Manchester City v Leeds United: A lovely dank Mancunian afternoon with a low cloud and the whispers of bygone Manchester City matchdays in the east of town as Pep Guardiola sends out an XI in an hour or so that will not certainly show the same 10 changes as the dire Bayer Leverkusen defeat on Tuesday here at the Etihad Stadium.
Expect many of the manager’s big guns to be reinstated and intent on downing Leeds and arresting the two-game run of losses. Think Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku etc, and so on …
Championship: The King Power comeback is on! Stephy Mavidi has pulled a goal back for Leicester City, who now trail Sheffield United 3-1 at home.
Championship: Hull City have taken just three minutes of the second half to equalise against Stoke, with Semi Ajayi nodding home from close range after the ball was recycled from a corner. Stoke’s players appealed for both offside and a handball in the build-up and they might have a case on one or both counts. The goal stands.
Championship: Already in a full on funk over their side’s lowly position in the Championship table, Leicester City fans are unlikely to be impressed by the hiding being dished out to them at the King Power Stadium by Sheffield United, who lead 3-0 at half-time courtesy of goals from Tom Cannon, Callum O’Hare and Sydie Peck.
Meanwhile in Stoke, Mark Robins’ high-flyers have gone into the break with a thoroughly deserved 1-0 lead over a Hull City side who have been outplayed thus far but have every right to feel aggrieved at not being awarded a first-half penalty. Sorba Thomas put Stoke ahead with a wonderful right-footed volley that he could not have caught more sweetly.
At Fratton Park, an Anis Mehmeti strike has given Bristol City a 1-0 half-time lead over Portsmouth. It’s the 24-year-old English born Albanian international’s sixth of the season but only his first in seven games.
Championship: Despite being owned by preposterously wealthy Hollywood movie stars, valued at the thick end of £350m and the subject of a moneyspinning Disney TV documentary, Wrexham have received almost £18m in nonrepayable grants from Welsh taxpayers. Guardian exclusive: Jasper Jolly.
Today’s Scottish Premiership fixtures
Today’s Championship fixtures
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Leicester City 0-3 Sheffield Utd (L)
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Portsmouth 0-1 Bristol City (L)
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Stoke City 1-0 Hull City (L)
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Coventry City v Charlton
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Middlesbrough v Derby County
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Millwall v Southampton
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Norwich City v QPR
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Sheffield Wednesday v Preston
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West Brom v Swansea City
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Wrexham v Blackburn Rovers
Today’s Premier League fixtures
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Brentford v Burnley
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Manchester City v Leeds United
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Sunderland v Bournemouth
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Everton v Newcastle (5.30pm GMT)
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Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham (8pm GMT)
The Talk: Your one-stop shop for all the most interesting soundbites from the weekend’s Premier League pre-match press conferences. (Warning: may not be all that interesting, although there is an update on Cole Palmer’s stubbed toe.)
Welcome to the only place you need to be for a fully comprehensive rundown of all the football drama this Saturday. We’re glued to the action, ready to bring you news of all the goals as they go in during the Premier League’s afternoon kick-offs.
On the face of it, today’s trio of top flight three o’clockers promise the usual cocktail of thrills and spills (thrill- and spill-free tedium may also be available) and you won’t miss a thing as the net ripples and the table shifts. But our coverage doesn’t stop there – we’ll be monitoring the action in the Championship, bringing you the latest updates and breaking news from England’s second tier.
North of the border, there are three Scottish Premiership matches, while we’ll ensure you’re kept in the loop with every major twist and talking point from the length and breadth of the country. Stick with us for team news, goals, penalties, and the post-match reports from our reporters in assorted press boxes around the grounds.
