Football
Premier League
Manchester United can stretch their Premier League lead to six points by beating struggling Middlesbrough (19th, 31 points) at the Riverside in the early Saturday kick-off.
Sir Alex Ferguson is unhappy at being asked to play so soon after their European tie against Arsenal in midweek.
But United should still have enough for Boro who are actually unbeaten in their last nine home league and cup matches - although five were draws and two were cup wins.
Liverpool will be expected to haul United back to within three points as Alan Shearer takes his beleaguered Newcastle United (18th, 31 points) team to Anfield on Sunday.
Newcastle come into the match without a win since the start of February after the highly-anticipated home match against Portsmouth petered out to a 0-0 draw.
Indeed, Shearer may see this match as a damage-limitation exercise of preserving their superior goal difference over their fellow-strugglers.
Hull City (17th, 34 points) are most vulnerable to being caught, just three points above the drop zone with goal difference six worse than Newcastle and a record of one win in 18.
On Monday, they travel to Aston Villa who themselves are on a terrible run - without a win in nine games - which has seen them drop ten points behind Arsenal in fourth.
Villa could yet be caught by Everton for fifth - the gap is just two points - although the cup finalists may avoid throwing themselves into as many challenges as usual for the final four league games.
And, on Sunday, Everton will also have to contend with Sunderland (16th, 35 points), still playing to secure Premier League survival after their dreadful 3-0 loss against West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
That win lifted West Brom (20th, 28 points) to within six points of safety but they will do well to follow it up with another away at Tottenham Hotspur, this Saturday.
Spurs may have shipped five goals at Old Trafford last weekend but they looked worthy of being the league's form team in the first half before the controversial penalty award in United's favour.
Fulham lead the chase for the final Europa Cup place, three points clear of Spurs and Manchester City, and two clear of West Ham United.
And Saturday's visit at Stamford Bridge has fallen at a kind time, with Chelsea distracted by their Champions League tie with Barcelona.
The Hammers will also have to win at Stoke City - only three clubs have done so all season - if they wish to take advantage of a slip-up by the Cottagers.
Perhaps Manchester City are a better bet on the back of an excellent win at Goodison Park last weekend.
Back at Eastlands, they entertain Blackburn Rovers (15th, 37 points) who still require one win to remain out of the mire.
In the weekend's other matches, Portsmouth might celebrate the survival which they effectively earned on Monday at Newcastle by notching a surprise victory against Arsenal.
The Gunners must overturn a 1-0 deficit in their Champions League tie against Manchester United next week, although they haven't lost in the league since November.
And - at the JJB - Wigan, sitting comfortably in 11th, play Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers, sitting almost as comfortably in 13th but without an away win this year.
***
The Championship
The final weekend of the Championship season promises to be as exciting as usual with promotion, playoff and relegation issues all undecided.
Birmingham City suffered an untimely loss to Preston North End last weekend as they aimed to join Wolves who were confirmed as champions.
This, along with Reading's defeat of Norwich City and Sheffield United's win against Swansea City, means the Blues, the Royals and the Blades all have a chance of avoiding the playoff lottery.
Birmingham still have their fate in their own hands and know that a win will do.
But, intriguingly, they travel to Reading, aware that a loss will lift the Royals above them.
Yet, even if Reading win, it may not be enough for them if Sheffield United beat Crystal Palace, managed by Blades fan Neil Warnock.
United would also go up if they win and Birmingham-Reading finishes as a draw.
Cardiff City still need a point at midtable Sheffield Wednesday to secure a playoff place.
The Bluebirds looked comfortably set for a top six place before a 6-0 loss to Preston and a 3-0 loss to Ipswich Town in recent weeks wiped out their goal difference advantage and left them looking over their shoulder.
Preston are the only team outside the playoffs who can displace a current top six member.
To do so, they will need to beat QPR at home and hope Cardiff lose and Burnley lose or draw at home against Bristol City.
At the bottom end of the table, Norwich's loss to Reading on Monday leaves only themselves and Barnsley in trouble. All teams from Nottingham Forest upwards are safe.
The Canaries, with one win in six, visit Charlton Athletic while Barnsley, with six draws in their last eight, make the long trip to Home Park to face Plymouth Argyle.
The Tykes know another draw would be enough to secure survival with Norwich starting the final day three points adrift.
Charlton and Southampton are already down.
***
League One
With promotion and the playoffs all-but sorted, the focus in League One is avoiding the drop to the basement division.
Leicester City and Peterborough United will be playing Championship football next season and can relax on the last weekend.
MK Dons, Millwall and Leeds United all know their season does not end on Saturday as none of them can either win promotion or get knocked out of a top six spot.
The final playoff spot will be secured by either Tranmere Rovers or Scunthorpe United who play each other at Scunthorpe on the last day.
Not only do the Irons enjoy home advantage, they also enjoy a two point lead over Rovers.
At the bottom, Hereford United and Cheltenham Town are already relegated but the last two places can be filled by any of five teams.
Crewe Alexandra are easily in the worst position - three points adrift of Brighton and four goals worse off - with champions Leicester City to play at home.
Brighton are in the final safe position going into the final games. A win against Stockport County at home would secure their survival but a draw would leave them vulnerable to being caught by Carlisle United.
The Cumbrians, who face Millwall at home, start the day two points adrift of both Brighton and Northampton Town who enjoy a vastly superior goal difference.
And so even a draw for the Cobblers at Elland Road against Leeds will be enough.
If Brighton and Northampton survive, Hartlepool United may yet fill the last relegation place but only if they lose at Bristol Rovers and by a sufficient amount for Carlisle to enjoy a five-goal swing in their favour.
***
League Two
With Brentford promoted as champions, the final day battle in League Two revolves around who will join them in the two other automatic places.
Wycombe Wanderers are in the strongest position and know even a point at home against Notts County will be enough for a runners-up spot and promotion.
That would leave the final automatic place to be contested by Exeter City - who travel to Rotherham United - and Bury, who face Accrington Stanley at home.
