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Three sporting figures in the spotlight this weekend

Sports Mole identifies three sporting figures in the spotlight this weekend.

This weekend will be another action-filled couple of days in the world of sport, with the Rugby World Cup getting underway and the football season continuing.

Here, Sports Mole highlights three sporting figures who will be making the headlines over the coming days.



1. Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been constantly in the spotlight this season following the champions' patchy start to the defence of their league title, his fall-out with first-team doctor Eva Carneiro and the controversial substitution of captain John Terry in the loss to Manchester City.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho gives the thumbs-up prior to his side's clash with Everton on September 12, 2015© Getty Images

The Portuguese boss, who saw his side slip to a 3-1 defeat to Everton last time out in the Premier League, has been forced to deny that he has had a fall-out with his players this week. Chelsea have already lost three times in the league this season, which is the same number of matches that they lost throughout the 2014-15 campaign.

However, the Blues claimed a morale-boosting 4-0 thrashing over Maccabi Tel Aviv in their opening fixture in the Champions League group stage earlier this week. With the visit of London rivals Arsenal this lunchtime, Mourinho will be keen to stop Arsene Wenger's side securing the win.

Chelsea already have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, conceding 12 goals in their first five matches of the season, while defeat this afternoon could drop the side into the relegation zone by the end of the weekend.



2. Sam Warburton

Wales open their Rugby World Cup campaign on Sunday at the Millennium Stadium with a match against Uruguay, who are the lowest-ranked side that they will face in Pool A.

Sam Warburton of Wales looks on during the RBS Six Nations match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield Stadium on February 15, 2015© Getty Images

With a poor run of form ahead of the draw leaving Warren Gatland's side facing Australia and host nation England in the pool stage, plus injuries to Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb ahead of the start of the tournament, the pressure will be on captain Sam Warburton to lead by example.

The 26-year-old, who has 55 caps for his country, has established himself as a leader over recent years, captaining the British & Irish Lions side to their first tour win since 1997, while securing two Six Nations titles with Wales since the last World Cup.

Warburton will be keen to put his last World Cup appearance behind him, having been sent off early in Wales's semi-final defeat to France in 2011. With England securing a bonus point from their win over Fiji last night, the Welsh team will be looking for a comfortable win to do the same themselves.



3. Andy Murray

Fresh from his earliest exit at a Grand Slam tournament since 2010, Andy Murray leads Great Britain's attempts to reach a Davis Cup final for the first time since 1978 in their semi-final against Australia in Glasgow this weekend.

Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates in his match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France during Day One of the World Group Quarter Final Davis Cup match between Great Britain and France at Queens Club on July 17, 2015© Getty Images

The Scot made a solid start on Friday, thrashing Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening rubber ahead of pairing up with brother Jamie Murray for the doubles later today.

With world number 300 Dan Evans losing the other singles rubber against Bernard Tomic, Murray knows that winning the doubles with his brother would leave him in a position to win the best-of-five tie tomorrow in his second singles match against Tomic.

With Argentina and Belgium contesting the other semi-final, victory in this tie will give Britain a realistic chance to claim the trophy for the first time in 79 years. Australia will not make it easy though, having previously won the competition 28 times, with their most recent success coming just 12 years ago.

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General view of the exterior of The Millennium Stadium before the International rugby union test match between Wales and Australia in Cardiff, south Wales, on November 8, 2014
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