Chris Tremlett: Competition for places among England’s bowlers puts them in excellent position for the World Cup February 20, 2019 With 99 days to go until the World Cup England are looking very settled as a side. Eoin Morgan’s team are in the Caribbean for a five-match one-day series which will hopefully build more confidence ahead of the opening game against South Africa at The Oval on 30 May. The batting order is pretty much set [...]
British heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce is racing toward a world title shot February 20, 2019 Former world champion Bermane Stiverne may have questioned the audacity of the man with only seven professional bouts to his name daring to challenge him, but Britain's Joe Joyce is showing no signs of nerves as he relaxes in his hotel between the O2 Arena and river Thames just days before their heavyweight showdown. While [...]
Liverpool 0-0 Bayern Munich: Defensive masterclass leaves Jurgen Klopp’s side needing to overcome their poor away record February 19, 2019 On a crucial European night, in an atmosphere-filled Anfield against a weakened giant Liverpool managed just two shots on target. Bayern Munich came with a game-plan and executed it to perfection to stifle a side renowned for their dynamic, lightning-quick and interchangeable front three. A draw may not be a disaster, but given Jurgen Klopp’s [...]
Trevor Steven: Arsenal must prioritise a top four finish in the Premier League over European exploits February 19, 2019 The season starts here for Arsenal. The next seven days will be vital to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and they have three winnable games. If they don't return to Europe's elite competition next year then this campaign will have to be seen as a disappointment. They face BATE Borisov, Southampton and [...]
Long-term foes James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr battle for vacant – and potentially irrelevant – IBO belt February 19, 2019 The significance of the IBO belt has long been debated, with some boxing observers considering it to be less credible than other world titles from the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF. As two of Britain’s biggest names, James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr, prepare to battle for the vacant IBO super-middleweight crown on Saturday night, [...]
Liverpool v Bayern Munich: Jurgen Klopp ready to face his old enemy as German giants arrive at Anfield February 18, 2019 They say familiarity breeds contempt, and although that isn’t quite the case with Jurgen Klopp and Bayern Munich, the Liverpool manager must be sick of the sight of the German giants. When Liverpool welcome Bayern to Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie tomorrow there will be a personal element to [...]
Sam Torrance: JB Holmes’s Genesis Open win highlighted the need for slow play rules to be enforced February 18, 2019 American JB Holmes overcame difficult conditions in California to beat Justin Thomas by one shot and win the Genesis Open on Sunday. Many players struggled with wind gusting up to 30mph, but Holmes drives the ball low with a strong grip and club face position, meaning he’s less effected by the breeze than most. He [...]
“It’s our goal to make the competition better” – Alfa Romeo positive upon return to Formula One February 17, 2019 This season Alfa Romeo will complete a return to Formula One by taking over the Sauber name, having been involved as the team's title sponsor last year. That marked the Italian marque’s first F1 involvement since 1985 after a long hiatus from motorsport's elite championship, but this latest move revives the works entry team that [...]
Paul Farbrace’s badly-timed departure leaves England with more decisions to make in crucial year February 17, 2019 “There is never a great time to leave an international set-up,” said Paul Farbrace on Saturday after announcing his decision to depart his role as England’s assistant coach to join Warwickshire as sporting director. Farbrace is right, but his timing, ahead of what he calls “a fantastic summer for English cricket”, is particularly inconvenient with [...]
Our cup runneth over: Five reasons why the FA Cup has been a treat this season February 17, 2019 If unpredictability is at the heart of the FA Cup’s appeal then there is much to love about how this season’s competition is unfolding and the composition of the last eight. For the first time in five years – and only the second time in a decade – there will be just two teams from [...]