List of All Articles with Tag 'epgb sports'

A rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk would reportedly not be for the status of undisputed heavyweight champion, due to a key ruling by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) this week. It was announced last week that WBC champion Fury and Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts, will box each other in Saudi Arabia – likely before the end of March. ESPN reported this week that the contract for the fight, which is set to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in over 20 years, includes a two-way rematch clause. Therefore, the loser, whoever that may be, can ensure a second bout against the winner without having to fight a different opponent first. However, the IBF has ruled that the winner of Fury vs Usyk must box mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic before any rematch takes place, per ESPN. Otherwise, the winner of Fury vs Usyk will be stripped of the IBF belt, and their rematch will only be for the remaining belts. Croatian Hrgovic, who holds an unbeaten record, told ESPN: “The IBF wrote that if I won my last fight and if Usyk beat [Daniel] Dubois, the IBF would enforce my mandatory status to fight Usyk for the title. “The IBF has now allowed Tyson Fury and Usyk to do a unification first. The winner of that fight is mandated to fight me immediately after, with no other intervening fight, so I expect to fight for the heavyweight championship early next year. “I’m disappointed at the delay, but I will stay ready, and I won’t let it distract me from my goal of winning the title. Whether against Usyk or Fury, my time is coming.” Ukrainian Usyk, 36, retained his titles with a stoppage win over Dubois in August, after climbing off the canvas following a controversial low blow, which many viewers believed was a legal body shot by Dubois. Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren, who also promotes Fury, lobbied for a rematch but to no avail so far. Meanwhile, Briton Fury has not fought since December, when he retained the WBC title against Derek Chisora, whom he had already beaten twice before. Fury, 35, is set to fight former UFC champion Francis Ngannou next, facing the mixed martial artist in a boxing match in Saudi Arabia on 28 October. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury contacts cruiserweight champion for help before Oleksandr Usyk showdown Tommy Fury explains why he has ‘never been fan’ of KSI ahead of crunch boxing match Let’s get ready to rumble! Inside the ropes with boxing’s ring announcers

Manchester United will host Arsenal in the second round of fixtures in the Women’s Super League at the Leigh Sports Village on Friday 6 October. Arsenal suffered a shock home defeat to Liverpool in the first WSL game last weekend, after failing to reach the group stages of the Champions League last month. It has been a rocky start to the season for Jonas Eidevall’s side, despite the talisman signing of Alessia Russo from Manchester United in the summer transfer window. Manchester United - under Marc Skinner - won their first match against Aston Villa 2-1. Follow all the action from the clash at Leigh Sports Village here: Read More Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall signs new long-term contract Arsenal break Women’s Super League record – but suffer shock Liverpool defeat Manchester United claim WSL victory with last-gasp goal against 10-player Aston Villa

Sir Alex Ferguson's wife Lady Cathy has passed away aged 84, the family have announced. The Glaswegian mother-of-three – who was described by her husband as his ‘bedrock’ – died yesterday morning in Cheshire surrounded by family. Lady Cathy was credited with having helped nurse him back to health after his stroke following his retirement from the club in 2013. A statement on behalf of the Ferguson family said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The family asks for privacy at this time.” The pair were married for nearly 60 years before her death, with the couple having met while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Glasgow. When Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United in 2013 following a remarkable and enduring period of success, he said: “My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.” A Manchester United club statement said: “Everyone at Manchester United sends our heartfelt condolences to Sir Alex Ferguson and his family. “Lady Cathy was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a tower of strength for Sir Alex throughout his career.” When the Jason Ferguson-directed documentary titled ‘Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In’ was released in 2021, Lady Cathy revealed Sir Alex had taken her to the cinema on their first date. “He bought me a box of liquorice allsorts at the movies, of which he ate all of them, and a local paper when we came out. That was my romantic day,” she said. “We got married in Glasgow registry office in 1966 and that was the start. I went to my work and he went to his football.” More follows Read More Listen: VAR audio reveals how incorrect offside decision against Luis Diaz was made Dog chased around pitch during Mexican football game after stealing ball The answers to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter quiz Auckland shooting takes place just 5km from venue of World Cup match Danish journalist ‘detained in Qatar for filming attack on Iranians by mob’ Rafael Nadal and wife welcome first child

