Sold-out signs and the sight of the world’s best player gunning for revenge are set to make it a World Club Challenge to remember when Wigan pit their wits against triple NRL defending champions Penrith Panthers at the DW Stadium on Saturday.
The Warriors will join the Sydney Roosters as five-time winners of the prestigious, if inconsistently contested, pinnacle of the global club game if they deal a further blow to a side still smarting from their golden-point defeat to St Helens a year ago.
For all their acclaim as one of the greatest sides to grace Australia’s high-profile and lucrative NRL, Penrith are still yet to lift the accolade, having lost all three of their previous finals, including to Wigan in 1991, and it is something their talismanic half-back Nathan Cleary is desperate to put right.
“Losing to Saints last year still hurts, but we’re lucky enough to get the chance of redemption,” said Cleary, who led Australia to World Cup glory on his last visit to the UK in 2022.
“As a club we haven’t won the World Club Challenge so that’s another thing we want to do, get the final trophy in the cabinet.
“I have fond memories of being over here and winning the World Cup, and although I’m back with a different team there’s the same desire and drive. It’s a great challenge but also a great opportunity and the end goal would be special.”
In contrast Wigan boast a stirring history in the competition, their notoriously brutal initial win over Manly at Central Park in 1987, starring the likes of Ellery Hanley, Joe Lydon and Henderson Gill, followed by subsequent triumphs in 1991, 1994 and 2017.
In centre Adam Keighran, whom they signed from Catalans at the end of last year’s Grand Final-winning campaign, they also possess something of an inside-track on what makes their rivals tick, the 26-year-old having spent two years with Penrith’s New South Wales Cup side from 2018.
Keighran told the PA news agency: “I think there are similarities between both clubs. Penrith are a bit isolated out there in the west and they form a very tight-knit group involving the whole community, and I’ve noticed the same thing here.
“I know last year was a very disappointing loss for them and I think it’s something they’re very keen to change. I don’t think their perception of the English game has changed but they’ll be more hungry than they were last year to set things straight.”
After a sporadic start, the World Club Challenge has been played every year, barring Covid, since 2000, although it was not until 2014, when Wigan were swept aside by Sydney Roosters, that the event in its modern iteration was staged outside the UK.
The perceived reluctance of English teams to travel drew scorn from some in Australia who suggested clubs used the event as little more than pre-season preparation, but the nature and magnitude of Saints’ win last year appears to have contributed to a significant shift-change.
While the old days of well over 30,000 packing into the old Central Park to watch the win over Manly have long gone, the sold-out signs at the DW Stadium have been stuck up since January which bears testament to the enthusiasm for a fixture that could steer Wigan to the summit for a fifth time.
“There has been a real anticipation and buzz around the town for months now,” said Wigan captain Liam Farrell, who also played in his side’s defeat to the Roosters at the DW Stadium in 2019.
“The club has got a strong history in the World Club Challenge, so if we can play our small part in that and get a win on Saturday, that would be great for us to be a little piece of that special history.”
Wigan will draft academy product Harvie Hill into their line-up in place of new signing Luke Thompson, who is absent having failed a head injury assessment in the wake of their opening Super League win over Castleford.
Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary also turns to youth, with 20-year-old Jack Cole set to partner Nathan Cleary in the halves in the absence of the injured Jarome Luai.
Xavi is not expecting Getafe to sit back at Camp Nou when they face his Barcelona side on Saturday.
Nothing else but three points will do for Barca if they are to keep their flagging La Liga title hopes alive, as they trail their bitter rivals Real Madrid by eight points with 13 games to go.
Xavi, who will leave his position as head coach at the end of the season after a difficult campaign, does not think a win will be easily achieved by his team against a Getafe side who occupy 10th spot.
“Getafe are not a defensive team, they are a brave team,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“They press very high up the pitch and they have picked up points at some tricky away grounds. They always compete and (coach Jose) Bordalas always gets the most out of his players, and that is worthy of praise.
“The points are very important for the battle for the league title. As long as we are mathematically involved, we will fight for it. Each week is a different story. We can’t drop points, less so at home.
“We would go to be in second place in the table (above Girona) and that will put more pressure on Girona and Real Madrid, who play later. We are not throwing in the towel, even though we know that it will be tough.”
Barcelona come into the match after a 1-1 draw away to Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday.
