1. It’s derby day in Manchester
Tonight’s Manchester derby clash between Man Utd and Man City is grabbing the headlines across the UK’s newspapers and sport websites. United go into the match on the back of a 4-0 hammering at Everton while title chasers City will return to the top of the Premier League with a win at Old Trafford. Read the derby preview and see today’s back pages for more.
2. W Series to be shown live on Channel 4
W Series, the first all-female motor sport championship, has signed a deal with Channel 4 to show races live on free-to-air TV in the UK. There will be six races in the inaugural season with the opener taking place at Hockenheim in Germany on 4 May. W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir said: “This is a historic moment for us. The UK, with its incredible love of motorsport, is a cornerstone market for W Series, and what better way to engage and entertain than with live coverage of our all-female single-seater racing? Channel 4 is the ideal broadcast partner and we’re delighted to be working with them as we introduce the world to this exciting new concept.”
3. Hamilton ‘on the same level’ as Senna
Ex-Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger believes that Lewis Hamilton is now “on the same level” as the late Ayrton Senna. Berger, a former team-mate of F1 legend Senna, told the BBC: “Everybody asks me: ‘How do you see this driver against Ayrton?’ And I always, in all the years, say: ‘I don’t see anybody near to Ayrton’. But Lewis is [now] the first driver I put on the same level as Ayrton.”
4. Rocket stunned by amateur
There was a huge shock at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield yesterday after world No.1 Ronnie O’Sullivan lost in the first round 10-8 against amateur James Cahill. The Guardian reports that five-time world champion O’Sullivan was “struggling to stay awake” because of a virus. The “Rocket” said after the loss: “All my limbs feel heavy. I feel absolutely shattered, drained, no energy, struggling to stay awake. I feel absolutely horrendous. You have to come here physically and mentally feeling good. I’ve had a good season. I didn’t expect to do well and if physically not 100% it makes it harder.”
5. Search starts for next Scotland manager
The Scottish Football Association has started its search for the national team’s next manager, Sky Sports reports. Alex McLeish was sacked last week after just 14 months in charge.
6. Four rugby players test positive for cocaine
The Daily Telegraph reports that four Premiership rugby players tested positive for cocaine use last season. According to an official report the four players became “dislocated” from their teams because of injury or non-selection.
7. No more bubbly for FA Cup winners
The English Football Association (FA) is set to scrap the tradition of awarding a case of champagne to the winners of the FA Cup, the Daily Mail reports. The change will be made out of respect for players’ religious beliefs. Manchester City face Watford in the FA Cup final at Wembley on 18 May.
8. NFL prepares for 2019 draft
The 2019 NFL Draft takes place this week and the race is on to sign the best new players. “Quarterback is king in the NFL” says Sky Sports and among the top-tier QB talents included in this year’s draft are Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State), Drew Lock (Missouri) and Daniel Jones (Duke). The NFL Draft will be live on Sky Sports Action from 12.30am on Friday 26 April.
9. Long makes Premier League history
Southampton striker Shane Long scored the quickest goal in Premier League history against Watford on Tuesday night. The goal was timed at 7.69 seconds, quicker than the existing record of 9.82 seconds set by Tottenham’s Ledley King against Bradford in 2000. Watford netted a late equaliser to draw the match 1-1.
10. Maradona film teaser released
A new film about Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and be in cinemas from 14 June. Altitude Films has released the first trailer for the Diego Maradona documentary – which is the third film from the Academy Award-winning team behind Senna and Amy.
