PSL drama over Usman Tariq pause (Screengrab)

Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of Daryl Mitchell after the New Zealand batter raised concerns over Usman Tariq’s unusual delivery pause during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 clash in Karachi.The incident occurred during the match between Quetta Gladiators and Rawalpindi, where Mitchell pulled away twice while facing Tariq, clearly uncomfortable with the bowler’s stop-start action. During the ninth over at the National Stadium, Mitchell initially played a paddle sweep but soon appeared unsettled by Tariq’s delayed release. As the over progressed, he stepped away twice mid-delivery, pointing out the pause in the bowler’s action.The repeated interruptions prompted the on-field umpires to intervene and have a brief discussion with the batter before allowing play to continue. Mitchell was later dismissed, caught and bowled by Saud Shakeel, as Rawalpindi suffered a heavy 61-run defeat.Ashwin’s Take: “Batters Have Every Right”Ashwin, who had earlier spoken about such tactics on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, reiterated that batters are well within their rights to pull away if they feel the bowler’s action disrupts timing.”Now it’s up to the umpires and match referees to time the pause for his delivery. If the pause isn’t consistent, then the batter has every right to move away. The captains and opposition batters should raise this issue with the umpires and match referees before the game begins. Well done, Mitchell.” Ashwin wrote.Interestingly, Ashwin had earlier suggested this exact approach, encouraging batters to step away, forcing umpires to call a dead ball and thereby neutralising any advantage gained from irregular bowling rhythms. Tariq’s action has been under scrutiny for some time due to its distinctive pause before release, followed by a low follow-through. While he has been reported twice for a suspect action in the past, he has been cleared on both occasions.

Manchester City announced on Friday that Marcus Bettinelli had extended his stay at the Etihad, and it’s a shrewd bit of business that Man Utd should take note of.

There are only six miles separating the Etihad and Old Trafford, but Manchester City and Manchester United have been worlds apart in recent years.

United are doing all they can to bridge the gap to their local rivals, and haven’t been afraid to look across the city for inspiration in their quest to reclaim the title of top dogs in Manchester. The corridors of power at Old Trafford are littered with Etihad alumni, and United could do worse than to take note of City’s most recent piece of business as they look to shape their summer transfer plans.

Those curating the back pages of Saturday’s newspapers were never likely to be troubled by the news that Marcus Bettinelli had extended his stay at City on Friday evening. The former Chelsea man hasn’t played a single minute in City blue since his arrival, but sporting director Hugo Viana was keen to express how important a player like Bettinelli can be having triggered an extension in his deal.

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“Marcus has been a really good signing for us,” said Viana. “He’s a top goalkeeper and a brilliant person. He’s brought ideas and energy to our goalkeeping department and we are delighted he is staying for longer. It’s vital for any top club to have a thriving goalkeeping department and Marcus is a big part of ours.”

The role a third-choice goalkeeper can play at a club can’t be underestimated. While most will be lucky to even see the bright lights of domestic cup football, let alone Premier League football, the part they play on the training pitches and in the dressing room can be key to a club’s success.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

There’s also the worry of changing too much too soon. With James Trafford looking set to head for the Etihad exit door this summer, tying Bettinelli down for another year has ensured City’s goalkeeping department won’t be disrupted too much should Trafford leave.

It’s a point United should take note of.

Senne Lammens has been a revelation since his signing from Royal Antwerp last summer. The Belgian shot-stopper has brought an air of calm to a position previously mired in chaos at Old Trafford, but it’s worth remembering he is still just 23 and has yet to play a full season outside of his homeland.

The experience brought by his goalkeeping colleagues at United, particularly Tom Heaton, a veteran who knows United better than most, will have been massive as Lammens settled into new surroundings.

Should Altay Bayindir be sold this summer – and there’s every chance he will be if a suitable offer arrives – offering Heaton a one-year deal could be a clever bit of business from United as they look to avoid an overhaul of their goalkeeping department.

Whenever United players have been asked about the impact Michael Carrick has made since his return to the club, more often than not they have spoken about how helpful it has been that Carrick ‘gets’ United. He knows of the pressure and the scrutiny that comes with representing United, and can pass that knowledge on to the players. Why should such values be overlooked when considering which players you want at the club?

Heaton will turn 40 in just a few days’ time, and when he does decide to hang up his gloves, nobody from the United hierarchy is going to wish him farewell by reminiscing about his stellar display in a pre-season friendly against Bournemouth last summer – although he’s clearly still capable of performing at a high level when called upon. It’s what he brings away from the pitch that United value so highly.

United are already going to overhaul their midfield this summer. They don’t want to add another department to the list.