Going into the matches, Exeter enjoy a one-point advantage over the Shakers but are five goals down on goal difference.
The loser of that promotion battle will join Gillingham and Rochdale who are fixed in a top-seven position for the playoffs.
The final place in the playoffs will be filled by either Dagenham & Redbridge or Shrewsbury Town.
They face each other in a winner-takes-all match at Dagenham on the final weekend with the home side beginning the day two points ahead.
Luton Town and, effectively, Chester City are already out of the league.
Other sports
In boxing, Ricky Hatton defends his unbeaten light-welterweight record against Manny Pacquiao in a highly-anticipated bout in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Hatton is looking to follow-up his November victory over Paulie Malignaggi as his career continues to recover from defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr at welterweight in December 2007.
The Mancunian is now trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr and has weighed in at 140lb for the fight which will be attended by 25,000 British supporters.
And British boxing fans will hope to celebrate for a second weekend running after Carl Froch made a fantastic comeback against Jermain Taylor to retain his WBC super-middleweight crown last Saturday.
Nottingham's Froch was well behind on points going into the last round when he pummelled the exhausted Taylor, causing the referee to stop the fight with seconds remaining.
But in the way of further British success will be the Fillipino Pacquiao, who weighs in 2lbs lighter and has a record of 48 wins, three draws and two losses.
***
In rugby union, the Heineken Cup is at the semi-final stage with recently-crowned Magners League champions Munster facing Leinster in an all-Irish match in Dublin on Saturday.
A day later, in the other tie, Cardiff Blues will play Leicester Tigers in front of a fervent Millennium Stadium crowd.
F1
RIP Ayrton Senna (born 21/3/1960, died 1/5/1994).
Three World Championships, 65 pole positions, 41 race wins.
Showing posts with label sports preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports preview. Show all posts
Friday, 1 May 2009
Friday, 17 April 2009
Sport Preview, 17-19 April (Part III)
Part three reviews another exciting week off the track for Formula 1 and previews the third race of the season, the China GP. It also looks at the first round of matches in this season's County Championship.
Brawn GP continue to dominate Formula 1 at the third race of the season in Shanghai in China.
In the first two practices, Jenson Button finished second and first with team-mate Rubens Barrichello finishing third in both sessions.
The continued success on the track follows excellent news off the track this week for Brawn when their rear diffuser was declared legal by the governing body FIA.
This ruling came despite Ferrari lawyer Nigel Tozzi QC weighing in with an ill-though description of team manager Ross Brawn as “a person of supreme arrogance”.
Perhaps it’s not surprising to see Ferrari act in this way – it’s not often they are without a point after the first two rounds – but it does not leave it any less distasteful.
The other big news in midweek was the confirmation of the expected departure of Ron Dennis from McLaren.
Dennis denied the timing of his departure was linked to McLaren’s FIA hearing on April 29 where the team will answer charges of
He had attended the Australian GP (although he was not in team colours) but watched the Malaysian GP on television having handed over complete control of McLaren Racing to Martin Whitmarsh at the start of the season.
Dennis said he found it “surprisingly easy” to keep his emotions in check as a remote viewer.
And McLaren have been much easier on the eye this weekend. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first practice session and team mate Heikki Kovalainen was fourth.
In second practice, though, the two McLarens dropped to ninth (Kovalainen) and 13th.
And so the early signs are that Brawn GP’s main competition may come from the Toyotas of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, Red Bull’s Mark Webber (5th then 4th) and Williams’ Nico Rosberg (2nd in session two).
The Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen (11th then 14th) and Felipe Massa (15th then 12th) have been nowhere so far this weekend.
Likewise Fernando Alonso (9th and 19th) has shown very little.
In the drivers’ championship, Button on 15pts leads team mate Barrichello on 10pts with Trulli on 8.5pts and Glock on 8pts in third and fourth.
In cricket, the County Championship began this week although defending champions Durham are not in action this weekend after beating Durham UCCE in an MCC match earlier today.
The first win of the season came at the Rose Bull where Hants (216 & 107-3, 18 points) beat Worcestershire (132 & 189, 3 points) by seven wickets within three days.
In the only other first division match, Ian Bell scored 172 as Warwickshire racked up 500 in their first innings. Somerset have so far reached 435-4 with James Hildreth not out on 188 in a likely draw.
In division two, Derbyshire (326 & 4-1 currently) enjoy a first innings lead over Essex (194) in a match which saw only 23 overs bowled on day two.
And Gloucestershire, who scored 333 in their first innings, have also been frustrated by the unsettled spring weather which washed out all of day three. They had Surrey on a perilous 18-3 at the end of day two.
Finally, after no play on day two, Leicestershire are still struggling at 102-7 in reply to Northants’ 387, short by 135 of avoiding the follow-on.
Brawn GP continue to dominate Formula 1 at the third race of the season in Shanghai in China.
In the first two practices, Jenson Button finished second and first with team-mate Rubens Barrichello finishing third in both sessions.
The continued success on the track follows excellent news off the track this week for Brawn when their rear diffuser was declared legal by the governing body FIA.
This ruling came despite Ferrari lawyer Nigel Tozzi QC weighing in with an ill-though description of team manager Ross Brawn as “a person of supreme arrogance”.
Perhaps it’s not surprising to see Ferrari act in this way – it’s not often they are without a point after the first two rounds – but it does not leave it any less distasteful.
The other big news in midweek was the confirmation of the expected departure of Ron Dennis from McLaren.
Dennis denied the timing of his departure was linked to McLaren’s FIA hearing on April 29 where the team will answer charges of
He had attended the Australian GP (although he was not in team colours) but watched the Malaysian GP on television having handed over complete control of McLaren Racing to Martin Whitmarsh at the start of the season.
Dennis said he found it “surprisingly easy” to keep his emotions in check as a remote viewer.
And McLaren have been much easier on the eye this weekend. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first practice session and team mate Heikki Kovalainen was fourth.
