote have crunched the numbers and made their predictions, while BBC Sport readers have also cast their vote.

Check out this feature to find out if the stats and our readers' opinions tally...

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on 5 Live Breakfast

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I was very lucky to speak with [Manchester United manager] Ten Hag in midweek for Football Focus, about the weekend's game, and he was very, very positive.

He was saying that [morale on] the training ground was fine and saying we are all together, which I wanted to hear. I asked him about what do you say to the fans that are getting a bit annoyed about the way you are playing and some of the body language of the players.

"Stay with us" he kept saying, "we are OK, it's all about the process, it's all about the bigger picture". So he is very positive.

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on 5 Live Breakfast

Manchester United have won four of their last five in the league, so while they are not playing great football they seem to be picking up the points where they need to in the league. It's not great to watch - let's get it right and be honest - but they are sixth at the moment, only three points off Tottenham [in fifth]. They are doing OK, they could be doing better and playing better, but they are still in and around it.

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Well, Dion Dublin might not believe March is going to be a decisive month in terms of the Premier League title race, but let's have a look at what's on the horizon for the three clubs involved - Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Second-placed Manchester City have the toughest game on paper this weekend - hosting cross-city rivals Manchester United, while leaders Liverpool and third-placed Arsenal face strugglers Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United respectively.

Sunday's Manchester derby signals the beginning of a difficult run of fixtures for Man City across all competitions.

They play three times in the league this month, with games against Liverpool and Arsenal to come either side of the international break.

City also face FC Copenhagen in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie, having won the first meeting 3-1 in Denmark, while they take on Newcastle in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

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Liverpool, who are a point clear of City, play six games across all competitions this month, with two legs to come against Sparta Prague in the last 16 of the Europa League.

They meet Nottingham Forest, Man City and Brighton in the league, while they face Manchester United in the FA Cup as they look to maintain their challenge for a quadruple.

Arsenal, two points adrift of Liverpool, are out of the FA Cup so they play just four games across all competitions in March.

The Gunners head to Sheffield United on Monday before hosting Brentford on 9 March.

Porto travel to the Emirates in the Champions League on 12 March, taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg of the last 16 Champions League tie.

Arsenal wrap up March against Manchester City.

Image source, Getty Images

So, what are your thoughts on how this month could impact the title race?

Will Liverpool's injury issues catch up with them as they play six times? That's one more game than Man City and two more than Arsenal.

Get in touch using all the usual channels on X, formerly known as Twitter, WhatsApp or via text.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Dion Dublin does not believe March will be decisive for any team in the top three - Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal.

"Listen, it's going to go to the wire - to the last game of the season," the former Manchester United striker told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

On Sunday's Manchester derby, Dublin said that City were favourites to take all three points, but he believes it could be a "close one".

"City should win this four or five, on paper, because of the way they score goals," he said.

"However, when it comes to the pride of the city and being able to leave your house on Monday morning, knowing that you have given blood, sweat and tears, it kind of changes the narrative of the game.

"If Manchester United don't turn up, they could get done four or five. If they do turn up and every single player does what they can, this could be a close one."

He added: "Come Sunday, if you haven't hit your form just right, then you could get a jab on the chin."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

European Clubs' Association chief executive Charlie Marshall spoke at the FT Business of Football summit in London yesterday.

He touched on the thorny issue of the football calendar, which will be squeezed even further next season due to the expansion of the Champions League and Europa League and the implementation of a 32-team Club World Cup.

Players' representatives are threatening to take legal action over the growing fixture list and the demands it is placing on their members.

Marshall can see problems ahead.

"The calendar has been the subject of power building," he said. "It is maxed out.

"There is a risk of having a lot of confusion from the fan base about what competition is being played.

"There are so many flavours of football; club, national team.

"I would challenge anyone to explain the format of the Nations League. The coherence of the framework needs to be looked at."

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Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer says manager Mauricio Pochettino has made him a better player since leaving Manchester City.

Palmer, 21, has scored 12 times for the Blues since his move from City for an initial £40m last summer.

The midfielder made 41 senior appearances for City under Pep Guardiola, 25 of them as part of last season's Treble-winning squad.

Palmer told BBC Sport that Pochettino was a "top manager and a top person".

Speaking to Football Focus, Palmer said: "He speaks to you about anything, like family issues. I think if he knows what's going on off the pitch, it can affect how he is with you on the pitch. He's really great at that.

"He's given me the freedom to play my stuff and I like it when he frees you because I feel I can express my stuff more.

"I'm loving it. Every day he's talking to you about different things, not just football things but life things as well. He's good at making you feel good and trying to get the best out of you."

Read more here.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says the San Siro stadium will miss him more than he will miss the iconic Milan stadium.

Speaking on a panel at the FT Business of Football conference in London, Gerry Cardinale, chief executive and founding partner of RedBird Capital, owners of Serie A giants AC Milan confirmed the seven-times Champions League winners will leave the San Siro in favour of their own 70,000-seater stadium in San Donato.

Both AC Milan and rivals Inter share the San Siro but both have decided it is too expensive to renovate and plans for a joint stadium close to the current one have stalled over planning issues involving the local municipality, which also runs the current stadium.

Inter are also looking at alternatives, although there has been a view that despite all the posturing, eventually a compromise would be found.

However, when asked if the new stadium will definitely happen, Cardinale said: “Yes. We have made more progress in 18 months that any stadium in Italy.”

Zlatan played for both Milan clubs. He ended his playing career at AC Milan in June. The 42-year-old was appointed as senior adviser to the club’s ownership and management in December.

