![\"Suzanne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Suzanne_Wrack_2.png\")
Suzanne WrackEngland face landmark 500th game in Iceland as Wiegman warns against slips<\/p>\nSarina Wiegman has said it is important England get the right result against Iceland in Saturday\u2019s World Cup qualifier to make the win against Spain at Wembley on Tuesday \u201ceven more valuable\u201d.<\/p>\n
England put themselves in pole position in their qualifying group with the tight 1-0 victory over Spain, with Lauren Hemp\u2019s early goal the difference. The European champions have three wins from three and with only the top team from each group in League A securing automatic qualification and avoiding the playoffs, the incentive to keep winning is high.<\/p>\n
Iceland are next up and a positive result at the Laugardalsvo\u0308llur Stadium with two games remaining in early June \u2013 Spain in Mallorca and Ukraine at the Hill Dickinson Stadium \u2013 is \u201cwhat we want\u201d, according to Wiegman. She said: \u201cIt will be a different challenge but we need to make the win on Tuesday even more valuable by having a good result tomorrow. That\u2019s absolutely what we want to go for, it\u2019s different circumstances and with a different opponent, but we\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read Suzanne Wrack\u2019s full preview of the Lionesses latest World Cup qualifier here:<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.38 EDT<\/p>\n We\u2019re counting down to kick-off in the first Premier League fixture of the day and Tim de Lisle is your man for updates. Get the team news from the Gtech is in:<\/p>\n Share<\/a> David Moyes extended sympathy and support for Arne Slot \u2013 which may not be what any Liverpool manager wishes to hear from an Everton counterpart before a Merseyside derby \u2013 yet could not resist the temptation to stir up some local rivalry in the same breath. There was a gleam in the eye and a barely suppressed grin on Moyes\u2019s face as he ridiculed one of the reasons Slot has presented for the champions\u2019 decline this season.<\/p>\n Read Andy Hunter\u2019s full preview ahead of Sunday\u2019s Merseyside derby:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Liverpool can put full focus on Champions League qualification after PSG defeat<\/p>\n Arne Slot is seeking a positive spin on Liverpool\u2019s exit from the Champions League and has settled on elimination giving them more time to focus on qualifying for the competition again next season.<\/p>\n Already out of the FA Cup, the Reds\u2019 sole focus now will be on trying to secure a spot in the Premier League\u2019s top five following their 4-0 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain. Last weekend\u2019s 2-0 win over Fulham means they sit in fifth place, four points ahead of Chelsea and three behind Aston Villa and Manchester United with six games remaining. Slot said:<\/p>\n If you look at the 15, 20, 25 players with the most minutes this season, a lot of them are from us. That tells you a lot and one of the reasons why we have been a bit inconsistent, maybe why we have conceded so many late goals, because it is always the same players.<\/p>\n Maybe from that perspective, it is a good thing we are not in Europe any more, but I would definitely prefer to play in Europe because that also gives an energy to the group if you go to the semi-final of the Champions League. I don\u2019t see it as a positive thing we are out but it is the reality and we have a bit more training time now.<\/p>\n From PA Media<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n This undersells the market for Rashford, he\u2019s had a decent, if not quite outstanding season. The money could be an issue though\u2026<\/p>\n Rashford will at least win the title with Barcelona so even if they can’t find enough small change down the back of the sof\u00e1 he will leave with a medal that few English players have in their trophy cabinets. Spurs won a European trophy 10 months ago, are the ninth richest club in the world and play in a billion-pound stadium. They are also in relegation scrap with six games to play in the Premier League season. Tottenham are 18th in the league, having picked up just 30 points from 32 games.<\/p>\n Fourteen games without a win. Five points from the last 42 available. No victories in 2026. The numbers alone would normally confirm relegation as a formality. Roberto De Zerbi has become their fourth manager in the last 12 months in a move that feels less like a rescue mission and more like a last roll of the dice.<\/p>\n Spurs have not nosedived into decline this season; they have slowly unraveled. From the boardroom to the dugout to the pitch, the pattern of poor short-term decisions and long-term neglect has produced a team devoid of direction and fight.<\/p>\n Read the full feature from the Guardian Sport Network:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n This is genuinely like a National League City-Liverpool title race from a few years back. Both teams on more than 100 points, both in action at 5.30pm (BST) today. Anyone going to either Cressing Road or the LNER Community Stadium later?<\/p>\n Exciting titles chases in the National Leagues. Rochdale and York have been trading blows all season but it could be over today. If not it\u2019s going the last fans between \u2026 Rochdale and York .