Kettleborough set to break England umpiring record
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ruben Amorim more confident in Man Utd ahead of new season
Ruben Amorim says he feels 'more confident' about Manchester United's qualities heading into Sunday's Premier League opener against Arsenal. A sense of optimism has returned to Old Trafford, just three months on from their worst top-flight campaign in 51 years being compounded by a damaging defeat in the Europa League final. Amorim has refreshed the squad, both in terms of personnel and mindset, since the end of a campaign in which the United head coach admitted he went into games knowing that they would struggle. But being backed in the transfer window over incomings and outgoings has helped changed that heading into Sunday's hotly-anticipated Old Trafford opener against Arsenal. 'It is hard to know (what we will deliver) because we cannot change everything in four weeks, but we are better,' Amorim said. 'I know that we are training harder, we are training better, so I know that we are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game. 'We have new players that we need to understand in the real game what they are capable to do in the moment. 'But I am really more confident. That is clear. I am more confident in this moment. 'But, again, we cannot change everything in four weeks but step by step we are going to be a better team, but of course I am more confident.' Benjamin Sesko is pushing to make his debut just a week on from joining the club from RB Leipzig, as are fellow summer acquisitions Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon. But there remains work to be done, with a number of players to shift out and a decision to be made on midfield after Brighton made clear they do not want to sell Carlos Baleba this summer. United are a work in progress but Amorim believes they are far better heading into the new campaign than the side that stumbled home 15th last term. 'We want to return to Europe, but it is hard as a Manchester United coach to say one thing like that,' he said. 'But we need to be realistic with our fans. We are going to have to fight a lot because there's a lot of good teams with more time than us together, but we are going to fight for it. 'We are going to improve. We want to focus game by game. If we are thinking now about how we are going to finish the season it is a problem. 'Let's focus on game by game. We want to win against Arsenal, that is the main focus.' The match against Mikel Arteta's Gunners pits Amorim against a striker he helped take to new heights. Viktor Gyokeres joined Sporting Lisbon from Coventry in 2023 and became one of Europe's most talked about frontmen in Europe under the Portuguese. There had been talk of a reunion with Amorim at Old Trafford but the Sweden international instead joined Arsenal and could make his debut against his former boss on Sunday. 'It's a different league,' Amorim said of Gyokeres. 'The physicality is different. 'In Sporting they have a very good group of scouting because they live from that, from the players they can buy and then sell to survive. 'I think he is a very good player. He is going to give different characteristics. 'It is going be different if we face in the beginning of the game Viktor or (Kai) Havertz, for example, so we need to be prepared for that but it's not a surprise to watch Viktor in a big club in England.'
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Is Aston Villa vs Newcastle on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Premier League fixture
Two of last season's more successful teams kick off their Premier League campaigns with a clash at Villa Park as Aston Villa host Newcastle United in Saturday's early kick off. Unai Emery's team finished sixth last season, level on points with Newcastle, but missed out on a spot in the Champions League due to the Magpies superior goal difference. This summer Villa have been through a bit of a reset despite only making two new signings. Yasin Ozcan was signed and sent out on loan but Evann Guessand offers more depth as a centre forward after the club lost the services of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio following the end of their loan deals. Jacob Ramsey is also on the brink of a move to Newcastle though won't face Villa today. For Newcastle, they've had a transfer window to forget having missed out on key targets to Premier League rivals and being engulfed in the ongoing Alexander Isak saga. Eddie Howe has managed to bring in Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale and Malick Thiaw and a positive result against Villa will go some way to quieting the noise happening off the pitch. Here's everything you need to know about the Premier League fixture: When is Aston Villa vs Newcastle? Aston Villa vs Newcastle is the early Premier League match and is due to kick off at 12.30pm BST on Saturday 16 August at Villa Park. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with coverage on both channels beginning at 11am BST. A live stream will be available via Discovery+ for subscribers as well. Team news Aston Villa have lost some loanees in Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford but have kept hold of some of their more favourably players in Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins. Emiliano Martinez will miss the game due to suspension and Rogers is struggling with an ankle injury but may be fit to play. Ross Barkley and Andres Garcia are injured however and Jacob Ramsey looks set to join today's opponents Newcastle. Evann Guessand could make his debut. Eddie Howe has confirmed that Alexander Isak will not feature due to the ongoing transfer speculation surrounding the striker. Joe Willock has an achilles injury which will keep him out but Anthony Gordon might be ready if he can prove he's up to match fitness. Predicted line-ups Newcastle United XI: Pope; Trippier, Botman, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Gordon, Barnes Odds Aston Villa win 13/10 Draw 11/4 Newcastle win 11/5 The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms. Prediction A tough one to call so early in the season but Newcastle lack a threat at the top of the pitch without Alexander Isak which could hand the advantage to Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins will want to impress in front of the home fans and Morgan Rogers could give them an edge at home. However, Newcastle have an experienced defence which could get them through the match.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Is Wolves vs Man City on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Premier League fixture
Wolverhampton Wanderers take on Manchester City in the late Premier League kick off on Saturday hoping to begin the new season with a statement result at home. Wolves have lost five key players including Matheus Cunha and Nelson Semedo during the summer transfer window and need time to bed in new signings Fer Lopez, Jhon Arias and David Moller Wolfe. Manager Vítor Pereira has a task on his hands to rebuild the team and keep them in the Premier League and faces one of the toughest tests straight away against Pep Guardiola 's City. City themselves are hoping to challenge for the title again this year following a trophyless 2024/25 and Guardiola is busy forming his next great team. Former captains Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker have been sold while Jack Grealish has been loaned out to Everton. Incomings include Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki who will hope to propel City back to the top of the table. Here's everything you need to know about the Premier League fixture: When is Wolves vs Man City? Wolves vs Man City is the late Premier League match and is due to kick off at 5.30pm BST on Saturday 16 August at Molineux. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on both channels beginning at 5pm BST. A live stream will be available via Sky Go for subscribers as well. Team news On top of moving on five of their key players Wolves are without Leon Chiwon, Yerson Mosquera and Fabio Silva who all have injury problems. Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias are both in line to make their Premier League debuts for the club and should support Jorgen Strand Larsen in the forward line. For Man City, Mateo Kovacic is sideline with an achilles issue and Rodri is still searching for full fitness and could start the match from the bench. There are also doubts over Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol and Claudio Echeverri who all missed last week's pre-season match against Palermo due to fitness issues. Savinho may or may not be involved due to ongoing speculation about a possible transfer to Tottenham. Predicted line-ups Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti; Hoever, J. Gomes, Andre, Wolfe; Lopez, Arias; Strand Larsen Man City XI: Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Bernardo, Gundogan, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Marmoush Odds Wolves win 13/2 Draw 4/1 Man City win 19/40 The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms. Prediction Wolves need time to gel having replaced a bulk of their starting XI this summer and will struggle to keep up with the well drilled Man City team following their exploits in the Club World Cup. Despite playing away from home City should comfortably get the job done and lay an early marker for the Premier League campaign.
