Editors' Picks: Football and rugby internationals headline as ATP Finals conclude
Here's what our editors will be watching this weekend:
Saturday, November 16th
ATP Finals - semis and final - all weekend
The most consequential sporting event of the week will be taking place in Turin, where the winner of arguably the fifth biggest title in men's tennis will be decided.
World number two Alexander Zverev and world number five Taylor Fritz will contest the first semi-final and who wins it is anyone's guess. Zverev has had the stronger end to the year with the German winning the Paris Masters before knocking Carlos Alcaraz in Turin, but Fritz has one each of their last three meetings, all of which have taken place in the last five months.
There's a much clearer favourite in the other semi, with world number one Jannik Sinner looking at his very best on home turf thus far. He hasn't dropped a single set yet in this tournament, and it would be something of an upset if bottom seed Casper Ruud even managed to change that, although the Norwegian player has been playing well himself at the Finals.
The two semis will be played on Saturday and are followed by the title decider on Sunday, one of the most important matches on the calendar and a key one for the careers of whichever players are in it.
If Zverev prevails, he'll become just the eighth player in the history of the sport to have won the tournament at least three times; for either Fritz or Ruud, it would be the biggest title of their career; and for Sinner, a maiden triumph would be made extra special by the fact that it would take place in his home country.
As far as weekends go, watching four grand slam finalists battle it out for the chance to enjoy one of the biggest moments of their career isn't a bad one.
Finley Crebolder
France vs New Zealand - 21:10 CET
Rugby’s Autumn Internationals series serves up arguably its biggest clash yet this weekend as heavyweights France host New Zealand’s iconic All Blacks at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday evening.
Rewind to last year’s World Cup and these two titans of the game were facing off in the same stadium on the opening night of rugby’s biggest event. Les Bleus won that encounter 27-13 but it was the All Blacks who would go on to reach the final rather than the hosts.
Both sides were bettered by eventual winners South Africa in the end. Since the World Cup, the two sides have experienced mixed runs of form with the All Blacks now under the watchful eye of a new head coach in Scott Robertson.
France were pipped to the Six Nations crown by Ireland while the Kiwis were again outdone by the Springboks in the southern hemisphere's Rugby Championship. What’s more, both have also lost Tests to Argentina since their last meeting. In short, they’ve been up and down in the past 12 months.
The All Blacks, however, might just finally be back to somewhere near their menacing best having won their last five outings, including wins over England and Ireland on this tour already. The Robertson era, it seems, is beginning to deliver the results that the New Zealand public expects. Beware.
France welcomed back talismanic captain Antoine Dupoint from his Sevens sojourn when they smashed Japan last week and they will need all his talents to stop the All Blacks from wreaking more havoc on the continent this weekend.
Pat Dempsey
Sunday, November 17th
England vs Ireland - 18:00 CET
The Nations League may not have much hanging on it, but any occasion where England meet Ireland always has a deeper meaning.
These two sides met on the first matchday of both this group stage as well as of Lee Carsley’s tenure in charge of the Three Lions with England winning 2-0.
Carsley, a former Ireland international, now faces his old side needing a win to give the Three Lions automatic promotion back to the top tier of the competition.
For Ireland, a win will secure safety in Group B and give them a historic scalp over an age-old rival. Both sides won in midweek, meaning confidence is high for the two nations heading into Sunday.
Carsley will look to Harry Kane to provide the firepower, as he has done in an England shirt throughout his career, after benching him in that 3-0 victory over Greece. Meanwhile, Ireland will hope Evan Ferguson can net again, as he did against Finland.
Make no mistake, England will be favourites for the encounter, and they will need no further motivation for the fixture than sending their interim manager off in style as they look forward to the intriguing tenure of Thomas Tuchel, which starts in 2025.
A good atmosphere at Wembley, as well as the historic rivalry between the two sides, should create a game not to miss.
Josh Donaldson
One of the standout international fixtures this weekend sees Luciano Spalletti’s Italy host France in an eye-catching clash at the top of Group A2 in the UEFA Nations League.
Both sides have secured spots in the quarter-finals already, with Italy beating Belgium and France drawing with Israel on Thursday. Only three points are separating Les Bleus in second and leaders Italy in first.
Despite less resting on this clash after the midweek results, there is the matter of top spot and, of course, pride at stake.
Italy were victorious in the reverse fixture back in September and with Kylian Mbappe absent from the French squad this time around, the Azzurri will fancy their chances of securing a statement result on home soil.
Inter duo Alessandro Bastoni and Davide Frattesi have led from the front for an impressive Italian outfit in recent months, while Randal Kolo Muani - fresh from October’s match-winning performance in Belgium - will play a key role for France up top.
Whatever happens under the lights in Milan on Sunday evening, it promises to be a thrilling encounter and a great way to cap off the weekend.
Danny Clark
