Eddie Howe has admitted Newcastle will have to unearth future superstars before they hit the headlines after playing down links with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
The high-flying Magpies have found themselves at the centre of speculation over big-money moves ever since Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium completed its takeover at St James’ Park in October 2021.
Newcastle, in which Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund holds an 80 per cent stake, have invested in excess of £250million in new players in the last three transfer windows, but have been touted as contenders to land both Portuguese giant Ronaldo and Brazilian counterpart Neymar in recent days.
Asked about the prospect of some of the best players in the world one day plying their trade on Tyneside, head coach Howe – who has persistently cited financial fair play as a limiting factor on the club’s recruitment plans – said: “It is best to discover them before they explode onto the world scene.
“We could not be able to come close to affording those players as they are the best players in the world.
“We are never going to be in a position currently to afford those transfer fees and wages, so we need to go underneath and find them young and develop them into the players they can be.”
The Magpies’ business to date has been shrewd with the likes of Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier having arrived for relatively modes fees before more sizeable investment in Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
But, having guided the club into third place in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s showdown with title-chasing Arsenal, Howe knows it is inevitable they will be linked with bigger names.
Asked about Ronaldo and Neymar, he said: “That kind of speculation has been there from day one since the takeover, really. Naturally everyone has then assumed the biggest names in world football will be going to Newcastle.
“Now we’ve not recruited that way. Financially, we can’t recruit that way at the moment, but also we have to bring the right people and the right players into the group.
“I will say the transfer market is such a complex decision, you can’t just pick a name and bring them in. There’s got to be a lot of thought going into what we’re doing both financially and looking at the players.”
“Those two players are unbelievable players. We are linked with different names.
“I know what direction I want to take the team in and what we can and can’t do in the transfer market.”
Howe’s comments came amid reports that Lionel Messi could command a £320million a year package – £15million more than Staveley and her partners paid for Newcastle – if he opts to move to Saudi Arabia’s Pro League this summer.
The Premier League is reaching its climax and issues are becoming clearer at both ends of the table.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the talking points ahead of the weekend’s games.
The return of ‘Big Sam’
Leeds go to Manchester City on Saturday for Sam Allardyce’s first game since leaving West Brom in 2021, following the sacking of Javi Gracia. The former Bolton and West Ham boss has been bullish about his ability, saying he is equal to any manager in the league. It will be a thankless task at the Etihad, though, with City having won 14 of their last 15 games – and drawing the other – in all competitions. Defeat might be expected but Allardyce knows how to squeeze the best out of sides and Leeds need their late gamble to work.
Revived Liverpool can cement fifth
Five straight wins and seven unbeaten in the Premier League have lifted Liverpool to fifth, and while the top four seems unlikely they are in pole position to finish best of the rest. The visit of Brentford represents another chance to cement their place ahead of the chasing pack of Brighton, Tottenham and Aston Villa. Jurgen Klopp’s side have rediscovered some swagger and a way to win – snatching a 4-3 injury-time victory over Spurs despite blowing a 3-0 lead – even if it is a little late.
Arsenal entering the endgame
The Gunners’ trip to Newcastle may finally see their title chance slip away. With City hosting Leeds on Saturday, they could find themselves four points behind the leaders by the time they kick off at St James’ Park. It has been a gallant attempt from Arsenal, one few would have foreseen at the start of the season, but they are teetering on the brink of seeing City take another title. The Magpies have won four of their last five games to cement their top-four place while Arsenal need to win in the north east to keep their hopes alive.
Forest’s big chance with Saints on the brink
At the bottom, Southampton looked doomed and Nottingham Forest cannot pass up the chance to boost their survival chances. As the Monday night game, the hosts will know how their relegation rivals did – with Leicester heading to Fulham, Leeds at Man City and Everton going to Brighton – and favourable fixtures elsewhere make a win at the City Ground imperative. Defeat would leave the Saints staring into the abyss and the Championship. If they lose, and one of Leicester and Leeds win, they will be nine points from safety with an inferior goal difference and three games left.
