Carabao and Calcutta cups up for grabs this weekend
Ireland v Wales – Six Nations rugby union – Saturday 24 February – ITV from 1.30pm (Kick-off at 2.15pm)
Here's your Ireland team to play Wales #IREvWAL#NatWest6Nations#ShoulderToShoulderpic.twitter.com/2FkFgsY1Wm
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) February 22, 2018
TEAM NEWS Wales welcome back @lionsofficial trio Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams for #IREvWAL. Croeso nol i Lewod Halfpenny, Williams a Biggar i wynebu Iwerddon dydd Sadwrn. pic.twitter.com/MDgRyrrmGM
— Welsh Rugby Union (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 20, 2018
Ireland go into Saturday’s clash level with title holders England on nine points but top of the Six Nations table on points scored. They make a handful of changes to the side that beat Italy with British & Irish Lions duo Tadhg Furlong and Iain Henderson missing out through injury.
Warren Gatland’s Wales, still smarting from their narrow defeat at Twickenham, are boosted by the return of Dan Biggar at fly half and Leigh Halfpenny at full back.
Given Ireland have dominated both territory and possession in their opening two matches, Wales face an uphill battle to keep their tournament hopes alive in Dublin.
Scotland v England – Six Nations rugby union – Saturday 24 February – BBC One from 4pm (Kick-off at 4.45pm)
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT | The starting line-up from Scotland’s win over France returns for this Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash with England at BT Murrayfield. WP Nel, Tim Swinson & Nick Grigg join the bench. #AsOnepic.twitter.com/Y5xRtywAkz
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 21, 2018
BREAKING | Your England team to face @Scotlandteam on Saturday in the #NatWest6Nations
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 22, 2018
More here ➡ https://t.co/3nLF9XYDuR#SCOvENG#CarryThemHomepic.twitter.com/ZBQMV56FN3
After getting their first win of this year’s Six Nations, following a nip and tuck win over a struggling French side at Murraryfield, Scotland will look to continue their return to form against tournament favourites England as the pair face off for possibly one of the ugliest trophies in world sport, the Calcutta Cup.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has named an unchanged side while Eddie Jones’s solitary switch comes at number eight as Nathan Hughes returns to replace Sam Simmonds.
Scotland have established a formidable home record in recent years, and with England yet to hit top gear, expect another close affair.
Check out The Morning Advertiser's guide to the Six Nations here.
Manchester United v Chelsea – Premier League football – Sunday 25 February – Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 2pm (Kick-off at 2.05pm)
If the war of words between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte is anything to go by, punters could be in for a treat when second place Manchester United host fourth place Chelsea on Sunday.
Since a flare-up between Mourinho and his opposite number at Stamford Bridge in October 2016, after 'the special one' was on the wrong end of a 4-0 humbling as United boss, the pair have been at loggerheads.
After taking issue with Conte’s celebrations on the day, Mourinho has rattled off public digs at Conte’s hair transplant, match-fixing suspension and called the Italian a 'clown', leading to publicly downgrade the Portuguese from the special one to ‘a little man’,
Though Chelsea’s form since the new year has been patchy, including 3-0 and 4-1 defeats to Bournemouth and Watford respectively – they’ve only lost once to Manchester United since May 2013.
Arsenal v Manchester City – Carabao Cup Final – Sunday 25 February – Sky Sports Main Event from 4pm and Sky Sports Football from 3.30pm (Kick-off at 4.30pm)
Both Arsenal and Manchester City will look to put respective reverses against Ostersunds and Wigan behind them – though Arsenal still advanced despite their poor Europa League showing – to snap up the season’s first piece of silverware.
While Premier League leaders Man City have won the League Cup twice in four seasons – beating Sunderland and Liverpool – it’s the only domestic trophy that Arsene Wenger hasn’t delivered to the Arsenal faithful.
Though they reached a final in 2011 – succumbing to an 89th minute winner from Birmingham City’s Obafemi Martins following a mix-up between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny – their last triumph in the competition came in 1993.
Winter Olympics – BBC will broadcast live coverage from midnight until 8pm across BBC One and BBC Two on both Saturday and Sunday
The final two days of competition from Pyeongchang in South Korea sees a total of 14 medals up for grabs.
Great Britain’s largest ever contingent of winter Olympians sit 18th in the medals table with Norway topping the standings with 35 prizes so far.
Saturday sees Britain’s four-man bobsled team in action. Having all-but been awarded a retrospective bronze medal from Sochi in 2014, after five Russian bobsledders had bans upheld, the team will hope to earn a medal on the day rather than have to wait several years.
Elsewhere, British debutant Billy Morgan hopes to earn a medal in the Big Air finals to round off an impressive showing in Pyeongchang, while Britain’s female curlers compete for a bronze medal before the closing ceremony on Sunday evening.