On Thursday evening, Arsenal were still hoping that Bukayo Saka would feature on Sunday, but Mikel Arteta has had to start drawing up alternative plans. And that could serve his side well in a pivotal clash with the potential to define the title race. It is no bad thing to have Pep Guardiola second-guessing you, and the Manchester City manager can take that to third-, fourth- or even beyond fifth-guessing. The Catalan will be rolling everything around in his mind, having pored over recent footage. Most of the footage of recent Arsenal-City games, mind, has been all too clear. They’ve all gone one way, to an almost farcical degree. City have beaten Arsenal for 12 successive Premier League games. That run would be bad enough if it was over a bottom-half side, but it is virtually unprecedented among financial heavyweights or the old “big six”. Arsenal have admittedly had many iterations throughout what was a transformative and often difficult period in their history, but you have to go back to a Shkodran Mustafi header in April 2017 for the last time they even claimed a point off City. And you have to go back to December 2015, and goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud, for Arsenal’s last victory in the fixture. That is what Arteta is trying to overcome, as he makes constant appeals to only consider the present and the future. It is not just about revenge for last season, a quick recovery after a shock defeat to RC Lens or even reasserting Arsenal’s title credentials after a rare City defeat. It will be about overcoming the knowledge that the champions almost always beat them. That can be a huge psychological factor for a team, creating a fatalism, even subconsciously. Arteta can at least point to one big victory in the FA Cup as well as this summer’s shoot-out win in the Community Shield, but the fact that the Premier League represents their great ambition means there’s a different feel to it. It’s something they need to address, especially if they are to actually beat City in the league. It is one of those psychological hurdles that needs to be overcome, just as City faced with Manchester United after the Abu Dhabi takeover. The Community Shield may still influence this, mind, because of how Guardiola did something so different in that game. He decided to properly bait the press, in the same way that Roberto De Zerbi has made this his great innovation. Arsenal didn’t bite, and came through the game, but it has almost set a kind of tactical arms race in motion; where last season’s top two keep trading significant moves that could affect the course of this year. Arsenal beat City to Declan Rice, City attempted to undercut Arsenal’s entire approach by baiting the press. Arsenal didn’t respond but are trying to add more tactical variety to last season, meaning they didn’t start the campaign as well as the champions. City then lost Rodri to a red card and unexpectedly lost a game, allowing Arsenal back in. That could now be offset with the absence of Saka, as both managers attempt to figure out what happens next. Perhaps Arsenal are “due”, but that could have been said years ago. Will Guardiola attempt to bait Arsenal again? Does Arteta prepare for that, or something different altogether? Both of these managers could send each other down all manner of avenues with second guesses. And how it all ends may depend on just who starts. Read More Bukayo Saka ‘in contention’ for Arsenal vs Man City as Gareth Southgate reveals plan Gareth Southgate gives Bukayo Saka injury update ahead of Arsenal vs Man City Manchester City can put a stamp on the season with Arsenal win – Rico Lewis Bukayo Saka ‘in contention’ for Arsenal vs Man City as Gareth Southgate reveals plan Gareth Southgate gives Bukayo Saka injury update ahead of Arsenal vs Man City Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen make England return but Raheem Sterling left out