Can Chelsea get any worse?
Beleaguered Frank Lampard takes Chelsea to resurgent Bournemouth on Saturday having lost all of his six games in charge in all competitions. They have not won in the league for almost two months and have scored just twice since the former England man replaced Graham Potter in April until the end of the season. Chelsea have fast become a laughing stock, having spent almost £600m this season, and go to the Cherries with the hosts mid-table and virtually safe. It would not be a surprise to see Lampard’s record read 007 by 5pm on Saturday – hardly a licence to thrill.
Klay Thompson felt "moments of euphoria" as his impressive performance led the Golden State Warriors to a 127-100 win over the Lakers in the NBA playoffs.
Golden State levelled their second-round series at 1-1 on Thursday, as Thompson thrived by scoring 30 points in a display that included eight 3-pointers.
The hot-shooting Warriors bounced back from Tuesday’s close Game 1 loss to recapture the momentum ahead of Game 3 in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Golden State shot over 50 percent overall and set an NBA record for the most 3-pointers in the first two games of a playoff series with 42.
And Thompson now has 12 playoff games where he has made at least seven 3-pointers, giving him an NBA record.
"These are moments you work for," Thompson said after the game, per NBC Sports.
"You might not see them all the time when you're in the gym, when you're conditioning, running a thousand miles.
"Those short moments of euphoria and that flow state where you just feel like you can't miss, make all those hard days more than worth it.
"I was just trying to get the crowd going, and it's always fun when you shoot the ball well. But it's even better when you couple that with a win."
Thompson was visibly animated in the closing stages of the game, often shouting and jumping in delight as he converted shot after shot.
He was 8-of-11 from 3-point range and 11-of-18 shooting, with 14 of his points coming in a third quarter that the Warriors dominated 43-24 to end any hopes of a Lakers comeback.
"Sometimes when you are out there and you're having fun, things just come about without intention or thought," explained Thompson.
"I think I was saying something along the lines of probably a few cuss words I'm not proud of. But those are the moments I feel the best as an athlete - when you feel like you're just clicking with your game, it’s just effortless."
Thompson had 25 points in Game 1, but shot only 9-of-25 in the opener.
"I relaxed a little bit more," Thompson said about his improvement in Game 2.
"I was not happy with my Game 1 performance. Shot the ball very inefficiently and probably rushed some shots. So I just let it come to me. I was telling myself to stay patient and it paid dividends."
Draymond Green came up just short of a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He relished seeing his fellow four-time NBA champion Thompson thrive.
"I just knew he was locked in," said Green. "He was really p****d off with our [Game 1] performance and he was dialled in coming in.
"When he's getting great looks like that, we know he's one of the best shooters to ever play this game."
Stephen Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, while JaMychal Green added 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting in his first playoff start since 2019.
Liam Gordon is adamant St Johnstone will not panic after being dragged back into a relegation battle.
The Perth men looked comfortable just a couple of months ago as they chased a place in the top six while other teams near the bottom struggled for form.
But after failing to win any of their last seven games, they go into the post-split fixtures having allowed 10th-placed Dundee United and 11th-placed Kilmarnock to close to within two points of them, while they are just six points clear of last-placed Ross County.
Captain Gordon – whose side needed a relegation play-off to survive last term – is adamant he and his colleagues will not allow the renewed threat to their cinch Premiership status to spook them.
“It’s not rocked us at all,” he said ahead of Saturday’s showdown with United at McDiarmid Park. “It’s obviously a position we didn’t want to find ourselves in because of the position we were in (recently) but these things happen in football.
“We had a couple of poor weeks and we find ourselves in this situation and it’s up to ourselves to get out of it but I wouldn’t say we’re rocked at all.
“We know the task at hand, we’re all prepared and we’re ready to do it. The pressure is always high at any stage of the season but obviously it is coming to crunch time.
“We’ve got five cup finals left, and it’s not just us who will be looking at it like that. But if we apply ourselves the way we know we can and keep to the level of performance we put in against Hibs (in the recent 1-1 draw), we should be good.”
