3 weeks ago
Saturday
Football
8am-12pm (all times BST)Matchday live
Welcome to different play and 2 days of enthralling action. There’s nary amended spot to get things underway arsenic nan play reaches its climax than our rolling shot blog. Coming up are 5 Premier League fixtures, some nan Championship and League One play-off semi-finals, a Scottish Premiership title-cruncher, positive nan champion of Europe’s apical games to monitor. Co-hosts Emillia Hawkins and Barry Glendenning will connection breaking news and updates from astir nan grounds, positive readers’ thoughts and queries. Why not subordinate nan conversation? Email [email protected].
Cricket
11amCounty Championship live
Tanya Aldred keeps nan updates flowing from astir 9 region grounds pinch time 2 of her blog. There’s bound to beryllium much from Ben Stokes’ region comeback, pinch Durham unleashing nan England skipper arsenic a new-ball onslaught bowler. Stokes was making his first quality since nan Ashes against Worcestershire connected Friday, his return to action had been delayed aft a stray shot to nan look near him needing reconstructive surgery. England’s white-ball captain, Harry Brook, besides made his first region quality of nan play connected Friday successful Yorkshire’s conflict astatine Warwickshire.
Premier League
12.30pmLiverpool v Chelsea live
Monday’s 3-1 conclusion to Nottingham Forest extended Chelsea’s hopeless run. It marked a sixth Premier League conclusion successful a statement for nan Blues — nan first clip since 1993 — meaning it is now intolerable for them, nan World Club Champions, to decorativeness successful nan apical 5 and suffice automatically for nan Champions League. There is besides nan expanding likelihood that they will struggle to decorativeness precocious capable to make either of nan different 2 European competitions, aft nan Forest conclusion saw them driblet to ninth, pinch a sojourn to Anfield to play Liverpool up next. Scott Murray helms nan blog pinch Andy Hunter reporting from nan ground.
Championship playoff semi-final
12.30pmMiddlesbrough v Southampton live
Tonda Eckert’s Saints are nan shape squad pursuing a 19-match convention unbeaten tally which pushed them up into 4th place, a tally that saw them almost gatecrash nan apical 2 pinch a precocious surge. Middlesbrough saw their automatic promotion hopes checked aft managing conscionable 2 wins from nan last 10 games. Yet Southampton slumped to a 4-0 conclusion connected Teesside backmost successful January, truthful Eckert will not underestimate nan situation posed by Kim Hellberg’s team. With nan 2nd limb astatine St Mary’s connected Tuesday night, Saints could beryllium forgiven for reasoning that heading backmost down southbound pinch a tie would not beryllium a bad result. Billy Munday has nan blog covered, pinch Louise Taylor astatine nan Riverside.
Women’s Six Nations
2pmItaly v England live
There appears to beryllium nary stopping nan Red Roses juggernaut but Saturday’s opponents are astatine slightest heading successful nan correct direction. Le Azzurre’s astir caller Women’s Six Nations encounters person seen nan losing separator trim from 74 successful 2022 to 33 successful 2025. Italy mislaid their opening 2 matches of nan tourney to France and Ireland, but thumped nan Scots 41-14 past clip out. England, meanwhile, chalked up a 36th successive triumph pinch with their 62-24 triumph complete Wales successful information three. Ellie Kildun9ne returns to nan near helping successful Parma pinch Emma Sing restored astatine full-back and Mia Venner appearing connected nan correct helping for her 4th cap. Zoe Harrison replaces Holly Aitchison astatine fly-half. Lee Calvert buckles up arsenic blog host, pinch Sarah Rendell reporting.
Premier League
3pmClockwatch
Barry Glendenning is backmost for his 2nd stint of nan time and focuses connected 2 of nan 3 3pm kickoffs. Interim caput coach Michael Carrick returns to nan segment of 1 of his worst days arsenic a Manchester United player. It is 14 years since final-day delight astatine nan Stadium of Light turned into a nightmare erstwhile Sergio Agüero’s precocious onslaught against QPR saw Manchester City snatch nan Premier League title from Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. United were waiting for news of nan last whistle from nan Etihad Stadium aft completing a 1-0 triumph astatine Sunderland. There is nary anticipation of specified a achy setback connected Saturday afternoon, nan Premier League title is good beyond United and Champions League qualification is secured pinch 3 games to play. Bournemouth are looking to clinch European qualification against Fulham aft climbing to sixth. While nan Europa League aliases nan Conference League are much realistic targets, nan Cherries clasp an extracurricular chance of scraping into nan Champions League if Aston Villa triumph nan Europa League.
Premier League
5.30pmManchester City v Brentford live
City will not beryllium easing disconnected nan state successful their title pursuit of Arsenal contempt Monday’s gaffe astatine Everton that required a 97th-minute equaliser by an inspired Jérémy Doku to make it 3-3. That tie near Pep Guardiola’s serial winners 5 points down nan Gunners pinch conscionable 1 crippled successful manus and they must now trust connected favours from Arsenal’s upcoming opponents if they are to pip them to nan title. Four consecutive victories is nan bare minimum for City since Mikel Arteta’s broadside person recovered from their caller blip. Blog big Rob Smyth keeps nan updates flowing, pinch Jamie Jackson reporting.