You may have seen the video of Jordan Henderson promoting Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. It is a moving watch. There’s his giant face plastered across the screen, while wearing the famous green and black colours of Al Ettifaq FC. “Very excited about the announcement,” Henderson says in his excited voice. “Go Saudi Arabia 2034.” It is important to note that his World Cup promotional work is voluntary. We know this because he said so in an interview with The Athletic. So when we see raw emotion like this on social media, we know we are getting real Henderson, authentic Henderson, out there backing the bid. Not a paid ambassador, just a boy who fell in love with a gulf state. Henderson is having one of his all-time great seasons: four assists in eight games as captain of Steven Gerrard’s Ettifaq outfit; still in the England squad despite no discernible superior attributes to James Ward-Prowse; all while getting the chance to grow the Saudi Pro League, one of his big motivations for moving there. He is not the only one excited. Gerrard described the prospect of a Saudi World Cup as “potentially one of the best shows the world’s seen”. Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema was stunned, tweeting: “Wow! Amazing news.” Al-Ahli winger Riyadh Mahrez was relieved the world will finally get to see the country’s “passion and love of the game”. If it sounds like they think the bid is already won, that’s because it might be. To catch up on a whirlwind week at Fifa HQ, it was announced on Wednesday that six countries across three continents would host the 2030 World Cup. That satisfied the confederations of Europe, Africa and South America. And barely an hour later, Saudi Arabia publicly launched its bid for 2034. Things have fallen into place quite nicely. Fifa’s rules on rotating the World Cup around the globe mean there are only two possible federations left to stage the 2034 World Cup: Oceania and Asia. That doesn’t leave a lot of competition. What’s more, Fifa gave any rivals to the Saudi bid a 25-day deadline for submission. Australia has hinted at joining the race, but a cynic might conclude it would be the tortoise chasing a wealthy and well-prepared hare that’s already crossed the finish line. The World Cup is a logical endpoint to something much bigger. Sport is a mirror to the world order, and Saudi’s emergence in football is both a consequence and a signal of a gravitational shift. As Rory McIlroy put it recently, upon accepting the increasing influence of Saudi Arabia on the game of golf: “You see everything else happening in the world, you see big private equity companies in America taking their money, the biggest companies in the world … if this is what’s happening, then the way I’ve framed it is that the world has decided for me.” There is an inevitability to all this. Even so, given the rapid emergence of an oppressive dictatorship in the world of football, it might have been nice for even just one press conference with Fifa’s dear leader, Gianni Infantino, to scrutinise this flurry of announcements that appear to pave the way for Saudi 2034. This, remember, is an organisation whose “corruption” section on Wikipedia is longer than this article. Infantino has himself taken on the distinct air of a dictator in recent years. He was sworn in for another term as Fifa president in March after winning an election unopposed, annointed to obedient applause at a ceremony in Rwanda. Fifa presidents are supposed to serve a maximum of three terms, but Infantino recently “clarified” that his first three years in the job didn’t count as he was only filling in for the deposed Sepp Blatter. It seems likely he will serve until the bitter end in 2031, capping a 15-year stint as the most powerful man in football. Infantino and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have a friendship of sorts and have been pictured at various matches together, most notably in Qatar last year. The 2034 World Cup might be the first tournament after his reign ends, a parting gift to Bin Salman, like a prime minister handing out one last peerage to an old ally. The road to 2034 will no doubt be smoothed by Saudi’s many levers of soft power. It will host the Fifa Club World Cup in December, and will continue to invest heavily in the Saudi Pro League. Lionel Messi remains an ambassador and Cristiano Ronaldo is its marquee player. The league is set to go after more big, bright stars closer to their prime, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah a high priority. All that will lay the groundwork for the ultimate goal, hosting the World Cup, a platform like no other to project Saudi Arabia’s global standing. So as Henderson put his enthusiastic support behind the message, emitting slight hostage energy, perhaps one day he might reflect that he was just a tool. Read More Jurgen Klopp: We haven’t looked for Alexis Mac Allister’s best position yet Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen make England return but Raheem Sterling left out Harvey Elliott hails team spirit after Liverpool’s new look midfield impresses Paul Pogba faces lengthy ban after anti-doping failure confirmed Liverpool’s new double-act are surprising even Jurgen Klopp Erik Ten Hag has endless problems, but Man Utd have a way out of toxic mess

