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Focus on... The title battleThe Brazilian Grand Prix is no stranger to hosting title-crowning moments. There have been six to be precise, ranging from Fernando Alonsos back-to-back success between 2005 and 2006, to Lewis Hamiltons dramatic last-lap triumph in 2008, and Sebastian Vettels recovery drive to a third world title four years ago. All five of the world champions on the current grid have clinched a title in Brazil. Will Nico Rosberg continue that pattern?Rosberg arrives in Brazil with the championship trophy in one hand. Win on Sunday and the German will follow in the footsteps of his father Keke Rosberg by taking his first ever Formula One title. Such a feat would see Nico and Keke join Graham and Damon Hill as the only two father-son combinations to win an F1 title in the history of the sport. As described in full in our title permutations explainer, Rosberg can even afford two second place finishes, or one second and a third to beat Hamilton to the crown.Hamilton has almost all the odds stacked against him, finish second to Rosberg and his rival wins; go too aggressive and end up crashing out; Rosberg wins. The task seems simple for the Briton, win and he ensures the title will go down to the final round in Abu Dhabi on November 27. Even when riding on the crest of momentum -- as he often references -- after consecutive wins in the United States and Mexico, one fact stands out. Hamilton has never won at Interlagos.He will need to buck that trend in order to stand any chance of adding a fourth world championship to his growing list of achievements this year. But at one stage Hamilton also needed to win the final four races to keep the title within reach and so far he has delivered when it matters most. The see-saw nature of this years championship fight means nothing can be taken for granted. Add to that possible rain, question marks over reliability, and factor in an increasingly competitive Red Bull package in the hands of hungry pairing Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, and this weekend could provide another classic Brazilian Grand Prix.In need of a podiumThe pressure is showing no signs of relenting at Ferrari. In fact it neared boiling point in Mexico when Vettels potty-mouthed radio rant almost got him in serious trouble with the FIA -- little does it need off-track problems to add to its on-track ones. Ferrari is in real need of a podium, having not recorded one since Sebastian Vettel finished third in Italy. More alarming is the fact the team has only managed podiums on two occasions in the last 10 races. Its that kind of inconsistency, coupled with Red Bulls rejuvenated charge in the second half of 2016, which has seen Ferrari fall a whopping 62 points behind in the standings.In need of pointsTime is running out for Sauber to avoid its worst ever finish in F1. The Swiss team came tantalisingly close to recording its first points of the season in Mexico as Marcus Ericsson finished 11th. The agony for Sauber was a welcome relief for Manor, with the team maintaining ninth in the standings, thanks to Pascal Wehrleins point in Austria.WeatherThe weekends weather forecast looks very interesting. The Brazilian Grand Prix is often hit by rain and thunderstorms and it looks like that could be the case again -- just when Nico Rosberg would have been hoping for a normal weekend! Thunderstorms are predicted from Thursday afternoon all the way through until race day, when the thunder and lightning is expected to subside in exchange for rain showers. With a 60-90 percent chance of precipitation throughout the weekend, Interlagos unpredictable weather could play a huge factor in the direction of this years championship.PredictionRecent history suggests that Nico Rosberg has the upper hand in Brazil over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. The German has taken pole and gone on to win the previous two races at Interlagos. Given that Hamilton has never stood on the top step in Brazil, all signs point towards a Rosberg win. However, Hamiltons performances in the United States and Mexico were menacing, and the Briton needs a win in order to keep his title hopes alive. Given how well he performs under pressure, and with rain potentially on the cards, ESPN is backing Hamilton to finally break his Brazil duck at the 10th attempt to take the title fight to Abu Dhabi.BettingDespite never winning in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton is the bookies?favourite at 5/6 to take victory. Ricciardo (11/1) is the closest driver to take the fight to Mercedes, while in the battle for fourth, Force India are backed to edge out Williams in qualifying, with Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg tied on same odds at 200/1 compared with Valtteri Bottas (300/1) and Felipe Massa (500/1). Fernando Alonso is 9/2 to record a top six finish for McLaren.A lap with... Romain GrosjeanYou go onto the pit straight and then big braking to go to the Senna S. Very tricky turn in on the left-hand side. You really want to be well placed for the right turn two, which sets you up for turn three and the second straight. Big braking to turn four, left-hand side, 90 degrees, a pretty good corner. Then you get to the middle part -- turn