In second practice, though, the two McLarens dropped to ninth (Kovalainen) and 13th.
And so the early signs are that Brawn GP’s main competition may come from the Toyotas of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, Red Bull’s Mark Webber (5th then 4th) and Williams’ Nico Rosberg (2nd in session two).
The Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen (11th then 14th) and Felipe Massa (15th then 12th) have been nowhere so far this weekend.
Likewise Fernando Alonso (9th and 19th) has shown very little.
In the drivers’ championship, Button on 15pts leads team mate Barrichello on 10pts with Trulli on 8.5pts and Glock on 8pts in third and fourth.
In cricket, the County Championship began this week although defending champions Durham are not in action this weekend after beating Durham UCCE in an MCC match earlier today.
The first win of the season came at the Rose Bull where Hants (216 & 107-3, 18 points) beat Worcestershire (132 & 189, 3 points) by seven wickets within three days.
In the only other first division match, Ian Bell scored 172 as Warwickshire racked up 500 in their first innings. Somerset have so far reached 435-4 with James Hildreth not out on 188 in a likely draw.
In division two, Derbyshire (326 & 4-1 currently) enjoy a first innings lead over Essex (194) in a match which saw only 23 overs bowled on day two.
And Gloucestershire, who scored 333 in their first innings, have also been frustrated by the unsettled spring weather which washed out all of day three. They had Surrey on a perilous 18-3 at the end of day two.
Finally, after no play on day two, Leicestershire are still struggling at 102-7 in reply to Northants’ 387, short by 135 of avoiding the follow-on.
Sport Preview, 17-19 April (Part II)
Part two of the sport preview looks at the some "drunk men playing billiards" or at least it does in Jeremy Clarkson's world. It's the World Snooker Championships, of course.
The snooker season reaches its climax with the start of the World Championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield this weekend.
Three-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his title defence with a straight-forward-looking first round tie against world number 21 Stuart Bingham.
The title is considered by the bookmakers to be O’Sullivan’s to lose and William Hill has him as short as 9/4.
But this ignores the fact that no player has retained the championship since Stephen Hendry back in 1996.
In the twelve championships since then, there have been eight different winners, including relative outsiders Shaun Murphy in 2005 and Graeme Dott in 2006, making this one of the most open contests anywhere in sport.
In the most notable first round matches, Stephen Hendry faces Mark J Williams with nine world titles between them.
Hendry won the seventh, and to date, last World Championships in 1999 but has failed to win any major titles since.
Williams won his two World Championships in 2000 and 2003 but he has also suffered a drop in form and is currently ranked no 22 in the world.
Second favourite Stephen Maguire (15/2) faces a first round match against fellow Scotsman Jamie Burnett.
Both players will enter the Crucible arena under even more pressure than usual.
This is the first time they have met since Maguire beat Burnett 9-3 in the UK Championships last year.
The match is subsequently under investigation by World Snooker and even Strathclyde polie have opened an inquiry after a surge of bets on that exact result.
‘Interesting’ Steve Davis, winner of the title six times between 1981 and 1989, makes a highly commendable record 29th appearance at the Crucible.
The 51-year-old retains a top 32 ranking but is very much second favourite against Australian Neil Robertson, seeded tenth, in their first round match.
The full draw can be found here and the order of play here.
One person sure to make history is pretty Dunfermline lassie Michaela Tabb who will become the first female referee of the Final on May3-4 (best of 35 frames).
The earlier rounds take place as follows: First round (best of 19) – April 18-23, Second round (best of 25) – April 23-27, Quarter finals (best of 25) – April 28-29, and Semi finals (best of 33) – April 30-May 2.
Coverage is on BBC interactive every day from 10am.
The snooker season reaches its climax with the start of the World Championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield this weekend.
Three-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his title defence with a straight-forward-looking first round tie against world number 21 Stuart Bingham.
The title is considered by the bookmakers to be O’Sullivan’s to lose and William Hill has him as short as 9/4.
But this ignores the fact that no player has retained the championship since Stephen Hendry back in 1996.
In the twelve championships since then, there have been eight different winners, including relative outsiders Shaun Murphy in 2005 and Graeme Dott in 2006, making this one of the most open contests anywhere in sport.
In the most notable first round matches, Stephen Hendry faces Mark J Williams with nine world titles between them.
Hendry won the seventh, and to date, last World Championships in 1999 but has failed to win any major titles since.
Williams won his two World Championships in 2000 and 2003 but he has also suffered a drop in form and is currently ranked no 22 in the world.
Second favourite Stephen Maguire (15/2) faces a first round match against fellow Scotsman Jamie Burnett.
Both players will enter the Crucible arena under even more pressure than usual.
This is the first time they have met since Maguire beat Burnett 9-3 in the UK Championships last year.
The match is subsequently under investigation by World Snooker and even Strathclyde polie have opened an inquiry after a surge of bets on that exact result.
‘Interesting’ Steve Davis, winner of the title six times between 1981 and 1989, makes a highly commendable record 29th appearance at the Crucible.
The 51-year-old retains a top 32 ranking but is very much second favourite against Australian Neil Robertson, seeded tenth, in their first round match.
The full draw can be found here and the order of play here.
One person sure to make history is pretty Dunfermline lassie Michaela Tabb who will become the first female referee of the Final on May3-4 (best of 35 frames).
The earlier rounds take place as follows: First round (best of 19) – April 18-23, Second round (best of 25) – April 23-27, Quarter finals (best of 25) – April 28-29, and Semi finals (best of 33) – April 30-May 2.
Coverage is on BBC interactive every day from 10am.
Sport Preview, 17-19 April (Part I)
This weekend's sports preview is so busy that it's in three parts. The first part deals with all things football including the FA Cup semi finals.
After last season’s competition, where three of the four FA Cup semi finalists represented the Championship, this time the Cup has gone to form.
