This Week in Sport: 6th – 12th July 2020

Another thrilling week of sport begins with two unmissable Premier League fixtures as Tottenham Hotspur face Everton and Arsenal host Leicester on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Wednesday sees the long overdue return of elite cricket as England lock horns with the West Indies in the 1st Test. The fascinating AFL season continues down under as the Geelong Cats and the Brisbane Lions thrash it out in Sydney. This week’s showpiece event from the NRL comes in the shape of the Rabbitohs versus Wests Tigers which will play out in Parramatta on Friday. The weekend kicks off with a thrilling Super Rugby Aotearoa offering that will see the Crusaders entertain Blues. After last week’s breathless return, the new F1 season continues with the Steiermark Grand Prix on Sunday. 

Monday 6th July 7:00PM GMT – Football: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

In the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur host Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The race for European football continues for these two sides. Spurs are just two points outside the European qualifying spots but their quest to qualify has taken a blow recently. They suffered a tough 3-1 loss to fellow Europe contenders Sheffield United last Thursday, a result that could prove vital. With a tough schedule to end the season, Spurs need to win today. Meanwhile, despite being in 11th place, Everton are only three points from European qualifying. The Toffees have come back from the pandemic hiatus strong. They have seven points from three games and come off a 2-1 win over third-place Leicester. With dreams of Europe still a very real possibility, they won’t make things easy for their hosts. This is sure to be an unmissable match.

Tuesday 7th July 7:15PM GMT – Football: Arsenal v Leicester City

There’s a major clash in the Premier League as Arsenal host Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in London.

Arsenal will begin one of the most significant weeks in their calendar by welcoming Leicester to their north London home. Before the small matter of Sunday’s derby date with Tottenham, Arsenal will look to overcome a Foxes side who have had their number in recent meetings. After winning just one of 24 meetings with Arsenal between 1995 and 2017, Leicester have now won three of the last four, and another win on Tuesday night will see them move 12 points clear of the Gunners. The sub-plot to Tuesday’s narrative concerns two of the most prolific scorers in the league as Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang go head-to-head. After joining the Premier League 100 club at the weekend, Vardy moved two goals clear of Aubameyang in the Golden Boot race, but can the Arsenal man make up ground on Tuesday?

Wednesday 8th July 10:00AM GMT – Cricket: England v West Indies (Day 1, 1st Test)

England host the West Indies for the start of the first Test at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground in Hampshire.

110 days after their Test series against Sri Lanka was cut short due to the pandemic, England’s cricketers will finally make a long-awaited return to the wicket on Wednesday. England will be playing Test cricket on home turf for the first time since last year’s Ashes series. Though many of their star names will be in attendance at the Rose Bowl, England captain Joe Root will be missing out on the 1st Test as he is set to attend the birth of his second child. Filling Root’s boots as Test captain this week will be Ben Stokes who will be leading his country out for a Test match for the very first time. Meanwhile, the Windies will be looking to pick up some vital Test ranking points lead by their talented captain and all-rounder Jason Holder. 

Thursday 9th July 9:40AM GMT – Australian Rules Football: Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions

At the top of the AFL, the Geelong Cats host the Brisbane Lions at the SCG in Sydney.

Second meets third in the AFL this week in one of the stand-out games of the campaign so far. Having recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this term, Geelong will be full of confidence going into Thursday’s clash. Key Forward Tom Hawkins continues to set the tone for this dynamic Geelong outfit, having notched eight goals already this year. However, he will be up against one of the most dangerous goal-scoring threats in the league in Charlie Cameron, who already has ten goals of his own. Two of the AFL’s most electrifying sides lock horns in this one, so don’t miss a minute!

Friday 10th June 9:55AM GMT – Rugby League: South Sydney Rabbitohs v Wests Tigers

In the NRL, the South Sydney Rabbitohs face the Wests Tigers at the Bankwest Stadium in Sydney.

There is plenty riding on Friday’s affair as two teams with identical records seek to gain an advantage in the race for play-off spots. The Rabbitohs secured their fourth win of the campaign last time out in a bittersweet meeting with the Bulldogs, which saw the former lose two key players to injury. The Bunnies will be forced to lick their wounds before Friday’s encounter with the Tigers who will be desperate to return to winning ways against their local rivals, after suffering their fourth defeat of the season last time out. Another bruising contest between two electrifying clubs lies in wait, but who will gain local bragging rights in this one? 

Saturday 11th June 7:05AM GMT – Rugby Union: Crusaders v Blues

In Super Rugby Aotearoa, the Crusaders host the Blues at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch.

