IN ENGLAND

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Manchester City has comfortably beat Crystal Palace three-nil to move back to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal and ensure a tense title tussle continues into the final week of the season.

Pep Guardiola’s side knew failure to win on Wednesday would have handed the Gunners an opportunity to clinch the title by beating Burnley on Monday, but this fascinating fight for the trophy looks like its going to the wire.

With Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea in mind, manager Guardiola gambled with his City team selection by making six changes and leaving out the attacking trio of Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and the in-form Jeremy Doku.

The numerous alterations seemed to affect City early on, in a flat showing before midfielder Phil Foden sparked the game into life.

Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush and Savinho scored a goal each for Manchester City.

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Manchester United interim manager, Michael Carrick is expected to be recommended to Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the permanent boss of the team by the club’s senior executives.

Carrick has been viewed as favourite for the job since securing qualification for next season’s Champions League during a successful period as caretaker head coach.

United intended to delay making a decision on appointing a successor to Ruben Amorim, who was sacked in January, until the end of the season.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are thought to have concluded Carrick was the right man for the job and will tell Ratcliffe of their choice this week.

Carrick has won ten of his fifteen matches in charge, losing just twice, to guide United from seventh to third in the Premier League table and secure a return to the Champions League.

Former United midfielder Carrick oversaw victories over title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal as he won each of his first four matches in charge in a superb start to his role as caretaker.

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Chelsea striker João Pedro has been making headlines for his incredible debut season, which has led fans and pundits to compare him to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.

The Brazilian has been hailed as the beast that Chelsea has been searching for, with notable impact in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

While fans are thrilled, Pedro has expressed a desire to stay humble and has indicated that he should not be immediately compared to a legend like Drogba.

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Former Aston Villa striker, Gabriel Agbonlahor has advised Chelsea to appoint Fulham manager Marco Silva over Xabi Alonso as their next permanent manager.

Agbonlahor stated that Chelsea’s big-time Charlies in the dressing room require a tough, disciplinarian figure rather than a high-profile name like Alonso, describing Silva as the perfect character for the job.

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France legend Emmanuel Petit has disclosed that Chelsea will need a miracle to overcome Manchester City in the final of the FA Cup.

Petit criticised Chelsea’s lack of a clinical edge in recent games, citing wasted opportunities and missed chances.

He noted that while Manchester City are ruthless and rely on superior quality and structure, Chelsea are still developing.

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Not in a million years did Daniel Levy believe Tottenham would be fighting for Premier League survival this season after he stepped down as executive chairman in September.

Levy said relegation was not something they ever considered during his twenty-five years in the role, but a wretched run of form in 2026 saw them slip into the drop zone.

After taking eight points from the last twelve, Spurs are now two points above third-bottom West Ham with two games remaining.

Levy was appointed a CBE in the New Year Honours list for his services to charity and the community.

West Bromwich Albion will not appeal against a two-point deduction for breaching financial rules, but have reiterated their disagreement with the English Football League’s sanction.

The deduction was handed down last month, twenty-four hours after a two-day hearing by an independent panel into a breach of profit and sustainability rules.

The news came on the eve of the club’s final home game against Ipswich Town and raised the, albeit unlikely, scenario of relegation with the Baggies dropping to six points above the drop zone with two games to play.

Albion went on to officially secure their place in the Championship, finishing four points clear of the bottom three.

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Prices for trains and buses to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey have been cut following a backlash from fans.

The price of a train ticket has been slashed from one hundred and fifty dollars to ninety-eight dollars while shuttle bus fares are down to twenty dollars from eighty dollars.

Leader of the Football Supporters’ Association England fan group, Thomas Concannon, previously criticised astronomical event pricing – which he described as completely out of the norm.

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IN NIGERIA

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Nigeria’s Flamingos will take on Lakeside Queens in a friendly match in Ikenne on Thursday as they intensify preparations for their 2026 FIFA Under-seventeen Women’s World Cup qualifier against Guinea.

It will be the Flamingos’ first friendly since arriving in Ikenne for the final phase of their preparations for the qualifying fixtures.

Akeem Busari’s side played five friendly matches in Abuja before travelling to Ikenne.

They secured four victories and one draw from their five friendly games.

The team is expected to play more friendly games before taking on the Guineans.

Guinea will host the first leg in Conakry on Sunday, 24th May.

The reverse fixture is scheduled for the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, a week later.

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Former Nigerian international, Sunday Oliseh has advocated for improved salaries and better treatment of players in the Nigeria Professional Football League.

Oliseh stated that fair compensation for local talent was essential for the development of Nigerian football, highlighting that poor pay and treatment of players remain a persistent issue.

Meanwhile, Remo Stars technical adviser Usman Abd’Allah said his team would maintain their top-flight status at the end of the season.

The Sky Blue Stars boosted their survival hopes with a hard-earned two-one victory over Bayelsa United in Ikenne last weekend.