Three of the Big Four will contest the semi-finals this weekend with David Moyes’ sixth-placed Everton as the only ‘outsider’.
The Toffees will be hoping to repeat their infamous upset of 1995 when they meet Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday at 4pm.
Paul Rideout scored the only goal of the game as Everton won 1-0 and left United empty-handed for that season while Joe Royle remains the last English manager to win the Cup.
Everton would have fancied their chances even more a couple of weeks ago as United suffered successive league defeats to Liverpool and Fulham.
But Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have since enjoyed wins against Aston Villa and Sunderland. They also made progress to the Champions League semis with an impressive away win at FC Porto in midweek.
The other semi-final is an all-London affair between Chelsea and Arsenal on Saturday at 5.15pm. Both teams, like United, celebrated their qualification for the Champions League semis in midweek.
Arsenal stormed to a 4-1 aggregate success against Villarreal after a welcome return to top form by Theo Walcott.
Chelsea’s European semi-final was far less straight-forward as they knocked out Liverpool 7-5 on aggregate after an amazing 4-4 match.
Arsenal won the Cup three times between 2002 and 2005 but are looking to make their first final in four years. Chelsea won the first new Wembley final against United in 2007.
In the Premier League, the struggle at the bottom continues with north east trio Sunderland, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough looking most at risk.
Middlesbrough (19th, 30 points) beat Hull City 3-1 last weekend at home and can follow up that vital win with another in their home match against Fulham.
The Cottagers, safely in mid-table, have won their last two away matches, having not won any prior to that.
Unlike Boro, Portsmouth (14th, 34 points) did not make the most of their home advantage against West Bromwich Albion last week in a 2-2 draw.
But they get an immediate chance for redemption at Fratton Park against Bolton Wanderers who are 12th on 37 points despite failing to win away since November.
Stoke City (13th, 36 points) also drew at home against fellow-strugglers Newcastle. The Potters face another home relegation clash against Blackburn Rovers (16th, 34 points) this weekend.
And Sunderland (17th, 32 points) will look to ease their relegation worries by ensuring Hull City (15th, 34 points) suffer a second successive loss in the north east.
At the other end of the table, Aston Villa will extend their lead over Everton in fifth to four points by beating seventh-placed West Ham United.
On Sunday, Spurs will take advantage of any Hammers slip-up by moving into seventh if they beat Newcastle (18th, 30 points) for the first time at home in three seasons.
Newcastle have won their last two matches at White Hart Lane 3-2 and 4-1 respectively and must have gained some confidence from Andy Carroll’s late headed equaliser against Stoke.
Mid-table Manchester City’s season effectively ended on Thursday after their loss in the Uefa Cup against Hamburg.
They will entertain West Brom (20th, 25 points) who barely breathed life into their own season in the 2-2 draw at Portsmouth last weekend.
In the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will expect to gain at least the point they need for promotion against Queens Park Rangers at home.
At the other end, Charlton Athletic are hanging on by a mathematically miracle and might still go down even if they beat Blackpool at home.
In League One, Leicester City only need one point in their away match at Southend United to gain promotion back to the second tier.
But the struggle to beat the drop for Hereford United and Cheltenham Town might end in failure.
Finally, in the Blue Square Premier, Burton Albion can win the championship and promotion to the league with just a point against Oxford United at home tonight.
All the other football league and Blue Square Premier issues will remain undecided this weekend.
After last season’s competition, where three of the four FA Cup semi finalists represented the Championship, this time the Cup has gone to form.
Three of the Big Four will contest the semi-finals this weekend with David Moyes’ sixth-placed Everton as the only ‘outsider’.
The Toffees will be hoping to repeat their infamous upset of 1995 when they meet Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday at 4pm.
Paul Rideout scored the only goal of the game as Everton won 1-0 and left United empty-handed for that season while Joe Royle remains the last English manager to win the Cup.
Everton would have fancied their chances even more a couple of weeks ago as United suffered successive league defeats to Liverpool and Fulham.
But Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have since enjoyed wins against Aston Villa and Sunderland. They also made progress to the Champions League semis with an impressive away win at FC Porto in midweek.
The other semi-final is an all-London affair between Chelsea and Arsenal on Saturday at 5.15pm. Both teams, like United, celebrated their qualification for the Champions League semis in midweek.
Arsenal stormed to a 4-1 aggregate success against Villarreal after a welcome return to top form by Theo Walcott.
Chelsea’s European semi-final was far less straight-forward as they knocked out Liverpool 7-5 on aggregate after an amazing 4-4 match.
Arsenal won the Cup three times between 2002 and 2005 but are looking to make their first final in four years. Chelsea won the first new Wembley final against United in 2007.
In the Premier League, the struggle at the bottom continues with north east trio Sunderland, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough looking most at risk.
Middlesbrough (19th, 30 points) beat Hull City 3-1 last weekend at home and can follow up that vital win with another in their home match against Fulham.
The Cottagers, safely in mid-table, have won their last two away matches, having not won any prior to that.
Unlike Boro, Portsmouth (14th, 34 points) did not make the most of their home advantage against West Bromwich Albion last week in a 2-2 draw.
But they get an immediate chance for redemption at Fratton Park against Bolton Wanderers who are 12th on 37 points despite failing to win away since November.
Stoke City (13th, 36 points) also drew at home against fellow-strugglers Newcastle. The Potters face another home relegation clash against Blackburn Rovers (16th, 34 points) this weekend.
And Sunderland (17th, 32 points) will look to ease their relegation worries by ensuring Hull City (15th, 34 points) suffer a second successive loss in the north east.
At the other end of the table, Aston Villa will extend their lead over Everton in fifth to four points by beating seventh-placed West Ham United.
On Sunday, Spurs will take advantage of any Hammers slip-up by moving into seventh if they beat Newcastle (18th, 30 points) for the first time at home in three seasons.
Newcastle have won their last two matches at White Hart Lane 3-2 and 4-1 respectively and must have gained some confidence from Andy Carroll’s late headed equaliser against Stoke.
