Roger Federer is coming back to US Open four years after retirement, set for two blockbuster matches US Open confirmed Roger Federer's return on Sunday, and he will be joined by three other tennis greats Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:25:16 IST Written by Aratrick Mondal Prefer HTon Google Share
Nerves cost us against Australia, but I'm proud of the team: women's hockey coach: Marijne Nerves cost us against Australia, but I'm proud of the team: women's hockey coach: Marijne Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:09:14 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Amstelveen
After seventh seed Victor Lai fell in three games to ninth seed Alex Lanier at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi, the former described the Frenchman as a ‘beast’, lauding his physical fitness and tenacity to go the distance and play the long game
India men’s football team will face Panama in a FIFA international friendly in September, ahead of another friendly against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil in Kolkata on October 3. According to a report by The Times of India, the match between India and the North American side is
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out of the running to replace Gianni Infantino, but says he expects a candidate to challenge the Fifa president's leadership in March. Infantino has faced calls to step down after he scrapped a controversial plan to sell off stakes in Fifa's
Man City and Liverpool become hunters - how key is Etihad meeting?
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described meeting Liverpool in his 1,000th game as a manager as "the destiny of the universe" after their shared domination of English football in recent years.
The past eight Premier League titles have gone to the two superpowers, with City claiming the crown six times in that period, including a historic sequence of four in a row.
City and Liverpool meet at Etihad Stadium on Sunday (16:30 GMT) with the possibility that their Premier League destiny this season will be heavily shaped by the outcome.
To add a twist to the tale, these two long-time Premier League pace-setters now form part of a chasing pack.
Arsenal have had their noses pressed against the window in the face of City and Liverpool's superiority in recent years but, for now at least, the Gunners are the hunted rather than the hunters.
Mikel Arteta's league leaders could have been nine points clear of Pep Guardiola's side and 10 ahead of Liverpool had they not dropped two late points at Sunderland on Saturday night, Brian Brobbey's stoppage-time equaliser giving the Black Cats a 2-2 draw.
Title margins in most recent seasons have been so fine that had Arsenal won, the losing team on Sunday, if there is one, may have been left to reflect that the race was starting to get away from them, even after only 11 games.
Now, the door is ajar.
Arsenal's advantage was starting to look highly significant until the 94th minute at Sunderland, because anything more than a 10-point lead in the Premier League has only been lost three times.
It would have been too early to dismiss teams of the quality of Manchester City and Liverpool, especially as both are showing signs of returning to their formidable best after stumbles earlier this season.
Now, if anything, Arsenal's late concession at the Stadium of Light has upped the ante even further before this latest clash between City and Liverpool.
In Liverpool, Guardiola has the one opponent he has found it difficult to master - first under Jurgen Klopp and then Arne Slot, whose title winners did the double over him last season.
Guardiola has managed City in 18 Premier League games against Liverpool, winning only five, drawing seven and losing six. In all competitions he has played 24, won six, drawn eight and lost 10.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss knows what is riding on the latest confrontation, with Arsenal's excellence adding to the pressure.
Guardiola reflected on the chase that City face, saying: "Always you expect that you can be better and they will drop points. All we can do is win our games and get closer."
Guardiola knew Arsenal were building a team capable of chasing a championship. He is waiting to see whether they have the stamina to keep up their fast start.
"The last two or three years, after the process to rebuild the club and the team, Arsenal are there. It is exceptional what they are doing for two or three seasons," Guardiola said.
"But it is early November. Nobody wins the title in early November. You can lose it - but nobody wins it.
"I know how quickly things change. One week ago it was Liverpool 'disaster, disaster' and now they win two and it's 'are they back to their best?'
"I'm sure the managers take a little bit more perspective of the situation.
Always in a season there are ups and down.
Liverpool head coach Slot is equally convinced there can be twists and turns in the title race, but the significance of this game cannot be escaped or underestimated.
Slot said: "At the moment, it's not about looking at the league table. It's just trying to win as many games as you can and give yourself the best position you can.
"But definitely two very good teams are going to play against each other and what the future will bring, we will see.
"Our only focus is ourselves. We have to get consistent improvement, get players fit and then see where it leads to.
City is a game on its own. Playing away from home against them is one of the most difficult challenges we have throughout the season. These are the games everyone looks forward to.
Slot's return to his title-winning midfield of Ryan Gravenberch, Alex Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai has given Liverpool a more familiar, winning look in their past two games against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, with Hungarian Szoboszlai a key figure.