“We will see how we come into the game, but it is the moment for the best players,” Xavi added.
“We will make some changes but not many, because it is a vital match. It would have been better to play on Sunday or Monday but that is no excuse.”
Barcelona are without Alejandro Balde (hamstring), who is sidelined for the rest of the season, while Marcos Alonso remains unavailable due to lower back pain, which has meant Joao Cancelo being forced to play at left-back.
“He is playing very well both on the left and on the right, his contribution is fantastic,” Xavi said about Cancelo.
“The instructions I give him are because sometimes he plays too high or too low. Also because he is closer to the bench for me (to communicate with). But he is a leader too, we are very happy with him.”
Scotland talisman Finn Russell is unfazed by the prospect of being targeted by England’s new blitz defence in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield.
The Red Rose have adopted a more aggressive approach for this year’s Guinness Six Nations after highly-regarded defence coach Felix Jones joined Steve Borthwick’s backroom team in the wake of helping South Africa win the World Cup.
England are expected to try to swarm stand-off Russell and his midfield colleagues in an effort to neutralise Scotland, but the 31-year-old has no issue with the possibility of being singled out.
“It’s probably similar to a lot of teams in that the 10s are the key players in attack,” said co-captain Russell. “I’m not sure what England are going to do – if they are going to fire out the line and try to take me out or shut me down from the outside.
“That is something we will have to figure out in the game. We will have to be able to adapt, with myself and Sione (Tuipulotu) and Huw (Jones) being on the same page and having Blair (Kinghorn) out wide as another option.
“Although the 10 controls a lot of the attack, it is not just down to me to create things. We will be looking to other boys to get away from them.”
Scotland were tamed the last time they came up against a Jones-inspired blitz defence when they lost 18-3 to South Africa at the World Cup in September, but Russell insists they have learned from that encounter.
“We have looked back and talked about that game, and obviously looked at England’s first two games of this campaign,” said Russell. “I think our learnings from the World Cup were not to go into our shells if we do feel the pressure.
“There were chances in that game against South Africa that we probably never saw on the pitch. Under pressure we probably went into our shell a little bit.
“Tomorrow we just need to have belief in ourselves and trust the work we have put in over the last six months to a year.
“At times we will be under pressure and it will be tough, but we can fall back to what we have done building up to this game.
“We can have belief and confidence in ourselves and hopefully we can take the chances that will be out there.”
After Russell lost his first three Calcutta Cup matches, including a 61-21 defeat at Twickenham in 2017, the Scots have won each of the last three meetings and have lost only one of the last six.
“With us and England, we have been progressing and over the last few years they have potentially not been as good as they can be,” said Russell. “But the World Cup showed how good they can be, getting to the semi-finals.
“Obviously they have won their first two games of this campaign so they are getting back to where they should be. They are one of the best teams in the world.
“We can’t look back at the last few games and think it has turned in our favour. Every time we play England, it is always a huge challenge and we have got to be at our best to be able to beat them.”
Zak Crawley insisted there was never any doubt “phenomenal” Joe Root would return to form for England following his unbeaten century against India.
Root came into the fourth Test having not reached 30 in the series while a couple of uncharacteristic dismissals recently led to scrutiny on whether he should tailor his methods to fit the ‘Bazball’ philosophy.
The argument has been Root does not need to alter his approach and he put his lean patch behind him with a more traditional Test innings to amass 106 not out as England went to stumps on 302 for seven.
The 33-year-old rescued England after they had slipped to 112 for five in a helter-skelter opening session on a cracked Ranchi pitch and Crawley believes the Yorkshireman is the only batter who could have dug the tourists out of the fire.
“He’s probably the only bloke in our team who could have done that knock, he’s that good and he’s stepped up when we needed him to,” Crawley said.
“He’s a phenomenal player. We fully expected him to get a good score at some point in this series. He was due, he’s the best player we’ve ever had and he played phenomenally.
“We’re so happy for him and we never doubted him. If anything we know that when he’s got a couple of low scores he’s even more likely to get the big one, and we expected that from him.
“He deserves everything he gets, he works so hard at his game and he always comes good.”
Root’s 31st Test hundred – brought up off 219 balls, the slowest century by any England batter under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum – was marked in understated fashion as he kissed the badge on his helmet and raised his bat to team-mates who were celebrating enthusiastically on the dressing-room balcony.
