List of All Articles with Tag 'epgb sports'

The Premier League is set for a blockbuster final day as Everton, Leeds United and Leicester City all fight for a place in the top-flight next season. The Toffees are in pole position to survive the drop, sitting 17th in the table with a two-point advantage over their relegation rivals. They face Bournemouth in this afternoon’s clash and with the Cherries already safe Everton have a strong chance of claiming victory. Elsewhere, Leicester (18th) take on West Ham knowing that only three points - and an Everton loss - will be enough to keep them in the Premier League. The good news for Dean Smith’s side is that the Hammers are focused on their upcoming Europa Conference League final so may field a weakened team. The final contender in this relegation battle is Leeds. They have arguably the most difficult challenge as they take on Tottenham. Home advantage can play it’s part and the Elland Road faithful will bring the noise. Like the Hammers, Leeds must win and hope Everton lose, the difference is that Spurs are also chasing three points as they have a chance to earn European football next season. Follow all the action from the Premier League final day below and see which team avoids the drop: Read More ‘It is theatre’: Inside the emotional chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle Dean Smith knows just how big an achievement keeping Leicester up will be Consistency is key as Sean Dyche plans to get Everton survival bid over the line

Can Leeds United pull off a shock and defeat Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the Premier League season? That’s the only way Sam Allardyce’s men can make sure they avoid relegation to the Championship this year. Fate is out of their hands in the battle for survival after a 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out kept them inside the bottom three, two points behind 17th placed Everton. To have any chance of remaining in the top-flight Leeds must win today and hope other results go in their favour. Spurs will be difficult to beat though as they are still challenging for a place in Europe next season. They could nick a Europa Conference League spot away from Aston Villa if they earn all three points at Elland Road and no doubt Harry Kane will want to impress after rumours he could be leaving the club in the summer. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this crucial Premier League clash: When is Leeds vs Tottenham? Leeds vs Tottenham is due to kick off at 4.30pm BST on Sunday 28 May at Elland Road in Leeds. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on BT Sport 1HD, with coverage on the channels from 3.30pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via the BT Sport app. Team news Leeds will give Patrick Bamford as long as he needs to prove his fitness before the start of the match and Rodrigo is back in training so should feature for the Whites. Manager Sam Allardyce says he will risk starting players who aren’t fully fit but have the desire to play and hopefully win the game. Eric Dier has undergone groin surgery this week and will be unavailable for Tottenham. Cristiano Romero has picked up a knock so won’t play but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could feature. Predicted line-ups Leeds XI: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Firpo; McKennie, Roca; Harrison, Rodrigo, Sinisterra; Bamford Tottenham XI: Forster; Emerson, Sanchez, Lenglet; Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Davies; Richarlison, Kane, Son Odds Leeds win 7/4 Draw 29/10 Tottenham win 7/5 Prediction Leeds put up a good fight and provide some drama on the final day of the season by taking the lead early on before Spurs kick into gear and record a comeback win on what could possibly be Harry Kane’s last outing for the club, in the process Sam Allardyce’s men are relegated to the Championship. Leeds 1-2 Tottenham. Read More ‘It is theatre’: Inside the emotional chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle Premier League relegation: What do Leeds, Everton and Leicester need to survive? Harry Kane taking inspiration from greats as he eyes another decade at top

Leigh Wood regained the WBA featherweight title with a decision win over Mauricio Lara on Saturday, avenging a knockout loss to the Mexican in the process. Wood was fighting in his hometown of Nottingham in February when he suffered a controversial TKO defeat by Lara, who took the WBA belt from the 34-year-old in Round 7. However, Lara, 25, was stripped of the title on Friday (26 May), after failing to make weight for his Manchester rematch with Wood. Furthermore, only Wood was eligible to win the vacant title in the main-event bout. And Wood did just that, knocking down Lara in Round 2 and going on to beat the Mexican via unanimous decision. Elsewhere, Chris Billam-Smith won his first world title, and Michael Conlan suffered a brutal KO loss – more on those results below. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Leigh Wood and Chris Billam-Smith win world titles with victories over familiar foes Tyson Fury sends Anthony Joshua ‘draft contract’ for Wembley fight Katie Taylor’s long reign as boxing queen over despite heroic last stand