Super Rugby gets set for a top of the table clash, with both sides entering undefeated. The Crusaders come off a devastating 40-20 win over the Highlanders, the biggest win of the tournament so far. Fullback Will Jordan has been unstoppable and moved to four tries on the tournament during their last win. Meanwhile, the Blues comes off a bye week. Their last win was a tight 27-24 affair against the Highlanders. They will look to flanker Dalton Papali’l, who leads the team in tries. One team’s unbeaten streak will likely end today but tune in to find who will come out on top.

Sunday 12th July 1:10PM GMT – Motorsport: F1 Steiermark Grand Prix

The F1 season continues with Steiermark Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

F1 returned in memorable fashion last week. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas dominated proceedings, taking pole in qualifying before securing a fantastic race victory. With his future next season unclear, it’s a crucial start for the Finn. Fans will be eager to see what he can do in another week at the Red Bull Ring. However, looking to bounce back will be the big names of the sport. Last week, Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, Sebastian Vettel finished tenth, and Max Verstappen failed to finish. These disappointing results will certainly push these stars to try and make an impact come race time. You won’t want to miss a single lap as the F1 season continues. 

Other sporting highlights from around the globe

Honourable mentions from around the globe go to the football fixtures which continue to dominate sporting schedules the world over. Monday is headlined by the second legs of the EFL League One play-offs Semifinals. Oxford’s tie with Portsmouth is on a knife-edge after the initial meeting ended 1-1, whilst Fleetwood Town find themselves 4-1 down to a Wycombe Wanderers side which surely already has one foot in the Final. Nottingham Forest’s play-off credentials will be put to the test on Tuesday as they welcome Fulham to the City Ground, whilst West Bromwich Albion and Derby County battle it out in another unmissable Championship fixture. Three more fixtures from the English second tier headline the weekends action, as Derby County host Bradford, Fulham welcome Cardiff to Craven Cottage and Swansea City host Leeds United. There are plenty more top-flight tussles to watch out for this week as ‘Project Restart’ continues in the Premier League. Chelsea will make the short trip south of the Thames to take on Crystal Palace on Tuesday, before making the slightly more arduous journey to Yorkshire for a meeting with Sheffield United on Saturday. Before Saturday’s test, the Blades will be looking to make it three-straight wins on home turf for the first time this term as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanders to Bramall Lane. Aston Villa will be gunning for their first post-shutdown win as Champions League-chasing Manchester United come to town. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s title celebrations will continue as they take on Burnley at Anfield on Saturday. Wolves will host Everton on Sunday in a pivotal clash. The week’s Premier League timetable concludes with the 56th north London derby in the Premier League as Tottenham welcome Arsenal to their new home for the very first time. Juventus will continue their pursuit of a 36th top flight title this week as they face AC Milan at San Siro, before returning home to take on Atalanta on Saturday. After the test of Juve, AC Milan will be in Serie A action once again at the weekend to lock horns with Napoli in one of the most challenging weeks of their campaign. Meanwhile, Verona will welcome Inter Milan to Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. There are three crucial fixtures to watch out for in La Liga this week, as Getafe face Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao host Sevilla, and Real Sociedad entertain Granada. The MLS returns with four mouth-watering clashes this week as Orlando City take on Inter Miami and New York City host Philadelphia Union, before Toronto FC lock horns with D.C. United and Atlanta United take to the field with New York Red Bulls. There are two key fixtures in the NWSL Challenge Cup this week as the Utah Royals face OL Reign before returning to action just four days later to take on the Chicago Red Stars. The incredible Round Britain Row continues this week so continue to show your support for Duncan Roy and Gus Barton! Live darts will return on Wednesday as 117 PDC Tour Card holders battle it out across five days of action in the Summer Series. The Diamond League takes us to Zurich, Switzerland this week for the Inspiration Games. Two fresh events in the golfing calendar will play out this week with the Austrian Open marking the return of the European Tour whilst the Workday Charity Open begins on the PGA Tour. Two unmissable AFL fixtures will see Collingwood face Hawthorn on Thursday and Port Adelaide host GWS Giants at the weekend. Two unbeaten British boxers will thrash it out in the square circle as Brad Foster and James Beech Jnr go toe-to-toe. The weekend’s offering from the NRL sees the Raiders meet with the Storm and the Knights take on the Eels. The highly-anticipated unveiling of ‘Fight Island’ will take place this weekend as some of the world’s best fighters clash at UFC 251, including Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. There is more Super Rugby action on Sunday as the Hurricanes and the Highlanders meet at Sky Stadium. The 1st Test between England and West Indies will play out all week long, so don’t miss out on the action!

A week of world class sport awaits. Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!