Mourinho one of the best managers in the world' - Pochettino denies bad blood with Man Utd boss*

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino insists there is no rift between himself and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho ahead of their weekend showdown.

United and Spurs are level on 20 points in the Premier League and sit as the closest challengers to leaders Manchester City on the eve of a keenly anticipated Old Trafford clash.

An extract from Pochettino's new book, published this week, detailed how the Argentinian was unimpressed by Mourinho hugging and talking with Eric Dier after last season's match at Old Trafford that United won 1-0.

Pochettino accused Mourinho of putting Dier "in a compromising position" but, speaking at a news conference ahead of Saturday's game, he insisted the affair had long since been put to bed.

"That is a thing that is in the past," said the Spurs boss, who will be without top scorer Harry Kane against United due to a hamstring injury.

"You can read in my book how he is, for me, one of the best managers in the world – admired like [Pep] Guardiola. I am not perfect, I am human too

Juventus 4 SPAL 1: Bernardeschi, Dybala brilliance inspires champions to victory

Juventus kept the pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli with a 4-1 win over struggling SPAL at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.

Spectacular first-half goals from Federico Bernardeschi and Paulo Dybala set the champions on course for back-to-back league wins, before Gonzalo Higuain and Juan Cuadrado struck after the break.

Bernardeschi's stunning volley put Juve ahead early on and another fine free-kick from Dybala doubled the lead after only 22 minutes, as Massimiliano Allegri's side threatened a repeat of the goalscoring form they showed in the 6-2 thrashing of Udinese last time out.

SPAL recovered from their early jitters to make life more difficult but their heads dropped again when Higuain and Cuadrado scored in quick succession not long after the disallowed goal, and only a belated offside call denied the Argentina striker what would have been his 100th Serie A goal late on.

There was even a chance for Claudio Marchisio to make his first appearance since the opening-day win over Cagliari, the midfielder having recovered at last from a knee injury, as Juve cruised to the win that keeps them three points behind Napoli.