List of All Articles with Tag 'epgb sports'

Francis Ngannou admitted he has held on to “a little bit of hope” that the possibility of a fight with Jon Jones could materialise. Ngannou is due to meet Tyson Fury in the boxing ring on 28 October, in a big money fight due to take place in Saudi Arabia. Fury is the favourite heading into the clash, but Ngannou has reportedly been working with experts, including former boxer Mike Tyson to try and fing a way to land a knockout blow to the English boxer. The highly-anticipated bout is schedule for 10 rounds and is a fully professional affair, although Fury’s WBC heavyweight title will not be competed for. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion also signed an MMA contract with the PFL this calendar year, but many hope he will takes on Jones. “I don’t know. Maybe he’ll be a special fight, a special belt or something?” Ngannou said regarding a potential fight with Jones on the Joe Rogan Experience. “Maybe not like a UFC belt. To be honest, I don’t worry about the title. The title is not what I worry about. “I worry about that fight, that challenge. I wouldn’t care if it was a fight without a title. In my [mind], I don’t need a UFC title. That fight is bigger than a title. The fight is bigger than a title.” Ngannou added: “Deep inside me, I still have a little bit of hope (about a Jones fight), even though I know it’s gonna be hard. But, you never know.” Fury has not competed so far this calendar year, and his last bout was when he defended the WBC belt in December 2022 against Derek Chisora. While Ngannou has never taken part in a professional boxing match, but has 20 professional MMA fights to his name, including a win to claim the UFC heavyweight title in January 2022. Read More What is an exhibition fight and how is it different to a professional bout? Tyson Fury ‘tried to pay’ to halt Netflix filming of At Home With The Furys Tyson Fury explains why he will ‘probably’ fight Jon Jones instead of Oleksandr Usyk next

England will face Chile in the Rugby World Cup this afternoon at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille. Steve Borthwick’s side will be hoping to record a third victory after last weekend’s scrappy bonus-point win against Japan and their opening defeat of Argentina. Owen Farrell returns from his red-card ban alongside 12 other changes, including Marcus Smith at full back, as England aim to give squad members who have featured less so far a good run out. England currently sit top of Pool D with nine points after their first two wins and a win would all but secure a quarter-final place. Los Condores lost their first two matches in what is their first Rugby World Cup and currently sit 22nd in the world rankings compared to England’s sixth. They are currently at the bottom of Pool D with zero points. Follow all of the action here live from Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Plus get the latest Rugby World Cup odds here and tips on England vs Chile here. Read More Marcus Smith backed to shine at full-back as England tackle unfancied Chile Owen Farrell recalls emotional roller-coaster ride of exile from England team

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Herein lies the formula for a high-performing England team. Release the shackles, dole out the confidence, then sit back and marvel at the beast of the Lionesses without limits. There were no concerns about keeping tournament hopes alive; no headaches over managing minutes; no tactical frameworks to devise on the fly; just a chance for the Lionesses to show what they can do best. And that is exactly what England accomplished. Scotland were far from pushovers but were thoroughly outclassed on Friday night. With an enthusiastic Sunderland crowd providing the backing and an evidently more polished shape on their side, England exuded confidence. Raw, unadulterated confidence. From the off it was as if that was all that mattered. Georgia Stanway sized-up Scotland goalkeeper Lee Gibson whenever the ball dropped towards her feet outside the area, Chloe Kelly went on her customary weaving runs, Lauren James – with her usual precision and air of nonchalance, was finally free to toy with opponents once again. Even Lucy Bronze, usually a straight edge, was inspired to try and backheel it through the visitors’ defence. The danger of working at the disposal of a master conductor like Sarina Wiegman had always been that glimpses of individual brilliance were better left repressed than taking risks which may have been to the detriment of the team. Just follow the plan and have faith that results will ensue. Here’s a summary of how that has worked so far: England became a relentless machine, they won the Euros, opponents cottoned on, things turned stale, their winning record ended, an unexpected injuries forced Wiegman to return to the drawing board. The abandoning of such orthodoxy and the move towards a new formation may well be the key to this team’s future. Against Scotland they provided further evidence that the current set-up might just set them on a course for future success. Rachel Daly finally converted an England set-piece after a summer of somewhat underwhelming corners, though she was denied the opener with Kelly standing offside, apparently interfering with Gibson’s sight of the ball. So it fell to Bronze to put England ahead; the fact it was a former Sunderland player coming to the rescue being much to the delight of the home supporters. Katie Zelem dinked the ball over the heads of the Scottish back line and Bronze timed her diving header to perfection, contorting herself low and connecting just on time to direct the ball past Gibson. Then, just six minutes later, it was the turn of her former Manchester City teammate Lauren Hemp to do something rather similar. This time it was Daly who drilled in the cross and Hemp likewise adopted a dive to nod home. Though as much as England’s exuberance had been a delight for fans, at times evoking a sense that the Nou Camp had been plonked on the banks of the River Wear, there were sporadic reminders that this team remains fallible. Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir picked up the ball inside the England box and should have netted for her side were it not for the quick reactions of Mary Earps. Kirsty Hanson carved out openings on the left-hand flank and Weir should likely have had a penalty after Millie Bright brought her down. It came as little surprise, therefore, that Hanson was able to pull one back when she tucked home a loose ball on the stroke of half-time, though after the break the hosts managed to hold back Scotland’s persistence. Zelem, the provider of Bronze’s opener, was a particular standout while filling in for the absent Keira Walsh, who has missed out on a spot in this camp through injury. She hassled tirelessly in the middle of the park and tried to orchestrate chances going forwards, zipping the ball around, and looked a welcome addition. It was somewhat cruel when Zelem, who shone when deputising for Walsh during the latter’s period of absence at the World Cup, was quickly shunted back to the bench after her quick recovery, and her performance against Scotland will have staked a further claim that she is deserving of a spot in this team. The performance of James, starting for the first time since her now-infamous red card in the quarter-finals, was also encouraging and showed that she has now surely cemented her position in the England teams of the future. That she had a late goal ruled out for offside is of little importance. This international break is peculiar for the fact it comes before the domestic campaign begins, and takes place just over a month after the World Cup’s conclusion, but two strong performances will be crucial. If Team GB are to secure qualification for next summer’s Olympics England must win their Nations League group and then progress to their final. Victory over Scotland – and further evidence of a way in which this team can delight audiences and play their top-class football going forwards – helps to set things on a positive course. Now their attention quickly turns to Tuesday’s game against the Netherlands, where they will need to be at their best once again.

