Kentucky and South Carolina both want a strong finish to a season of unfulfilled expectations

The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks could lose some key players in free agency after the World Series.

The Astros are at risk to not win the AL West this year. They're going to need to part ways with these players if they want to take it from the Rangers.The Houston Astros have seen a bit of a regression from their 2022 World Series team to their second place in the AL West 2023 team. The As...

The Detroit Lions have hit a high-water mark through 10 games in the Super Bowl era. Here's how that plays into the AFC Playoff Picture this week.

Injury has ruled out Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker for more than a fortnight but manager Jurgen Klopp admits it could have been worse and the Brazilian should be fit to face Manchester United next month. The keeper appeared to sustain a hamstring problem late in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City and although he managed to complete the match he is set to miss the next five matches – two of which he would not have played in as Caoimhin Kelleher deputises in the Europa League. Alisson will miss European ties against LASK and Union Saint-Gilloise as well as Premier League games against Fulham, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace but should make a timely return for the visit of their arch-rivals on December 17. Forward Diogo Jota was also injured in City game but his prognosis is not as good. “Both are out. Ali is a bit lesser, so we have to see. Not day by day – he cannot play tomorrow or Sunday. Probably not the week after should be kind of OK,” Klopp said ahead of the Europa League visit of LASK. “Alisson is not as bad (as we thought) but still bad enough. Diogo will take a little bit longer, don’t know exactly. Have to see.” Kelleher has made only five appearances this season but last played back-to-back matches in January 2022 and has never played more than three matches in a row in his Liverpool career. In the summer there was speculation about the 25-year-old wanting to seek first-team football elsewhere but Klopp said the current situation was exactly why the Republic of Ireland international was persuaded to stay. “Yes, that’s pretty much exactly it. That’s why we knew we wanted to have Caoimh here for these moments,” added the Liverpool boss. “Nobody, Caoimh as well, wanted Ali to get injured, but if these things happen then you need the strongest possible option and that’s Caoimh for us. “That’s the only positive about that, to be honest, that we can put in Caoimh. That’s fine. “Now he gets an opportunity that he deserves, he would have played tomorrow night anyway, that’s clear, but now he will have a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential.” Defeat in Toulouse earlier this month made Liverpool’s task of guaranteeing top spot in the group – and thereby avoiding a play-off round in the knockout stages – slightly more difficult but it could be secured on Thursday at home to LASK if Union Saint-Gilloise beat the second-placed Ligue 1 side. But Klopp rejected the suggestion that result was a reminder that his much-changed European sides have standards to maintain. “It was not needed but it wasn’t helpful. It was three weeks ago and a lot of things happened since then. It just made the situation more difficult, that’s how it is,” he said. “Toulouse was maybe a one-off performance-wise – it was around Luton (a 1-1 draw) which was not too great either – but this was in a very short period of time. “Besides that the boys usually perform and that’s what we should concentrate on. “We want to win tomorrow night and we want to win in Belgium as well but if we don’t win tomorrow night the game in Belgium, in a super intense period, will be tough so it’s all about performing tomorrow night and really going for it, that’s the idea.” Read More Exeter’s Rob Baxter urges football law-makers to be careful over sin-bins trial Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig Will Zalatoris back in the swing after enduring ‘golfer’s worst nightmare’ John Turner aiming to push T20 World Cup hopes on England’s tour of Caribbean On this day in 2015: Great Britain end long wait for Davis Cup win First half was the worst I’ve seen us – Phil Foden savours thrilling fightback

Pep Guardiola admits he would have had a “big, big problem” if Kyle Walker had left Manchester City in the summer. The England right-back came close to leaving the treble winners for Bayern Munich but ultimately opted to stay and this week extended his contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2026. The 33-year-old had a spell out of favour last season but has started the new campaign strongly and Guardiola is pleased to have retained his services after losing experienced pair Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez. The City manager said: “After Gundo and Riyad, losing Bernardo (Silva) and Kyle would have have been a big, big problem. “It’s not about the quality – the skills you can find quite similar, or different players can help you – but there are some things in the locker room that are so difficult to replace. “These guys have a lot of experience in the important moments of important games. You know exactly how he’s going to respond in the bad moments. “It would have been a big loss. That’s why as a club of course we fought for him to stay with us.” Walker joined City from Tottenham in 2017 and has since won 15 trophies, including the Champions League and five Premier League titles. Guardiola believes he has matured into a far better player than when he arrived and recently underlined his qualities with his response to a calamitous error last month. Walker was at fault as Sheffield United claimed a late equaliser against City in their Premier League clash at Bramall Lane but then recovered to tee up Rodri’s dramatic winner. Everyone makes mistakes but he has an incredible heart. Pep Guardiola on Kyle Walker Guardiola said: “He made a wrong decision when they equalised but, right after the equaliser, the next two actions came from Kyle in the byline. It was a goal. What a top, top player. “He forgets what happened, says, ‘OK I’m going to win the game’. That defines the big, big players. “No doubt he’s a much, much better player than seven years ago when he arrived. That is clear. “Everyone makes mistakes but he has an incredible heart. And he’s a really nice guy, really nice, always tries to help. “When a player is injured, he always calls him. I was at home (after back surgery) and he called me twice. ‘How you feel, Pep?’ This counts a lot in the group of people. “The reason why we have a lot of success? The quality of human beings that we have.” Walker has captained City so far this season and, with Kevin De Bruyne currently sidelined, could be the favoured choice to succeed Gundogan in the role full-time. A vote among the squad and backroom staff – in which Guardiola will not participate – is due to be held in the coming days. Guardiola said: “The vote will be taken the next days and the players will decide. It belongs to the players, not to me. What they decide, I’m fine (with).” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Mauricio Pochettino feels Chelsea’s young squad must be given time Erik ten Hag unsure whether Jadon Sancho will play for Manchester United again Early stages of life at Spurs ‘nothing like my honeymoon’ says Ange Postecoglou

Linda Caicedo underwent X-rays after health scares at the Women's World Cup but is "100 percent" fit for Colombia's clash with Morocco on...

In today's Steelers rumors, Matt Canada gets his feathers ruffled, the team works out a linebacker, and Kenny Pickett inches closer to a return.

It’s been a pretty productive offseason for Mike Tomlin’s team. The Pittsburgh Steelers enter training camp with all of their 2023 draft picks in the fold.They were a team that got off to a forgettable 2-6 start in 2022, only to win seven of their final nine contests to finish 9-8. T...

Liverpool have been strengthened by the return of Stefan Bajcetic to competitive action, who was sidelined for several months with an abductor tear.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins went from being on one of the hottest seats in college basketball to leading his team to an unexpected NCAA Tournament appearance

A heartwarming moment.