Mid-table Manchester City’s season effectively ended on Thursday after their loss in the Uefa Cup against Hamburg.
They will entertain West Brom (20th, 25 points) who barely breathed life into their own season in the 2-2 draw at Portsmouth last weekend.
In the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will expect to gain at least the point they need for promotion against Queens Park Rangers at home.
At the other end, Charlton Athletic are hanging on by a mathematically miracle and might still go down even if they beat Blackpool at home.
In League One, Leicester City only need one point in their away match at Southend United to gain promotion back to the second tier.
But the struggle to beat the drop for Hereford United and Cheltenham Town might end in failure.
Finally, in the Blue Square Premier, Burton Albion can win the championship and promotion to the league with just a point against Oxford United at home tonight.
All the other football league and Blue Square Premier issues will remain undecided this weekend.
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Sport Preview, 11-12 April
This week’s sports preview sees the battle to beat the drop from the Premier League take centre stage once again.
Football
Starting at the Riverside Stadium, freefalling Hull City (15th, 34 points) will go a long way to retaining their Premier League status by beating Middlesbrough (19th, 27 points).
The Tigers have managed only two league wins since October. But they face a Boro team which is already five points from safety having slumped to an alarming 4-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers last week.
Stoke City (13th, 35 points) can make themselves just about safe by continuing their excellent home form against struggling Newcastle United (18th, 29 points) in Alan Shearer’s first away match as manager.
And Portsmouth (16th, 33 points) will expect to beat lowly West Bromwich Albion (20th, 24 points) at home to move within the finishing line, the Baggies having been cut adrift at the bottom and now eight points from safety.
Sunderland (17th, 32 points) face an altogether tougher home assignment against leaders Manchester United. But they will be heartened by United’s recent record of ten goals conceded in their last four matches.
United’s nearest challengers, Liverpool (one point behind, having played a game more) entertain
Blackburn Rovers (14th, 34 points) on the back of their 3-1 home defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter finals.
Chelsea (a further three points back, having also played a game more than United) play Bolton Wanderers, the Trotters having jumped up to 37 points with that 4-1 success over Middlesbrough.
Leading the chase for the final Europa Cup place, West Ham United in seventh travel to Tottenham Hotspur, unbeaten at home in all competitions since November, in a London derby.
And eight-placed Wigan Athletic, who are three points behind the Hammers, play at home against fourth-placed Arsenal, who are unbeaten in the league since November.
On Sunday, Manchester City will want to bounce back quickly from their disappointing midweek defeat to Hamburg in the Uefa Cup by beating Fulham, with only one away win all season, at home.
And Aston Villa, not so long ago leading Arsenal in the fight for fourth place, now have to protect fifth from Everton who are just one point behind before their visit to Villa Park.
Golf
This weekend will also see the conclusion of the first Major of the year at the Augusta National in the US Masters.
After the first two rounds, leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry are on -9 with Argentina’s Angel Cabrera on -8 as their only immediate challenger.
Campbell has led the competition from its early stages but was joined at the top by his American compatriot Perry after he had shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday.
Another American, Todd Hamilton, is in fourth on -6 with South African Tim Clarke just behind on -5, hoping to emulate his countryman Trevor Immelman’s success last year.
In a remarkable turn of events on day two, American Antony Kim recovered from a 75 on the opening day to hit a course-record 11 birdies in a round of 65 to jump to -4.
The European challenge is being led by a Spaniard and a Swede with Sergio Garcia also on -4 and Henrik Stenson on -3 at the halfway stage.
A whole host of players are at -2 including Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, looking for a third successive Major title after the Open and US Open last year.
Joining Harrington on -2 are England’s Lee Westwood and 1988 champion Sandy Lyle, the Scot making the cut for a third successive Masters after he hit five successive birdies on the back nine yesterday.
Northern Ireland’s young gun Rory McIlroy, also on -2, faced a nervous wait before being confirmed in the third round.
McIlroy endured a frustrating second round, dropping five shots on the last three holes and appearing to kick the sand when trapped in a bunker on the last.
But he was later cleared of infringing the rules after Masters officials ruled that he was not testing the conditions.
Tiger Woods put in another steady round and is another man on -2. Woods will certainly be one to watch out for tomorrow as it is likely to be then when he makes his move, for Woods has never won a Major having been behind after 54 holes.
Of those who did not make the halfway cut, South Africa’s Gary Player and possibly Australian Greg Norman will have made their last appearance at Augusta.
Other sports
In rugby union, the four quarter finals of the Heineken Cup will be played this weekend.
On Saturday, Cardiff Blues face Toulouse at home and in an all-English contest Leicester Tigers face Bath at Welford Road.
On Sunday, Harlequins are at home to Leinster while Ospreys travel to bookmakers' favourites Munster.
In cricket, defending County champions Durham will resume their first innings on 311-4 on the final day of this season’s curtain raiser against the MCC at Lords.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this being England on a Bank Holiday weekend, rain has washed out any chance of a result in that match.
Football
Starting at the Riverside Stadium, freefalling Hull City (15th, 34 points) will go a long way to retaining their Premier League status by beating Middlesbrough (19th, 27 points).
The Tigers have managed only two league wins since October. But they face a Boro team which is already five points from safety having slumped to an alarming 4-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers last week.
Stoke City (13th, 35 points) can make themselves just about safe by continuing their excellent home form against struggling Newcastle United (18th, 29 points) in Alan Shearer’s first away match as manager.
And Portsmouth (16th, 33 points) will expect to beat lowly West Bromwich Albion (20th, 24 points) at home to move within the finishing line, the Baggies having been cut adrift at the bottom and now eight points from safety.
Sunderland (17th, 32 points) face an altogether tougher home assignment against leaders Manchester United. But they will be heartened by United’s recent record of ten goals conceded in their last four matches.
United’s nearest challengers, Liverpool (one point behind, having played a game more) entertain
Blackburn Rovers (14th, 34 points) on the back of their 3-1 home defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter finals.