Sunday
Football
8am-12.30pmMatchday live
Emillia Hawkins clocks connected to connection news, previews and scholar comments arsenic good arsenic keeping tabs connected Sunday’s Premier League fixtures, culminating pinch 1 of nan biggest games of nan season: West Ham facing Arsenal astatine nan London Stadium. Plus, there’s build-up to nan National League promotion playoff last astatine Wembley, nan Women’s FA Cup semi-finals, an Old Firm derby and, possibly champion of all, an intriguing clásico.
Women’s cricket
11amEngland v New Zealand unrecorded
Daniel Harris and James Wallace person over-by-over sum of nan first ODI arsenic nan hosts look New Zealand at Durham without their skipper. Nat Sciver-Brunt has been ruled retired arsenic a precautionary measurement aft sustaining a insignificant near calf tear while playing for nan Blaze against Warwickshire. Vice-captain Charlie Dean will subordinate nan squad and skipper nan broadside for nan 3 matches. The nonaccomplishment of their skipper will interest England arsenic they build towards their T20 World Cup campaign, which kicks disconnected against Sri Lanka connected 12 June astatine Edgbaston. Raf Nicholson reports connected their first large crippled of nan summer
Cricket
11am County Championship live
Tanya Aldred returns to her station will updates and scholar comments connected time 3 of nan latest information of Championship fixtures.
Scottish Premiership
12pmCeltic v Rangers live
Before Hearts faced Motherwell connected Saturday night, Martin O’Neill’s Celtic trailed nan leaders by 3 points, their extremity quality 5 inferior to Derek McInnes’ broadside pinch conscionable 3 games remaining. Celtic are successful nary temper nan springiness up nan defence of their title conscionable yet, and meet their bitter Glasgow rivals connected a tally of 4 consecutive wins. Back-to-back defeats by Motherwell and Hearts person ensured Rangers’ play is ending connected different anticlimax, but they would return take awesome pleasance successful a triumph to bust nan Hoops’ bubble. Billy Munday steers nan blog, pinch Ewan Murray reporting from Celtic Park.
Premier League
2pmClockwatch
Simon Burnton hones successful connected 2 of Sunday’s 3 2pm kickoffs. At nan City Ground, Vítor Pereira’s hosts will activity an instant rebound from their Europa League ejection connected Thursday evening. Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 conclusion of Chelsea connected Monday restored their six-point spread to nan bottommost three, and they could unafraid their top-flight position pinch a triumph against Newcastle. Eddie Howe’s broadside are refreshed aft beating Brighton past weekend, ending their four-game losing tally to move into 13th successful nan table. Newcastle person 3 games left, starting pinch this travel to Forest, followed by matches against West Ham and Fulham. Aston Villa’s sparkling European form, which has seen them advancement to nan Europa League last later this month, contrasts sharply pinch their caller convention performances. Picking up 7 points successful their past 8 matches is an underwhelming return, but relegated Burnley are hardly a daunting prospect.
Women’s FA Cup semi-final
3.30pmChelsea v Manchester City
The freshlycrowned champions face nan ascendant nine of nan past six seasons. Manchester City claimed their first title successful 10 years aft Arsenal’s tie astatine Brighton connected Wednesday nighttime meant they could not beryllium caught astatine nan apical of nan WSL. Chelsea person been nan nine to hit successful nan English women’s crippled for truthful agelong that City’s triumph feels for illustration nan extremity of an era. Andrée Jeglertz could now lead City to a home double and their 5-1 drubbing of Chelsea successful February remains caller successful nan memory, though nan holders stay formidable aft 3 Cup triumphs successful nan past 4 seasons. John Brewin is blog host, pinch Suzanne Wrack connected reporting duties.
Premier League
4.30pmWest Ham v Arsenal live
After seeing disconnected Atlético Madrid to scope nan Champions League final, Arsenal adjacent return connected relegation-threatened West Ham astatine nan London Stadium successful what could beryllium nan pivotal fixture successful their pursuit of a first Premier League title successful 22 years. Following City’s tie astatine Everton – which puts nan title title successful Arsenal’s hands – and their triumph complete Diego Simeone’s broadside conscionable 24 hours later, Mikel Arteta’s pacesetters are now 4 matches distant from completing a momentous double and securing nan top run successful nan club’s 140-year history. West Ham, meanwhile, will beryllium scrapping for captious endurance points aft slipping backmost into nan driblet area pursuing nan 3-0 conclusion by Brentford. The Hammers are unbeaten successful their past six location games, and 3 of those were captious three-point wins. Rob Smyth brings nan minute-by-minute magic pinch our reporting squad of David Hytner and Barney Ronay astatine nan ground.
La Liga
8pmBarcelona v Real Madrid live
Clásico clip to headdress disconnected nan weekend, pinch John Brewin keeping nan updates flowing. Barcelona will clinch nan title if they debar defeat. Arch-rivals Real, meanwhile, are a troubled lot. Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni are nan subjects of disciplinary proceedings complete a training-ground spat. It is nan latest successful a drawstring of controversies astatine nan club, pinch Antonio Rüdiger reportedly apologising to nan squad for different training-ground bust up. Kylian Mbappé was past reported to person been progressive successful an angry speech pinch a personnel of nan club’s coaching staff. The French star, who is recovering from a hamstring wounded and is simply a uncertainty for this game, besides faced disapproval for a travel to Italy pinch his partner. Sid Lowe brings nan sound from Camp Nou.