Abd’Allah’s side will need to win their last game of the season against Bendel Insurance to guarantee their safety.

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World record holder, Tobi Amusan successfully defended her women’s one hundred metres hurdles title at the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships, winning Nigeria’s first gold medal of the competition.

Compatriot Adaobi Tabugbo also impressed, producing a strong finish to claim bronze after a brilliant start to the race.

Amusan will now turn her attention to Saturday’s Diamond League meeting in China.

Team Nigeria opened their campaign at the competition with two medals, both coming in the women’s discus event.

Divine Oladipo, competing in her first international event for Nigeria, delivered an impressive performance to claim the silver medal.

Obiageri Amaechi also reached the podium, securing bronze to complete a memorable outing for Team Nigeria in the event.

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The Nigeria Tennis Federation has confirmed the dates for the Central Bank Open and DavNotch Open scheduled for June, 2026 in Abuja.

According to Nigeria Tennis Live, on X, the Central Bank Open will run from 21st to 20th June.

Then from 20th to 27th June, the DavNotch Open will take centre stage.

Both tournaments will take place inside the Package B of the National Stadium in Abuja.

There will also be the International Tennis Federation Level 1 Coaching Course from 17th to 26th June.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Seun Ogunsakin has been listed in the qualifying rounds of the Roland Garros junior event holding in Paris, France.

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Former Shooting Stars coach, Fatai Amoo says he is confident Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman will be a formidable force at Atletico Madrid next season.

He made this known on the backdrop of his impressive performance for the club since his arrival in the January transfer window.

The Nigerian international has scored nine goals in all competitions for Atlético Madrid and has made an immediate impact, including crucial goals in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.

Amoo stated that Lookman has adapted well to the Spanish league and that his best would be on display next season.

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Super Eagles star, Akor Adams has continued his fine scoring form as Sevilla came from two goals down to defeat Villarreal three-two at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

The Nigeria international has now scored in back-to-back games for the Rojiblancos, having also netted the winner in last weekend’s two-one victory over Espanyol.

Adams then completed the turnaround with the decisive goal eighteen minutes from time.

The 26-year-old has now recorded ten goals and three assists in thirty league appearances for Luis Garcia Plaza’s side this season.

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OTHER LEAGUES

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Hearts will be Scottish champions for the first time since 1960 if they avoid defeat at Celtic Park on Saturday after sweeping aside Falkirk at a raucous Tynecastle.

First-half goals from an unlikely duo – centre-back Frankie Kent and midfielder Cammy Devlin and Blair Spittal’s brilliant late curling strike ensured Hearts did what they needed to do on a night of high tension and high drama.

The result in Gorgie, combined with Celtic’s controversial 99th-minute win at Motherwell, means Derek McInnes’ side will travel to Celtic Park on Saturday knowing a draw would be enough for a scarely-believable Premiership crown.

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Celtic has secured an incredible title lifeline as Kelechi Iheanacho’s controversially awarded 99th-minute penalty earned a win at Motherwell that leaves them a point behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts before the sides meet in Glasgow on Saturday.

Martin O’Neill’s side had recovered from Motherwell’s opener to lead just before the hour, only for their hosts to level in the 85th minute.

At that stage, the defending champions would have needed to beat Hearts by three goals at Celtic Park on the final day to retain their title.

Iheanacho kept his composure to roll in the penalty, spark chaotic scenes and leave Celtic knowing that a win of any kind on Saturday will make them champions.

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Morocco has lined up three warm-up matches ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Atlas Lions played two friendlies against Ecuador and Paraguay in March.

According to the Moroccan Football Federation, the Atlas Lions will open their preparations with a closed-door friendly against Burundi on 26th May at the team’s training centre in Sale.

Mohamed Ouahbi’s side will then face Madagascar on 2nd June in Rabat in what is expected to serve as the team’s official send-off before departure for the World Cup.

Morocco will conclude their preparations with a clash against Norway on 7th June in New York City.

The North Africans will begin camping on 22nd May, with the final squad expected to be announced a week later.

Morocco, who stunned the football world by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, have been drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti.

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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke will announce his World Cup squad on Tuesday by which time he should know whether Tommy Conway will be fit to be included.

The Middlesbrough striker left the pitch in tears on Tuesday after being forced off injured in his side’s two-one promotion play-off semi-final defeat by Southampton.

The Championship club have not yet released details of the 23-year-old’s injury.

Ross Stewart had equalised just before half-time for Southampton, but he and Hull City rival Oli McBurnie will not have another chance to impress Clarke as the Scotland squad will be announced before their final at Wembley on 23rd May.

All forty-eight national associations were asked to submit a provisional squad of up to fifty-five players to Fifa before finalising their twenty-six-man squad for the finals.

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OTHER SPORT

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In Basketball; Duke will host Illinois in November as the first part of a home-and-home series between the programs the next two seasons.