There was no sign of the reverse ramp he had gotten out to in Rajkot, which proved a sliding doors moment in England’s heavy defeat as they went 2-1 down in the five-match series, while conventional and reverse sweeps were rare occurrences.
Root was unbreachable in defence, judicious off front and back foot and unfurled his customary late cuts and leg glances behind square, while there was also the odd cover drive.
Crawley, though, insisted a surface offering early movement and uneven bounce throughout dictated Root’s more classical innings, rather than widespread criticism he has faced in the last few days.
“If the pitch had been truer, I reckon he would have still played those shots,” Crawley said.
“It might have just been the variable bounce which stopped him sweeping and paddling, it wasn’t really the pitch for that kind of thing; it was too inconsistent.
“In Dharamshala (which will host the fifth Test), it’s a flatter wicket, I’d fully expect him to reverse ramp one. That’s just Joe. He’s very present when he bats and doesn’t overthink too much.”
England went at 4.63 an over in the morning thanks to counter-attacking knocks from Crawley, who made a run-a-ball 42, and Jonny Bairstow’s 38 off 35 deliveries.
But the tricky surface, rather than a brain fade, was largely responsible for England’s precarious position at lunch, with Crawley bowled twice by Akash Deep, the first off a no-ball, as the India debutant bagged a three-wicket haul.
While the odd one still kept low, batting conditions improved upon the resumption as Root and Ben Foakes (47) combined to put on 113 to stabilise the tourists.
Crawley hopes England’s seamers can make similar inroads with the new ball but anticipates spin to dominate for the remainder of the match.
“I got out still fairly early but it looked like it wasn’t bouncing anywhere near as much or as quickly as earlier on against seam,” Crawley added.
“It got harder against the spin, it will continue to break up. It might be a new-ball wicket, hopefully it is when we bowl but the I think the spin’s only going to get harder.”
Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony says it would be disrespectful to regard rivals Wales as a “banana skin” ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash in Dublin.
Warren Gatland’s winless visitors arrive at the Aviva Stadium as major underdogs on the back of narrow championship defeats to Scotland and England amid a transitional period.
Reigning champions Ireland have not lost at home in three years and are in pole position to retain their crown following thumping bonus-point victories over France and Italy.
Munster flanker O’Mahony, who returns as one of seven personnel changes from the 36-0 victory over the Azzurri in round two, believes Wales’ players are a “different animal” when representing their country.
“I think a banana skin is a disrespectful term for this Welsh team,” said the 34-year-old.
“I’ve learnt the hard way a good few times; these people are very, very proud and they grow massively when they pull on that red shirt.
“They’re a different animal, a different team and I’ve been on the receiving end of some heavy losses to these guys a few times.
“There is transition but it’s the Welsh 15 coming tomorrow, it’s no one else and I know from experience they’re an unbelievably proud nation and they play big and earn the jersey.
“That’s what we’ll 100 per cent be expecting tomorrow.”
Ireland are chasing an 18th successive home win to equal England’s record, set in 2017, of 11 consecutive Six Nations victories.
Comments from the Wales camp suggest they will attempt to cause “chaos” in a bid to knock the hosts off their perch and register a first championship win on Irish soil since 2012.
O’Mahony accepts Ireland’s sustained form during the past three years has put a target on their back.
“Look, that’s the game, isn’t it? We’ve a good record, we’re playing well,” he said.
“We have spoken about it and we have a target on us but that comes with the territory and you have to be cool with that and that you are going to get the best of every team.
“We know when we’re good that we’re going to put teams under pressure and other teams know that now as well.
“As a result, we expect to get the best of every team and we have no doubt but that we’re going to get the best of Wales tomorrow.”
Ireland are on course to become the first side to claim back-to-back Grand Slam titles in the Six Nations era.
Yet O’Mahony, who replaced the retired Johnny Sexton as skipper after the World Cup, is not getting carried away.
“Oh Jaysus,” he replied when asked about the prospect of lifting silverware.
“Look, it would mean a huge amount for me tomorrow to win tomorrow, that’s what I’m focusing on.
“People can, I suppose, predict all they want but you can’t drop the ball of what’s in front of you.
“You’ve probably heard that before but as soon as you look past that, you know teams can trip you up and catch you out.”
Manchester United have received a blow with in-form striker Rasmus Hojlund expected to be out for between two and three weeks with a muscle injury.