Manchester United host Arsenal in an early meeting of two Women’s Super League title challengers. United finished second to Chelsea in the WSL title race last season with Arsenal third, and both clubs will be looking to stop the Blues from winning a fifth consecutive title this campaign. Marc Skinner’s side found an injury-time winner to defeat Aston Villa away from home in their opening fixture last weekend, while Arsenal were stunned by Liverpool in front of a record WSL crowd at the Emirates. The Gunners will therefore need to respond and a second consecutive defeat to start the season would be another early setback to their WSL title hopes. United, who won both meetings against Arsenal last season, will also come up against former striker Alessia Russo, after the England star switched to the Gunners at the end of her contract this summer. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Women’s Super League clash and get all the latest football odds and tips here. What time is Manchester United vs Arsenal? The match will kick off at 7:30pm BST on Friday 6 October and will be played at Leigh Sports Village. How can I watch it? The WSL clash will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with build-up starting on the latter at 7pm on Friday night. 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. What is the team news? Manchester United lost Scotland international Emma Watson to an ACL injury before the start of the season but have reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of facing Arsenal. The new signing and Brazil international Geyse had her first start of the campaign against Villa and is set to stay in Skinner’s line-up. Arsenal striker Alessia Russo should start against her former club. Beth Mead is close to a return but remains out for his one, as are Leah Williamson and Vivianne Miedema. Predicted line-ups Manchester United: Earps; Blundell, Le Tissier, Turner, George; Ladd, Zelem; Garcia, Toone, Galton; Geyse Arsenal: Zinsberger; Lacasse. Wubben-Moy, Ilestedt, Catley; Walti, Little, Maanum; McCabe, Foord; Russo Prediction Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal Read More Arsenal break Women’s Super League record – but suffer shock Liverpool defeat Alessia Russo to Mary Fowler – five Women’s Super League players to look out for Can anyone stop dominant Chelsea? – WSL talking points ahead of new season Jonas Eidevall: Alessia Russo won’t put herself under pressure on Man Utd return Man United and Tottenham eye move for Atletico Madrid’s transfer guru Erik Ten Hag has endless problems, but Man Utd have a way out of toxic mess

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has tweeted his apparent support for Kevin Keegan’s assessment that he doesn’t enjoy female footballers talking about men’s football. The former Newcastle, Fulham and England national team boss was talking to an audience in a Bristol event recently and made the comments saying he doesn’t like to “listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that.” Keegan’s comments drew ire from support groups and female fans, but Barton took to X/Twitter to issue a terse few lines of support, seemingly in agreement with Keegan’s sentiment that former Lionesses and their peers shouldn’t be joining in the assessment of men’s action. “Kevin Keegan. Ballon D’or winner 1978. England manager. He’s bang on,” Barton wrote on social media. Keegan had insisted he was a fan of women’s football in general and backed the presenters themselves as being of the highest calibre - Gabby Logan was singled out by Keegan at the time as a top example. “The presenters we have now, some of the girls are so good, they are better than the guys. It’s a great time for the ladies,” he added. “But if I see an England lady footballer saying about England against Scotland at Wembley and she’s saying, ‘If I would have been in that position I would have done this,’ I don’t think it’s quite the same. I don’t think it crosses over that much.” Keegan added he saw it as “a great time for the ladies’ game” in general and that the standard of play when he visited the Lionesses while England manager was higher than he had expected it to be. Barton has his own long history of making headlines, from altercations on the pitch and in dressing rooms as a player to more recent episodes as a manager. Last year he told the FA to “stop rewarding failure” and sack Gareth Southgate from the England national team job, while across 2021 and 2022 he was cleared of assault against both another football league manager and against his wife, the latter after a judge ruled he could not have a fair trial because prosecutors would not call the alleged victim to give evidence. Several years ago Barton, then Fleetwood boss, made a comment saying women’s football was essentially a “different sport” and should be tailored accordingly with smaller balls and goals, to avoid it remaining “an inferior product”. More recently, he was reported this season to have called one of his own players at Bristol Rovers an “idiotic young boy” for contributing to conceding a goal while injured, insisting his team needed to remove such “weak, feeble-minded individuals” to achieve promotion. Read More Kevin Keegan ‘has a problem’ with ‘lady footballers’ as TV pundits Government pressed for answers on Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour Rumours: Brazilian is Liverpool’s January target and City want Haaland renewal

Liverpool face Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League tonight as the Reds return to action after a controversial week of VAR fallout. The Reds saw their winning run come to an end in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, but Jurgen Klopp’s side were furious after the VAR failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed opener and finished the match with nine men after Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were sent off. And after a contentious week that has seen Klopp call for the Tottenham match to be replayed following the VAR error, Liverpool will look to make it two wins from two in Europa League Group E following their opening victory at Austrian side LASK. Liverpool have never played Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a competitive match. The Belgian side, who reached the Europa League quarter-finals last season, drew 1-1 in their opening match against Toulouse. Follow live updates from Liverpool vs Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League and get the latest match odds here. Read More Jurgen Klopp should know better — calling for replays sets a dangerous precedent Is Liverpool vs Union Saint-Gilloise on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Europa League Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool’s match at Tottenham to be replayed over VAR blunder