Leigh Wood and Chris Billam-Smith enjoyed successful evenings against familiar foes on Saturday, winning world titles in their respective fights. Wood avenged a knockout loss to Mauricio Lara by outpointing the Mexican in Manchester, regaining the WBA featherweight title that he lost in the pair’s first clash. Meanwhile, Billam-Smith was a decision victor over former sparring partner Lawrence Okolie, winning the WBO cruiserweight title at the stadium that is home to his beloved AFC Bournemouth. Wood, 34, was fighting in his hometown of Nottingham when he lost the WBA featherweight belt to Lara in February, as the Mexican won with a controversial TKO in Round 7. However, Lara was stripped of the title on Friday (26 May) after failing to make weight for his rematch with Wood, who was the only fighter eligible to win the gold in Saturday’s main event. And Wood, who was leading his first fight with Lara at the time of the stoppage, got out ahead of the 25-year-old again in Manchester. This time, though, the Briton was able to stay composed throughout, earning a unanimous-decision win (118-109, 118-109, 116-111). Meanwhile, at Vitality Stadium – home to Premier League club Bournemouth – Billam-Smith won a scrappy majority decision against Okolie to claim his first world title. Billam-Smith, in front of a raucous home crowd, knocked down his ex-sparring partner three times, while Okolie also had two points docked for excessive holding. It all led to scorecards of 112-112, 116-107, 115-108 in favour of Billam-Smith. “The Gentleman” then dedicated the win to his mother, who is suffering from breast cancer, and his son, who turned one year old on Friday. Elsewhere, Michael Conlan did not have such a happy homecoming. The Northern Irishman, fighting in his hometown of Belfast, was stopped by Luis Alberto Lopez in the fifth round. Mexican Lopez dropped Conlan with a vicious uppercut, and the towel came in as Conlan struggled to find his bearings. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Mauricio Lara stripped of title before Leigh Wood rematch amid weigh-in drama Wood vs Lara LIVE: Latest boxing fight updates and results What time does Wood vs Lara start in UK and US this weekend?

Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal saw Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title for an 11th year in a row as they snatched it away from rivals Borussia Dortmund on a dramatic final day. Dortmund would have claimed their first title since the 2011-12 season if they had beaten Mainz at home but drew 2-2, only levelling in the sixth minute of stoppage time, while Musiala’s late strike gave Bayern a 2-1 win at Cologne to take the honours on goal difference. Dortmund, for whom England midfielder Jude Bellingham was an unused substitute after injury, quickly got the sense this would not be their day. They fell behind to Andreas Hanche-Olsen’s 15th-minute header, then saw Sebastian Haller’s penalty saved moments later before Karim Onisiwo doubled Mainz’s lead in the 24th minute. Raphael Guerreiro offered the hosts hope when he hammered in a cross from Gio Reyna in the 69th minute. And soon after Dortmund were back at the top of the standings as Dejan Ljubicic’s 81st-minute penalty cancelled out Kingsley Coman’s early curling strike to make it 1-1 in Cologne, Dortmund ahead by a point at that stage. But there was one final twist as Serge Gnabry, guilty of conceding that late penalty, teed up Musiala to fire in the winner. Niklas Sule scored deep into time added on for Dortmund but it would make no difference as Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern took the title.

Chelsea travel to Reading on the final day of the season knowing that victory will secure a fourth straight Women’s Super League title. The Blues hold a two-point lead over Manchester United in the table and a win would complete the double following their FA Cup final victory. United must beat Liverpool on the final day and hope Reading - who will be relegated if they lose to Chelsea - can pull off a seismic upset. If Chelsea and Reading draw, United must beat Liverpool by six goals to take the title from the champions. Read More ‘Business as usual’ as Chelsea look to wrap up Women’s Super League title Departing Magdalena Eriksson and era-crowning win show why WSL title heading back to Chelsea You’re asking the wrong person – Emma Hayes not interested in title permutations