The Blue Devils are bringing the Fighting Illini back to Cameron Indoor on 17th November with Illinois hosting the Blue Devils the following season on 4th December, 2027.

Illinois visited Duke during the 2020 season and COVID-19 pandemic and the programs met in New York City.

Duke beat Illinois 110-67 with Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in 2025.

Illinois beat Duke 83-68 in 2020 ?but trails the all-time series 6-3.

Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady joined the Wagner men’s basketball program as a strategic advisor.

The university said McGrady, 46, was selected to lead the Seahawks’ basketball operations, recruiting and name, image and likeness efforts alongside head coach Dwan McMillan.

Per NCAA rules, McGrady has waived a salary and will serve in a volunteer capacity as his son Laymen joins Wagner as a student-athlete.

The younger McGrady spent last season as a redshirt at Oral Roberts.

In Tennis, Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek underlined how she is rediscovering her finest form on clay with another ruthless win to reach the Italian Open semi-finals.

Poland’s Swiatek needed little over an hour to beat American fifth seed Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday.

Dropping just three games against four-time major winner Naomi Osaka in the previous round laid down a marker – and the manner in which Swiatek swept aside Pegula was another statement victory.

Having appointed Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig last month, and leaning on 22-time major champion Nadal for advice on the practice court, Swiatek is starting to regain the level which made her so feared.

On this evidence, the world number four is re-establishing herself as the favourite to win the French Open title next month.

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Also, British number one Emma Raducanu will make her return to action in Strasbourg after being granted a wildcard, as she seeks match practice before the French Open.

Raducanu withdrew from the Italian Open on health grounds earlier this month and has not competed since a third-round loss to American Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells on 8th March.

The clay-court event in Strasbourg begins on Sunday, one week before the start of the French Open on 24th May.

Raducanu is set to miss out on a seeded position at the second Grand Slam of the year following the post-viral infection which has kept her away from the tour.

The 2021 US Open winner is currently ranked 30th in the world but will drop several places following the conclusion of this week’s tournaments in Rome and Paris.

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In Cricket, England director of cricket Rob Key says Ollie Robinson is one of the best bowlers in the world after ending the Sussex seamer’s two-year international exile.

Robinson was dropped after the tour of India in 2024 but has been recalled for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, England’s first since the 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.

The 32-year-old has a superb Test record, with 76 wickets at an average of 22.92 from his 20 matches.

He has often struggled for fitness and was hit by back problems in each of his previous two appearances – against India in Ranchi two years ago and against Australia at Headingley in 2023.

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In Rugby, Former England boss Eddie Jones has been fined and suspended as head coach of Japan for abusing match officials during an under-23 tour of Australia last month.

The Japanese Rugby Football Union said because of the seriousness of the matter and the contents of their contract with Jones, the 66-year-old has been stood down from his post for six weeks and banned from having any part in the Brave Blossoms’ next four matches.

Jones will miss his team’s opening Nations Championship match against Italy on 4th July, and two matches against a Hong Kong China Select side and a warm-up fixture with the Maori All Blacks.

The Union added that it had also imposed a salary reduction on Jones.

Jones said he accepted his punishment and deeply regretted his behaviour.

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In Golf, Luke Donald says he is delighted that Jon Rahm will be available for Ryder Cup selection after the Spaniard settled his dispute with the DP World Tour.

Rahm was a key figure in the European team captained to victory by Donald in Rome in 2023 and in New York last September, but had looked set to be ineligible to feature at Adare Manor in 2027.

He had initially declined an offer from the DP World Tour, that had been accepted by eight other LIV Golf players, over conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on the breakaway circuit during the 2026 season.

And in March, Rahm accused the European-based tour of extorting players.

He struck a deal with the DP World Tour earlier this month that allowed him to retain his membership and secured his eligibility to face the United States in Limerick from 17th to 19th September, 2027, when the biennial contest celebrates its centenary.

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In Cycling, Spain’s Igor Arrieta beat Afonso Eulalio of Portugal to win a soaking-wet stage five of the Giro d’Italia after a thrilling breakaway battle, although Eulalio had the consolation of taking the overall lead.

The pair had been battling it out for victory since riding away from the peloton with about 50km to go in torrential rain, before suffering identical heavy late crashes.

Both riders slid into the kerb after losing their front wheels on left-hand corners on roads covered by streams of rainwater, leaving them covered in cuts and with ripped Lycra.

Despite losing the stage, Eulalio benefited from the pair being so far ahead of the peloton that the Bahrain-Victorious rider took the pink jersey of the three-week Grand Tour, and leads by nearly three minutes from his breakaway companon, with the race favourites over six minutes behind.

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TODAY’S FIXTURES

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IN SPANISH LA LIGA

Valencia vs Rayo Vallecano

Girona vs Real Sociedad

Real Madrid vs Real Oviedo

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

Nature has given us all the pieces required to achieve exceptional wellness and health, but has left it to us to put the pieces together….words from Diane McLaren