Here's what our news editors will be watching this weekend:
Saturday, April 18th
World Snooker Championship opening round - 11:00 CET
Snooker’s most prestigious tournament gets underway on Saturday morning, as 32 of the sport’s best players battle it out for the World Championship crown, and a mouthwatering £500,000 in prize money.
This year’s event is the 50th championship to be held at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, with China’s Zhao Xintong looking to defend the title he won so impressively 12 months ago.
The 29-year-old opens the 17-day tournament with a first-round clash against qualifier Liam Highfield on Saturday morning, while last year’s runner-up Mark Williams is also in action, as the Welshman faces Poland’s Antoni Kowalski.
Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his hunt for a record eighth world title at the age of 50 against Guoqiang He, while world number one Judd Trump takes on Gary Wilson, and four-time champion Mark Selby faces a tricky test against Wales’ Jak Jones.
The standout clash of the opening round sees legendary Scot John Higgins come up against two-time former finalist Ali Carter on Sunday, with the winner going on to a potential second-round meeting with O'Sullivan.
Snooker at the Crucible really is the pinnacle of the sport, so make sure you tune in!
Danny Clark
Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad (Copa del Rey final) - 21:00 CET
Spain’s Copa del Rey comes to a fascinating conclusion on Saturday evening with a final between 10-time winners Atletico Madrid and three-time champions Real Sociedad at the neutral venue of Sevilla’s Estadio La Cartuja. The last time either side appeared in the decider was back in 2021, when La Real defeated their Basque rivals Athletic Club in a Covid-delayed edition of the final in the same stadium as this weekend’s showpiece.
Curiously, 2021 was the year of both the finalists’ last major success, with the club from San Sebastián winning the cup as mentioned, and Diego Simeone’s side clinching the LaLiga title a little over a month later. Five years is long enough for both fanbases and squads to be desperate for another taste of glory. To add further colour to that, this might be departing star Antoine Griezmann's last shot at a final triumph with Atleti, unless they reach the Champions League final, too.
In terms of the sides' recent history, Atleti won the last league fixture between them 3-2 at home in March, while their first clash of the season was a 1-1 draw up in the Basque Country. Last season, La Real also held Simeone’s side to a draw at home but got pumped 4-0 away. While Simeone was at the helm for all those meetings (and indeed the last 14 years), plenty has changed for Real Sociedad in the last few months…
The club appointed American head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo just before Christmas, and since then, they’ve lost only three matches - against Atleti, Real Madrid and Villarreal, all away. In fact, their form over the last 10 rounds in LaLiga places them above Los Colchoneros in the standings, and they’ve roared back into European contention, currently in seventh place.
Atleti might have their tails up after qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, but quite remarkably, they have also lost five of their last six outings. But as they say, form goes out the window in cup finals, right? With neither side particularly reliable defensively at the moment, there should be goals in this one, too!
Pat Dempsey
Sunday, April 19th
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers - 02:00 CET
It'll be a Battle of Pennsylvania as the Pittsburgh Penguins (2) take on the Philadelphia Flyers (3) in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
This will be the eighth time the teams have faced each other in the playoffs and just the second time in the first round (2018), when the Penguins won it in six games (4-2).
Philly owns the playoff series record between the two at 4-3 all-time, while both teams went 2-2 against each other in the regular season. This is the Flyers’ first playoff appearance since the 2019-2020 season.
Travis Konecny leads the way for Philly with 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists), while future Hall of Famer and 38-year-old Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists).
Crosby’s 180 playoff games rank 40th all-time, having scored 71 goals and 130 assists in that time. After his rookie season (2005-2006), the Penguins have only missed the playoffs three times - all three of which came in the past three seasons.
Eric Himmelheber
Premier League Super Sunday - from 15:00 CET
This weekend's Premier League action will feature what is undoubtedly the biggest day of the season so far, with a high-stakes derby taking place before a clash that could well decide who wins the title.
First up, Everton will host Liverpool in a Merseyside derby that is about far more than just bragging rights, with David Moyes' side close behind their rivals in the table and very much in the battle for European qualification. A win for the Toffees could take them up to sixth and would put them within just two points of the reigning champions, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot.
Such a result could well be the final nail in the coffin for Liverpool boss Arne Slot after he saw his side knocked out of club football's biggest competition by PSG in mid-week, but a win would put them on the brink of ensuring they return to that competition next season and relieve the pressure on the Dutchman.
After that, the world's attention will turn to Manchester, where perhaps the most important match of the club football season to date will take place between league leaders Arsenal and second-placed Manchester City.
City head into it six points behind the Gunners with a game in hand, meaning that a win for the hosts would put the title fight in their hands, and any other result would leave Arsenal on the verge of becoming champions for the first time in 22 years.
In short, this match is highly likely to decide who wins the 2025/26 Premier League title.
Finley Crebolder