Chelsea (a further three points back, having also played a game more than United) play Bolton Wanderers, the Trotters having jumped up to 37 points with that 4-1 success over Middlesbrough.
Leading the chase for the final Europa Cup place, West Ham United in seventh travel to Tottenham Hotspur, unbeaten at home in all competitions since November, in a London derby.
And eight-placed Wigan Athletic, who are three points behind the Hammers, play at home against fourth-placed Arsenal, who are unbeaten in the league since November.
On Sunday, Manchester City will want to bounce back quickly from their disappointing midweek defeat to Hamburg in the Uefa Cup by beating Fulham, with only one away win all season, at home.
And Aston Villa, not so long ago leading Arsenal in the fight for fourth place, now have to protect fifth from Everton who are just one point behind before their visit to Villa Park.
Golf
This weekend will also see the conclusion of the first Major of the year at the Augusta National in the US Masters.
After the first two rounds, leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry are on -9 with Argentina’s Angel Cabrera on -8 as their only immediate challenger.
Campbell has led the competition from its early stages but was joined at the top by his American compatriot Perry after he had shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday.
Another American, Todd Hamilton, is in fourth on -6 with South African Tim Clarke just behind on -5, hoping to emulate his countryman Trevor Immelman’s success last year.
In a remarkable turn of events on day two, American Antony Kim recovered from a 75 on the opening day to hit a course-record 11 birdies in a round of 65 to jump to -4.
The European challenge is being led by a Spaniard and a Swede with Sergio Garcia also on -4 and Henrik Stenson on -3 at the halfway stage.
A whole host of players are at -2 including Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, looking for a third successive Major title after the Open and US Open last year.
Joining Harrington on -2 are England’s Lee Westwood and 1988 champion Sandy Lyle, the Scot making the cut for a third successive Masters after he hit five successive birdies on the back nine yesterday.
Northern Ireland’s young gun Rory McIlroy, also on -2, faced a nervous wait before being confirmed in the third round.
McIlroy endured a frustrating second round, dropping five shots on the last three holes and appearing to kick the sand when trapped in a bunker on the last.
But he was later cleared of infringing the rules after Masters officials ruled that he was not testing the conditions.
Tiger Woods put in another steady round and is another man on -2. Woods will certainly be one to watch out for tomorrow as it is likely to be then when he makes his move, for Woods has never won a Major having been behind after 54 holes.
Of those who did not make the halfway cut, South Africa’s Gary Player and possibly Australian Greg Norman will have made their last appearance at Augusta.
Other sports
In rugby union, the four quarter finals of the Heineken Cup will be played this weekend.
On Saturday, Cardiff Blues face Toulouse at home and in an all-English contest Leicester Tigers face Bath at Welford Road.
On Sunday, Harlequins are at home to Leinster while Ospreys travel to bookmakers' favourites Munster.
In cricket, defending County champions Durham will resume their first innings on 311-4 on the final day of this season’s curtain raiser against the MCC at Lords.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this being England on a Bank Holiday weekend, rain has washed out any chance of a result in that match.
Friday, 3 April 2009
And they're off - Sports Preview - April 3-5
Horse Racing
The world's most famous steeplechase will be run at Aintree Racecourse for the 162nd time on Saturday.
The talk in the Paddock is whether Comply or Die (16-1) can become the first horse since Red Rum to win two Nationals.
But the favourite over the 33 fences and 4m 4f course is My Will (7-1) as jockey Ruby Walsh seeks his third National success after winning on Papillon (2002) and Hedgehunter (2005).
For most casual punters, like myself, it's the equivalent case of sticking a pin on the page of the newspaper while blindfolded.
But one horse I will have to go for is Fleet Street, even if it is a 66-1 shot and even though there are no newspapers left in that area of London.
The beauty of the National, of course, is that it might be the only one left in the running.
The race starts at 4.15pm, in the middle of the second half of the Saturday 3pm football kick-offs...
Premier League football
Alan Shearer makes his return to Newcastle United as temporary manager with eight games left.
That starts on Saturday against third-placed Chelsea who are four points behind leaders Manchester United having played a match more.
Newcastle start the weekend in a perilous position in 18th on 29 points but Shearer insists his role is only on a temporary basis.
He said: "I'm definitely only here for eight weeks and that's all I'm concentrating on."
In the chase for the title, Liverpool could regain the lead if they succeed at Craven Cottage against Fulham where Manchester United failed.
But United can ensure it is a short stay at the summit by beating rapidly-unravelling Aston Villa at home on Sunday.
And Arsenal can stretch further ahead of Villa in fourth by beating travel-sick Manchester City at home.
Back at the bottom, Hull City (13th, 33 points) face Portsmouth (15th, 32 points) at home with the safety line in sight.
But Hull have the worst home record in the lead and Pompey's Peter Crouch seems to have hit a hot streak at the right time.
Middlesbrough (19th, 27 points) desperately need a win soon, being four points adrift of safety already.
But this weekend, they face a tough test against Bolton Wanderers (12th, 34 points).
West Brom (20th, 24 points) are even further adrift and to give themselves any hope surely must take three points against Stoke City (16th, 32 points) who are still without an away win all season.
Of the other teams in trouble, Sunderland (14th, 32 points) travel to the Boleyn Ground to face West Ham who will be without Carlton Cole after his injury on England duty.
And Blackburn Rovers (17th, 31 points) meet resurgent Tottenham Hotspur in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
Sunday's match between sixth-placed Everton and seventh-placed Wigan at Goodison rounds off gameweek 31. The reverse fixture ended up with Wigan winning 1-0.
In local non-league football, Whitley Bay travel to Lowestoft Town for the second leg of their FA Vase semi final, defending a narrow lead (2-1).
Away goals do not count in the competition and the Bay will hope to avenge last season's defeat at the same stage against the same team.
