Gareth Southgate has urged England's understudies to seize their chance to impress in Friday's friendly...

Steve Cherundolo believes LAFC will be back to winning games ahead of the playoffs.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said the Tigers "still harbour the dream" of a World Cup semi-final as they prepare...

There’s no place like home. For most of the Formula 1 grid, a return to familiar comforts at a much-loved circuit is something to behold, thrive and revel in. In fact, it’s only the Haas pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen and the Alfa Romeo team of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu who have not basked in such an experience in 2023. But all eyes for Zhou – Formula 1’s first Chinese driver in its 73-year history – now point firmly towards 21 April 2024. The sport’s return to one of the world’s powerhouses has, four times, been put on hold due to the pandemic – both the world-altering event itself and the country’s controversial zero-covid policy in the aftermath. Yet next year will see the Shanghai International Circuit host once more; all that was left was for Zhou’s presence to be confirmed. That came on Thursday morning. Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, the 24-year-old penned a one-year extension with Alfa Romeo to race with the Sauber-works team for a third-straight year. F1’s worldwide popularity boom has not diverted past China – and next spring we will see the full impact of Zhou’s spot on the grid. “It’s the dream fulfilled – the first Chinese driver in F1, it’s a huge thing for a massive country like us,” Zhou tells The Independent. “So many more Chinese fans are engaged in F1 compared to the past, obviously me getting into the sport means more people follow the races. “The pressure started two to three years ago, so it’s no longer a surprise. I’ve been through that period. I’m fine with the pressure. Now, it’s all about having a good example to set and inspire younger generations.” That pressure, both from the fanbase and within the paddock itself, is inescapable. Just ask Nyck de Vries: a Formula 2 and Formula E champion, he was ruthlessly axed from his AlphaTauri seat in July after just 10 races. For all the riches of the globe-trotting spectacle, F1 remains undeniably cut-throat. Yet you won’t see Zhou having too much sympathy. “There’s a lot of pressure in Formula 1,” he states. “Only winners stay in this sport. If you can’t perform, if you’re outperformed by others, you’re going to lose the seat. That’s the reality. It’s the way everyone lives. The pressure is there, you don’t have a lot of time and you’ve really got to get on with it. “If you can’t do that, then you won’t stay here for long.” Zhou’s performances behind the wheel of a struggling Alfa car this year – languishing ninth in the Constructors’ Standings no less – have clearly impressed enough for a third bite at the cherry. Four points from 14 races would, typically, be a topic of major concern. Yet with experienced team-mate Bottas only two points up the standings, it is difficult to place too much blame on the drivers in the cockpit. With Audi’s takeover looming large for 2026, work is hurriedly being done in the background. “The results have been difficult to take,” he says. “We didn’t expect Aston Martin and McLaren to be so fast this year. It basically means we are fighting for two positions every week. My total points don’t show how much I’ve improved as a driver. I made some mistakes last year, but this year it’s more about the car.” Zhou’s assuredness stems from a childhood of contrasts: his formative years spent in the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, followed by time as a teenager in the Steel City. Learning a new language and new culture, he went by the name of Steven at Westbourne School in Sheffield. “The culture and language are obviously completely different,” he says. “The education system too…” He pauses. He reflects on memories which quickened his acclimatisation process. “While in Sheffield, I really enjoyed playing pool. Not snooker, that’s more difficult! But also I was very surprised at how many Chinese people were going to university in Sheffield and at how many shops and restaurants there are. It’s quite far from London but you don’t feel like you’re too far out! Everyone was very laid back.” His ascension to F1 came as something of a surprise. Three seasons spent with the Alpine Academy in F2 – with a 2021 finish of third his best showing – saw Alfa come calling. He scored a point on his F1 debut in Bahrain last March. His start was impressive. But then came Silverstone. “It definitely set me back,” Zhou says now, recalling the time his Alfa spun upside-down towards a barrier at the start of the British Grand Prix. Miraculous images with a miraculous outcome: Zhou barely had a graze on him. “It happens. I recovered quite quickly mentally. It was just a shame because I had some very good momentum, I’d twice been in Q3, but I had to have a recharge afterwards. It wasn’t too bad.” Zhou is not one to reminisce too much. Everything is possible for the Chinese driver with a slice of Sheffield inside him. Audi’s arrival in less than three years is “still so far away.” However, he does admit: “Hopefully I can stay when Audi come.” But that’s in the distant future. For now, it’s on to this weekend and the twists and turns of Marina Bay. Read More Alfa Romeo confirm driver line-up for 2024 F1 season Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix Max Verstappen tells Toto Wolff to focus on Mercedes after snipe Hamilton labels Marko’s comments about Perez ‘completely unacceptable’ Sebastian Vettel refuses to rule out return to Formula 1