Gordon has been impressed by the manner in which his former team-mate Steven MacLean has handled himself since stepping up to become interim manager following the sacking of Callum Davidson last month.
“He’s been really good,” said the defender. “He’s obviously been in a coaching role for a while so he’s got that experience under his belt but he’s always been very knowledgeable, you could see that from the way he played the game himself.
“He had a great understanding of the game, he was a very clever player. He’s obviously his own man and he’s putting his own ideas across, and the players are really buying into it and enjoying it.
“We’ve had a couple of good training weeks and the Hibs game was a good performance, so it’s been all positive. The boys are upbeat and we’re ready for the fight.”
Sam Allardyce has urged Leeds to produce their best defensive display of the season in his first game in charge on Saturday at Manchester City.
The former England boss, 68, has four games remaining to try and preserve Leeds’ Premier League status after replacing Javi Gracia on Wednesday.
Allardyce, who will be back in the dugout for the first time since leaving West Brom in 2021, said: “Defensively the team will have to be the best it’s been this season.
“Obviously it’s been a bit frail and we’re going to try and put that right while we’ve been here.
“In possession I’ve always seen them to be very, very good, so there’s not a lot of work needs to be done from that point of view.
“But out of possession recently, as everyone can see by the goals conceded, it’s something that needs most work on in the short time we’ve had.”
Leeds sit above the relegation zone on goal difference and the former Bolton, Newcastle, West Ham, Sunderland and Everton boss said he was delighted with the players’ reaction to his survival plan.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” he said. “The players have aired their views and that’s important for me.
“We’ve come together and put a plan together. We’ve analysed the best way we can play on Saturday and listened to a lot of staff already here about players.
“We’ve formulated an idea and we’ll tell them the starting XI later (on Friday) morning.
“They’ve got to do the talking on the pitch now. I can talk here as much as I want, but I want the players to go out and show we’ve made a difference and that they’re passionate enough to fight to the very end.”
Allardyce insists Pep Guardiola’s City, who he rates alongside Manchester United’s Treble-winners of 1999 as the best ever in the English top flight, are closing in on their fifth title in six seasons because of how they defend.
“Why are Man City top of the league? Because they’ve got the best defensive record,” he said.
“City, defensively, are the best at everything. The general public don’t look at that, but that’s why they’re top now.”
Allardyce claimed earlier in the week that he was as good a manager as Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta and in response the City boss agreed.
Guardiola said the current generation of top managers had all learned off the likes of Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and Neil Warnock.
“We’ve always got on,” Allardyce added. “He’s a great guy and his knowledge is fantastic. It’s great to be pitting your wits against him.
“His management style over the years has been fabulous and the sad thing for us is they’re in the best form they’ve been in all season because they’ve won nine on the trot.”
Allardyce, who will be without Tyler Adams, Luis Sinisterra and Liam Cooper at the Etihad Stadium, admitted he will be anxious ahead of kick-off.
He will return to the dugout for the first time since being relegated from the top flight for the first time in his 30-year managerial career with last club West Brom at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Allardyce added: “The nerves carry on until kick-off, then they disappear for me.
“After the game, who knows, I’d like to be able to smile. That would be one magnificent result, if we get one.”
Tony Watt’s stint at St Mirren could be over after picking up an ankle injury in training.
The 29-year-old striker has made 11 appearances and scored once for the Buddies since joining on loan from cinch Premiership rivals Dundee United in January.
Ahead of the trip to Easter Road to play Hibernian on Saturday, St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson revealed Watt is to have a scan and admitted his concern about the Scotland cap for the five post-split fixtures.
The Northern Irishman said: “We had an injury to Tony Watt in training yesterday so he is not going to be available for Saturday.
“He went over on it. It was innocuous, just two players came together and he went over the wrong way but we are quite concerned about it at the moment
“He is having scans on his ankle today.
“Obviously we spoke to Dundee United, who own Tony, and we will have the results today and see where we go with it, but we are quite worried about it at the moment.”