<\/p>\n Bournemouth are set to appoint Marco Rose as their new manager after successful talks with the German. Rose has emerged as the favoured candidate to replace Andoni Iraola, who is stepping down when his contract expires this summer, and an agreement in principle is in place for him to take over.<\/p>\n Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth\u2019s head of football operations, has moved swiftly since learning that Iraola has decided to seek a fresh challenge. Bournemouth considered a move for Kieran McKenna but the Ipswich manager\u2019s heavy buyout clause presented a significant challenge and made a move for Rose more likely.<\/p>\n Full story from Jacob Steinberg:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>On the ball \u2013 guess the footballer<\/p>\n The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game<\/a>, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android \u2026 so what are you waiting for?<\/p>\n On the ball on the Guardian app Photograph: The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Not something you see everyday, it\u2019s like something from a Hitchcock film:<\/p>\n Share<\/a> An England international whose future is less certain is Marcus Rashford, Will Unwin has the latest on his future:<\/p>\n Rashford faces summer in post-loan limbo but Carrick says door at United is not closedMarcus Rashford may be on the move again this summer with a permanent switch to Barcelona looking less certain. Photograph: Jose Breton\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Marcus Rashford could have a summer of transfer limbo in store despite Michael Carrick admitting the door is not completely closed on the forward playing for Manchester United again. Rashford is currently on loan at Barcelona but it is becoming increasingly unlikely the move will be made permanent, which will obligate a return to Old Trafford where he would receive a wage rise if the club qualify for the Champions League.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old has not played for United since December 2024, spending the past 16 months out on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona, who have the option to purchase Rashford for \u20ac30m (\u00a326m). United sit comfortably in third, seven points above Saturday\u2019s opponents, sixth-placed Chelsea, but will not want to see the gap close come full time at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n After two seasons without Champions League football, returning to Europe\u2019s top table is vital for United but will result in players\u2019 wages increasing, with Rashford\u2019s salary reaching \u00a3325,000 per week on his deal, which runs until 2028. United would be keen to sell him but few could match his earnings.<\/p>\n Full story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Cole Palmer reassured a lot of Chelsea fans that despite an inconsistent season he remains committed to the west London club. Speaking to Jacob Steinberg about report linking the England international with a move to Manchester United Palmer said:<\/p>\n double quotation markEveryone just talks. When I see it I just laugh. Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don\u2019t miss it. Maybe I\u2019ll miss it if I don\u2019t go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there\u2019s nothing there for me anyway.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got no plans to move from Chelsea. We\u2019ve still got a lot to play for. We\u2019ve got the FA Cup semi-final [against Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need. We spoke to the owners and they\u2019re sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece won\u2019t sign a six-year contract if he\u2019s not spoken to the owners and the directors.<\/p>\n Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn\u2019t sign a new contract if he didn\u2019t know what was going on.<\/p>\n You can read that interview with Palmer in full here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A lot of goodwill towards Coventry after their troubles since dropping out of the top-flight, keep the comments coming in:<\/p>\n I’m so so pleased for the dear folk of Coventry and their Promotion to the Premier League after 25 yrs, especially as some wanted on these pages Lampard to fail, so well done Frank on proving your critics wrong, and achieving a long awaited Promotion of Coventry City.<\/p>\n Nice work Coventry and Lampard. Finally top flight football in your \u2018new\u2019 ground (2005 was it).<\/p>\n Always happy to see a Midlands team go up. Would be happy to see Blues, WBA, Wolves, even Derby and Notts competing. Of course Forest might get to play some of those next season<\/p>\n Sam Cunningham<\/p>\n No more gimmicks: Coventry\u2019s perilous journey back to the Premier League is finally over<\/p>\n To understand the extraordinarily wild ride that Coventry have been on, culminating in the promotion achieved at Blackburn on Friday night, you need only look at the text-a-substitute idea that has become part of football folklore.