It's more bad news for Manchester United... YouTuber iShowSpeed has declared he's "no longer a fan" after their recent defeat. After losing 3-2 at home to Galatasaray, the Red Devils losing in the Champions League group stages on Tuesday. During the game, it was Rasmus Hojlund who provided the two goals in the 17th and 67th minutes to put them 2-1 ahead after Zaha scored for Galatasaray in the 23rd minute. But things fell apart for United with 20 minutes remaining when Onana's misjudged pass was intercepted by Dries Mertens, who was then brought down in the box by Casemiro and he got sent off for this. Despite missing the penalty, Mauro Icardi soon scored to secure victory for the Turkish club. This loss for Man Utd comes after their previous 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich and United are now at the bottom of their group. Furthermore, it also adds to the side's poor form this season of six defeats in 10 games. For iShowSpeed, it's proven to be the straw that broke the camel's back. He's been one of the most vocal United fans online for some time now, but it looks like the YouTube star has had enough, taking to Twitter/X to share his dismay at the Premier League side while he also added that manager Ten Hag and summer signing Andre Onana should be “outlawed”. The creator had previously expressed his love for the club as well as going viral for his tearful reaction to meeting United legend and Al Nassr player Cristiano Ronaldo. “That’s it. That seals the deal. I am no longer a United fan," he tweeted last night (October 3). The streamer, who is only 18-years-old, then jokingly added: “I’ve been a United member since 1987 and a season ticket holder since 1999. “I’m not going to renew my season ticket. Ten Hag and Onana are outlawed as of today. “I will become a fan of Al Nassr now, where they actually know how to run a football club," referring to Ronaldo's current team. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for United... Elsewhere, Manchester United's Hannah Blundell will perhaps be disappointed by this news after she responded to an iShowSpeed clip when he opened the footballer in an Ultimate Team pack on the new EA Sports FC 24 game. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Liverpool have been handed a major Darwin Nunez fitness boost after he was left out of the Uruguay squad for their June internationals. Nunez picked up a minor toe injury towards the end of the season.

Through seven weeks, Paul Finebaum knows what undefeated team he trusts the most in college football. He has a point, but should he feel this confident in the Georgia Bulldogs?

England have discovered their Euro 2024 fate after the draw was conducted in Hamburg and they can now start plotting a route to the final and that elusive first major men’s trophy since 1966. England were drawn into Group C and will expect to navigate a set of fixtures that looks kind on paper - with Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia lying in wait. From there, things should get harder but if England can top Group C then a third-placed qualifier from either Group D, E or F will be their opponent in the last 16, before a quarter-final potentially against Germany, Spain or Italy. Win that and they would be just two victories away from glory. Three years ago in the same competition, England agonisingly fell short at the final hurdle when they were beaten to the trophy by Italy, losing on penalties in the final at Wembley Stadium. This time, Gareth Southgate will be hoping to lead his side to their first major men’s trophy since the 1966 World Cup. In qualifying, England finished top of their group, beating Italy to the top spot with 20 points from eight matches and without losing a single game. England had already proved they were a force to be reckoned with at Euro 2020, but bolstered with the likes of Jude Bellingham, they will be hoping for a minimum of competing in the later stages. Here is a closer look at England’s possible route to the final in Germany, and here are the latest odds and tips. England’s potential route to Euro 2024 final Group C fixtures Match 1 June 16 - Serbia vs England (Gelsenkirchen) Match 2 June 20 - Denmark vs England (Frankfurt) Match 3 June 25 - England vs Slovenia (Cologne) If England finish top of group Last-16: June 30 - England vs Third-placed team from Group D, E or F Quarter-finals: July 6 - England vs Runner-up of Group A (Germany/Hungary/Scotland/Switzerland) or runner-up of Group B (Spain/Albania/Croatia/Italy) Semi-finals: July 10 - England vs Winner of third quarter-final (possibly France or Belgium) Final: July 14 - England vs Winner of first semi-final (possibly Germany, Spain or Portugal) If England finish runner-up in group Last-16: June 29 - England vs Winner of Group A (likely Germany) Quarter-finals: July 5 - England vs Winner of third R16 match (likely winner of Group B - possibly Spain, Italy or Croatia) Semi-finals: July 9 - England vs Winner of second quarter-final (possibly Portugal or Netherlands) Final: July 14 - England vs Winner of second semi-final (possibly France or Belgium) If England finish as one of the best third-place teams, their path would be determined based on the other combination of best third-place teams and this won’t be known until after the group stages. Read More Euro 2024 draw arrives with a twist amid German football’s rising tension Euro 2024 draw in full: Schedule, dates and times England Euro 2024 Group C fixtures: Dates, kick-off times and full schedule Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Guardiola describes ‘incredible’ impact of Venables at Barcelona David Seaman pays tribute to ‘great guy’ Terry Venables