Follow The Independent's live coverage of all the action in the FA Women’s Super League today. The WSL is the top tier of English women’s football with international players from all over the world plying their trade in one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues around. Chelsea have won three of the past four titles and Emma Hayes’ side will be right in the hunt again, with the likes of Arsenal - champions in 2018-19 – and Manchester City, who have been runners-up for each of the past four seasons, among their competitors. With the top three sides qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, all 12 WSL teams have plenty to play for, although some clubs’ main ambition will simply be to avoid the drop. The side who finish bottom will be relegated to the FA Women’s Championship – a fate that befell Bristol City in 2020-21 – and newly-promoted Leicester City, competing in the top flight of the women’s game for the first time, will be eager to avoid an immediate return. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Coventry City and Luton Town are one game away from the Premier League as they meet in the Championship play-off final. Each side has fought back from times of strife to leave themselves on the verge of promotion after edging out Sunderland and Middlesbrough respectively in the semi-finals. Luton vs Coventry LIVE: Championship play-off final updates Coventry were last in the English top flight in 2001, and have endured an eventul season that included another forced relocation due to stadium conflicts at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Their opponents, meanwhile, are hoping to earn their first elevation to the Premier League, having been relegated out of the top tier in the season before it rebranded in 1992 – dropping down to non-league before rising again. Here’s everything you need to know. When is the Championship play-off final? Coventry vs Luton is due to kick off at 4.45pm BST on Saturday 27 May at Wembley Stadium in London. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage from 4pm BST. Subscribers can stream the action via the Sky Go app. Team news Gustavo Hamer has trained with the Coventry squad this week and appears likely to be fit after his decisive semi-final role. Tyler Walker remains absent with an undisclosed injury, but Casey Palmer has made an ahead-of-schedule return to training after initially being ruled out for the remainder of the season. His recovery from a hamstring issue could still force him out of the game. Luton would appear to be in good health and could well name an unchanged side from the semi-final second leg. Predicted line-ups Coventry City XI: Wilson; McNally, McFadzean, Doyle; Norton-Cuffy, Allen, Kelly, Hamer, Bidwell; Sheaf; Gyokeres. Luton Town XI: Horvarth; Osho, Lockyer, Bell; Drameh, Clark, Nakamba, Mpanzu, Doughty; Morris, Adebayo. Odds Coventry win 2/1 Luton win 7/5 Prediction A tight play-off final could be decided in extra time. Coventry 1-2 Luton a.e.t. How much will the winners get for being promoted to the Premier League? Ahead of the 2020 Championship play-off final, Deloitte reported that the victorious club could earn anywhere between £135m and £265m, depending on whether or not they could avoid immediate relegation from the Premier League. What TV money will the winning club receive in the Premier League? Official figures for the 2020-21 season showed that broadcast revenue incredibly totalled more than £2.5bn and was distributed among the 20 clubs in the Premier League. Of that, each club was guaranteed at least £31.4m in equal share payments, £47.5m in international TV money and £5.9m in central commercial payments: a baseline of roughly £84.8m per team, regardless of position. In fact, Norwich City, who finished bottom of the league in that campaign, were handed just over £101.5m. By comparison, Championships clubs only receive around £8m in TV rights income for a season spent in the second tier. What other payments are there? On top of this, clubs are given merit payments based on where they finish in the Premier League. For the 2022/23 campaign, the sliding scale will see the champions receive roughly £44m and the bottom-placed team around £2.2m. The team finishing 17th, and just avoiding relegation, is set to receive around £8.8m, as well as staying in the top tier to cash in again next term. Read More Of course the play-off final is about money – but Coventry and Luton also represent something greater Coventry City aiming to come full circle after journey to hell and back A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. How are Luton one game from the Premier League? How much is winning the Championship play-off final worth? Luton vs Coventry LIVE: Latest Championship play-off final updates Coventry and Luton are proof the play-off final means more than just money

Manchester United travel to Liverpool on the final day of the season with their Women’s Super League title hopes still alive. United trail Chelsea by two points in the table and must hope relegation-threatened Reading beat the champions at home. Marc Skinner’s side, who were beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup final two weeks ago, would need to beat Liverpool by at least six goals if Reading draw. Chelsea know victory against Reading will secure a fourth straight Women’s Super League title, as well as the double. Read More Reading vs Chelsea LIVE: Women’s Super League team news and line-ups from title decider Marc Skinner demands Man Utd focus on their own job in WSL season finale Marc Skinner bemused at lack of praise for Man Utd as they fight for WSL title

