Connect with us

Sports

Champions League draw simulated: Man Utd get good group as Arsenal face Harry Kane | Football | Sport

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


Express Sport’s simulated Champions League draw

Group A: PSG, Real Madrid, Lazio, Union Berlin 

Group B: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Braga, Galatasaray

Arsenal have not played Champions League football since 2016-17, when they lost 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the round of 16 with 5-1 losses home and away. They face the Bundesliga champions again this season in Express Sport’s draw.

Bayern of course now have ex-Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who has 14 goals in 19 games against the Gunners, and they are one of the pre-tournament favourites. Braga would be a favourable team from Pot 3 but Galatasaray – with ex-Gunner Lucas Torreira, Wilfried Zaha, Mauro Icardi and Hakim Ziyech – present a tricky away trip. 

Group C: Benfica, Man Utd, Red Star Belgrade, Celtic

Manchester United would be happy with Portuguese champions Benfica from Pot 1 – which also includes Bayern, Napoli, PSG and Barcelona. The Red Devils would reunite with former flop Angel Di Maria in that tie.

Red Star Belgrade would be a daunting away game and the Serbians have defeated Rangers and Liverpool at home in recent years. Celtic would also offer up an intense atmosphere on the road but United would fancy themselves to pick up three wins from three at home and at least one victory away from Old Trafford.

Group D: Sevilla, Inter Milan, Copenhagen, Antwerp

Group E: Feyenoord, Porto, AC Milan, Real Sociedad

Group F: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar Donetsk, Newcastle

Being in Pot 4 having not played in the Champions League proper since 2002-03, Newcastle face a daunting group. This would  certainly be that with Spanish champions Barcelona and German giants Borussia Dortmund coming to St James’ Park. The Geordies won’t even get to go to the Nou Camp due to renovation work, so will play at the smaller Olympic Stadium.

The Magpies will have hope of upsetting any opponents who come to the north east given the intimidating atmosphere that will await them. Shakhtar Donetsk are also a tricky Pot 3 team and have history of impressive European results but will play in the German city of Hamburg rather than in Kharkiv, which is over 1,000 miles further away from Newcastle.

Group G: Man City, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lens

The European champions won’t fear anybody no matter who they get. Real Madrid would be the toughest Pot 2 side they could face but Atletico are no pushovers and contested two feisty matches with Pep Guardiola’s team in the 2021-22 quarter-finals.

Austrian Bundesliga kings Salzburg play good football but City should have enough to overpower them home and away. Lens are returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2002-03 and look weaker than last season despite the noise they will create at Estadio Bollaert-Delelis. 

Group H: Napoli, RB Leipzig, Rangers, Young Boys



Source link

Sports

Judd Trump banks £100k at World Championship after just two matches | Other | Sport

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


Judd Trump secured a £100,000 payout by making his 100th century break of the season in his second match at the World Snooker Championship. The man from Bristol reeled off three-figure breaks in successive frames during his meeting with Shaun Murphy on Sunday night. It saw him land the six-figure sum laid on for any player who makes a century of centuries in a single campaign.

As he approached the decisive milestone, Trump stopped and smiled before composing himself and returning to the table. He nailed a simple black into the corner to get over the line, earning a huge cheer from the Crucible crowd. The 35-year-old reacted with a fist pump before turning to the audience and basking in his glory as Murphy joined in with the applause.

Former world champion John Parrott was commentating for the BBC and said: “Well done Judd Trump. That is some achievement. Snooker from the gods. You can’t play better than this. The past two frames have been of the highest order.”

Stephen Hendry, meanwhile, added: “Everybody knew about it and what was going on. He’ll be so glad it’s done. He’s world number one so he can do it, but he’s now got to switch off and switch on to win this last frame. That’s what the best players do.

“He’s got to refocus when he comes back into the arena, win this last frame of the session and get a four-frame lead going into tomorrow.”

It marked only the third time that a player had passed the 100-century milestone in the space of one season. Trump previously did so in the 2019/20 campaign, when he landed 102 centuries, while Neil Robertson managed a whopping 103 in 2013/14.

Trump will be hoping to follow up his momentous achievement by winning the World Snooker Championship for the second time in his career. He has not tasted Crucible glory since his only triumph at the famous Sheffield venue back in 2019.

Ahead of his match against Murphy, Trump explained that he wanted to regain the biggest title in snooker to avoid going down as this year’s forgotten man.

“Because it is the last tournament of the season and anyone not involved with snooker is tuning into the World Championship, they only really remember this tournament and the rest kind of gets forgotten a little bit,” he said.

“I’ve had a great season, but you kind of get forgotten about if you don’t win this tournament, so it adds that pressure on. I have a good chance if I keep doing what I’m doing.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Liverpool win title LIVE: Slot and players thank Klopp as Reds party after Spurs win | Football | Sport

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


No. Well, it doesn’t seem like it…

Earlier this year, the former Liverpool manager insisted that he would only return to Anfield if the title were wrapped up.

Klopp shared that he planned to be in attendance for the Reds’ final game of the season against Crystal Palace.

And, of course, he will be present for the celebrations…

“Yes, the plan is [to be there for the celebrations] but not on the bus,” Klopp said during a fundraising event in Cape Town. “I will be there where the people are. That’s the idea, but we will see.”

He added: “I will be there for the last game. I didn’t want to go earlier, to be honest, because I didn’t want to jinx it!

“They win all the time, and I’m the first time in the stadium and they lose! So, I’ll go there when it’s decided.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Steve Davis makes massive Luca Brecel comment after jaw-dropping Crucible session | Other | Sport

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


Steve Davis lauded Luca Brecel after the Belgian produced a scintillating session of snooker at the World Championship on Saturday. Brecel dominated Ding Junhui in the early stages of their second round showdown as he ended the evening with a 7-1 advantage.

Ding began the match with a mesmerising break of 141 to take the lead but was forced to sit back and watch Brecel find his top form from thereon in. Brecel hit breaks of 121, 78, 55, 100 and 88 to win seven frames on the bounce as he put himself well and truly in the driving seat to reach the quarter-finals.

Brecel struck a remarkable shot to pot the black and break up the red balls in the final frame of the evening as he demonstrated his prodigious talents with the cue.

And BBC commentator Steve Davis, who won the World Snooker Championship six times, said: “What an effort that was, I can’t tell you how hard that is to do.”

The 67-year-old then made a massive comment about Brecel’s performance as he exclaimed: “We’ve witnessed the most amazing exhibition of snooker, in one session, I think I’ve ever seen at the Crucible.”

He added: “Not in an exhibition match, the World Championship. He’s done this to one of the greatest players that’s ever held a cue, Ding Junhui. Totally taken the thunder from that first frame. Incredible stuff.”

John Virgo, who was also in the commentary box, was taken aback by Brecel’s performance as well as he purred: “Literally just blown him away.”

After Brecel had closed out the final frame of the evening, Virgo added: “Scintillating, superb, any superlative you want to use, it might just not be enough to describe this performance.”

Davis then called for a standing ovation at the end of the session, which the crowd duly delivered.

Brecel tasted victory at the World Snooker Championship in 2023 after getting the better of Mark Selby in the final.

The 30-year-old has struggled for form in recent years, however, and has spent long periods of time training for Ironman triathlons.

He has hit the headlines in recent times due to his reluctance to book hotel stays during some tournaments in favour of flying to snooker locations on the day of matches. And on Saturday he arrived in Sheffield just hours before his Crucible showdown with Ding was due to get underway after taking a private jet from Belgium in the afternoon.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending