Halfway through the 2023 season, the national championship race feels more wide open than it has been in years

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Sweden's players have been returning to their clubs after taking an overnight flight from Brussels following the suspension of their European Championship qualifying soccer match against Belgium at halftime because a gunman killed two Swedish nationals before kickoff

Chelsea have won a battle to buy a significant portion of land next door to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth around £80m. The move opens up the possibility of the club staying at their west London ground – Chelsea’s home since 1905 – and redeveloping the current 40,000-seater stadium, rather than finding a new site, as the owners seek to deliver a major upgrade which competes with leading Premier League venues. The club will buy 2.4 acres of the site, which sits between the stadium’s West Stand and Fulham Broadway Tube station, from Stoll, a charity which provides housing for veterans. Stoll’s board of trustees consulted with residents of the building, Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions, before making the decision to accept Chelsea’s bid from among a dozen on the table. Chelsea approached Stoll six years ago while under the ownership of Roman Abramovich as they drew up plans for a new stadium. Those plans fell through when Abramovic was forced to sell the club over his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and Stoll put the land up for sale as it sought much-needed funding. New owner Todd Boehly and the Clearlake consortium resurrected Chelsea’s interest this year and the purchase has now been approved, paving the way for a potential expansion of Stamford Bridge which could see the stadium demolished and rebuilt with the pitch rotated 90 degrees to run west to east. The club had originally proposed to buy only a small part of the land (marked in red, below) but negotiated a larger share (blue). However, Chelsea have still not ruled out relocating to a new site. If they do stay at Stamford Bridge, the club would need to either groundshare with neighbours Fulham at Craven Cottage, or move into Wembley or Twickenham while the work was undertaken. Stoll will retain a portion of the land at the southern end where it will retain 20 flats, and a leaseback deal will ensure residents do not have to move out immediately. The charity says it will invest the funds in new housing for veterans. Read More Eden Hazard announces retirement from football Arsenal can profit from chaotic title race thanks to three wildcard teams Burnley vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

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During a Senate hearing, NCAA President Charlie Baker shifted the focus of college sports’ need for federal legislation away from regulating how athletes can be compensated for their fame to the looming possibility of the players being deemed employees of their schools

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England could join Scotland in punching their ticket to next year’s Euros should they beat Italy at Wembley on Monday. Gareth Southgate’s side are three points clear at the top of Group C with just three games remaining and know that a win would secure their place in Germany next year. They return to face Italy at Wembley for the first time since their heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat in the Euro 2020 final, but they will have exorcised some of their demons from that loss with their impressive 2-1 away win against Italy in Naples earlier in the qualifying campaign. Italy beat Malta 4-0 on Saturday to move above Ukraine and into second in the group in Luciano Spalleti’s third game in charge of the national side. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s fixture. You can get all the latest odds and tips here. When is England vs Italy? England vs Italy is due to kick off at 7:45pm BST on Tuesday 17 October at Wembley Stadium. How can I watch it? All of England’s fixtures outside of international tournaments are for now screened free to air on Channel 4, and can be streamed on the Channel 4 website and app. The build-up for the match begins at 7pm. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Having made a second-string side for their friendly against Australia on Friday, Southgate will likely return to a full-strength side for this must-win clash. Bukayo Saka remains an absentee after his hamstring injury for Arsenal, while Kieran Trippier could deputise at left-back in the absence of both Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw who are out with long-term injuries. Premier League duo Sandro Tonalia and Nicolo Zaniolo remain unavailable for their national side having withdrawn from the squad after their pair were questioned in relation to a gambling investigation by Italian authorities. Elsewhere, Spalleti will have to deal with a number of injuries in the forward line with Federico Chiesa and Ivan Provedel both withdrawing from the squad due to respective fitness issues. In their absence, Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi looks set to retain his place in the forward line having scored his first goal for Italy in two years against Malta last weekend. Predicted line-ups England XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier; Phillips, Rice, Bellingham; Foden, Kane, Grealish Italy XI: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Dimarco; Frattesi, Locatelli, Barella; Berardi, Raspadori, Kean. Odds England win 8/13 Draw 11/4 Italy win 17/4 Latest odds here. Prediction A full-strength England side to edge out Italy and secure their place in the Euro 2024. England 1-0 Italy. Read More Jordan Henderson: ‘If people want to boo me for playing in Saudi Arabia, that’s fine’ Jordan Henderson set to face Italy despite England boos Ollie Watkins and Lewis Dunk emerge with credit on England’s audition night against Australia Where and when is Uefa Euro 2024? When is the Euro 2024 draw? Sweden fans given overnight police protection after Brussels shooting

Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy are the two oldest managers in the majors and are facing off in the AL Championship Series

VARs Darren England and Daniel Cook will return to Premier League duty this weekend following their error in last month’s fixture between Tottenham and Liverpool. England and Cook were the VAR and VAR assistant respectively when Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside in Tottenham’s 2-1 home win. Both officials were stood down the following week, but England will be back as the fourth official for Brentford’s home game against Burnley on Saturday and Cook will return as assistant referee for Sheffield United’s home match against Manchester United. Miscommunication between VAR England and referee Simon Hooper led to Diaz’s goal being wrongly ruled out on September 30, with the incident later described by referees’ chief Howard Webb as “a clear error”. Hooper is the designated VAR for Newcastle’s home game against Crystal Palace on Saturday. New VAR guidelines were introduced in the wake of the Diaz disallowed goal controversy, while audio of the incident was later released. England mistakenly thought the on-field officials had ruled Diaz to be onside, which meant that when he told them ‘check complete’ they believed he had upheld their on-field decision and restarted play with a free-kick. Once play had restarted, there was nothing the VARs could do to revisit the decision under existing protocols. Referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said it would develop a new VAR communication protocol in an effort to avoid similar mistakes being made in future. PGMOL said the protocol would “enhance the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions”. VARs will now also confirm the outcome of the checking process with the assistant VAR before confirming the final decision to the on-field officials. One of the talking points from the latest round of fixtures was referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to send off Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic for a challenge on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. The City midfielder was shown a yellow card before avoiding another shortly afterwards and Webb later admitted Kovacic was “fortunate” to stay on the pitch. Oliver will referee Sheffield United’s home game against Manchester United on Saturday. Read More Howard Webb disappointed by VAR failure to correct ‘clear error’ on offside goal Listen: VAR audio reveals how incorrect offside decision against Luis Diaz was made Liverpool to be sent audio from VAR controversy before it is released publicly VARs at centre of Liverpool error returning to duty this weekend Stephen Kenny not dwelling on past as Ireland return to Faro focused on victory Michael O’Neill hoping to take ‘good feeling’ into Slovenia game

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