That means the 21-year-old will definitely sit out Saturday’s Premier League match against Fulham, and almost certainly miss the Manchester derby on March 3.
Hojlund has been in a rich vein of scoring form, netting eight goals in his last eight appearances for United. His brace against Luton last Sunday also made him the youngest player ever to score in six consecutive Premier League games.
A United statement on Friday read: “Rasmus Hojlund has suffered a muscle injury which is expected to rule him out for two to three weeks. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Rasmus.”
The Denmark international’s absence will leave Erik ten Hag short of options in attack with Anthony Martial already missing, and is a second significant setback this week following news that Luke Shaw will miss several months with a leg problem.
Professional Fighters League founder Donn Davis has predicted a “historic” night ahead of the first Mixed Martial Arts event to take place in Saudi Arabia.
PFL’s title holders go up against belt holders from Bellator in a never-seen-before night of champions in Riyadh on Saturday.
This comes after the PFL acquired Bellator in November 2023.
Davis is relishing the opportunity of becoming the first MMA promotion to tie a deal with the sovereign state in a sold out event.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Davis said: “It’s historic. It’s the first-ever MMA event to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we get to be a part of something historic in sport.
“I think Saudi Arabia is the future of combat sports.
“We’re a company of yes and there is another company out there who is the company of no and they can do what they want. We try to do things different and put the fans first.
“It’s a big deal, this is our first primetime event and media deal on ESPN. Acquiring Bellator has also been a big deal and now this is a big step in us becoming a co-leader in MMA and we’re excited for Saturday.
“This is a collaboration between our partners in Saudi Arabia and us at the PFL.”
The inaugural event will feature the likes of PFL’s Ray Cooper III, Thiago Santos and Clay Collard as well as Bellator’s Patricio Pitbull, Yoel Romero, Ryan Bader and Johnny Eblen.
Davis compared the format to an NBA All-Star game, insisting PFL’s putting the fans first mindset helped create the idea.
“We wanted to do the first event in Saudi but only if it was a great big event,” Davis added.
“We came up with an idea which has never been done before in combat sports. Champions against champions. PFL v Bellator.
“It’s like an All-Stars game which has real stakes where the players and athletes really care.
“We have big prize money with an extra belt where there’s a ring inside the belt. This is a big card with 12 current or former champions, six ultra champion bouts, this has never been done before.
“People are asking what if all the Bellator fighters win? Then they all win. We try and do things the fans want to see.”
PFL have worked alongside Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, who has helped put on major boxing events including the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
When asked about his experience of working with leading figures in Saudi, Davis said: “Everybody here. Turki, the minister of sport (Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal), the PIF team, they all want to win and excel and that is the shared value. It’s been a pleasure.”
Warren Gatland wants Wales to show no fear and embrace the challenge when they tackle “world-class” Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
Wales have been largely written off – they are a 14-1 chance with some bookmakers – on the back of successive defeats against Scotland and England, while their last Six Nations win in Ireland was 12 years ago.
Ireland have lost just twice in their last 40 home Tests, need one more victory to equal England’s Six Nations record of 11 successive wins and are on a seemingly unstoppable march towards achieving historic back-to-back Grand Slams.
“We know how good a side they are,” Wales head coach Gatland said. “They are a settled team. They are world-class.
“We have got to be smart and not allow them to play the game on their terms. That is when they are incredibly dangerous.
“Just one moment from them can change the momentum of the game. They have got some key individuals, but we’ve got to try and put them under pressure to unsettle them.
“There has been a lot said about us being underdogs, but that is not a motivation for us. The motivation is the pressure we are putting on ourselves to get better from game one and two.
“We have spoken all week about having no fear.
“We have reflected, and (Wales captain) Dafydd Jenkins has spoken about it, we probably went into that first game with a little bit too much respect for Scotland in that first half, and that was the message at half-time. I think we saw an improvement at Twickenham.
“It is going to be a huge challenge for us but you have got to embrace that, you have got to be excited about that.
“I have spoken to the players about stepping up in big moments and being the one who wants to be part of a big moment and not having any fear about that, not going into your shell.”
Gatland has made a solitary change from the England loss, with fit-again Sam Costelow returning at fly-half instead of Ioan Lloyd.