England Women host Scotland Women on Friday night, under the lights in the north east of England - Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is the location for both teams’ first game since the summer. They had contrasting ones, too; while the Lionesses went to New Zealand and Australia to contest the Women’s World Cup, where they went right the way through to the final before losing to Spain, Scotland were sat at home watching, following on from July friendly wins over Northern Ireland and Finland. The Women’s Nations League offers a fresh start for both, with this the first-ever edition of the competition in the women’s game. Group A1 contains England, Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland. Follow all the latest updates from England vs Scotland below and get the latest odds and football tips here:

Kick It Out chief Tony Burnett says the government’s new online safety bill is “brilliant news” but only “a small piece of the jigsaw”. The new legislation, which could help prevent discrimination and abuse on social media platforms, passed its final parliamentary debate on Friday. The football authorities played a significant part in the development of the bill, and a joint statement from The FA, Premier League, EFL, PFA and Kick It Out shortly after the announcement described the legislation as “a significant moment for those who participate in the game”. Only last weekend, Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham was subject to online racist abuse after a match against Tottenham Hotspur, which was swiftly condemned by both clubs. While the new bill provides a vehicle to hold social media platforms to account through regulator Ofcom, Kick It Out chief Tony Burnett warns this should not be seen as the end of the issue. “It’s brilliant news,” the CEO of the equality and inclusion charity told the Independent. “We’ve been campaigning for over two years on football governing bodies to try and influence not just the legislation, but also the content of it. So it’s a really positive move. “This is the first step, and now we’ve got to move really quickly from celebrating what’s been achieved to making sure that the way that Ofcom structures the regulation of social media organisations is fit for purpose and they are effective in holding them to account. “We’ve all seen lots of examples where regulators are not as effective as they should be.” Kick It Out recorded a 65.1 per cent rise in reports of discriminatory behaviour in 2022/23, with the 1,007 reports received including a 279 per cent increase in online abuse. Burnett believes while the numbers represent the fact fans are becoming less tolerant of discriminatory behaviour and more likely to report it, the current climate is still seeing a worsening of the state of affairs. “Discriminatory behaviour is absolutely rising – we also saw a double-digit increase in hate-related incidents. It’s absolutely on the rise. “Rather than stoking culture wars, we should be trying to stoke inclusion. But I just don’t think we’ve got the maturity as a society to think that way at the moment.” “What this legislation doesn’t change unfortunately, is the fact there is a significant increase in people pressing the keys. So we still have a massive job to do as a society and culture to try and work out how we got to a position where people with toxic views now have a voice and feel more comfortable than ever to share this in broader society.” Although Kick It Out record their own set of statistics, neither the 92 clubs in the Premier League and Football League, nor the governing bodies are obligated to share their own data on how many discriminatory incidents take place every year. Burnett says this makes it difficult to get a full understanding of the extent of the issue, and take subsequent steps to try and deal with it. “We still can’t get a picture right across the sport as to how many discrimination cases are raised every year to develop a comprehensive understanding of the state of play across football. That’s just madness. “We’re not really interested in making people look bad. We’re interested in the facts. We can’t address the challenge until we really understand the facts. If clubs are open and honest with us and say we’ve got a problem, we can help them to solve it. “The football industry, over the last three years, has done more than ever to try and tackle some of these issues, but our worry is that we’re doing the safe stuff. We’re sending people on training courses, and we’re running campaigns, which have got a place, but we’re not doing the hard stuff. “The online safety bill is brilliant, because it gives us a start to hold social media organisations to account – but that’s only a small part of the jigsaw.” Read More Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: Too soon to herald return of my mentality monsters First ever Lioness captain’s legacy lives on as England face Scotland Tottenham once again have hope – but Ange Postecoglou must learn from Arsenal lesson Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: Too soon to herald return of my mentality monsters First ever Lioness captain’s legacy lives on as England face Scotland Tottenham once again have hope – but Ange Postecoglou must learn from Arsenal lesson

