Sports - Thursday, April 30, 2026

From former MVPs such as A'ja Wilson to expansion cornerstones, these are the best players ahead of the 2026 season.

Eddie Howe is under pressure, Rayan needs protection at Bournemouth and John Stones returns to Everton with City Premier League top scorers: latest standings The equation is simple. If Leeds beat relegated – and now managerless - Burnley at Elland Road on Friday they will reach 43 points and be extremely unlikely to meet the same fate as their opponents. Daniel Farke’s losing FA Cup semi-finalists are then scheduled to travel to Tottenham, but victory against Burnley, who they pipped to the Championship title last season, would settle nerves in West Yorkshire. Farke, though, does not necessarily expect a straightforward match. “There’s definitely no complacency,” he said, speaking before the news of Scott Parker’s departure . “I’ve got so much respect for Scott. I’d say there’s not one time this season Burnley were played off the field. They’re always very competitive, they’ve had many tight games.” As Mike Jackson takes caretaker charge at Turf Moor, Farke hopes another three points will persuade Leeds to extend his own contract. Louise Taylor Leeds v Burnley, Friday 8pm (all times BST) Brentford v West Ham, Saturday 3pm Newcastle v Brighton, Saturday 3pm Wolves v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm Arsenal v Fulham, Saturday 5.30pm Bournemouth v Crystal Palace, Sunday 2pm Manchester United v Liverpool, Sunday 3.30pm Continue reading...

Chris Wood has not missed a penalty in 10 years, but has barely played for six months. Now the striker is back - and aiming to lead Nottingham Forest to the Champions League.

The NBA asked the nation's top commodities regulator Thursday to impose tighter restrictions on players, game officials and team staff to ensure prediction markets don't undermine sports integrity and fan confidence.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says VAR made a "huge mistake" in not sending off Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson in their Europa League semi-final first leg.

Jibril Rajoub refuses handshake at Fifa congress Infantino to seek third term as president The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, confirmed his intention to stand for re-election for a third full term next year after an attempt to orchestrate a handshake between the Palestinian and Israeli delegates at congress backfired. The Palestinian Football Federation president, Jibril Rajoub, refused to stand alongside Israel FA vice-president, Basim Sheikh Suliman, in an awkward moment towards the end of the 76th Fifa congress after both men had been called to the stage in Vancouver by Infantino. Continue reading...

Franz Wagner will miss his second straight game because of a calf strain, as it appears increasingly unlikely that he will return in this series.

Grant Gustavson, the son of billionaire Tamara Gustavson, is leading an investor group that has made a formal offer to acquire the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the team to Las Vegas, a spokesperson for the group confirmed to ESPN.

Teenager Mirra Andreeva reaches her first Madrid Open final with a 6-4 7-6 (10-8) victory over Hailey Baptiste.

Keep this up and Crystal Palace’s European adventure could end in yet more silverware for Oliver Glasner. Four years ago it was Daichi Kamada who scored the winning goal for Glasner’s Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against West Ham on their way to lifting the trophy. The Japan midfielder again provided the crucial moment here before setting up the substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen to ensure Palace will head into next week’s second leg with a two-goal advantage. With all his experience, Glasner will know that this tie is not over after a vibrant Shakhtar Donetsk side stuffed with attacking Brazilian flair caused them plenty of problems. Ismaïla Sarr’s opener after just 21 seconds was the fastest goal in Conference League history and the Senegal forward now has eight in 11 appearances so far in this competition. Continue reading...