Asked whether it was likely Watt could miss the rest of the campaign, Robinson said: “Potentially, yes. Obviously it’s hard to say without the scans but, on the initial look at it, the medical team weren’t too happy with it.
“It reduces our options in the forward areas, with Jonah (Ayunga) already injured, but we have people who have stepped in and done really well before. Alex Greive, young Lewis Jamieson and Greg Kiltie can play in those areas of the pitch as well.
“It is something we are dealing with and we won’t use it as an excuse.”
Neil Warnock is open to another managerial challenge in the future, but says he will only return to work towards the end of next season after masterminding Huddersfield’s Championship survival.
The 74-year-old was tempted out of retirement in mid-February by a return to one of his former clubs, with the Terriers battling to get out of the relegation zone at the time.
A run of just one defeat in nine league matches saw Huddersfield complete a remarkable turnaround, with the 1-0 home win over promoted Sheffield United on Thursday night securing their place in the Championship and in turn relegating Reading to League One.
Warnock’s long managerial career has spanned more than 1600 games and included eight promotions.
While there are no immediate plans to stay in the game and plan for the start of the new campaign with Huddersfield, Warnock hinted should another interesting opportunity present itself early in 2024, he would give it serious consideration.
“It is lovely how it happened and the fans were fantastic last night, but it was hard work, probably the hardest job I have ever had really. But it is great to come away when you when you have been successful,” Warnock said on talkSPORT.
“The new (Huddersfield) owner is coming over, I think for the game (against Reading) on Monday, and no doubt I will have a chat with him.
“If I can help them at all (with thoughts on a new manager) I will do, but a lot of people (already) have their own ideas about things like that.
“At the minute I am just concentrated on making sure we stayed up really. It gives them a better chance of building for the future.
“It is a good club, the fans have been brilliant, so I am pleased to put a bit back into it.”
Warnock added: “(After the season) I am going to be doing some shows, ‘an evening with’, and I have really enjoyed them.
“I have got some in May and June, then after the one in September, that is me done and then the time is our own really – there are one or two places which (my wife) Sharon wants to go to.”
Asked if he would consider a return to management again if an opportunity came up towards the end of next season, Warnock said: “That will do me – I don’t mind the end of February, March and April, (but) I can’t work any longer than that.”
Tao Geoghegan Hart can show he is back to his best at the Giro d’Italia over the next three weeks, according to two-time former winner Alberto Contador.
Londoner Geoghegan Hart enjoyed his breakout moment at the pandemic-affected 2020 edition of the Italian Grand Tour, claiming the pink jersey on the final day by beating Jai Hindley in the decisive time trial in Milan.
Since then, the 28-year-old has endured a difficult period with illness and injury, but last month he took two stage wins and overall victory at the Tour of the Alps last month – his first general classification win since the Giro.
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Geoghegan Hart will go into the Giro as a co-leader of the Ineos Grenadiers alongside 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, 36, while the squad also includes emerging talent Thymen Arensman.
“I think that the 2020 Giro was a little bit different (because of Covid-19) but we know that Tao has an incredible talent,” Contador told the PA news agency.
“At the Tour of the Alps he was very strong. Many riders that will be at the Giro were there and he won two stages and also the GC so for sure he is a good option and Tao can come back at the top.”
But, although Geoghegan Hart is seen as a contender, the main focus going into the race is on world champion Remco Evenepoel and three-time Vuelta a Espana winner Primoz Roglic.
“Everyone expects a big battle between Remco and Roglic but there are some up riders who can shake things up like Arensman, Thomas, (Joao) Almeida, and Tao, and they can make things difficult for the two big favourites,” added Contador, part of Eurosport’s analysis team for the race.
“If those two riders make a mistake they can have their chance. I cannot give to you one name. Both are very strong in the time trials and also the climbs, but the important thing in the Giro is always to not have a bad day as you can lose many minutes.”
