Sports
Canadiens notebook: Expect Suzuki line to respond, possible changes for Game 3
TAMPA, Fla. — A dose of perspective, 48 hours after yet another game in which Montreal’s best players were held to nil at five-on-five: the Bell Centre’s opening up with the Canadiens tied 1-1 in their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and matchups shift in coach Martin St. Louis’ favour.
“It’s a line that can dominate five-on-five,” the Canadiens’ coach said after Game 2 was lost 3-2 in overtime. “They just haven’t yet.”
“Yet” was the operative word.
There’s plenty of reason to believe it’s coming now.
Chief among them is that these players, who played over 500 minutes together this season, had the fifth-best expected goals share (54.2 per cent) and fifth-most goals (33) of any in the league to spend as much time together.
Two games hard-matched against three of the best two-way players in the world (Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Jake Guentzel) won’t define their playoffs, especially with home ice advantage in their corner. And Suzuki (three assists), Caufield (three assists) and Slafkovsky (three goals) will still have plenty of confidence from what they did on the power play in those two games.
The Canadiens should take plenty of it, too, considering what they were able to achieve without their top line carrying them at five-on-five. Through seven of eight periods so far, the numbers — expected goals, high-danger chances, slot-driving plays, scoring chances off the cycle, scoring chances off turnovers, controlled entries and exits, and puck battles won — have tilted heavily in their favour, according to SportLogiq.
It’s certainly lent credence to St. Louis’ feeling that the Canadiens have performed as he’d hoped they would.
Even if Game 2 was decided by his team’s worst period and Tampa’s very best.
“We battled hard, we competed,” said St. Louis. “Controlled a lot of the game yesterday, just lost it. But it’s there. Very confident in how we want to play it and the thoughts behind our intention and the courage that we’ve shown.”
But not so confident that he should avoid making changes…
That is the name of the game in the playoffs, and St. Louis’ counterpart, Jon Cooper, knows it.
His Lightning lost Game 1, so he swapped Connor Geekie for Scott Sabourin for Game 2.
It’s a move that could’ve backfired — and it almost did, with Sabourin taking an inexcusable penalty on Josh Anderson when the game was tied 2-2 with 2:15 remaining in the third period.
Cooper acknowledged that when he said, “For 58 minutes (Sabourin) kind of held it together.”
But the coach was willing to risk it going wrong to change up the momentum lost in Game 1, and that was commendable.
“Sabby has a definite role on this team,” Cooper said. “He finds his way on the scoresheet, just in different sections of it. The team plays a bit bigger when he’s in the lineup. He knows his role, he’s exceptional on the bench.”
We’ll see if Sabourin can be exceptional on the ice in Game 3, or if more adjustments must be made in Montreal.
Sometimes they’re necessary even after a win.
They usually must come after a loss in the playoffs, and St. Louis has to be contemplating that as we speak. Even if he (justifiably) liked his team’s play through the first two games.
Two of his forwards, who sat for both, also have clear roles with the Canadiens, and both have proven they can help.
Joe Veleno played excellent two-way hockey down the stretch and was one of Montreal’s most physical players this season, finishing with the third-most hits on the team despite playing only 61 games. And Brendan Gallagher has played nearly five times as many playoff games as the two players he and Veleno would likely draw in for.
Oliver Kapanen is one, and Kirby Dach is the most likely one.
Even if St. Louis defended Dach’s play on Wednesday.
“I find Dacher’s bringing physicality,” said St. Louis 10 hours after Dach shied away from a hit and needlessly iced the puck before totally misplaying J.J. Moser on the overtime winning goal.
“I’ll rewatch the game,” St. Louis continued, “but with his intentions the last couple of weeks, he’s playing with a lot of combativeness.”
It was good to hear him say it, especially in the wake of the player being subjected to so much post-game vitriol that he decided to deactivate his personal Instagram account.
“It’s one play,” St. Louis added, and even if it was more accurately one sequence, he’s justified to feel it didn’t cancel out all the good Dach had done since returning from injury two weeks ago.
Beyond those two weeks, the objective viewer would notice that Dach’s intentions have been admirable since the start of the season. He’s played hard but been unfortunate, suffering injuries — a broken bone near his ankle after blocking a shot with the same foot he blocked a shot with the game before, and an upper-body injury suffered on a heavy, questionable hit — because he put his body on the line to make plays the Canadiens needed.