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has signed a new five-year contract with the club. The influential Norwegian midfielder, who was Arsenal’s player of the season last campaign, has committed his future until 2028. The 24-year-old initially joined on loan from Real Madrid in 2021 and said he has found his “home” at the Gunners. Odegaard becomes the latest young Arsenal star to sign a new deal with the club, following Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba. “Signing a new contract was a really easy decision for me for lots of reasons,” Odegaard said. “Mainly what we are doing right now as a club is special, and I want to be a part of that. I’m really excited for what’s to come here. I’ve found a place where I can be really settled and call my home. "My story is a bit different maybe, as I moved around different clubs since I was 16. At Arsenal, since the first day, I’ve felt great and this is definitely my home now. “I just want to say thanks to everyone working at the club and of course, our fantastic supporters. I will continue to give everything to bring success to this club in the years to come.” Odegaard scored 15 Premier League goals last season as Arsenal finished second to Manchester City, and the Norway captain says he is determined to help Mikel Arteta’s side take the next step. He scored the fourth goal of Arsenal’s 4-0 win over PSV on Wednesday as the Gunners marked their return to the Champions League with a commanding victory at the Emirates, six years after their last appearance in the competition. “It just shows what we’re doing as a club. People want to be here as part of the project. “What we’re doing is really special and the players see what the manager wants to do and how the club is progressing, the connection we now have with the fans. “I think it’s a no-brainer for the players to be part of that. With so many hungry young players, it’s a great place to be. “Of course, it’s a good thing. You see the players around you want to be a part of what we’re doing and it shows just how connected we are as a team. “All the players want the same thing, they want to stay for a long time and really fight for the club and win things together. It shows the family feeling we have.” Read More Arsenal are back in the Champions League — and they look like contenders too Jack is back – Pep Guardiola provides positive update on Man City star Grealish North London derby the headline act this weekend – Premier League talking points Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praises Ange Postecoglou ahead of Tottenham’s visit