Meanwhile, Gateshead lost the lead at the top of the Blue Square North in midweek when second-placed Tamworth Town beat third-placed Southport in their game in hand.
With the teams around them still having games in hand, all the Heed can really do is win as many points as possible and see where they end up - starting away at Stafford Rangers on Saturday.
Cricket
England have managed to hang onto the coat-tails of the West Indies and have travelled to St Lucia for today's decider in the five-match series in good spirits.
The availability of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen has given the squad a timely boost as they seek to secure a first-ever one-day series win in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, the Windies have potentially been distracted after their players threatened a boycott because of a row with the WICB over payment.
But Gayle calmed fears that the match would not go ahead by confirming there are now talks between the WICB and the Players' Association (WIPA).
He will hope to continue his magnificent form as the Windies aim to win a Test/ODI-series double.
England will hope to emerge from this torrid winter with some credit.
Formula 1
The F1 circus has moved to Sepang in Malaysia for the second race of the new season which is already engulfed in controversy.
In my review of last weekend's sport, I congratulated Lewis Hamilton on his skill in getting his uncompetitive McLaren up to third, although this was only after Jarno Trulli's 25-second penalty.
But this was not the end of the matter and Hamilton was called to the governing body, the FIA, to explain emerging evidence.
The hearing discovered Hamilton, under instructions from team boss Dave Ryan, gave stewards "deliberately misleading" information about team radio instructions which told him to allow Trulli to pass him.
Hamilton has been stripped of his points with Trulli promoted back into third. Ryan has been suspended by McLaren.
"I'm not a liar or a dishonest person," said Hamilton.
But his reputation remains tarnished in the eyes of many F1 fans and it is doubtful if Hamilton will ever radiate the same glow as what followed when he won the world championship in Brazil.
Of course, he could start by racing brilliantly and fairly this weekend. But his chances are likely to be restricted by Brawn GP, Williams and Ferrari after they all impressed in practice.
In first practice, Niko Rosberg led a Williams one-two ahead of Kazuki Nakajima with the Brawns of Button and Barrichello in third and fourth, and the two Ferraris in fifth and sixth.
In the second practice, it was the Ferraris turn to enjoy a one-two with Kimi Raikkkonen faster than Felipe Massa and Sebastien Vettel in Red Bull in third.
Ice Hockey
In ice hockey, it's finals weekend for the Elite League.
Sheffield Steelers facing Cardiff Devils at 1pm and it's Coventry Blaze against Nottingham Panthers at 5pm at the National Ice Arena in Nottingham on Saturday.
The winners of the two semi-finals meet on Sunday.
Sheffield, playoff champions in 07/08, won the regular season by a clear 11 points from Nottingham and Coventry who both finished on 78 suggesting that the evening match-up could be very competitive indeed.
Cardiff are very much the outsiders, hacing finished fifth in the regular season on 63 points before surprisingly beating Belfast over two legs in the quarters.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Sport Preview, 27-29 March
There is a busy weekend of sport ahead including the return of F1, potentially decisive football World Cup qualifiers and more cricket in the West Indies.
Formula One
It's back - and it's back on the BBC so there should be no chance that we miss a vital overtaking manoeuvre as Lewis Hamilton starts the defence of his title at Albert Park in Melbourne.
Hamilton has played down his chances this weekend and suggested McLaren are not quite ready for the season.
And he's probably right to do so, considering his practice times overnight which saw him finish 16th and 18th.
The Williams - and Nico Rosberg in particular - made an impressive start to the weekend, topping both practice sessions.
And Brawn GP, headed by ex-Honda boss Ross Brawn, have lived up to the promise they showed in testing 4th and 6th in the first practice, and 2nd and 5th in the second session. Rubens Barrichello beat Jenson Button for pace both times.
Nevertheless, Button remains 4/1 fav with most bookmakers to add to his single career GP victory this weekend. Make of that what you will...
I'm just looking forward to hearing The Chain by Fleetwood Mac again.
Football - World Cup qualifiers
A big weekend of World Cup action for four of the British Isles' teams.
Scotland face Holland in Amsterdam amid an injury crisis following the withdrawals of David Weir, Kirk Broadfoot, Kris Commons, Paul Hartley and the latest victim, Celtic captain Stephen McManus.
The last time the two teams met in Holland, the Dutch prevailed 6-0 and overturned a 1-0 deficit in the playoffs for Euro 2008 qualification.
Scotland are a better team now and should avoid a similarly crushing blow despite their injury problems while looking to pick up maximum points at home v Iceland on Wednesday to strengthen their hold on second place.
Wales simply must beat Finland at home to maintain any hopes of progressing from a tough-looking Group 4.
The Welsh follow this up with a second match at the Millennium Stadium against Germany who are already four points clear of the chasing pack (although Russia have a game in hand).
The group draw was hardly kind to Wales who have produced a batch of talented youngsters and you feel the best they can do is finish behind the powerhouses of Germany and Russia then hope for better next time.
Like Wales, Northern Ireland play two home matches in the World Cup double-header and must make it count at Windsor Park - otherwise opponents Poland and Slovenia will race off over the horizon, not to mention the Czechs and the Slovaks.
The Republic have put themselves in a decent position in second but level on points with leaders Italy in Group 8.
They face a similarly vital weekend and would further strengthen a top-two position by beating Bulgaria (minus Dimitar Berbatov) on Saturday before a tough test in Bari against Italy.
Meanwhile, England's players will skate around Slovakian challenges on Saturday in the hope of avoiding injury before the somewhat more important match in a qualifier v Ukraine, their closest Group 6 rivals at Wembley on Wednesday.
Beating Ukraine would put England in a wonderfully strong position, five points clear of Croatia - assuming they deal with the arduous task of beating Andorra - and eight points clear of Ukraine.
In local north east football, Whitley Bay will hope to take a big step to a second successive Wembley appearance in the first leg of their FA Vase semi final against Lowestoft Town at Hillheads on Saturday at 3pm.