That’s something that won’t be acknowledged by people who’ve already developed a bias against Dach for his shortcomings in the past, which were partially due to some immaturity and mostly due to devastating injuries suffered right as he was gaining some positive momentum.
But St. Louis also can’t ignore some of the inconsistencies in Dach’s play through the last five games of the regular season, and he can’t turn a blind eye to why he wasn’t able to execute in those critical moments of Game 2.
If he comes back to Dach and Kapanen in Game 3, it’ll be because they — along with Zach Bolduc — have controlled 83.3 per cent of the expected goals.
Still, that figure must be balanced with usage (only 13:10 at five-on-five through two games) and the reality that those players could potentially play against different opponents in Montreal.
The upside of both Dach and Kapanen must also be weighed against the improbability that they’ll deliver at the height of their abilities versus the likelihood that Veleno and Gallagher will.
Because those two players are far more predictable, even if their upside isn’t as high.
Veleno can help on the penalty kill, too, where Kapanen was used sparingly in Game 1 before being parked completely in Game 2.
Perhaps St. Louis will see Kapanen as a better option with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook than Alex Texier.
We won’t know before Thursday. Heck, we likely won’t know before warmup of Friday’s Game 3.
• Can’t help but wonder if one change St. Louis will make will be moving Jake Evans to centre, even if his line with Anderson and Phillip Danault has been excellent. If Veleno comes in, he can easily slot in on Danault’s wing without affecting the efficiency of the line. Control of the matchup also gives St. Louis much more flexibility to spot Evans in with Danault here and there for right-side defensive zone faceoffs.
• Two years ago, Canadiens fans would’ve traded Josh Anderson for a bag of pucks. After two games of watching him play again in the playoffs, they’ll be begging GM Kent Hughes to give him a bag of money. Anderson’s contract, which pays him $5.5 million, expires at the end of next season. But no matter how next season goes for him, his playoff performance is worth whatever he’ll get for it.
You think of the 2021 Canadiens Cup run, of the 2025 post-season dust-ups with Tom Wilson, and of Anderson’s immediate impact on this series with the Lightning, and you know his value. There aren’t as many as 10 other players in the league who play the way he does when it’s all on the line. And based on how he’s skating, we shouldn’t expect him to play any differently after he turns 33 in May of 2027.
• “I think somebody’s got to be the villain, I guess, and we’re OK with it,” said Cooper after Game 2. Just a thought, but if the Lightning think it’s why they won, that could be an advantage for the Canadiens, who dominated the first two periods while the Lightning ran around — and mostly ran straight into the penalty box.
• Counterpoint: As Hagel said, “Everyone in the room knows we’re good when we play with emotion,” so there’s that. Hagel has also said several times that the Lightning are anticipating a long series, and he and the Lightning know a thing or two about what goes into winning a war of attrition.
• Suzuki didn’t have an issue with Slafkovsky fighting Hagel in Game 2. It was a calculated — and arguably wise — decision from Slafkovsky, considering Hagel was Tampa’s best player by a country mile up until that point.
But Slafkovsky took a heavy punch at the end of that fight, and it was hard not to consider its impact beyond the probable bruising that’ll develop.
Was it already felt when Slafkovsky seemingly threw a blind pass for the giveaway that led to Nikita Kucherov’s tying goal in the third period because he was trying to avoid a hit? It felt that way, but we’ll never know.
The Lightning won’t know, either, but they probably felt that way about it. And if they did, it would probably only have them leaning further into the rough stuff.
We thought, for the first time in the series, the Lightning were at their best when they finally got away from that and started playing hockey.
New York Yankees players went to the front office and requested that they be allowed to start wearing alternate uniforms, at least on occasion, during road games, according to The Athletic. Major League Baseball approved the team’s navy blue batting practice jersey for game use prior to last season, per MLB.com, so those are ready to go if the team decided to wear them.
“I’m all about tradition, but we’ve got a (advertising) patch on our sleeves,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said Wednesday (via MLB.com). “… I think we’ll always wear the pinstripes at home. I don’t think that’ll change. We’ve changed our road jersey other years. So I guess if we wear the blues, we’ll wear the blues on the road.”
With 41 pennants and 27 World Series titles, the Yankees have long been the most decorated franchise in baseball. Of course, from ownership on down, it’s also long been the one that takes itself the most seriously, to the point that sometimes it feels too uptight. From the rules on hair length and the facial hair ban to the uniforms, the Yankees rarely stray from the status quo. They are even the only team without last names on the backs of both the home and road uniforms.