“The San Siro will miss me more than I will miss the San Siro,” he said. “I made it bounce.

“I have great memories there. It is an historical stadium, an antique place with a lot of history.

“But everything has a new beginning. You have possibilities in a new stadium. Milan is not the owner and you want to own it. Business wise it is a massive gain.”

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport

Jurgen Klopp said it had been the week of the academy after his youngsters starred for Liverpool in an FA Cup win against Southampton on Wednesday on the back of helping the club win the Carabao Cup last Sunday.

Bobby Clark and James McConnell, who are 19, as well as 18-year-old’s Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas have all played their part for the Reds as Klopp deals with a lengthy injury list.

Trey Nyoni, 16, and 19-year-old Kaide Gordon have also made cameo appearances.

In addition, Jarell Quansah, 21, and Conor Bradley, 20, have become regular faces in the team, while Harvey Elliott seems like the veteran of the bunch at 20 considering his 100-plus outings for the Anfield club.

But will Liverpool’s injury situation improve or will Klopp still need to rely on them again for the Premier League game at Nottingham Forest on Saturday?

Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip remain sidelined for the trip to the City Ground.

The ones who we’re not sure about are Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah and we’ll find out more when Klopp chats to the media from about 12:30 GMT.

Image source, Reuters

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You can watch Sunday's north London derby between WSL rivals Arsenal and Tottenham on BBC Two and iPlayer.

After a shock defeat by West Ham and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Man City in February, Arsenal recorded a 3-1 win over Manchester United before the international break.

They are three points off the top but have lost three times in the league and no team has ever lost more than two games and won the title.

One of those three defeats came against Spurs, who won 1-0 in December. However they haven't won in the past three league games.

Arsenal have got themselves back on track, Spurs will want to correct their form in the league. Will they pull off another unexpected win on Sunday?

There is also a big game in the relegation battle as the bottom two face each other with Bristol City hosting Brighton.

Manchester City and Chelsea, level on points at the top, play Everton and Leicester respectively.

Click here to read about what's coming up in the WSL this weekend and how you can watch every game.

Adam Millington
BBC Sport

Arsenal's women have been hit with another injury blow, with the north London derby coming up on Sunday.

Striker Vivianne Miedema, who has only recently returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, is set for "several weeks" on the sidelines after she underwent "minor knee surgery".

Speaking in his pre-match news conference this morning, Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall confirmed Miedema's absence among a number of injury updates.

England captain Leah Williamson had to pull out of the Lionesses' February camp with a hamstring injury, but she is "progressing well" and "in contention" for Sunday's derby.

He couldn't provide a concrete timeline on Lina Hurtig's return after she suffered a knock in December, but she could potentially be out for the rest of the season.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport

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John Textor has spoken openly about his multi-club ownership of Crystal Palace, Lyon, Botafogo and Molenbeek.

One of the deals that has been done between those clubs is when Palace U21 centre back moved to Lyon in August of last year following a loan at Textor's Molenbeek.

He's played 19 games for Lyon this season, scoring three goals, and is developing into a key part of the Lyon side.

"I work very closely with Dougie Freedman and Steve Parish and I pick off the situations," Textor said.

"They [players] may not be ready for the Premier League, but Jake O’Brien he wasn't ready for the Premier League, he was ready for Belgium 2, now he’s ready for French 1, and now we have teams in the Premier League that are calling on him."

Crystal Palace

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Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor speaking to BBC Sport about 'nonsense' Palace fan banners:

"There's a lot of talk of that but it's misguided. I read these banners which are nonsense. I showed up a couple of years ago and I do nothing but support as one of four members of the board and then I see banners which say 'Textor we don't trust you'. I don't care.

"They don't need to trust me, I'm not running the club.

"People say they want fan ownership and transparency but there's nothing more transparent than a US public company that reports material contracts within four days.

"They don't like capitalism apparently in the ultras at Crystal Palace. So I went to talk to them about it. I met them outside Selhurst Park and they said, 'John, you bought Lyon, are you aware of the politics of your ultras in Lyon?'

"I said, 'God no, what are they?'

"They said, 'Well, they are right, and we at Palace are left.' Well I don't care, this has nothing to do with football.

"I have an opinion of Crystal Palace and the culture and the fans which I love - but ultras in some clubs...

"I was drawn to this relationship of club and community. It's organised fan groups which hijack that relationship. Some very smart people in football told me, 'John, pay attention to the ultras, they can be wonderful, they can be passionate, they can be supportive but make sure you know who your fans are - all of them.'

"I developed a belief that I work for the anonymous fan that I don't know, and he or she is 10 years old and they love the club because their father loves the club. I don't work for the ultras."

Crystal Palace

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On being 'in love' with Crystal Palace, co-owner John Textor told BBC Sport:

"I don't manage Crystal Palace. I'm in a weird spot as a multi-club person. Crystal Palace is my first investment. My boys are in love with the team, I'm in love with the team, I'm in love with the general culture of Crystal Palace.

"Am I as passionate about it? Quietly when I watch the games, but I'm not responsible for it. The collaboration has been great for me. I work very closely with [sporting director] Dougie Freedman and [chairman] Steve Parish and I pick off the situations.

"When I came in at Crystal Palace, my capital helped them complete the academy, which was Steve's project which predated me.

"With Doug and Steve's leadership my capital helped bring Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and a lot of terrific players. I was one of four votes helping to endorse those selections, they weren't my selections."