Alonso eyes Ferrari improvement June 5, 2014 FORMULA ONE: Double world champion Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari can close the gap on runaway leaders Mercedes at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. Alonso said: “We’ve performed well the last four years here. I expect to have good points at the end of the race.”
Liverpool agree £10m deal for Can June 5, 2014 FOOTBALL: Premier League runners-up Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen central midfielder Emre Can. The 20-year-old, who joined Leverkusen from Bayern Munich last summer, has a £10m release clause. The move has been agreed in principle and is set to go through when the transfer window re-opens next month.
Ill Hazel to miss Glasgow Games June 5, 2014 ATHLETICS: England heptathlete Louise Hazel will not defend her Commonwealth title in Glasgow this summer after illness disrupted her training plan. She said: “I was always going to be up against it time-wise and the race to get fit just proved to be a little bit too close.”
Tarfasha primed to lead home Sheikh Hamdan Investec Oaks one-two June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S INVESTEC OAKS THE JOB of clerk of the course can be difficult at the best of times, but Andrew Cooper, the man in charge of producing the best possible surface for this weekend’s Investec Derby Festival, must have been tearing out the few hairs he has left over the past fortnight. [...]
Thistle Bird and Gregorian set for more Epsom glory June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S OTHER RACES AND LOOKS AHEAD TO TOMORROW’S INVESTEC DERBY MUCH talk in the lead-up to the Investec Derby Festival is about the uniqueness of Epsom and it’s not a point to be underestimated. Some horses handle it and some don’t. Today’s action looks tricky so perhaps it’s best to focus primarily [...]
Investec Derby Preview June 5, 2014 THE 235th running of the Investec Derby at Epsom is a puzzle that I am struggling to solve at the time of writing. Alarming weather predictions mean none of us really know what state the ground will be in come 4.00pm tomorrow. We do know that short-priced favourite Australia does not want it soft according [...]
World Cup Friendly: Fears for Oxlade-Chamberlain as knee injury hits World Cup dream June 4, 2014 ECUADOR 2 ENGLAND 2 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson fears midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could miss the World Cup with suspected knee ligament damage suffered in last night’s friendly draw in Miami. Goals from Wayne Rooney and Rickie Lambert cancelled out Enner Valencia’s early opener for Ecuador, but Michael Arroyo arrowed in a second-half equaliser. Both teams [...]
Semi-final spot nothing to cheer, insists Murray June 4, 2014 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray insists equalling his best run at the French Open is no cause for celebration with eyes firmly on a place in Sunday’s final for the first time. Murray relinquished a two-set lead in last night’s quarter-final with Gael Monfils and was angry tournament officials ordered they play a decider with the [...]
Cricket Comment: Forget THAT stumping, England have plenty to be happy about June 4, 2014 ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook clearly felt that Sri Lanka bowler Sachithra Senanayake’s stumping of Jos Buttler in Tuesday’s one-day series decider amounted to skulduggery, but I disagree. As long as Buttler had been warned before about not leaving the crease until the ball had been released – and he had, not just in that game [...]
Chelsea ready to complete £32m swoop for Atletico’s Diego Costa June 4, 2014 SPAIN striker Diego Costa is poised to complete his long-anticipated £32m transfer to Chelsea after successfully undergoing medical tests yesterday. The Blues could announce a deal for the 25-year-old Atletico Madrid star before the World Cup, which kicks off in his native Brazil next week. The bustling centre-forward, who shares the same agent as Chelsea [...]