An imposing Giro route – which covers a total of 3,489 kilometres and includes 51,400 metres of climbing – begins with an 19.6km time trial from Fossacesia Marina to Ortona on Saturday, the first of three time trials that cover a total of 73km over the three weeks.
There are also summit finishes on the Crans Montana, Monte Bondone, Val di Zoldo and Tre Cime di Lavaredo, plus seven stages of more than 200 kilometres and four others that come within a whisker, promising a gruelling three weeks for those intending to go all the way to Rome.
“This year the Giro comes back to the old style, the traditional long stages, days with more than 5,000 metres of climbing and 11 stages close to 200 kilometres,” Contador said. “It will be very important to recover day by day because the last week is normally the hardest week.
“I think the last time trial (18.6km from Tarvisio to Monte Lussari Tudor on stage 20) will make the difference because some riders can lose everything there.”
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Contador won the Giro in 2008 and 2015, part of a career that also brought two Tour wins and three Vuelta crowns. The Spaniard was additionally stripped of the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro title after testing positive for clenbuterol.
“For me, the Giro is my favourite race for sure,” he said. “I was there my first time in 2008, going at the last minute because of a sponsor, and three weeks later I won the Giro. The Tifosi love me and for me it is the most beautiful because you can break from the script and go on the attack.
“The Vuelta is special for me, my home race, and the Tour de France is the biggest race in the world, but my favourite is the Giro.”
:: Watch live and exclusive coverage of the Giro d’Italia on Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+
British boxer John Ryder claims he will be no pushover as he prepares to fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight titles this weekend.
Ryder has travelled to Guadalajara in Mexico as he aims to become England’s first undisputed male champion in the four-belt era on May 6.
Canelo bounced back from his defeat to Dmitry Bivol, this exact weekend last year, with a unanimous decision victory over Gennadiy Golovkin four months later and while fighting in Mexico is new for Ryder, Canelo has never fought in front of his home crowd either.
Much discussion leading up to the fight has claimed champion Canelo has chosen an ‘easy’ bout in a bid to add another British fighter to his winning record, along with the other seven that have come before The Gorilla.
Ryder is keen to show the world that Saturday will not be straightforward for Canelo and is ready to make a statement.
He told the PA news agency: “I’m sure people do see it as an easy fight but I’m in there to make a statement and stake my own claim on the super-middleweight division.
“I want to show people I do deserve to be a true world champion. I was harshly judged on in the fight with (Callum) Smith and already should have a world title but I’m blessed that this opportunity has come now.
“I’ve worked hard, I’ve had a few more fights in and around that level, picked up the interim world title and now I’m sitting in a fantastic position taking on Canelo next.”
Ryder has previously lost five career fights to Billy Joe Saunders, Nick Blackwell, Jack Arnfield, Rocky Fielding, and the most recent being Callum Smith in 2019 by unanimous decision.
Since then, Ryder has won four fights which has given him the opportunity to take on Canelo, but he is not treating it any bigger than any of his previous match-ups.
He added: “I treat every fight as my biggest challenge and I used to get nervous for the first couple of fights I was going in with so-called journeymen.
“The thought of losing a fight like that petrified me because you lose to them people and you are on a road to nowhere, so I always go into every fight giving the opponent the respect they deserve and Canelo is no different.
“If I say I’m supremely confident then people think I’m delusional but I wouldn’t be going out there if I wasn’t confident in my own ability and wouldn’t be taking a team out there that I am.”
The fight will be the first ever boxing match to take place at the Akron Stadium, with around 48,000 fans expected to be in attendance.
“I think the Mexican fans are real fight fans,” Ryder said.
“As long as you’ve giving them what they want to see and putting it all on the line… I’m sure they might boo on the way in but cheer on the way out.”
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Sean Dyche believes Everton’s performance in Monday’s 2-2 draw at Leicester has brought the “feel-good factor” back to the squad, even if it did not result in three badly-needed points in their fight against relegation.