The Yankees are the only team in baseball with just two uniforms: one home and one road. They are one of two teams to have not (yet?) taken part in having City Connect uniforms (there are eight teams with new ones this season), with the other being the vagabond Athletics — and if there’s no true home city, you can’t really have a City Connect uniform.
“I think we should do that too,” Giancarlo Stanton said about a City Connect (via MLB.com). “There’s a lot of tradition here. The most iconic jersey there is in sports, pretty much. But that doesn’t mean that every once in a while you can’t change something up.”
The navy blue batting practice tops say “NEW YORK” across the chest and are already available at the MLB Shop online. The Yankees also wear those jerseys during spring training road games. It is not yet know if they will wear them in games.
In recent years, the Yankees have loosened up a bit, by their standards, in relaxing the facial hair policy and even added a jersey sponsor.
Sports
"Typical bottle merchants", "Bottling officially completed" – Fans mock Arsenal and Mikel Arteta as Manchester City top Premier League table
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are being mocked on social media after Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League table.
Mike and mic loomed as a natural fit after the talkative Mike Tomlin resigned as Pittsburgh Steelers coach in January.
As with his Steelers teams of 19 seasons, Tomlin doesn’t figure to have a losing record as a TV studio analyst, either.
A report Tuesday from The Athletic cemented Tomlin’s long-anticipated transition. He’ll join the NBC “Sunday Night Football” pregame show “Football Night in America” beginning this season.
Surely, video editors and social media managers already have their popcorn ready.
That’s “popcorn” as in the salty snack, not the alternative definition Tomlin once served up during a press conference.
“You know, there’s been popcorn,” Tomlin said. “It hasn’t been any one man specifically; it’s been popcorn. But you can’t have popcorn.”
Asked to expound, Tomlin explained “popcorn” as: “A splattering of incidences. One here. One there. One there.”
That’s some tasty imagery, indeed.
Sustained coaching success boosted Tomlin’s profile as a would-be analyst. He guided Pittsburgh to a 193-114-2 regular-season record, while his 8-12 postseason mark included a 1-1 record in the Super Bowl.
His unique turns of phrase, however, set him apart. In a broadcast climate rife with programs and platforms for former players and coaches to fill, Tomlin, 54, should climb seamlessly into the mix at “FNIA,” a leading national brand.
“I think Mike is great at painting pictures, and those sayings, those Tomlinisms, they can immediately have a context,” Tony Dungy, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and Tomlin’s mentor, told NFL Films in 2021.
Per The Athletic, Fox also coveted Tomlin as a replacement for Jimmy Johnson, who’s retiring from its “Fox NFL Sunday” show.
At NBC, Tomlin will fill a void left by Dungy, who NBC did not retain for an 18th season. While various reports have stated that the “FNIA” lineup could undergo further shuffling, host Maria Taylor and analysts Jason Garrett and Devin McCourty are expected back.
In late 2015, “FNIA” explored Tomlin’s well-documented physical resemblance to actor Omar Epps, showing photos of either man and asking Steelers fans and Tomlin’s wife, Kiya, whether it was Tomlin.
Tomlin never should be confused with Epps’ Darnell Jefferson, the cocky freshman running back from 1993’s “The Program.” That character aimed to impress college coed Halle Berry with a forced, hyperintelligent vocabulary that indubitably would make Tomlin roll his eyes.
“I don’t think a lot about the things that I say, to be honest with you,” Tomlin once said when asked about the origins of his oft-celebrated, “The standard is the standard.”
He continued: “I’m just trying to use words to vividly capture the imagination of our guys so that they can remember the messages so they can somehow be ingrained in their mind so they can somehow make it come alive inside stadiums on the grass. By whatever means we get that done, I’m for it.”
Substitute “inside stadiums on the grass” with “on sofas across the nation,” and there’s Tomlin’s value to any network suitor.
NBC doesn’t want viewers to leave their couches, of course. But with Tomlin aboard, they may well leap from them – or at least sit up – while hanging on every word.
Sports
IPL 2026: ‘Our batting is letting us down’ – Rishabh Pant after 5th defeat in 7 matches | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant admitted that his team’s batting collapse is becoming the biggest concern after they suffered their fifth defeat in seven matches, a 40-run loss to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026.“I think it is difficult to explain. Like it’s definitely our batting is letting us down, but at the same time, we are disappointed as a team, as a group, but at the same time, you’ve got to keep finding ways. You have to look for answers inside, not outside, but that’s how it is as of now,” said Pant after the defeat.