The Arizona Diamondbacks look to make it back-to-back wins in the series when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies in a key National League matchup on Saturday. Arizona defeated Philadelphia 5-4 on Friday night in the first game of the series. The Diamondbacks (8-6), second in the NL West, are 3-4 on the road this season. The Phillies (6-7), who are fourth in the NL East, are 3-4 on their home field in 2026. Taijuan Walker (0-2, 9.31 ERA) will start for Philadelphia, while Brandon Pfaadt is on the hill for Arizona.

First pitch from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is set for 1:05 p.m. ET. Philadelphia is a -135 favorite on the money line (risk $135 to win $100) in the latest Diamondbacks vs. Phillies odds, while the over/under, is 8.5. Before making any Phillies vs. Diamondbacks picks, be sure to see the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model. 

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It was a profitable 35-29 on top-rated MLB money-line picks last season. It also excelled making home run prop picks in 2025, returning nearly 30 units of profit. Anybody following its MLB betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.    

Now, the model has set its sights on Diamondbacks vs. Phillies and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Phillies vs. Diamondbacks:

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Top Diamondbacks vs. Phillies predictions 

After 10,000 simulations of Diamondbacks vs. Phillies, the model is going Over 8.5 combined runs. Arizona enters the game with one of MLB’s top-scoring offenses, scoring 57 times in 14 games this season. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has given up 62 runs this season, and has a 4.27 staff ERA. Opposing teams are hitting .260 against the Phillies, fourth-most in MLB. 

SportsLine’s model projects more than 1.42 total bases for Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Nolan Arenado. The Phillies, meanwhile, are projected to get over 1.5 total bases from Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Adolis Garcia and Alec Bohm. The model projects 10.5 combined runs as the Over hits 66% of the time. Get the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies money-line pick at SportsLine.

How to make Phillies vs. Diamondbacks picks

After simulating every pitch of Phillies vs. Diamondbacks 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can get that pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Diamondbacks vs. Phillies, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.

Should Lynn need any inspiration, he need not look far across the office.

Wales men’s head coach Steve Tandy helped his side end a three-year Six Nations losing streak with a final round victory over Italy last month, while performances in defeat offered plenty of encouragement.

It is hoped the women can turn a similar corner in their campaign.

“I’ve worked really closely with Steve Tandy, I’ve been into his camp, it’s an open environment,” said Lynn.

“That’s what we’re about, supporting each other as a nation.”

Wales captain Kate Williams said: “We can be inspired by them [Wales men], but we’re not limited to what they’re doing as well.

“We’re looking internally about what we can do and finding confidence in ourselves to then be able to put out our own performance and write our own story.”

Inspiration has also been drawn from other Welsh sporting stars, including boxer Lauren Price who retained her world titles in Cardiff last weekend.

“Something like Saturday night inspired me massively,” Lynn said.

“We are one Wales and we are such a proud nation, that for me was who we are and what we’re about.”

Tyson Fury returns to the ring tonight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, ending a 16-month absence to face big puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov in a heavyweight clash that carries more intrigue than it perhaps would have done a year ago.

Fury, now 37, has been open about the uncertainty surrounding his comeback, admitting in fight week that inactivity and age could have taken something from him.

Still, if he resembles anything close to the man who pushed Oleksandr Usyk in two high-level encounters, he will be expected to get the job done against an opponent who, while heavy-handed, has shown vulnerabilities at world level.

That is certainly the opinion of former world champion Carl Froch, who told New Betting Sites that Makhmudov could be a banana skin if ‘The Gypsy King’ hasn’t prepared properly, but ultimately doesn’t think that will be the case.

“It’s a potential bad fight for Fury, if Fury’s not taking it seriously, but from what I’ve seen and heard of him, and he’s not in bad shape, he’s not gone massive, he’s not gone up to 25 stone.

“I think he wins, I just hope he’s got the fitness and the engine to do the 12 rounds, because Makhmudov is quite fit and strong for 12 rounds. But he’s shown vulnerabilities around the body, and he’s not of that level. But we don’t know what we’re gonna get with Tyson Fury. I feel like anything can happen.”

With a long-awaited showdown against Anthony Joshua potentially waiting later this year, all eyes will be on how Fury performs rather than simply whether he wins. A convincing display keeps those plans on track – anything less could raise serious questions about what he has left at the top level.

The Champions League has been running since 1955, and in that time, only 24 clubs have ever won it.

If you follow the sports betting odds each season, you will notice the same handful of names appearing at the top of the market year after year, and history explains exactly why. Here is a look at the clubs who have collected the most titles since the competition began.

 Real Madrid – 15 titles

Nobody else comes close. Real Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup back–to–back between 1956 and 1960, and they have never really stopped. Their most recent triumph came in 2024 when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley, with goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr sealing yet another European crown in front of a global audience.