It had taken Tottenham more than 70 days to appoint a new manager but a candidate who emerged from far down the shortlist made a flying start. He was manager of the month for August. September brought a North London derby. It went terribly and he was sacked on the first day of November. For Nuno Espirito Santo read Ange Postecoglou? Obviously not; the similarities are superficial and, unlike in 2021, there are plenty of reasons to believe a haphazard process has produced the right man. But the fixture list does feel familiar: for the third year in a row, Tottenham visit their neighbours at this early stage of the season. It was their seventh league game last season and Antonio Conte’s previously unbeaten side lost 3-1. It was their sixth in 2021 and, after three straight wins had earned Nuno the August prize, another 3-1 reverse was a third successive defeat. Nuno’s felt the more damning defeat, partly because Spurs were 3-0 down after 34 minutes and partly because his midfield was a mess. And yet it proved the less damaging setback; if it helped foster the impression that the Portuguese was miscast as a Tottenham manager, his departure facilitated a surge to fourth place, at Arsenal’s expense. Two years on, Arsenal are a barometer of Postecoglou’s progress, the rivals who look role models. They have effected their own transformation from unhappy, underachieving club to a united camp and an increasingly successful team. In 2021/22, Arsenal were not in Europe. Now, in a week when the Gunners have ended their six-year exile from the Champions League, Tottenham have had more time to prepare: for the first time since 2009/10, their schedule has not included continental competition. If the second half of last season, the unravelling of Conte’s reign and the interim spells under Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason prompted the question of how bad tTottenham were; now the phrasing is more welcome: how good are Tottenham? The second best side in the country, a team likely to earn a top-four finish or one who may slip from their current lofty position? A seven-day spell containing meetings with Arsenal and Liverpool could bring a more definitive answer. Thus far, they have been sufficiently impressive to take 13 points from five games. The fixture list has looked favourable, however, and even the Australian’s flagship win, 2-0 against Manchester United, may have an asterisk applied because of the problems at Old Trafford. But that is scarcely his fault. Where he can be judged, he has passed tests: late goals and impactful substitutions are often signs a coach is exerting an influence and Spurs have had both, particularly last week against Sheffield United. Postecoglou’s sympathetic man-management of Richarlison – perhaps it is unfair to a couple of his recent predecessors to suggest they would have been less supportive of the Brazilian – has added to the positive impression, as does introducing a style of play that feels in keeping with Tottenham’s past. Jose Mourinho, Nuno and Conte could be called the three pragmatists, but there was little pragmatic about some of their defeats. The Italian and the Portuguese, in particular, played too passive a brand of football. Postecoglou has been bolder and, a couple of weeks ago, James Maddison reflected that he is the kind of footballer Tottenham have not had since Christian Eriksen, which highlighted a lack of flair in their recent past. It added to the huge burden Harry Kane shouldered, too, and Postecoglou has navigated the England captain’s departure with the minimum of fuss. They were never going to acquire a player of his calibre as a direct replacement but, shorn of their 280-goal record scorer, they have struck at least twice in each of their five league games. Kane’s reliability may have made him a crutch but, as the years went on, it scarcely guaranteed Tottenham glory. This game is a case in point. Kane has scored more goals in the North London derby than anyone else, with 14, but he only tasted victory at the Emirates Stadium once, and then as a substitute in the Carabao Cup in 2018. Another talismanic figure for Tottenham, Hugo Lloris, was culpable for goals in both derbies last season. Meanwhile, Postecoglou has sidelined one pillar of the side, in Eric Dier, and redeployed another, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, as a substitute. It may prove that only Cristian Romero and Heung-Min Son start for Spurs at the Emirates both last season and this. There was a case for a break with the past and, perhaps, it is again shown by Arsenal, though Mikel Arteta’s fallouts with Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were more explosive than Postecoglou’s decision to move on without Dier. Thus far, he has made change look easy. In the rejuvenated Yves Bissouma, the precocious Destiny Udogie and the influential Maddison, he is shaping a new side with a different ethos. But Spurs could nevertheless be forgiven for travelling the four miles to Arsenal with some trepidation. The Gunners have exposed delusions before, made fine starts to seasons look false dawns. Now Tottenham have more grounds for optimism but, as previous managers can testify, things can go wrong on their shortest trip of the campaign. Read More Son Heung-min believes Arsenal should fear in-form Tottenham Arsenal are back in the Champions League — and they look like contenders too What is wrong with Manchester United’s defence? Everything North London derby the headline act this weekend – Premier League talking points Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praises Ange Postecoglou ahead of Tottenham’s visit Son Heung-min believes Arsenal should fear in-form Tottenham

UFC President Dana White has seemingly quashed rumours that Conor McGregor would make his return to the Octagon in December at UFC 296. “Notorious” hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, but had seemed confident he would make his return at the end of this year against Michael Chandler. White did not include McGregor, however, when he announced the headline bout for the upcoming UFC 296 event in December, although he did say that more fights were to be announced. In a video on social media, White confirmed that Britain’s Leon Edwards will defend the welterweight title against Colby Covington in the UFC 296 main event in Las Vegas. Covington is a former interim champion. He also revealed that Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka will be the co-main event for UFC 295 in New York in November, as the pair clash over the vacant light-heavyweight title. Pereira is a former middleweight champion, while Prochazka won the light-heavyweight title in 2021 but vacated it due to injury later that year. Irishman McGregor missed the deadline for re-enrollment into the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) testing pool in July, which made his return this year questionable, given fighters must be in this pool for a minimum of six months before they can fight. Brock Lesnar was famously given an exemption to this rule in 2016 when he returned for UFC 200, but the official UFC-Usada policy states this can only be for “exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete”. It now looks like McGregor’s long-awaited return will have to wait until 2024, when his fight with Chandler may precede bouts against Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz. The 35 year-old’s current gap between fights is the longest since he made his UFC debut in 2013. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Khabib coach predicts Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler outcome When is the next UFC event?

Michael Beale’s Rangers get underway in the Europa League tonight after a tough time in the Champions League qualifiers saw them drop out of the competition after a 5-1 defeat against PSV. The 2022 finalists face Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis, who haven’t managed to make it past the round of 16 since their debut in the renamed edition of the European tournament in 2013–14. This is the first-ever meeting between the two sides, and each will hope to get some valuable points in the board to try and secure automatic qualification for the knockout stages. Follow all the latest updates from LASK vs Liverpool below and get all the latest football odds here.