“See, definitely we could have taken some time while batting and at the same time, you know, not making any excuse out there, like, you know, including myself in that, like we could have taken it a little deeper because I think the bowlers did a fantastic job, especially after the last game. As a batting group, we need to put our hand up and try to finish that job for the bowlers also. “There is still a lot we want to look at the positive side, you know. We all know it’s disappointing for us as a team, but you know, we have to keep our head high and look for answers inside and we surely know that we have enough firepower in our bowling and batting and we can still turn it around. That’s what I believe in.”Pant’s comments came after another top-order failure saw LSG collapse to 119 while chasing 160. Three of the top four batters, including Pant himself, were dismissed for ducks inside the first three overs, putting the chase in disarray.Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 43 off 29 balls guided Rajasthan Royals to 159/6 on a tricky surface, after LSG opted to field. Jadeja later also played a key role in breaking the chase by removing Nicholas Pooran.Mitchell Marsh’s fighting 55 was the lone bright spot for LSG, while Jofra Archer (3/20) and Nandre Burger (2/27) led the Rajasthan bowling attack. Jadeja and Shubham Dubey’s late partnership ensured RR finished strongly and moved to second in the table, while LSG slipped further down with just two wins from seven games.
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IPL 2026: ‘MS Dhoni will only play when…’- CSK coach breaks silence ahead of crucial MI clash | Cricket News
There is still no clear timeline around MS Dhoni’s return as Chennai Super Kings continue to navigate IPL 2026 without their former captain. Dhoni had suffered a calf injury just before the start of the season, and while the franchise initially indicated a two-week recovery period, his absence has now stretched into the fourth week with no confirmed comeback date.There was a brief surge of optimism on Tuesday when Dhoni was seen training at the Wankhede Stadium. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter spent considerable time batting in the nets and also went through wicketkeeping drills, suggesting he could be in contention for CSK’s upcoming clash against the Mumbai Indians. However, those hopes were quickly tempered.Addressing the media ahead of the match, CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons made it clear that there would be no rushed decision on Dhoni’s return.“MS will only play when he feels he is ready to go and the medical team clears him, so I am not going to make any announcement sitting here,” Simmons said.The uncertainty around Dhoni’s availability comes at a time when Chennai Super Kings are already dealing with multiple injury setbacks. Fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of the tournament with a right quadriceps injury, while top-order batter Ayush Mhatre has also been sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a hamstring issue.The franchise is yet to officially name replacements, though there have been developments behind the scenes. Reports indicate that former Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal attended CSK’s trials in Hyderabad, while Rajvardhan Hangargekar is also believed to have taken part in a trial session with the team in Mumbai.These disruptions have impacted CSK’s campaign. The five-time champions are currently placed eighth on the points table with two wins from four matches. After losing their opening three fixtures, they managed to revive their season with back-to-back home victories, only to slip again in their most recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Their next opponents, Mumbai Indians, head into the contest with renewed confidence. They sit just above CSK in seventh place and are coming off a dominant 99-run win over Gujarat Titans, giving them momentum ahead of the clash.
Teofimo Lopez is looking to bounce back after suffering a second career defeat and an immediate world title shot on the cards.
Having become a unified lightweight champion, Lopez moved up super-lightweight in 2022 and dethroned Josh Taylor to become the WBO titleholder the following year. Up at 140lbs, he made three defences of his title before losing it to Shakur Stevenson in January of this year.
Since then, Lopez has made his intentions of a welterweight move clear, seeking fights against the likes of Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
However, should he choose to remain at super-lightweight, he could land an immediate title shot, after being invited by the IBF to negotiate a vacant title bout against Lindolfo Delgado, following Richardson Hitchins vacating the belt in order to move up.
Delgado is rated as the number one contender in the division and had been Hitchins’ mandatory challenger, with that fight being ordered back in February.
Told that this is not true. The IBF has requested the availability of Lindolfo Delgado and Teofimo Lopez to fight for the vacant title, rather than ordering the matchup. https://t.co/y0jsviH9Kx
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) April 21, 2026
Currently, there is no #2 in the IBF’s super-lightweight rankings and Oscar Duarte and Keyshawn Davis, who are respectively rated at #3 and #4, both have fights scheduled, meaning that they are unavailable. Duarte has also stated his plans of pursuing the WBC world title, likely due to the fact that he and Delgado have the same trainer.