Dustin Poirier has backed Conor McGregor to stop Michael Chandler inside two rounds, provided that the Irishman is ‘100 percent dedicated and focused’. McGregor and Chandler, both of whom have fought Poirier before, are set to square off later this year, though no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for the UFC bout. Poirier suffered a TKO loss to McGregor in 2014, but the American exacted his revenge in January 2021 with a knockout win, before their trilogy fight six months later ended with McGregor suffering a broken leg. That contest went down as a TKO victory for Poirier, who submitted Chandler in each man’s most recent fight, in November 2022. Poirier discussed McGregor vs Chandler on The MMA Hour this week, saying: “I think that if Conor comes back anything like he was, with his timing and rhythm, with the injury that he had and this long of a lay-off – and we’re not getting any younger either... if he comes back similar to who he was before he left, I think he stops Michael Chandler. “If Conor is who he was before the injury and stuff, I think two rounds; I think the fight’s over in two rounds. “If anybody can [dial back the clock], I think it would be [McGregor]. If he’s 100 percent dedicated and focused, and [he can] put the blinders on and really go at this with all of himself, I think he can. But we’ll see, man. That’s what makes it so interesting.” McGregor’s 2014 victory over Poirier was a key moment on the Irishman’s journey to winning the UFC featherweight title, which he secured in 2015. A year later, McGregor claimed the lightweight belt to become the first dual-weight champion in UFC history. Meanwhile, Poirier is a former interim lightweight champion who has twice failed to win the undisputed belt. Compatriot Chandler is a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, who has also unsuccessfully challenged for the UFC lightweight title. McGregor’s back-to-back bouts with Poirier in 2021 feature heavily in McGregor Forever, the second documentary covering the 34-year-old’s career. The four-part series was released on Netflix this month, and you can read The Independent’s review here. Poirier is due to return to the ring in July, taking on Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 291. The vacant ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title will be on the line in the all-American clash, which is a rematch of a 2018 bout won by Poirier. Poirier stopped Gaethje, a fellow former interim lightweight champion, in the fourth round. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had ‘friendly row’ after KO of Irish boxer Gary Cully Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones The night Conor McGregor became ‘Mystic Mac’ Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had 'friendly row' after KO of Irish boxer Conor McGregor reveals how he scored Katie Taylor fight from ringside

Ivan Toney has responded to additional revelations about his ban for gambling on football matches with a cryptic message posted on social media. The England striker was banned for eight months last week, and fined £50,000, after admitting to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules and the full written reasons behind the suspension were released as a report by the FA on Friday. They included the fact that Toney bet on his own team to lose on 13 occasions – although he was not in the matchday squad for any of those games – and that the 27-year-old had his suspension reduced from 15 months to eight months after being diagnosed as a gambling addict. Shortly after the report came to light, the Brentford forward posted on Twitter, writing “I’ll speak soon with no filter”. A couple of hours later, he then took to Instagram and posted a short message on his stories that gave an insight as to his reaction to the information. Toney wrote: “I used to rush to defend myself against false accusations but now I watch to see who believes it so I know who to cut off first.” The report that was released also showed that Toney admitted to lying to the FA about betting on football and providing inside information to a friend on when he was starting a game, while he also bet on himself to score in a number of matches when it wasn’t widely known that he would be in the starting line-up. He was going to be handed a 15-month ban for his breaches but the suspension was ultimately cut to eight months because he pleaded guilty and was diagnosed with a gambling addiction. Psychiatrist Dr Philip Hopley attended Toney’s personal hearing and diagnosed the England international with the addiction. “The commission finds that a significant reduction should be made to reflect the diagnosed gambling addiction identified by Dr Hopley,” the report explained. “The lack of control the player has in respect of gambling is clearly a reflection of his diagnosed gambling addiction. “The present case is not one of match-fixing. If it was, the charges would have been pursued under different provisions. “There is no evidence that Mr Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose when he placed bets against them winning, he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time.” Read More Ivan Toney bet on own team to lose as gambling addiction revealed Gareth Southgate urges football to be ‘careful’ after Ivan Toney punishment Ivan Toney handed eight-month ban for breaching betting rules

Tyson Fury has reiterated that he would only be open to fighting Jon Jones in a boxing match, as his back-and-forth with the UFC champion continues. UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed earlier this year that Fury, the WBC heavyweight boxing champion, would have ‘no chance in hell’ of beating Jones, who holds the UFC heavyweight title, in a fight. Fury, 34, took exception to that suggestion, before clarifying that he would only ever fight Jones, 35, in the boxing ring. And on Thursday (25 May), the Briton doubled down on that stance. Responding to quotes from UFC president Dana White, who offered to organise Fury vs Jones in the Octagon, the “Gypsy King” wrote on Instagram: “I don’t roll round the floor, I stand up and punch. “If you guys want to fight me, it’s got to be under boxing rules.” Jones is widely considered to be the greatest light-heavyweight in UFC history, and he made a long-awaited move up to heavyweight in March. Returning to competition after three years away, the American submitted Ciryl Gane in Round 1 to win the vacant title. Jones and Fury are both without opponents as things stand. The American was expected to defend his title against former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic this summer, but that bout appears to have fallen through. Meanwhile, talks between Fury and unified heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk collapsed in March. Usyk is now set to defend his titles against Daniel Dubois in Poland in August. The Ukrainian is unbeaten, while Briton Dubois – his mandatory challenger – has suffered just one loss as a professional. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones Tyson Fury seen consoling devastated boxer after first pro loss Oleksandr Usyk promoter provides major update on Daniel Dubois fight