five is a high-speed corner going up the crest. Its tricky.Then its turn six and the hairpin on the right-hand side. We cant use the curb as much as we used to. Turn seven is a left-hand side corner, no braking, just a lift off. Its a bit of a strange one. The second hairpin is then on the right-hand side, a second high-speed corner going down the hill, prior to the last turn. Its a left-hand corner where you really want to go early on the throttle because youre facing a wall to go up to the finish line.TyresAvailable compounds: hard, medium, softCircuit facts courtesy of Pirelli:? Interlagos is the second-shortest lap of the year, but probably the most intense as the cars are constantly cornering and dealing with traffic. This adds to the demands on the tyres.? The resurfacing a couple of years ago increased grip levels and smoothed out the bumps.? A very wide variety of weather conditions are possible, from intense heat to heavy rain.? Interlagos is one of the few anti-clockwise circuits, with the right-rear tyre doing the most work? Tyres are often subjected to combined lateral and longitudinal forces, which increase demand. Radek Faksa Stars Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Jamie Benn Stars Jersey .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. http://www.thedallasstarshockey.com/tyler-seguin-hockey-jersey/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Stephen Johns Stars Jersey . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Ben Bishop Stars Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. TORONTO -- In their first-round playoff sweep of the Rochester Americans, the Toronto Marlies only conceded five goals. But in the first game of their second-round series against the Grand Rapids Griffins, they allowed seven. Tomas Tatar scored twice and added an assist as the Griffins thumped the 7-0 in Game 1 of the American Hockey Leagues Western Conference semi-final series on Friday night. "I cant remember losing a game like that since Ive been here," said Toronto head coach Dallas Eakins. "I loved the way that we started the game. I thought we came out stomping. It was exactly how we wanted to start." Mitch Callahan, Chad Billins, Teemu Pulkkinen, Luke Glendening and Jan Mursak also scored for the Griffins. Petr Mrazek made 25 saves in recording his second shutout of the playoffs. Its not that the Marlies were overmatched in any way. It was quite the opposite off the start as the Marlies came out firing, registering the first six shots on goal. But two quick Griffins goals in the first period put the Marlies on the back foot early and they were never able to recover. Mrazek was stellar for the Griffins and penalty trouble in the third period killed any chance of Torontos attempts to stage a late comeback. Marlies goalie Drew MacIntyre had a tough night giving up six goals on 28 shots and was replaced by Garret Sparks early in the third period. Sparks made 10 saves on 11 shots. "I was really bad. I was horrible," said MacIntyre. "I wasnt sharp. I did a lot of bad things. But I think Ill be fine." Callahan opened the scoring at 8:55 of the first after the Griffins worked the puck around quickly off a faceoff in the Toronto zone. Brennan Evans quickly picked up the puck and got it back to the point where Callahan fired through traffic. Just 34 seconds later, Billins was another recipient of some quick work off the draw as hhe fired in his first of the playoffs from the point.dddddddddddd. While MacIntyre was critical of his own performance, his coach was quick to come to his defence as MacIntyre has bailed out the Marlies repeatedly since joining the team in February. "None of those goals were soft goals on Drews part," said Eakins. "It was just one of those nights where everything they touched was going in that net and it was a night for us where we couldnt get anything. There was no let-up from the Griffins as they scored their third of the game just 1:14 into the second. After a poor Marlies clearance from the corner, Tomas Jurco found Pulkkinen beside the goal with a slap pass that Pulkkinen then converted from close range. Tatars first of the night game at 19:42 of the second when he was given plenty of time beside the Marlies goal to get a couple of shots at a loose puck before banging a shot in off MacIntyre. MacIntyres night was done after the Griffins added two more goals in the first 5:48 of the third. Theres not much time for the Marlies to dwell on getting blown out in game one. Game two takes place less than 24 hours later on Saturday afternoon. "I wouldnt want to be thinking about this one for much longer," said MacIntyre, admitting he was pleased that he gets another crack at the Griffins on Saturday. "Im really excited to get back out." Tatar got his second of the night when he came out from behind the goal and was given plenty of time to wait and pick his spot at 3:16. At 5:48, Glendening scored a close-range goal from MacIntyres right side. Notes: The Marlies were without defenceman Jesse Blacker who was called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Blacker had missed the entire first round with a lower body injury. a Spencer Abbott was also out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury. a Attendance on Friday night was 3,812. ' ' '