The Americans have won more majors

Another fight in the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

Check out the best NBA 2K24 demigod point guard build, including all attributes, for the Next Gen MyPLAYER Builder in MyCAREER.

The Premier League fixtures have been announced and fans will already be scouring the list to see when their best games are, when they face rivals and when the trickiest encounters are. We’ve taken a look through the season and chosen five games which are must-see for reasons across the entire span of league objectives, from title fights to avoiding the drop. FOLLOW LIVE: Premier League 23/24 fixtures announced Here are five to watch for throughout the entire campaign which could affect matters top to bottom. Chelsea vs Liverpool - 13 August Both looking to return to the top four after dismal 22/23 seasons, Liverpool and Chelsea will have spent the summer rebuilding their squads - or trimming them - and preparing for a much better start than last year. Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t have been handed a much tougher start and this game takes place on the very first weekend of the season - though, from his perspective, at least it is on home soil. The Reds requested an away day on the first gameweek to allow more time for stadium work to be done, but probably were not hoping for it to be against a club which has spent the best part of a billion pounds on transfers in the previous 12 months. Burnley vs Everton - 16 December Into December and there will be a meeting which could shape up as dictating the battle at the bottom: Championship winners Burnley hosting Everton, who avoided the drop last term on the final day of the season. The game will also mark a return for Sean Dyche to Turf Moor, where Vincent Kompany is now in charge. A potential battle at the bottom could ensue - or will we by then see that the Clarets have done enough to survive, or the Toffees having improved from last year to avoid yet another relegation struggle? Luton vs Newcastle - 23 December How about this for an early Christmas present: the richest club in the world heading to the smallest club and ground in the Premier League. Suddenly-mighty Newcastle, who will have just about wrapped up their Champions League group stage at this point, head on 23 December to the 10,356 capacity Kenilworth Road. That’ll be the smallest in Premier League history if there are no major works done before the campaign gets underway, with tiny Luton proud of their home and ready to welcome the game’s top stars there. Liverpool vs Man City - 9 March We’ll be heading towards the home straight at this point and we’ll already know what teams are really aiming for at both ends; presumably at the top, this massive match will give us an idea of what they are actually capable of. These are the two best teams from the past half a decade, but last year there was a huge gap between them. Are Liverpool back? Has the squad renewal paid dividends? Are Man City an unstoppable juggernaut heading for a second treble in a row...or even all four trophies perhaps? The additional wrinkle here is that the game takes place shortly after a potential piece of silverware for either of these clubs, with the League Cup final at Wembley set for 25 February. Will it be a case of a second marker being put down at Anfield, one way or another? Man United vs Arsenal - 11 May Finally, this could be a late-season battle for a Champions League spot - or even for the title itself. The Gunners fell short last term but will hope to be up and around the top spots again this year after a summer of improvement, while Man United - surely with new owners by this point and another year of progress under Erik ten Hag - might be hoping for a title fight of their own. This fixture takes place on the penultimate weekend of the season and could be the make-or-break game for both clubs, whether they are fighting for the top four or something far more tangible.