There are further opportunities for newcomers Cameron Winnett and Alex Mann, while Cardiff back-row forward Mackenzie Martin is set for his Test debut off the bench.
The 20-year-old has played only nine games of professional rugby, and he will become the 1,200th Wales men’s senior international if he features against Ireland.
Gatland added: “We feel we are building for the future, and we have got some really talented young players at the moment who need time.
“I think the players are aware we have a huge amount of growth in us and where we can be in the next 12 months or so.
“We can’t hide away from that fact of how important it is to win (in) international rugby, because that is the expectation.
“When you put that jersey on, everyone expects you to go out there to perform and win.”
And Wales skipper Jenkins said: “We just need to go out there, leave everything out there and see what can happen.
“If we didn’t think that (Wales can win) there would be no point in going there in the first place. We have full confidence we can win and do a job, although it is going to be tough.”
Richard Fahey will bid to provide Sir Alex Ferguson with further international success when Spirit Dancer lines up in the Howden Neom Turf Cup on Saturday.
The seven-year-old gave the former Manchester United manager and his fellow owners, Ged Mason and Fred Done, a day to remember when scoring in the Bahrain International Trophy last November and attentions were soon turned to securing more valuable prizes in the region.
Spirit Dancer tuned up for his crack at this $2million prize by finishing fourth in Meydan’s Jebel Hatta last month and his handler believes that will have put him spot on for this Saudi Cup night assignment.
“I felt he would need the run the last day and it looked that way as well,” said Fahey.
“He has had four or five weeks to acclimatise now. It’s all stuff of dreams, which is becoming a reality when we get to run on Saturday.
“It’s fantastic here, we are well looked after and the horse is happy. When you come on these trips, the most important thing is how the horse is – and the horse is in good order. I’m very pleased with him and at the moment I wouldn’t swap my fella.”
Fahey admitted to being awestruck by the footballing great in the early stages of training for him, but now relishes the time they spend together comparing notes on how to prime star sporting talent for action.
“To be fair, when I first started training for him, I was a little bit humbled,” Fahey this week.
“I have some fantastic conversations with him and he has been to the yard three or four times now. He is just a wonderful man and you can see why he has been a success.
“It’s a humbling experience but it’s amazing, because even this (Thursday) morning we were discussing footballers and horses and Sir Alex was asking why we didn’t canter on the grass.
“I explained we race on the (grass) surfaces because if we were to train on them all the time, we wouldn’t have many horses left, so we tend to use the artificial surfaces – and he compared it to a very good football team whose training pitch was quite quick and a lot of the players were getting hurt, so there is comparisons with football and racing.”
There is plenty of British and Irish involvement in the extended 10-furlong event, with Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg a clear favourite with the bookmakers, having knocked on the door behind Auguste Rodin on home soil in the autumn before also going close in Hong Kong in December.
Andrew Balding’s The Foxes is another who is no stranger to international competition, having finished second in the Belmont Derby last summer, and the Dante winner is expected to take a step forward from his comeback run at Southwell recently.
A January afternoon at Rolleston is poles apart from the pressure cooker of Riyadh on Saudi Cup night, but connections are confident of a bold bid from their four-year-old.
“He’s got here in great form,” said the trainer’s wife and representative Anna Lisa Balding.
“I was very pleased with how he looked out there on Thursday morning.
“Last year, we took him to America and he finished second in a Grade One, so we felt he would be up to the travel again.
“We’re delighted with his position in gate six and Oisin Murphy is back on and he rides him so well. He needed the run last time at Southwell but it was a good effort and he will come on for it.”
John and Thady Gosden struck gold with subsequent Royal Ascot and Juddmonte International Stakes champion Mostahdaf 12 months ago and will look to repeat the dose with stable newcomer Jack Darcy.
Astro King has been something of a superstar for Daniel and Claire Kubler and their Cambridgeshire hero should not be underestimated after being far from disgraced in sixth behind Spirit Dancer last time.
“With a little more luck, he might well have placed second or third (in Bahrain),” said Claire Kubler.
“He was on the rail in Bahrain and ran into traffic. It was frustrating but we had to notice that it was established horses like Point Lonsdale and Nations Pride that were in his path and he was finishing stronger than them.
“It’s amazing for our team and his owners to be a part of this occasion. It’s so exciting and we feel he can run well.”
Premier League leaders Liverpool will face Sparta Prague in the last 16 of the Europa League, while Brighton face another glamour tie against Roma.