Freiburg welcome West Ham to Germany for a Europa League Group A fixture. The two sides will hope to continue strong starts to their continental campaigns - Freiburg were impressive in a 3-2 win at Olympiakos, while West Ham overcame Backa Topola. David Moyes’s men ended a rough run in the Premier League with a solid performance against Sheffield United at the weekend, and would take a significant step towards progressing with a win away from home. But Freiburg, though short of goals, have made an encouraging start in the Bundesliga and will hope to take control of the group. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fixture; see all the latest Europa League odds and tips for tonight here. When is Freiburg vs West Ham? Freiburg vs West Ham is due to kick off at 5.45pm BST on Thursday 5 October at Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the channel from 5pm BST. Subscribers can also stream the action via discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, 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 Yannik Keitel went off after just 20 minutes of Freiburg’s weekend win against Augsburg, and would appear unlikely for involvement. Manager Christian Streich has used both a back-four and a back-three this season. West Ham have Edson Alvarez back available after the former Ajax midfielder served a competition suspension in his new club’s Group A opener. Veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski should feature having lost his place as first choice to Alphonse Areola, but Aaron Cresswell is out with a hamstring injury. Predicted line-ups Freiburg XI: Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Schmidt; Hofler, Eggestein; Doan, Sallai, Grifo; Holer. West Ham XI: Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Mavropanos, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Paqueta; Kudus, Ings, Benrahma.. Odds Freiburg win 31/20 Draw 13/5 West Ham win 8/5 Get the latest football odds here. Prediction A draw. Freiburg 1-1 West Ham. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball VAR officials who missed Liverpool’s ‘onside’ goal to be replaced Why Europa League offers unmissable opportunity to Premier League sides Liverpool-Tottenham replay possible under Uefa rules loophole Jonas Eidevall: Alessia Russo won’t put herself under pressure on Man Utd return Gareth Southgate says: ‘I think we should just accept referees’ decisions’

A replay of Liverpool’s match at Tottenham could be possible on a legal interpretation of Uefa’s rules, according to those within football legal circles. Premier League sources are adamant that a replay of the controversial clash will not happen, especially since their rules only allow for a replay in the event of a club being guilty of an offence, but there is a belief that the fact the competition's own rules make no other mention may allow a new precedent to be set. Jurgen Klopp became the first figure to publicly raise the prospect of a replay in his Wednesday Europa League press conference. The Liverpool manager said he would prefer that as an outcome of this controversy, but admitted it's unlikely. Liverpool have not made such a request up to now, as the fall-out from the decision to wrongly disallow Luiz Diaz's goal continues. It was the nature of how that goal was ruled out that could create a problem for the game if the club do decide to pursue that route. A replay could be possible over incorrect application of laws, rather than an outright mistake: since the VAR actually identified that Diaz was onside, the correct application of the laws of the game would have been to award a goal, but that evidently didn't happen. That takes it beyond the threshold of a simple mistake, and could fall under the provisions for a protest to Uefa. The European governing body do allow clubs to submit protests - albeit within 12 hours of the game finishing. The current principles of the International Football Association Board [IFAB] regarding “admissability of protests” state that “protests may not be lodged against factual decisions taken by the referee”” and that “in principle, a match is not invalidated because of: malfunction(s) of the VAR technology (as for goal line technology (GLT)); wrong decision(s) involving the VAR (as the VAR is a match official); decision(s) not to review an incident; review(s) of a non-reviewable situation/decision”. Since it has been acknowledged by the PGMOL that this did constitute a “factual error”, there is a belief that this could be legally pursued. Liverpool themselves were involved in a potential precedent, when Roma complained about the incorrect decision of a corner - rather than a penalty - from a Stephane Henchoz handball in their 2000-01 Uefa Cup semi-final. Referee Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda initially pointed to the spot only to change his mind and indicate a corner. While a drop-ball should actually have been given in this situation, it was felt by Uefa that no further action should be taken as a corner actually ended up benefitting Roma more than the drop-ball. Had that not been the case, though, the governing body's use of language in the situation had some sources involved fearing the prospect of a replay might at least have been raised. Liverpool were surprised at the time that Roma's complaint got that far. Protests do usually have to be submitted within 12 hours of the end of the game in such cases, but the fact that the Premier League make no mention of replays means that the Uefa example could be pointed to in any legal case. Where Liverpool could find a greater likelihood of success is in suing for compensation, but there is an internal acknowledgement of how deep the repercussions could be depending on what happens next. The club are currently assessing what steps to take, as the PGMOL are set to improve their protocols following the biggest VAR error the Premier League has seen. Read More Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool’s match at Tottenham to be replayed over VAR blunder Gary Neville responds after Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool replay: ‘That’s madness’ MP condemns TalkSport presenter Simon Jordan over Liverpool ‘victim culture’ comment PGMOL rejects Ben Foster’s claim that refs pressured Sky into VAR cover-up Jurgen Klopp should know better — calling for replays sets a dangerous precedent Gary Neville responds after Jurgen Klopp calls for Liverpool replay: ‘That’s madness’