Lopez sits at #5 but, should he deliver on his welterweight promies, Canada’s Arthur Biyarslanov (#6) will be next in line to be invited for negotiations.
The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will look to take a 2-0 series lead against the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns when they meet in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round matchup on Wednesday in the 2026 NBA playoffs. OKC blew out Phoenix 119-84 in the series opener on Sunday. The Suns (46-39), who have lost three of their last five games, are 20-21 on the road this season. The Thunder (65-18), who have won three of their last five games, are 34-7 on their home court this season. Grayson Allen (hamstring), Jordan Goodwin (calf) and Mark Williams (foot) are all questionable for Phoenix.
Tipoff from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City is set for 9:30 p.m. ET. OKC is the 17.5-point favorite in the latest Suns vs. Thunder odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 216.5. Before making any Thunder vs. Suns picks, check out the Suns vs. Thunder predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the first full week of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 24-9 roll (73%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Suns vs. Thunder 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Suns vs. Thunder:
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Thunder -17.5 at FanDuel |
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216.5 points |
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Thunder -1852, Suns +988 |
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Top Suns vs. Thunder predictions
After 10,000 simulations of Suns vs. Thunder, SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (216.5). The Under hit in the last matchup between these two teams, and 58% of the Suns’ games went Under the total this season. When the total is between 213-216, the Under has hit 66% of the time for the Thunder.
The SportsLine model is projecting the Suns to have just three players score 15 points or more, led by Devin Booker‘s 23.1 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is projected to lead the Thunder with 32.6 points scored; four players will score 10 or more points for the Thunder. The teams are projected to combine for 211 total points as the Under hits 59% of the time, making it a great selection for anybody targeting NBA parlay betting. See the Suns vs. Thunder spread pick at SportsLine, and you can bet the Under in Suns vs. Thunder at FanDuel here:
How to make Suns vs. Thunder picks
After simulating each possession of Suns vs. Thunder 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
So who wins Suns vs. Thunder, and which side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
Two down, one to go.
Burnley‘s loss to Manchester City meant they joined Wolves in having their relegation from the Premier League confirmed.
For the past couple of weeks, it has looked like being four teams – Leeds, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Tottenham – scrapping it out to avoid the remaining spot in the drop zone.
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But, following Sean Longstaff’s dramatic late equaliser at Bournemouth, Leeds have taken seven points from three games to reach the magical 40-point mark, and many will be starting to exclude them from any relegation conversations.
“I am experienced long enough in this world, we will celebrate when it’s mathematically done. It’s too early,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke told BBC Match of the Day.
“We are on 40 points, seven games unbeaten in all competitions, so I am confident. Why should we lose the last four games?”
Victory over Championship-bound Burnley at Elland Road might be enough to make Leeds mathematically safe.
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Until then, there is still work to do before Farke will let himself celebrate and – certainly for the other three sides in the mix – it could go down to the wire…
[Reuters]
Spurs more likely to go down than not – Opta
Big celebrations after a 97th-minute equaliser are usually to be expected but, for the Leeds players at the Vitality Stadium, it was about more than just the point.
That draw takes them nine points clear of Tottenham in 18th and, with so few games remaining, that gap will almost certainly be enough to keep them in the top flight.
According the Opta Supercomputer, the chances of Farke’s side being relegated from this position are a mere 0.21%.
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Still mathematically possible, as the Leeds manager said, but barring the most remarkable turn of events the Whites have done enough.
It is good news, too, for Forest. Following their win over Burnley at the weekend, Opta gives them just a 4.27% chance of being relegated.
As far as the supercomputer is concerned then, it is between West Ham and Tottenham for that unwanted 18th place.
The Hammers are given a 38.58% of ending the season in the bottom three, while it is seen as more likely than not that Spurs will go down for the first time since 1977.
Roberto de Zerbi’s side are the 56.93% favourites to be relegated from here.
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What does the form suggest?
Tottenham boss De Zerbi was bullish about his side’s chances of staying up after Saturday’s draw with Brighton, claiming they are “able to win five games in a row” to end the season.
But for all De Zerbi’s faith in his players’ capabilities, the evidence of this season does not suggest a team capable of such a feat.