<\/p>\n In less than a decade, the club were relegated from the top flight for the first time after 34 years, lost their stadium and came within half an hour of extinction before being bought by a Mayfair-based hedge fund in 2007. The story goes that, as a way to generate extra revenue, fans would be able to text substitution suggestions to a premium-rate number during a match. It is frequently recalled in local and national newspapers. Fans are still asked about it today.<\/p>\n But Leonard Brody, the Canadian digital guru who joined the board when Sisu took over and is credited with the idea, insists it was never seriously discussed at the club. \u201cThat whole texting conversation was taken out of context of more of a brainstorming conversation that was happening with a reporter, where they pulled out the idea to make it look like a stupid idea,\u201d recalls Brody.<\/p>\n He says he was discussing how clubs needed to seek revenue streams away from broadcasting. \u201cI think it\u2019s kind of funny,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut it\u2019s not something we were ever going to do or take seriously in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Read Sam Cunninham\u2019s full feature on Coventrys journey down and back up again:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Coventry fans, how are you feeling about promotion? My personal experience is that this is the best bit and that you have eery right to still be nursing sore heads come Monday morning. Get in touch via matchday.live@guardian.co.uk<\/a> or below the line in the comments with your stories from last night and your thoughts on being back in the big time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.46 EDT<\/p>\n Dominic Booth<\/p>\n Where else to start than with Coventry..<\/p>\n Lampard delight as nervy draw at Blackburn seals promotion for Coventry<\/p>\n An emotional Frank Lampard basked in the historic achievement of leading Coventry City back to the Premier League after an absence of a quarter of a century. The Sky Blues have returned to the big time for the first time in a generation, after a turbulent period in which they changed stadiums, hit financial rock bottom and plummeted to the depths of League Two as recently as 2017-18.<\/p>\n Lampard was front and centre of celebrations after a 1-1 draw at Blackburn that put the seal on a famous promotion. It has been a long time coming. The former England midfielder lauded Bobby Thomas\u2019s equalising goal as an \u201cincredible moment\u201d in the champagne-soaked celebrations on the Ewood Park turf. \u201cBecause of how the game had gone, you were worried,\u201d said Lampard. \u201cWe knew we were very nearly there, but to get it over the line like this for this club after 25 years, wow.\u201d<\/p>\n Coventry had struggled to battle past a stubborn home side across a tense 90 minutes, knowing just a point would send them up. Ryoya Morishita\u2019s goal for Blackburn briefly silenced the 7,000 Sky Blue fans, before Thomas nodded in from Victor Torp\u2019s free-kick late on. It was hardly a vintage Coventry display but the result was all that mattered to Lampard and his men.<\/p>\n Read Dominic Booth\u2019s full report from Ewood Park:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Right, let\u2019s have a quick whip around the morning headlines:<\/p>\n The BIG ONE: Coventry City have been promoted back to the Premier League after 25 years (more on that shortly)<\/p>\n Marcus Rashford\u2019s future is back up in the air again as it looks unlikely is loan to Barcelona will be made permanent<\/p>\n Cole Palmer has told the Guardian that he is committed to Chelsea, amid links to Manchester United<\/p>\n Bournemouth are set to appoint Marco Rose as their new manager<\/p>\n Leah Williamson is fit to play for the Lionesses in their World Cup qualifier<\/p>\n![\"Andy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776509890_715_Andy_Hunter.png\")
Andy HunterMoyes stirs up rivalry as Everton eye Europe and a derby debut to rememberEverton fans are preparing a tifo for the first Merseyside derby to be held at their new stadium this weekend. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt\/AMA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Liverpool desperately need a left winger having foolishly let Luis Diaz go but Rashford unfortunately isn’t energetic enough in the press or in tracking back to suit a team of toilers.
Outside of United it’s hard to see another PL club who could afford him unless he was willing to take a massive pay cut, so it’s either a return to Old Trafford – assuming Carrick gets the full time gig and the hierarchy can row back on the scapegoating that forced him out – or more likely the MLS or Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/113883066.gif\")
<\/a>Share<\/a>De Zerbi is a tactician but the Spurs job is about giving players beliefRoberto De Zerbi has six games left to keep Tottenham in the top flight. Photograph: Andy Buchanan\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/115277746.png\")
<\/a>Share<\/a>![\"Jacob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jacob-Steinberg,-L.png\")
Jacob SteinbergBournemouth set to appoint Rose as manager for next season<\/p>\n![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Will_Unwin.png\")
Will Unwin<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/15034546.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n