Everton remain winless in their last seven games having come from behind to rescue a point at the King Power Stadium, but Dyche was keen to take the positives from a performance in which his side had 23 shots at goal, their most in a Premier League fixture for three and a half years.
As they prepare for another Monday away match – this time a much tougher looking fixture at high-flying Brighton – Dyche said the Leicester game had given his players a confidence boost.
“The Leicester performance was a mixture of what we want,” he said. “Good energy and good detail, apart from the mistakes from the goals. We looked a real threat constantly and I was pleased with the team performance.
“It reaffirms to them that we are on the right track. I know we aren’t in the league and the table, but in the performances we are.
“We didn’t get the full reward for it but we did get the reward of the feel-good factor and rightly so. It’s not easy going on the road in the Premier League.”
Everton won three of Dyche’s first seven games in charge but are now winless since the 1-0 victory over Brentford on March 11, since when they have taken four points from the last seven.
“It’s a quality of performance that we want to build,” Dyche said. “We have done that in certain games, particularly against Arsenal when we first got here. It shows it is in there – it’s the consistency I’ve been searching for.”
Finding that consistency has been a key theme that Dyche has emphasised to his players this week.
“The thing is, it’s parked really quickly,” he added of the Leicester performance. “We have to use it wisely, but then you have to go and deliver it again.
“It can’t be once every few games, it has to be consistent. That is what I have been talking about on the training pitch and what I have been talking about through the media about our performances.”
Everton go into the weekend stuck in 19th position, albeit only one point behind the three teams above them. Leeds head to Manchester City on Saturday while Leicester and Nottingham Forest are, like Everton, both in action on Monday.
“Like everyone in the Premier League, when you’re down, looking up, everything seems different and we have to make sure we take away that feeling and focus on our performance like we did at Leicester,” Dyche said.
“That was about us, that wasn’t about Leicester. That is a thing we have been trying to get the players to really grasp – to grip hold of games, but it’s not easy when you’re playing against top sides.”
Leicester boss Dean Smith knows that his side’s superior goal difference could be key in the Premier League relegation battle.
The Foxes are level on points with both Nottingham Forest and Leeds going into this weekend’s round of fixtures, but lie in 16th owing to their better record.
In a six-team tussle to stay up, which also includes Southampton, Everton and West Ham, Smith knows how crucial it could be.
“We can only take one game at a time and see where that leaves us, the draw against Everton we would like to have had a win and so would Everton, but it moved us up the table two places such is our goal difference,” Smith said ahead of Monday’s visit to Fulham.
“It probably gives us a head start on the rest of the teams down there. But we have to have a better performance than we did Monday defensively and if we do that we can go and get a result.”
The Foxes are currently on a run of playing on three successive Mondays, which has left Smith, who is on a short-term SOS mission to keep the Foxes up, playing catch-up.
“I am not enjoying the weekends because all I am doing is coaching and watching the results come in,” he said. “I would much rather be playing ourselves and watching other results after that.
“It’s all consuming, but we knew it would be, seven weeks, eight games, but we are really enjoying it and we believe we are getting a response from the players.”
Leeds Rhinos will pay tribute to the late Doddie Weir by wearing a limited-edition kit designed in his image when they face Castleford Tigers at next month’s Magic Weekend.
Former Scotland rugby union international Weir died in November after a lengthy battle with motor neurone disease (MND), but before his death had become a mentor for Rhinos great Rob Burrow, who has also been diagnosed with MND.
The Rhinos have decided to honour the former British and Irish Lions ace on June 3 when they play against Castleford at St James’ Park in Newcastle, the city where Weir won the Premiership title, with a shirt that will carry quotes from both Burrow and Weir in addition to a Tartan design on the side panels.
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John Bentley, who played for Leeds and was also a team-mate of Weir at Newcastle, said: “I love it and Doddie would have too. It’s a real tribute with the famous tartan.
“I think it is a fantastic gesture by the club, especially with the link to Rob too obviously. I am really proud to have played at Leeds and I love the link with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation especially as the game will be played in Newcastle where we share so many wonderful memories.”