Spurs have not won any of their past 15 league games, meaning they are without a top-flight victory in 2026 and have managed only two since 26 October.
They must beat bottom side Wolves on Saturday to avoid equalling the club’s worst winless league run – set some 91 years ago, between 1934 and 1935.
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By contrast, the form of Spurs’ relegation rivals has been picking up.
Nottingham Forest have two wins in their past three games and are unbeaten in five, and West Ham have won two of their past five.
Zoom out a little further and the Hammers have taken 19 points from their past 12 games, Forest have 18 from their past 13 and for Leeds it is 19 from 15.
Since beating Crystal Palace on 28 December, Spurs have taken six points from 15 matches.
The run-in
Every year when the fixtures are announced you hear the familiar refrain that “it doesn’t matter, you play everyone twice”.
But there is no doubt that when you face a certain team can make a big difference across a 10-month campaign.
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With five games remaining Spurs will definitely think their run-in, at least on paper, gives them every chance of staying up.
Next up is a trip to Wolves, whose relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Monday.
A home match against Leeds on 11 May is another Tottenham will view as an opportunity, especially if Farke’s side have ensured their safety by then.
Even a tricky-looking match at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa on 3 May comes at a good time for Spurs, as it falls between the two legs of the Europa League semi-final for Unai Emery’s men.
A visit to rivals Chelsea before hosting Everton on the final day is not a straightforward way to finish, given both teams seem likely to be fighting for European places.
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But, given how tight things are, that is something all the relegation candidates will have to deal with.
West Ham host Everton on Saturday before an away game at Brentford – and it only gets tougher with title-chasing Arsenal the visitors to London Stadium on 10 May.
Even with Newcastle enduring a disappointing season, an away game at St James’ Park on the penultimate weekend is far from simple and there could be plenty riding on the home match against Leeds on the last day.
Forest arguably face the toughest last five with away games at Chelsea and Manchester United in May – the former coming just three days before the second leg of the Reds’ Europa League semi-final against Villa.
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Home games against Newcastle and Bournemouth, on the last day, could be crucial but getting a result at Sunderland on Friday would help alleviate a lot of stress for Vitor Pereira’s side before the remainder of the run-in.
What do the stats say?
It is 49 years since Spurs found themselves in the relegation zone after 33 league games and, in that 1976-77 season, they were unable to save themselves.
Given only Sheffield Wednesday, already relegated from the Championship, have a worse home record than Spurs’ two wins in England’s top four tiers this term, significant improvements will be required.
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The numbers don’t get any more encouraging for De Zerbi’s side with only Derby (18) in 2007-08 and Sunderland (17) in 2002-03 having longer winless runs to start a calendar year than Spurs’ current streak of 15 – and both were relegated in those years.
Forest can take some comfort from the fact 36 points has been enough to survive in every Premier League season since 2015-16.
Even more encouragingly for the Whites, only six teams have been relegated with 39 points or more in a 38-game season and not in the past 14 seasons – since Birmingham and Blackpool both went down on 39 points.
This year might be one in which the traditional claim of 40 points being required for safety proves true, but West Ham know that sometimes even that is not enough.
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The Hammers hold the unwanted record of the most points achieved by a relegated side – the 42 they mustered in 2002-03 was not enough to spare them from the drop.
No wonder Farke and Leeds are taken nothing for granted just yet.
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Not Used To Sitting Out, But It’s My Duty To Adhere To Team Environment: RCB’s Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer is itching to walk into the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s playing XI regularly, but the all-rounder understands the team dynamics that has left him on the benches, and is delighted with the role clarity the management has given to him. Part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumphant IPL 2024 campaign, Venkatesh joined RCB ahead of IPL 2026 but has played only one match so far, struggling to get a look into the packed top and middle-order of the Bengaluru outfit.
“…not used to sitting out, See, this is a team environment and as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh told a select media gathering.
The all-rounder knows very well that RCB will be reluctant to tinker with a combination that had landed them their maiden IPL title a year ago.
“We’re defending champions. So, to tinker with a combination that has won you a championship is not always the smartest move. So as someone who’s walked into a team, it’s my duty to know what role I can play. The credit for that has to go to Mo (Bobat), Andy (Flower) and DK (Dinesh Karthik).
“They’ve been amazing when it comes to conversations about what my role in the team is. They’ve given me absolute clarity. Yes, It is hard, to be honest (to sit out). It’s something that you can’t prepare for. But that does not mean I’m not a part of their plans. It’s definitely a matter of when rather than if,” he added.