The Reds will travel to the Czech capital for the first leg on March 7, before a return at Anfield a week later in a competition Liverpool have won three times in the past.
Brighton’s maiden European campaign takes them to the Italian capital after they topped Group B containing Marseille, Ajax and AEK Athens.
Europa Conference League holders West Ham face German team Freiburg, while Rangers are up against two-time European champions Benfica from Portugal.
The Europa League final will take place in Dublin on May 22.
Liverpool reached the knockout phase of Europe’s second-tier competition by topping Group E.
Sparta are the reigning Czech champions and qualified for the knockout round play-off by finishing second in Group C. The clubs met in this competition back in 2011.
Brighton face a Roma side which reached the last 16 with a penalty shoot-out victory over Feyenoord in a play-off on Thursday night. The Giallorossi are in transition following the decision last month to sack Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho.
West Ham will feel confident of overcoming Freiburg, having beaten them home and away in the group stage earlier this season, while Scottish Premiership Rangers met Benfica in the Europa League group stage in 2020-21.
Aston Villa were drawn to face Dutch giants Ajax in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.
Villa progressed as Group E winners and now face the Amsterdam club, who have been champions of Europe four times.
Ajax signed England midfielder Jordan Henderson last month, although he did not feature as they beat Norwegian side Bodo Glimt in extra time to progress from the knockout play-off round.
The first leg will be played in Amsterdam on March 7, with the return at Villa Park on March 14. The Conference League final takes place in Athens on May 29.
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders believes it is impossible to replace Jurgen Klopp and the club should not try to find a replica but someone who can develop their own dynasty.
Klopp’s shock decision to step down at the end of the season began an unenviable task for owners Fenway Sports Group of finding a successor for a manager who has won every club honour – bar the Europa League – during his time at Anfield.
The German has the chance to add to his tally of trophies this weekend in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday and the finale to the season could see them contend for another three in what would be a remarkable send-off.
But Lijnders, who with the rest of Klopp’s backroom staff is also leaving, insisted there was no point in trying to find someone who would be a clone of the 56-year-old, with former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso currently the leading candidate.
“No one can replace Jurgen Klopp. But I think the past showed already a few difficult transitions,” said the Dutchman.
“What was the most difficult transition inside this club was (Bill) Shankly saying ‘That’s me’. (Bob) Paisley stepped up and was completely different from Shanks.
“It shows, as a club, we have to search for someone who wants to grow, who has the mindset to develop.
“I think we did the right thing by announcing early so the club has real time to make this transition smooth but the past has already shown that it is really impossible.
“The (Pep) Guardiola team of Barca, he says out of nothing ‘That’s me’ and then Tito (Vilanova) took over and has the highest win ratio ever – that was probably the most difficult transition in the last 15 years.
“What I’m trying to say is they don’t have to replace Jurgen, they have to find a good, good manager because nobody will replace Jurgen.”
There was a concern that Klopp’s announcement could possibly derail a team which leads the Premier League, faces Southampton in the FA Cup next week and is favourite for the Europa League, having been drawn against Sparta Prague in the last 16.
However, that has not been the case with five victories and just one defeat since the news broke and Lijnders said that was down to the mentality within the dressing room.
“I think you underestimate our squad, the personalities in it,” he added.
“They have been through a lot already, in recent history but also how they grew up; a lot of these boys had to show character from a young age – not everything went easy for them.
“A lot of us get a lot of criticism but we grow with this, it only feeds us. All these boys know how to deal with it.
“A lot of these boys didn’t win anything with Liverpool yet so of course they give everything despite the manager saying he is leaving.
“We are stable enough to deal with it. That’s what I thought before – but you never know. It is in the back of your mind but I, we, trust the squad enough that they can deal with that.
“We never make it more complicated than it is and I like that. It is the next game, that’s our final – and it is a final so let’s give everything on this planet to win this one and give joy and emotion to the fans.”
Liverpool will make a late decision on the fitness of forwards Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, who both missed the midweek win over Luton, and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who has not played since the league win over Chelsea at the end of January.
Lewis Hamilton said his Mercedes exit to join Ferrari is because he believes it is time to write “a new chapter” in his record-breaking career.
Hamilton was speaking for the first time at length since his blockbuster move to the Italian giants in 2025 was confirmed earlier this month.
