Chelsea ready to back manager Maresca this summer

The Ipswich striker is currently with England's U21s.

It is another action packed weekend of sport with the All-Ireland SFC series, the Eurpean Rowing Championships and Champions League final.

When all is said and done, the last line of defence is what is imperative, and the respective showing ultimately decisive, in matches like these.

Chelsea’s Champions League qualification and the Conference League victory have delivered a redemption song for Enzo Maresca. But on the third anniversary of the Clearlake Capital takeover and a controversial new book providing the Roman Abramovich perspective. Allan Prosser reflects on three years of turmoil.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak accepts the club should have done more to strengthen the squad before the campaign.

The former Cork City man hasn’t played since rupturing his Achilles tendon in late October.

Neither was Liston’s excuse that he didn’t hear the count and even if he did, Ali’s stance over him meant he could never have got up in time to make it.

Munster face a potentially similar route to the 2025 decider as they did two years ago with a daunting challenge against the third-seeded Sharks at Durban’s Kings Park.

Chelsea have become the first club to win all four major UEFA club competitions – the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners Cup and Conference League

Umeh played a major part in the Ireland U17s qualifying for the World Cup. He is part of the Ireland squad for next week’s friendlies against Norway, Türkiye and Croatia.

Munster face the Sharks in the URC quarter-finals on Saturday. 

Nothing the Corkwoman had encountered in her career at home, America or England prepared her for the hostility awaiting in the Rome derby.

The dates for the 100th anniversary of the biennial contest, announced by Ryder Cup Europe on Wednesday, include four build-up days followed by three days of competition between Europe and the United States.

Interim head coach Ian Costello has been able to field the same starting 15 and eight replacements in consecutive matches for the first time all season. Now what?

Rowing has, after all, been Ireland’s most successful sport across the last three Games with five of the country’s 13 medals. Whatever about doing things ‘better’, it will be very different when the 2025 European Championship launches in Plovdiv this week.

One of the three judges in the trial of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of Diego Maradona stepped down from the proceedings on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old, who is the country’s second-most capped men’s player with 118, will hang up his boots at the conclusion of Leicester’s campaign.

'I’m trying to just make sure she feels comfortable and is able to perform the way she can and not feel any unnecessary stress outside of being on the pitch'

Mane is the only major absentee from a 26-man squad unveiled by coach Pape Thiaw on Tuesday.