RCB bought the 31-year-old for Rs 7 crore during the auction ahead of IPL 2025, a far cry from his magical Rs 23.75 crore that he commanded from KKR earlier.
Similar to that dip in his monetary value, his chances to feature in matches too has shrunk in RCB, but Venkatesh does not see his motivation taking a dip.
“It’s not easy. But it’s extremely important to stay motivated because you can easily get desperate. You can easily lose out on your work ethic. So, I train my mind in such a way that I’m going to play every game. With the impact player (rule), anything can happen.
“But at the same time, I’ve always lived my life in a way that I compare myself with where I was yesterday. To look back at where I am in life, not just a game, is something that keeps me going. I had a great time for the past few years. I’m married now. I have a family. So, all these things kind of add to it that I’m doing well in life. So, these things keep me motivated,” he explained.
But is there regret lingering in him about KKR off-loading to free-up a purse close to Rs 24 crore? “I spent quite a lot of time at KKR, learnt a lot of things. I’d be lying if I said that I don’t have any emotional connection to them.
“There was amazing communication between me and Abhishek Nair (KKR coach) who wanted to release me at that point in time. So, he told me what the team requires. And you can get anything done out of me if it’s good for the team,” he said.
Praise for DK, Patidar
Venkatesh said he has been learning the finer points of modern T20 batting from Karthik.
“One thing I’ve understood is how to be flexible when it comes to batting. Obviously, he’s working with me only on my batting. How I can assess situations. How can I be smart in terms of staying ahead of others and combine that with total hard work.” RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, an accomplice of Venkatesh from age-group cricket in MP, has blown away the all-rounder with his simple methods.
“I see the biggest strength of Rajat Patidar is how simple he is in terms of his thinking, in terms of how he carries himself, also in terms of his batting. People are in awe of how he clears the boundary with ease. But at the end of the day, when you jot it down to how he does it, it’s actually simplicity. But he is tough also.
“So I think that fellow, I’ve not seen him change over the years. He’s still the same old Rajat that I used to admire back in under-19 days,” he said.
Upgrading red-ball skills
The IPL net sessions are not the place a player would want to improve his red-ball game skill-sets. But Venkatesh is exactly doing that.
“One aspect is that I get bored in the room. So I don’t want to spend a lot of time there. But one thing that I really feel that I haven’t tapped into is my red ball bowling. So, I make it a point to identify someone who has played a lot of red ball cricket.
“Last year (at KKR), I had Mitchell Starc. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. So, obviously my conversations with them are about how I can improve my red ball bowling,” he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Should City and Arsenal win all their remaining five games they will both end on 85 points, meaning goal difference or goals scored could be the determining factor come May.
This is how tight it is – both teams have played the same number of games (33), have the same number of points (70) and their results are identical too – having won 21, drawn seven and lost five of their matches.
The only factor separating the two sides is the number of goals scored, with City netting 66 to Arsenal‘s 63.
Such is the topsy-turvy nature of this season’s race, City could find themselves trailing by six points by the time they next play in the league at Everton on Monday, 4 May – if Arsenal beat Newcastle and Fulham during that period.
City have previously scored five or more goals against Burnley in five different Premier League games – the most one side has done against another in the competition – and would have been eyeing up similar before this match.
Although City had 65% possession, a total of 28 shots with an expected goals (xG) of 3.54, they could only muster one goal through Haaland’s winner in the opening five minutes.
“Not many Arsenal players would have expected Burnley to get a result today, but if you are an Arsenal player or fan, you would take a 1-0 loss for Burnley,” former City defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Arsenal play Burnley in a few weeks and they will probably not be as wasteful with their chances as City, with so much on the line. Before you know it City are chasing Arsenal. I don’t think psychologically it matters that much.
“Now they have played each other, there is no longer this talk about the title decider in April. You have your five games, they have their five games. If you do well enough and win your games, the league title could very much be Arsenal‘s.
“They have to back themselves. The fact this only finished 1-0 to City when they had 28 shots, maybe this is the boost they need to turn their form around.”
Former Premier League goalkeeper Tim Krul added: “Arsenal have been so close the last few years, I think we all half want them to get it. But you can’t rule out Manchester City.
“My money would be on City, just with the experience. They are serial winners with the best manager in the world looking after them. You can’t not back them.”
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