The 39-year-old, who joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, signed a two-year contract extension only last August.
But over the winter he elected to terminate his £100million deal 12 months early to make the switch.
“Obviously in the summer we signed and at that time I saw my future with Mercedes,” said Hamilton as he opened up on his decision to make the move to Ferrari.
“But an opportunity came up in the New Year and I decided to take it. I feel like it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make.
“I have had a relationship with Mercedes since I was 13. They have supported me, and we have had an incredible journey together, created history within the sport and it is something I take a lot of pride in.
“But ultimately I am writing my story, and I felt like it was time to start a new chapter.”
England batter Zak Crawley hailed Joe Root’s spectacular return to form after the Yorkshire star hit an unbeaten 106 to leave his side in a strong position at stumps on the first day of the fourth Test against India in Ranchi.
Having averaged 12.83 after his first three matches of the series, Root produced a superb performance, including a 113-run stand with Ben Foakes, which Crawley believes rubber-stamped his team-mate as one of the best batters in his country’s history.
Crawley told TNT Sports: “We’re so happy for him and we never doubted him. If anything we know that when he’s got a couple of low scores he’s even more likely to get the big one, and we expected that from him.
“He’s phenomenal, and he’s one of, if not the best we’ve ever had playing for England.”
England initially struggled on an unpredictable pitch with Crawley bowled by Akash Deep on 42, but the opener praised the way the tourists hit back to reach 302 for seven at close.
Jonny Bairstow made a rapid 38 while Foakes contributed a steady 47 to his stand with Root. Ollie Robinson also finished the day unbeaten on 31.
Crawley added: “It was tricky early on with the ball nipping around a lot and we had to throw a couple of punches back, which I think myself and Jonny did well.
“I was trying to bat normally at the start but it was so difficult – I just felt like there was one with my name on eventually. I thought I’d throw something back and I did start to feel a bit more comfortable after that.
“The boys played unbelievably in the middle session and then Joe got very good support from Tom (Hartley) and Ollie as well.
“I said beforehand that if we get 280 to 300, we’re in a very good position so I stand by that – we are ahead of the game.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Lord North will look to retain his BetUK Winter Derby title as he blows away the cobwebs ahead of his usual Dubai travel.
The Dubawi gelding won the race last season when defeating Roger Varian’s Tyrrhenian Sea by three and a quarter lengths and was second the year prior when coming home behind William Haggas’ Alenquer.
The Group Three contest has become something of preparation run for him before he heads out to Meydan for the World Cup meeting in March, where he has won the Group One Dubai Turf for the past three seasons.
He landed that contest by three-quarters of a length last year and has not been seen since, meaning he returns from a significant break to try to regain his Winter Derby title at its new home – and distance – of Southwell.
“He’s won the race and finished second, it’s served him well as a good prep race for the Dubai Turf,” said Thady Gosden of Robert Havlin’s mount.
“Although of course the race switching from a mile and a quarter at Lingfield to a mile and three furlongs at Southwell significantly changes the dynamic of the race.
“In a similar fashion to last year we hope he’ll come forward for the run, though obviously it’s his first run back since Dubai last year.”
The Gosden team also run Godolphin’s Forest Of Dean (Kieran O’Neill), a race regular who has been part of the line-up for the past three seasons.
The eight-year-old was the winner in 2021 and then finished fourth in the 2020 and sixth last year.
“He’s obviously well versed on the all-weather, he’s been in good order at home,” Gosden said of the bay.
“Again, it’s a different type of track to last year but hopefully the track and the trip should suit him.”
The flashy grey Tyrrhenian Sea takes his place again, with Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Claymore making his second start on the all-weather.
There is a fascinating contender in Eydon, who represents his new trainer Andrew Balding as he returns to action.
The five-year-old won the Listed Feilden Stakes in 2022 and was fourth in the 2000 Guineas that same season before injury intervened when being prepared for the Derby.
He has now moved stables having previously been trained by Varian and he will be partnered by Kevin Stott on his comeback.
“Andrew has been pleased with him and was pleased with his gallop at Kempton,” said Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal.
“We’ve got a Group One-winning jockey – all the jockeys seem to be out in Saudi Arabia – but I think we we have a good young jockey on and we will see what happens.
“It’s a pretty even field and they are all rated around the same figures apart from Lord North and we will see.”
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