Dominik has been outstanding throughout the season," said Slot, "but the last two games brought even more out of the team and him. I really like his work without the ball, but in these games it was probably even above his own high standards.
If Liverpool can win the midfield battle at Etihad Stadium, they will believe they can flourish – but an improving Manchester City will feel equally confident.
The stage is set for the latest titanic battle.
Erling Haaland scored his 27th goal of the season for club and country in City's 4-1 win against his former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.
It has been a remarkable run of form, even by the standards of arguably the most deadly striker in world football.
The irresistible force meets the immovable object when Haaland comes up against Virgil van Dijk on Sunday. This is the personal duel that will go a long way to deciding the destiny of the points.
Norwegian Haaland will be determined to finally end his uncharacteristically indifferent record against Liverpool's Dutch captain.
Since joining City in July 2022, Haaland has started five games against Van Dijk and is still seeking his first win, with three defeats and two draws. The Norwegian's only victory against Liverpool came in the League Cup fourth round in December 2022, when he scored in a 3-2 triumph, but Van Dijk did not play.
Former Liverpool and England defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Sport: "If you look for key areas where the game will be won and lost, from Liverpool's point of view it will be stopping Haaland, but the key to that will all come from the midfield area, and stopping the balls through to him.
It will be about whether Liverpool's midfield can press City as hard as they did Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
Warnock added: "Much of any battle between Van Dijk and Haaland will depend on the service Haaland gets, and then it will be between Van Dijk and [Ibrahima] Konate to stop him. It is up to Haaland who his main opponent will be, anyway. If he plays on Konate then there is nothing Van Dijk can do, and vice versa.
The main thing Liverpool have to do is try to stop the passes at source and prevent the balls being played into him. It will be down to Liverpool's midfielders to prevent City's creative players picking their heads up, like Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki were doing against Bournemouth last weekend, and playing those passes.
Former England striker Chris Sutton believes personal pride will also fuel the confrontation between Haaland and Van Dijk.
"It will be fascinating," says Sutton. "Van Dijk will have that kind of pride where he will be determined to get the better of Haaland, because Liverpool's backline has come in for a lot of criticism.
Of course, Liverpool are capable of keeping Haaland quiet - they just did the same to a Real Madrid frontline including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior - but I would take Haaland over any of their attackers at the moment, so this is the ultimate test for Van Dijk.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: Sports
Barcelona began their La Liga title defence with a commanding 5-0 victory over Elche on Sunday, with Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scoring twice each and Anthony Gordon setting up two goals on his debut. The result comea a day after Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 with a late winner
12 hours ago
GCT Grand Finale: Praggnanandhaa beats Keymer to stake his claim for finals GCT Grand Finale: Praggnanandhaa beats Keymer to stake his claim for finals Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 09:43:17 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link St. Louis
12 hours ago
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin may have been vocal in his demand for the current FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down but he has no interest in replacing the under-fire Swiss. Infantino continues to face pressure to leave his position as world football’s governing body chief following
12 hours ago
The French are known for a lot of things but badminton isn’t one of them. Till Sunday, when the country that has never been considered among the top nations even in Europe created history at the 2026 World championships, in more ways than one
12 hours ago
AITA picked them, the government cut them: Why has India’s Asian Games tennis squad been slashed from 12 to 7? The AITA had originally proposed a 12-member squad for for the Asian Games, which included six women. But the list was slashed down to just seven players. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026
12 hours ago
Ashton Jeanty injury update: Is the Raiders RB out for the season? Doctor reveals possible diagnoses; ‘best case…’ Ashton Jeanty was injured after attempting a catch, prompting a tense silence at the Raiders’ facility before his teammates gathered and knelt in prayer. Updated on: Aug 24
15 hours ago
When Liverpool came to Newcastle last August, there was utter jubilation as Rio Ngumoha scored a remarkable 100th-minute winner. They scored late again this time around, through Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty, but it felt more like a sense of relief than joy as they rescued a point
15 hours ago
'Is Sydney Taylor playing tonight?' Chicago Sky guard's slow start vs Fever sparks injury concerns Sydney Taylor was in Chicago’s starting lineup when the Sky hosted the Indiana Fever on Sunday night. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:32:12 IST By Ojas Jaiswal Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
15 hours ago
