It has been a difficult few weeks for Sir Keir Starmer but at least Arsenal have given him something to smile about. It makes him almost certainly the first prime minister to see his favourite club win the title while in office, unless Harold Macmillan was a secret Ipswich Town fan. Alas, Harold Wilson was in Downing Street 40 years after the heyday of his beloved Huddersfield Town.
Arsenal may also give Starmer bragging rights over Emmanuel Macron as they chase a first Champions League title against Paris Saint-Germain (Saturday, TNT Sports 1, 5pm). First, they end the league season today with a trip to Crystal Palace but there is greater interest in north and east London where Tottenham and West Ham face the drop. Spurs need a draw with Everton to be safe, barring an unlikely 12-0 win for the Hammers over Leeds United (all matches today on Sky Sports, 4pm).
The second tennis major of the year begins without its defending men’s champion. Carlos Alcaraz is out of the French Open with a wrist injury, making Jannik Sinner the strong favourite. The Italian, who needs this title for the career grand slam, comes to Roland Garros on a 29-match winning streak in which he has dropped just three sets. In the women’s event, Iga Świątek is the bookies’ favourite for a fifth title (starts today, TNT Sports).
The Indian Premier League is entering its final week. Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who won their first title last year, are almost certain to be in the play-off for the top two and could play Jos Buttler’s Gujarat Titans (Tuesday, Sky Sports Cricket, 3pm). The losers will get a second chance on Friday. For those who would rather watch people slogging at traditional English grounds, Middlesex host Surrey in the Vitality Blast at Lord’s (today, Sky Sports Cricket, 12pm).
The ground staff at Wembley have a rule: teams who play there should not be able to tell if there was a match the day before. Even so, the 980 million blades of grass get a pounding at this time of year. After yesterday’s Championship play-off, League One and Two have their finals. Stockport County play Bolton Wanderers today (Sky Sports Football 1pm), then Notts County take on Salford City tomorrow (same channel, 3pm).
After that, the turf has five days to recover before it hosts the 125th rugby league Challenge Cup final. Hull KR seek to defend their title, while Wigan Warriors are chasing a 22nd win (Saturday, BBC Two, 3pm). The next day, Wembley hosts the Women’s FA Cup final between Manchester City and Brighton and then Harry Styles moves in for 12 concerts, but you’ll have to read about him in another section.
Photograph by Glyn Kirk / AFP via Getty Images
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