Sport on the TV: Football and rugby, plus Netflix and Apple documentaries
This weekend sees the return of Premier League football and European rugby, as well as a number of exciting sporting documentaries to feast upon. Here’s the five things to add into your sports schedule this weekend.
Football: Tottenham v Arsenal, Sunday
After a week of FA Cup and League Cup action the Premier League returns this weekend with a pair of mouthwatering derbies.
While the two Manchester clubs battle it out at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime (from 11:30, BT Sport 1) our focus is on Sunday’s north London derby.
Arsenal are top of the league but travel to a Spurs team who have not lost at home to the Gunners in the league for more than eight years.
Tottenham are closing in on the top four and Champions League places and could finish the weekend in third depending on other results.
Arsenal could finish the weekend eight points clear if results go their way but their lead could be cut to just two points should Spurs and Man City win this weekend (from 4pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Tennis: Break Point, Friday
Binge watching returns today as Break Point, tennis’s version of Drive to Survive is released to the masses on Netflix.
Nick Kyrgios, Paula Badosa and Ons Jabeur feature in the first instalment of the docu-series, with the five episodes being released now covering the Australian Open, Indian Wells, the Madrid 1000 and French Open.
The series focuses on how the sport will plug the hole left by the greats of the sport when they retire, putting the youth on tour into the spotlight.
Morning Wire reviewed the first five episodes this week, with the next instalment due to be released June (available on Netflix).
Rugby: Racing 92 v Harlequins
The Champions Cup returns this weekend with eight English sides in contention to make the last 16 of European rugby’s top competition.
On Sunday, free-flowing Harlequins travel to Paris to take on a Racing 92 side full of stars.
The London side beat the Parisians in the reverse fixture in December and the Top14 side will be out for revenge.
Quins aren’t playing too well at the moment but they’ve expressed their desire to go on a cup run (Sunday, from 3pm, BT Sport 1).
Tennis: Australian Open sport
The first Grand Slam on the tennis calendar returns this weekend, with a number of titles up for grabs at the Australian Open.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic is back in Australia a year after his deportation looking for his 10th title in Melbourne while Rafael Nadal begins his title defence against Brit Jack Draper.
On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek remains the one to beat on the hard courts a year on from home hero Ashleigh Barty’s final major success before her shock retirement.
There will be no Naomi Osaka due to her pregnancy, no Carlos Alcaraz or Venus Williams due to injury and British fans await news on the fitness of Emma Raducanu (from 11pm, Sunday, Eurosport).
Football: Super League: The War for Football
Apple’s latest venture into sports documentaries continues on Friday with ‘Super League: The War for Football’.
The four-part series will take a look at the failed launch of the European Super League and the subsequent fallout.
Apple claims to have “unprecedented” access to club presidents and owners and say the series will look at how the league plans were orchestrated and the battle thereafter.
The breakaway suffered its latest setback in the courts last month and it will be interesting to see whether this makes it in (from Friday, Apple TV+).