Yet again, the England men's cricket team is picking through the wreckage of a late-night misdemeanour. The latest stain on the game's reputation is a result of pictures of fast bowler Brydon Carse in handcuffs and surrounded by police officers outside a nightspot in Derby
15 hours ago
Jean-Philippe Mateta is arguing the remainder of his Crystal Palace contract is invalid and has taken his case to Fifa. Multiple sources have told BBC Sport the France international has launched an official challenge over the validity of the final 10 months on his Selhurst Park deal
1 days ago
Bangladesh 64: Starc 6-12 & 95: Shanto 31; Starc 4-39, Cummins 3-10, Lyon 3-25 Mitchell Starc took 10 wickets in the match as Australia bounced back from last week's shock defeat by Bangladesh to win the second Test by an innings and 51 runs and draw the series 1-1. Second Test
1 days ago
Jannik Sinner's absence benefits Carlos Alcaraz: What to expect from the US Open champion after his long injury layoff Jannik Sinner is out, but is it premature to call Carlos Alcaraz the US Open favourite after four months away? Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
US Open leaves Stan Wawrinka out in the cold, denying former champion a wild card for his final Grand Slam The US Open has surprisingly denied Stan Wawrinka a wild card for what could be his final appearance at a Grand Slam. Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
India faced the Netherlands in their Pool E match of the ongoing FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 on Saturday (August 22) at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen but suffered a 1-3 defeat. India conceded one goal in the third quarter and two in the fourth quarter to go down against the hosts
1 days ago
There is an uncanny resemblance between Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s bronze-medal run at the 2011 BWF World Championships and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s campaign at the 2026 edition. Jwala and Ashwini faced the second-seeded Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin as early as the
1 days ago
Runs on the board and rival wickets, is the template that Dhananjaya de Silva will chase when the second Test commences at the SSC Ground on Sunday (August 23, 2026). “It’s about putting runs on the board. That’s what India did [at Galle]. For the first two days they batted and got 460 runs
1 days ago
Serena Williams returns to US Open after four years, joins Carlos Alcaraz for mixed doubles Serena Williams will return to the US Open for the first time since 2022, partnering Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles after receiving a wildcard. Published on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
Roberto De Zerbi may have spent close to £400m by the time his Tottenham Hotspur rebuild is complete – but it took just his side's first Premier League game of the season to prove all the money in the world is no guaranteed cure for a losing mentality
1 days ago
Manchester United's fans had endured a bad enough day on the banks of the River Humber when Hull City's stadium announcer gleefully piped up midway through the second half. Two trains back to Manchester from the city centre station had been cancelled
1 days ago
From a shy girl to team mentor, Savita Punia says hockey changed her life From a shy girl to team mentor, Savita Punia says hockey changed her life Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:08:49 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Amstelveen
2 days ago
Shubhankar makes cut after spectacular ace at Nexo Championship Shubhankar makes cut after spectacular ace at Nexo Championship Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:17:58 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Aberdeenshire , Shubhankar Sharma ended his streak of four missed cuts as he made the
2 days ago
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi has been fined for slapping Philadelphia Union's Quinn Sullivan during their side's Major League Soccer (MLS) 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Messi, 39, slapped Sullivan around the back of the head towards the end of the game as he complained the Union player had elbowed him after
2 days ago
Premier League champions Arsenal will start the new season with some of the nightmares of the previous two as their marquee signing, midfielder Bruno Guimarães, is not part of the squad due to an injury. Guimarães signed for £75 million (Rs. 979 crore) from Newcastle United and suffered a knock
2 days ago
Nostalgia may have enveloped Sairaj Bahutule when he entered the SSC Ground. He would have remembered his last Test played at the same venue in 2001, a game India lost. The Indian spin-bowling coach, though, quickly immersed himself in the nets here Friday (August 21, 2026)
2 days ago
Lionel Messi fined for slapping opponent on the head as Inter Miami-Philadelphia clash erupts into late red-card chaos Lionel Messi was fined by MLS after slapping Philadelphia's Quinn Sullivan on the head as Inter Miami's 2-2 draw desecended into stoppage-time chaos. Updated on: Aug 22, 2026
2 days ago
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra managed to deliver his season’s best performance at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday but fell agonisingly short of the top spot, as Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage finished first with a throw just nine centimetres more than his
2 days ago
Why did Nick Chubb retire? Net worth in focus as NFL player ends career at 30 Nick Chubb played for eight seasons in NFL that included seven years with the Cleveland Browns and one with the Houston Texans. Updated on: Aug 22, 2026, 09:25:09 IST By Shirin Gupta Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
2 days ago
