Live Sport on TV this weekend – September 16th & 17th
Saturday
Rugby Union
World Cup – Pool Matches – Ireland v Tonga – ITV1 – 20.00
Ireland are not underestimating Tonga and are putting out a strong side. Tonga, though perhaps not as strong as Fiji, will offer the Irish a stern test. Ireland to win handily in the end with a bonus point.
Football
Premier League
Wolves v Liverpool – TNT Sports 1 – 12.30
Can Liverpool maintain their good start to the season even without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk? Wolves have had a dismal start to the season, not helped by replacing their manager in the week leading up to the season and selling their best midfielder Matheus Nunes to Man City. Klopp now seems to have found his ideal forward combination with Darwin Núñez through the middle supported by Mo Salah and either Diogo Jota or Luis Diaz. Liverpool to win and keep the pressure on Man City.
Newcastle v Brentford – Sky Sports Premier League/Main Event – 17.30
Newcastle, now in the Champions League, have had a poor start to the season (1 win, 3 losses) and perhaps the gloss is coming off Eddie Howe. Brentford are unbeaten with 1 win and three draws. Make that 4 after today’s match.
The best game of the day is likely to be Man Utd v Brighton, but unfortunately that’s not on live TV in the UK.
Horse Racing
Doncaster – St Leger – ITV1 – 15.35
With Aidan O’Brien winning all the big races in Ireland and France last weekend, can he repeat the feat in the St Leger, the final English Classic of the season, at Doncaster? Continuous, ridden by Ryan Moore, is his representative and is likely to start as favourite. Or can Frankie Dettori round off his English Classic career with a win on Arrest? Dettori chose Arrest over the Gosdens’ other runner Gregory, but perhaps King Charles might have first Classic winner with Desert Hero. O’Brien and Moore to continue their winning run
Sunday
Football
Premier League
Bournemouth v Chelsea – Sky Sports Premier League/Main Event -14.00
Bournemouth look to be likely relegation candidates this season, but do Chelsea, after four games, look any better? How can a team spend nearly a billion pounds in just over a year and still be so awful? Answers on a postage stamp please. Tod Boehly is going through players and managers at an even faster rate than Roman Abramovich and that takes some doing. A relegation ding-dong which, if Chelsea don’t win, might well be their fate this season.
Everton v Arsenal – Sky Sports Premier League/Main Event – 16.30
New owners are arriving too late to help Everton in this game and Arsenal are beginning to show the form of last season, particularly in their win against Man Utd. Martin Ødegaard looks imperious in midfield, now ably supported by Declan Rice. Arsenal to pile on the misery for Everton.
Rugby Union
World Cup – Pool Matches
Australia v Fiji – ITV1 – 16.45
Australia are likely to find Fiji a much more difficult proposition than Georgia. Fiji were also unlucky to lose to Wales and could have won with the last play of that game and a better kicker. That might be their undoing in Saint-Étienne in what promises to be a very close game.
England v Japan – ITV1 – 20.00
Can England build on their good and surprising start to the World Cup? Can they actually score a try? The answer to both should be yes, but Japan will be no pushover. The only mystery is why Jack Willis can’t get a place in the team even as a substitute. England need speed and mobility in the back row and Willis would be the perfect partner for Ben Earl.
FI – Singapore GP – Sky Sports F1 – 13.00
Yawnfest
