With the football season now back, and Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures in full swing, there is plenty of sporting action to look forward to this weekend.
Here, Sports Mole picks out three figures who will be in the spotlight to succeed over the coming days.
1. Jose Mourinho
There is perhaps no other manager in world football who can turn a touchline rant into a national talking point in quite the same way as Jose Mourinho. All the talk this week, somewhat conveniently, has been all about backroom staff members rather than Chelsea's disappointing performance in their 2-2 home draw against Swansea City.
© Getty Images
The Blues looked rather lethargic in that opener, even before being reduced to 10 men, which is perhaps a cause for concern heading into their meeting with fellow title rivals Manchester City. Mourinho admitted in his Friday press conference that he may have made a mistake in publicly criticising Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn, but fell some way short of offering the pair an apology.
Chelsea's boss has become a master at diverting attention away from his playing squad, whether it be accusing officials of making glaring errors or even time-wasting ball boys, as was the case when his side lost their first game of last season away at Newcastle United. Mourinho knows that the current debate will be nothing more than a footnote a month from now, with plenty more topics for debate to come before the season's end.
On the field, the Premier League champions could find themselves five points behind their closest challengers should they suffer defeat at the Etihad on Sunday evening, though victory - or a hard-fought draw - will underline Chelsea's title credentials once more. It was not the greatest start to the season, particularly after being edged out by Arsenal in the Community Shield a week prior, yet we can surely expect more touchline antics from Mourinho in the months to come.
2. Sam Burgess
While these upcoming rugby internationals may be billed as friendlies, there is always a much-needed edge to fixtures in a World Cup year. For England, their meeting with France this evening marks the start of their push to lift the famous trophy on home soil a little over two months from now.
© Getty Images
There is a lot of work to do before the Red Rose can even think about making it to the October 31 final, though, starting with the first of back-to-back clashes against a side who themselves harbour faint hopes of going one better than four years ago and claiming the Webb Ellis Cup at Twickenham.
The focus right now for Stuart Lancaster and his men is to whittle down the playing squad, using these warm-up fixtures as a gauge before cutting the party down to 31 in the coming weeks. No side will come under as much scrutiny as England in the five-week build-up to the tournament, with the likes of Sam Burgess, Henry Slade and flanker Calum Clark each looking to impress when given their maiden bows this evening.
The late evening kickoff time, too, will help the tournament hosts in their preparation for the main event, knowing that each of their pool games will be getting underway at the same time. So now it is over to the players to prove their worth, to show Lancaster that they are undroppable. For rugby league convert Burgess, this could be his only chance to propel himself into the thoughts of his coach. England head for Paris in seven days' time, but Lancaster is likely to have a good idea of exactly who he plans on picking in his final World Cup squad come 10pm this evening.
3. Andy Murray
An early exit from the Washington Open earlier this month was nothing more than a minor blip, according to Andy Murray, who put his second-round defeat against Teymuraz Gabashvili down to fatigue on his return to the hard-court surface.
© Getty Images
Murray has now overcome Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - and the Montreal weather - to avenge last year's loss and book a place in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup. All focus right now is on the upcoming US Open, of course, a tournament which the Scotsman won three years ago to break his Grand Slam duck.
With a baby also on the way for the Murray clan, there is hope that the 2013 Wimbledon champion can now push on and find the best form of his career. It was a similar case for Novak Djokovic, who spoke openly in the past about the inspiration he took from the birth of his son last October, winning seven of his next nine tournaments in the process.
Victory for the British number one against Tsonga also ensures that he will compete at the season-ending World Tour finals at the O2 Arena in London, and is just one win away from moving up to second in the world. Add to that an intriguing Davis Cup tie on home soil next month, and it is clear to see that there is a lot to be won - and lost - for the 28-year old who carries the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
Daniel Lewis
