A mouth-watering clash between two Championship heavyweights will kick us off on Friday night as in-form Sheffield United travel to Leeds United for a big Yorkshire derby.
Leeds went into the international break on a somewhat downbeat note after goalkeeper Illan Meslier’s extraordinary blunder gifted Sunderland a 97th-minute equaliser at the Stadium of Light.
It means the Whites have now drawn their past two games and will be desperate to return to winning ways in what will likely be a thunderous Elland Road atmosphere under the lights.
The unbeaten Blades, meanwhile, have won five of their past six and are level on points with leaders Sunderland – they would be top if not for a two-point deduction for defaulted transfer payments.
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Chris Wilder’s side boast the best defence in the league, having conceded only three times this season, and head into the game on the back of six successive clean sheets – they last let a goal in on 24 August in a 1-1 draw at Norwich.
Both sides will have the chance to go top before Sunderland visit Hull City on Sunday, although even with victory, Daniel Farke’s team would be heavily relying on results elsewhere to fall their way to stay at the summit.
Factory Mercedes driver Jules Gounon will make his DTM debut in this weekend’s final round at Hockenheim, replacing Luca Stolz at HRT.
Double Spa 24 Hours winner Gounon has been drafted into the #4 HRT Mercedes AMG GT3 at the last-minute after Stolz had to withdraw from the Hockenheim races due to health reasons.
No further information was provided about 29-year-old Stolz, who was due to see out his third full season with the team in the German GT3-based series.
A statement from HRT read: “Luca Stolz (GER) of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s DTM finale at Hockenheim for health reasons.
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“The 29-year-old’s place in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be taken by Jules Gounon (AND).
“The Haupt Racing Team thanks Jules for stepping in at short notice and wishes Luca a speedy recovery.”
Gounon brings with him a wealth of experience of GT racing, having won the Bathurst 12 Hour on three occasions and scored class victories in major IMSA SportsCar Championship enduros including Daytona 24 Hours and Petit Le Mans.
His illustrious CV includes two titles in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Mercedes, as well as the 2017 GT Masters title at the wheel of a Corvette C7.
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Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
This year has seen the second-generation driver expand his horizons into prototype racing, competing in three rounds of the World Endurance Championship with Alpine in the Hypercar class.
The HRT outfit he is joining in the DTM currently sits fifth in the teams’ standings, two spots behind fellow factory-supported Mercedes team Winward.
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The squad’s best runner in the standings is Arjun Maini in eighth on 128 points, while Stolz is placed just one spot behind in ninth after scoring a first win of 2024 at the Sachsenring last month.
Both drivers are out of the championship fight, although another Mercedes driver Maro Engel (Winward) remains firmly in the hunt in third place, 20 points behind championship leader Mirko Bortolotti of SSR Lamborghini.
Engel’s team-mate Lucas Auer, the last remaining driver in the four-strong Mercedes roster, sits 12th in the drivers standings.
Ulster: Mike Lowry; Werner Kok, Ben Carson, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Aidan Morgan, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, James McCormick, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor (capt), Harry Sheridan, Cormac Izuchukwu, Marcus Rea, David McCann.
Replacements: Tadgh McElroy, Callum Reid, Scott Wilson, Kieran Treadwell and Matty Rea, Nathan Doak, James Humphreys, Jude Postlethwaite.
Ospreys: Jack Walsh; Dan Kasende, Evardi Boshoff, Owen Williams, Keelan Giles; Dan Edwards, Kieran Hardy; Gareth Thomas, Sam Parry, Ben Warren, Will Greatbanks, Lewis Jones, Lewis Lloyd, Justin Tipuric, Morgan Morris (capt).
Replacements: Ethan Lewis, Garyn Phillips, Math Iowerth-Scott, Rhys Thomas, Dan Gemine, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Tom Florence, Max Nagy.
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Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Assistant referees: Andrew Cole & Andrew Fogarty (IRFU)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The PFL: Battle of the Giants pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event in the video above.
The press conference takes place ahead of Saturday’s fight card, which airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view and DAZN.
PFL: Battle of the Giants is built around two inaugural superfight title bouts. Francis Ngannou (17-3) vs. Renan Ferreira (13-3) at heavyweight, and Cris Cyborg (27-2) vs. Larissa Pacheco (13-3) at women’s featherweight.
Here’s what you need to know about the PFL: Battle of the Giants press conference.
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What time does the PFL: Battle of the Giants press conference start?
The PFL: Battle of the Giants press conference starts at 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT, which is 2 p.m. local time in Riyadh.
Who’s taking part in the PFL: Battle of the Giants press conference?
The four fighters scheduled for the superfight title bouts are slated to participate in the PFL: Battle of the Giant press conference: Ngannou, Ferreira, Cyborg and Pacheco.
Max Muncy and Walker Buehler broke down the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dominant 8-0 victory over the New York Mets. They also talked about their standout performances in the Game 3 win.
But a groundbreaking operation, which required his breastbone to be split open, saved his career and enabled him to represent England again and win the Premiership with Saracens in 2023.
However, despite his remarkably quick return, he says it took time psychologically to recover from the procedure.
“[At the time] you just treat it as if it is an injury and you don’t realise how big it is,” Isiekwe said.
“It was kind of like [starting again]. I didn’t expect to have to start again but I have had to roll with it and I feel like I’ve got to the point now I wanted to get to.
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“It was difficult but I think there is something beautiful in the struggle.
“I had it in the back of my mind for quite a long time. But now I feel completely normal – and I don’t have any reservations.”
Isiekwe was a late call-up to the England squad for the summer tour of New Zealand following Charlie Ewels’ suspension, although he did not make an appearance – with George Martin and Maro Itoje starting the two Tests against the All Blacks.
“In the summer I had a few things I needed to work on, from a physical point of view,” he added.
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“But I used the summer to really get right and really push it. I feel great.”
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