Paul Thompson, director of fundraising at My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, added: “This is a fantastic gesture by the Rhinos. The community across both codes of rugby have come together so strongly over the past six years in support of Doddie, Rob Burrow and others.”
The 72 EFL clubs are set to play their 46th and final league game of a gruelling season this weekend, with promotion, play-off and relegation spots still to be decided.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the state of play across the three divisions.
Championship
Burnley are champions and Sheffield United have secured automatic promotion in second place.
Relegation spots are also confirmed following the Blades’ loss at Huddersfield on Thursday night, with Neil Warnock’s side securing safety at the expense of their final-day opponents Reading. The Royals will join Blackpool and Wigan in dropping down to the third tier.
Meanwhile, victories last weekend put Coventry and Millwall in prime position to make the play-offs alongside Luton and Middlesbrough, but there is a cluster of three teams hoping to sneak into the top six on the final day.
Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn can all theoretically qualify should they win. Three points for the Black Cats would virtually guarantee them a play-off place if Coventry lose or Millwall drop points, while – barring a thumping win at Swansea – Albion are likely to need Sunderland to slip up as well.
Blackburn face Millwall in the knowledge that a win will see them leapfrog their opponents, but their goal difference of -3 leaves them relying on other results to go their way.
League One
Plymouth and Ipswich are promoted but the title race remains undecided. Plymouth have a one-point advantage but Ipswich’s vastly superior goal difference – +66 compared with +33 – means they will be champions if they better Argyle’s result on Sunday.
Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Bolton have qualified for the play-offs and will be joined by either Derby or Peterborough. The Rams travel to Wednesday knowing a draw is likely to be enough for a top-six berth, while Darren Ferguson’s Peterborough must win at Barnsley and hope for a favour from the Owls.
MK Dons, Morecambe and Cambridge are in a three-way fight for League One survival. The Dons will stay up with a win at Burton, but a draw or defeat would open the door for their rivals.
Morecambe can overtake the Dons by bettering their result against Exeter, while Cambridge can overhaul both teams (should they fail to win) with victory over the already-relegated Forest Green.
Accrington, meanwhile, are all but down following defeat against the U’s last weekend. Stanley require a win and an unlikely 16-goal swing to go past MK Dons in 20th place.
League Two
Champions Leyton Orient and second-placed Stevenage will be playing in League One next season, but Northampton’s defeat against Bradford last weekend has left them in danger of missing out on automatic promotion for a second successive campaign.
Having been denied by an incredible 7-0 Bristol Rovers’ victory on last season’s final day, the Cobblers know that a win at Tranmere this time around will see them go up. Anything less, however, will give Stockport the opportunity to secure promotion with three points against second-from-bottom Hartlepool.
With the Pools already relegated alongside Rochdale, it is only third spot and the play-off places that are mathematically still up for grabs.
Turning attention to the play-off picture, a point for Carlisle, Salford or Bradford will guarantee a top-seven finish, while defeat would see eighth-placed Mansfield draw level on points if they beat Colchester.
The Stags also need to make up a deficit in goal difference, with Carlisle, Salford and Bradford currently eight, four and three goals better off respectively.
Defending champion Robert MacIntyre was forced out of the DS Automobiles Italian Open due to injury ahead of Friday’s second round.
The news was announced by MacIntyre’s management company less than an hour before the left-hander was due to tee off alongside home favourite Guido Migliozzi and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.
MacIntyre himself then wrote on social media: “Gutted to withdraw this morning from the @ItalianOpen with a back strain.
“Hopefully nothing too serious. Now for a week of rest before the PGA Championship.”
MacIntyre had carded an opening two-over-par 73 at Marco Simone Golf Club on the outskirts of Rome, the venue for this year’s Ryder Cup.
The 26-year-old defeated US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win his second DP World Tour title last September.
MacIntyre birdied the first extra hole after he and Fitzpatrick had finished tied on 14 under par.
That was just the second qualifying event for the Ryder Cup, although MacIntyre has since fallen outside the automatic places.
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