Aston Villa return to Europa Conference League action as they try to get their qualification hopes back on track against Bosnian champions Zrinjski Mostar. Playing European football for the first time in 13 years and having successfully negotiated Hibernian in the play-off round, Villa’s group stage started in disappointing fashion as they twice came from behind to equalise through Jhon Duran and Lucas Digne away to Legia Warsaw but eventually went down 3-2 in the Polish capital. That means victory over eight-time Bosnian title winners Zrinjski, who have climbed back to the top of the domestic game since Krunoslav Rendulic took over as manager last November, is a must and Unai Emery’s men are in good form since that defeat in Warsaw. They have beaten Chelsea and Brighton in the Premier League – the latter in a shock 6-1 thumping at the weekend – and will be heavy favourites to triumph on home turf, although Zrinjski are currently top of Group E after stunningly coming from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AZ Alkmaar 4-3 in their Europa Conference League opener. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fixture; see all the latest Europa League odds and tips for tonight here. When is Aston Villa vs Zrinjski Mostar? The match kicks off at 8pm BST on Thursday 5 October at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage on the channel from 7:45pm BST. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+, which is also available via Amazon Prime. 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. What is the team news? Villa were hit by the news that Boubacar Kamara, Moussa Diaby and Jacob Ramsey would all miss the match earlier this week, while Alex Moreno is out until after the international break and both Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia are long-term absentees. Leon Bailey should be back in contention after a thigh strain, however. Krunoslav Rendulic normally favours a 4-3-3 formation with Tomislav Kis and Nemanja Bilbija in contention to lead the line and Zvonimir Kozulj pushing for a start after scoring twice in Zrinjski’s remarkable comeback against AZ last month. Predicted line-ups Aston Villa: Olsen; Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Digne; Luiz, Tielemans; Traore, McGinn, Zaniolo; Duran Zrinjski Mostar: Maric; Corluka, Jakovljevic, Radic, Memija; Ivancic, Balic, Kozulj; Cuze, Kis, Ticinovic Odds Aston Villa win 1/10 Draw 10/1 Zrinjski Mostar win 30/1 Get the latest football odds here Prediction Villa to build on their impressive Premier League form and get their qualification hopes back on track. Aston Villa 4-1 Zrinjski Mostar Read More Unai Emery urges Aston Villa to adapt quickly to demands of European football Ollie Watkins scores hat-trick as rampant Aston Villa hit Brighton for six Unai Emery savours ‘special’ Villa Park atmosphere in rout of Brighton England boss Gareth Southgate hoping for positive news over Bukayo Saka fitness Arsenal renew Pedro Neto interest but face competition from two Premier League rivals Consistency the key for Vincent Kompany as he bids to lift Burnley

Gareth Southgate has named Bukayo Saka in his England squad, despite the Arsenal winger being an injury doubt ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday. The England manager has also recalled Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen ahead of upcoming matches against Australia and Italy during October’s international break. Saka came off in the first half of the Gunners’ 2-1 Champions League defeat at Lens on Tuesday night and manager Mikel Arteta said he had suffered a hamstring injury, admitting it was a concern ahead of the match against Manchester City this weekend. Among the other key calls from this announcement is Southgate’s decision to stick with Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson, while there is no place for Raheem Sterling, James Ward-Prowse or Anthony Gordon. Follow along for all the updates as England’s latest squad is announced: Read More Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen make England return but Raheem Sterling left out