And Gateshead will hope to stay top of the Blue Square North by beating Hinckley on Saturday at the International Stadium at 3pm.
Cricket - one-day internationals
With the series tied at 1-1, England will play two decisive matches in Barbados on Friday and Sunday against the West Indies.
England had failed to win a match all winter until being gifted victory by the Windies coach in the first one-day international when he failed to understand the Duckworth-Lewis tables (although, having said that, who does?)
But the Windies continued to show the determination on display through the Test series to level at 1-1, winning by 21 runs after a century by Shiv Chanderpaul.
England will want to win more legitimately while the Windies will want to put themselves within reach of a Test-ODI double.
As I type, it's not started at all well for England who are 47-5 after 16 overs following the loss of Strauss, Bopara, Pietersen, Shah and Flintoff all caught.
Other sports
In Ice Hockey, it's playoff time in the Elite League with the following match-ups played over two legs this weekend:
Sheffield v Edinburgh (first leg in Sheffield on Fri, second leg in Edinburgh on Sun)
Belfast v Cardiff (first leg in Belfast on Sat, second leg in Cardiff on Sun)
Coventry v Newcastle (first leg in Coventry on Sat, second leg in Newcastle on Sun)
Nottingham v Manchester (first leg in Nottingham on Sat, second leg in Manchester on Sun)
So, by the end of the weekend, we will be aware of the combatants on finals weekend (4th/5th April) at the National Ice Arena in Nottingham.
And GB's cycling team continue their pursuit of gold in the World Track Championships in Pruskow, Poland.
Formula One
It's back - and it's back on the BBC so there should be no chance that we miss a vital overtaking manoeuvre as Lewis Hamilton starts the defence of his title at Albert Park in Melbourne.
Hamilton has played down his chances this weekend and suggested McLaren are not quite ready for the season.
And he's probably right to do so, considering his practice times overnight which saw him finish 16th and 18th.
The Williams - and Nico Rosberg in particular - made an impressive start to the weekend, topping both practice sessions.
And Brawn GP, headed by ex-Honda boss Ross Brawn, have lived up to the promise they showed in testing 4th and 6th in the first practice, and 2nd and 5th in the second session. Rubens Barrichello beat Jenson Button for pace both times.
Nevertheless, Button remains 4/1 fav with most bookmakers to add to his single career GP victory this weekend. Make of that what you will...
I'm just looking forward to hearing The Chain by Fleetwood Mac again.
Football - World Cup qualifiers
A big weekend of World Cup action for four of the British Isles' teams.
Scotland face Holland in Amsterdam amid an injury crisis following the withdrawals of David Weir, Kirk Broadfoot, Kris Commons, Paul Hartley and the latest victim, Celtic captain Stephen McManus.
The last time the two teams met in Holland, the Dutch prevailed 6-0 and overturned a 1-0 deficit in the playoffs for Euro 2008 qualification.
Scotland are a better team now and should avoid a similarly crushing blow despite their injury problems while looking to pick up maximum points at home v Iceland on Wednesday to strengthen their hold on second place.
Wales simply must beat Finland at home to maintain any hopes of progressing from a tough-looking Group 4.
The Welsh follow this up with a second match at the Millennium Stadium against Germany who are already four points clear of the chasing pack (although Russia have a game in hand).
The group draw was hardly kind to Wales who have produced a batch of talented youngsters and you feel the best they can do is finish behind the powerhouses of Germany and Russia then hope for better next time.
Like Wales, Northern Ireland play two home matches in the World Cup double-header and must make it count at Windsor Park - otherwise opponents Poland and Slovenia will race off over the horizon, not to mention the Czechs and the Slovaks.
The Republic have put themselves in a decent position in second but level on points with leaders Italy in Group 8.
They face a similarly vital weekend and would further strengthen a top-two position by beating Bulgaria (minus Dimitar Berbatov) on Saturday before a tough test in Bari against Italy.
Meanwhile, England's players will skate around Slovakian challenges on Saturday in the hope of avoiding injury before the somewhat more important match in a qualifier v Ukraine, their closest Group 6 rivals at Wembley on Wednesday.
Beating Ukraine would put England in a wonderfully strong position, five points clear of Croatia - assuming they deal with the arduous task of beating Andorra - and eight points clear of Ukraine.
In local north east football, Whitley Bay will hope to take a big step to a second successive Wembley appearance in the first leg of their FA Vase semi final against Lowestoft Town at Hillheads on Saturday at 3pm.
And Gateshead will hope to stay top of the Blue Square North by beating Hinckley on Saturday at the International Stadium at 3pm.
Cricket - one-day internationals
With the series tied at 1-1, England will play two decisive matches in Barbados on Friday and Sunday against the West Indies.
England had failed to win a match all winter until being gifted victory by the Windies coach in the first one-day international when he failed to understand the Duckworth-Lewis tables (although, having said that, who does?)
But the Windies continued to show the determination on display through the Test series to level at 1-1, winning by 21 runs after a century by Shiv Chanderpaul.
England will want to win more legitimately while the Windies will want to put themselves within reach of a Test-ODI double.
As I type, it's not started at all well for England who are 47-5 after 16 overs following the loss of Strauss, Bopara, Pietersen, Shah and Flintoff all caught.
Other sports
In Ice Hockey, it's playoff time in the Elite League with the following match-ups played over two legs this weekend:
Sheffield v Edinburgh (first leg in Sheffield on Fri, second leg in Edinburgh on Sun)
Belfast v Cardiff (first leg in Belfast on Sat, second leg in Cardiff on Sun)
Coventry v Newcastle (first leg in Coventry on Sat, second leg in Newcastle on Sun)
Nottingham v Manchester (first leg in Nottingham on Sat, second leg in Manchester on Sun)
So, by the end of the weekend, we will be aware of the combatants on finals weekend (4th/5th April) at the National Ice Arena in Nottingham.
And GB's cycling team continue their pursuit of gold in the World Track Championships in Pruskow, Poland.
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