With the postponement of football in the United Kingdom in response to the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we look at three alternative sporting events to keep an eye out for this weekend.
- RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund
Football elsewhere in Europe continues as normal and one of the most significant fixtures this weekend comes from the Bundesliga in Germany. RB Leipzig welcome Borussia Dortmund in what will be Marco Rose’s first match since taking over as manager of the Red Bull franchise, after he was sacked by Dortmund at the end of last season.
Dortmund scored its most ever goals in a Bundesliga season (85) under the jurisdiction of Rose but they also conceded a total 52 goals in the league – the most Dortmund have leaked in the last 14 years. Rose was subsequently relieved of his duties and succeeded by 39-year-old Edin Terzic, who was technical director during Rose’s tenure at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund and Leipzig have had contrasting starts to this season. The latter have taken a single victory from their first five games and a 4-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt led to the dismissal of manager Domenico Tedesco.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have taken four wins from five and they sit joint-top of the Bundesliga table with 12 points.
Leipzig suffered a humiliating defeat in their UEFA Champions League opener, losing 4-1 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, whilst Dortmund treated home fans to a clinical 3-0 win over FC Copenhagen to get their European campaign up and running.
– Draw 3.80
- US Open Finals
Almost 10,000km away from Germany is the ongoing US Open in New York City. The tournament is in its final few days with the finals to be fulfilled, beginning with the women’s singles final on Saturday at 20:00 GMT.
Ons Jabeur faces top seed Iga Swiatek, with Jabeur set to become the first African, Arab, and Tunisian woman to play in the final at Flushing Meadows. This is the first time since the 2013 US Open that both women’s finalists are seeded inside the top five.
Jabeur, 28, was the losing finalist at Wimbledon this year and she remains on the prowl for a maiden Grand Slam title. Her opponent, who is seven years her junior, is the top-ranked female player and a two-time Roland Garros champion. These competitors have met four times before with two wins apiece. This is to be only the second time they face off at a major tournament after Jabeur beat Swiatek in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2021.
– Iga Swiatek 1.53
– Ons Jabeur 2.62
In the men’s singles final, fifth seed Casper Ruud takes on third seed Carlos Alcaraz after they beat out Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe, respectively. Alcaraz and Tiafoe contested a thrilling five-setter after the 19-year-old Spaniard overcame Jannik Sinner in a gruelling yet captivating five-set quarter-final clash, while Tiafoe had disposed of ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
Ruud and Alcaraz have yet to meet at a Grand Slam, with the winner set to capture a maiden major championship as well as the number one ranking in the world.
The men’s singles final takes place on Sunday evening at 20:00 GMT.
– Carlos Alcaraz 1.50
– Casper Ruud 2.70
What's at stake in the #USOpen final?
A first Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking in the world. Otherwise, not much. pic.twitter.com/p019nfg2cU
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2022
- Italian Grand Prix
This weekend also hosts a third successive Formula One event, following on from the Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix. Ahead of the Italian GP on Sunday, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has won each of the last four races and he currently holds a 109-point lead in the Driver’s Championship. Red Bull have won 11 out of 15 races this season and are 135 points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructor’s Championship.
Ferrari will be desperate to narrow the gap to their title rivals and, being their home race, the Prancing Horse is under added pressure to earn a positive result in front of its Tifosi. Of the last 11 races at Monza, Ferrari have won just once while Mercedes took victory at the ‘Temple of Speed’ five years in a row from 2014-2018.
Four different teams have won the last four races at Monza and Red Bull are looking to maintain that pattern, having last won the Italian GP in 2013.
Qualifying begins at 16:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday, and lights out at 15:00 on Sunday.
– Max Verstappen 1.44
– Charles Leclerc 3.50
– George Russell 8.00
– Lewis Hamilton 41.00
– Sergio Perez 41.00
– Carlos Sainz 41.00
– Red Bull 1.44
– Ferrari 3.40
– Mercedes 7.00
There's plenty to talk about this week in Italy! 👀#ItalianGP #F1 https://t.co/zbw9ALnC4M
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 8, 2022