The most iconic moment in their modern run was arguably the 2022 final against Liverpool, where Vinicius Jr scored the only goal at the Stade de France in Paris, but it was the manner in which they eliminated Manchester City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint Germain in the knockouts that truly captured the imagination that year, a run that had sports predictions pointing toward them as favourites long before the final was even in sight. They remain the benchmark every other club is measured against, and no club in world sport has dominated a single competition across such a sustained period of time.

 AC Milan – seven titles

Milan’s seven titles span six decades, from their first in 1963 through to their last in 2007, when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in Athens in a final that felt like poetic justice after Liverpool had overturned a three-goal deficit to beat them on penalties in Istanbul two years earlier. They were the dominant force in European football across two separate eras, first in the late 1980s and early 1990s under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, and then again in the early 2000s under Carlo Ancelotti, who would go on to win three more titles with Real Madrid.

 Bayern Munich and Liverpool – six titles each

Bayern and Liverpool sit level on six titles apiece, though they arrived at that number in very different ways. Bayern’s most recent win came in 2020, when they dismantled every opponent they faced during the pandemic-era tournament in Lisbon, finishing the competition with a perfect record and beating PSG 1-0 in the final through a Kingsley Coman header.

Liverpool’s story is a more emotional one, with their sixth title arriving in 2019 with a 2-0 win over Tottenham in Madrid, 30 years after they last won their domestic league, making it one of the most celebrated nights in English football history. The most memorable moment in Liverpool’s European story remains the 2005 final in Istanbul, where they came back from three goals down at half-time to draw level with AC Milan before winning on penalties in what is widely regarded as the greatest Champions League final ever played.

 Barcelona – five titles

Barcelona’s five titles are linked to one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Four of those five came with Lionel Messi in the side, including the famous treble-winning side of 2015 under Luis Enrique, who beat Juventus 3-1 in Berlin with a performance that showcased Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez at the absolute peak of their powers. Their 2009 final against Manchester United at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which they won 2-0, is widely considered the greatest club side of the modern era at its very best.

 Ajax – four titles

Ajax remain one of the most remarkable stories in the competition’s history. A club from the Netherlands winning four European Cups, three of them consecutively between 1971 and 1973, speaks to just how extraordinary that generation of players was under Rinus Michels and later Stefan Kovacs. That squad produced some of the most influential footballers Europe has ever seen, including Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, and Ruud Krol, and their style of play, known as Total Football, changed the way the game was coached and understood for generations to come.

 PSG became the 24th club to win the trophy when they lifted it for the first time in 2025, beating Inter Milan 5-0 in one of the most one-sided finals in the competition’s history, and with the Budapest final approaching in May 2026, the next name on that list is being decided right now.

The action continues in round 24 of the Australian A-League as Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix lock horns at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Sunday. Both sides’ quest for playoff qualification could potentially boil down to this weekend’s result, as they currently sit separated by just two points in a heated race for a top-six finish.

Melbourne City picked up another huge result in their push for playoff qualification last Tuesday when they saw off a late comeback scare to see out a 2-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners on home turf.

Aurelio Vidmar’s side have gone four consecutive games without defeat, picking up three wins and one draw, having failed to taste victory in the five matches preceding this run (2D 3L).

With just three games to go, Melbourne City are poised to secure playoff football, as they sit sixth in the A-League table with 32 points from 23 games, albeit just one point above seventh-placed Macarthur.

Like the home side, Wellington Phoenix have turned their fortunes around in crunch time, with Chris Greenacre’s men claiming an impressive 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory last weekend.

Having failed to win seven straight games between January 23 and March 6, the result over Melbourne Victory means the Phoenix have now won three consecutive league games for the first time since January 2023.

This upturn in form has put Wellington in contention for post-season football, as they now sit eighth in the league table with 30 points from 23 matches, just two points behind this weekend’s hosts.

Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• With 23 wins from the last 46 meetings between the sides, Melbourne City boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.
• Wellington Phoenix have picked up 13 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 10 occasions.
• Melbourne City are unbeaten in their last five home matches against Wellington Phoenix, claiming four wins and one draw since a 2-1 defeat in August 2022.
• Wellington have lost just one of their most recent seven away matches, while picking up four wins and two draws since the turn of the year.

Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction

Given the stakes of this weekend’s tie, we expect Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix to leave everything on the line at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as they look to strengthen their stake for a playoff spot.

Both sides have upped the ante in the run-in and will feel they have what it takes to get the result, but we predict Vidmar’s men will make the most of their home advantage.

Prediction: Melbourne City 2-1 Wellington Phoenix

Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result – Melbourne City to win

Tip 2: First to score – Melbourne City (The hosts have opened the scoring in five of their last seven games against Wellington)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards – No (There have been fewer than five bookings in seven of their most recent eight encounters)