The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Review
SPORT ON TV
SNOOKER Snooker World Championship
Sat-Mon, BBC One/ BBC Two & Eurosport
Few sporting venues benefit as much from the presence of fans as Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. Somehow, the civilised hush of 980 snooker fans breaking gently against those oppressive walls can beguile some of the coolest heads in sport. Sunday’s Snooker World Championship final, taking place over three sessions, will host the UK’s first capacity crowd since before the start of the pandemic. With defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan out of the picture, the field is wide open. The semifinals conclude on Saturday (from 10am).
RUGBY UNION
Champions Cup Semi-Finals
Sat & Sun, BT Sport
French rugby is back at forefront of European competition, with three Top 14 clubs in the Champions Cup semifinals. Toulouse take on Bordeaux Bègles (Sat, BT Sport 3, 2.30pm) and
La Rochelle play fourtime European champions Leinster on Sunday (BT Sport, 2, 2.30pm). Bath face Montpellier in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup (Saturday, BT Sport 2, 7.30pm).
BOXING Derek Chisora v Joseph Parker Sat, Sky Box Office, 6pm
British heavyweight Derek Chisora settles his
war of words with former WBO champion Joseph Parker at the AO Arena in Manchester. The blockbuster undercard includes unbeaten two-weight world champion Katie Taylor, who puts her belts on the line against 36-yearold Natasha Jonas, while Chris Eubank Jr returns to the ring to fight Marcus Morrison.
FORMULA 1
Portuguese Grand Prix Sunday, Sky Sports F1, 1.30pm (race start 3pm); highlights, C4, 7.30pm
The Algarve International Circuit hosts the third Grand Prix of the season following two electrifying races, with Mercedes and Red Bull sharing the spoils. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen look poised for an era-defining battle, ending Mercedes’s soporific period of unchallenged supremacy.
T20 CRICKET
Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Monday, Sky Cricket, 3pm
As India suffers a devastating second wave, the IPL offers comfort and distraction to a nation in lockdown. Pat Cummins’s Kolkata Knight Riders take on Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore.
FOOTBALL European Semi-Finals Tue & Wed, BT Sport
With the European Super League in the gutter, the Champions League and Europa League semifinals take centre stage. In the Champions League second legs, Man City host Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday, while Chelsea take on Real Madrid in London on Wednesday (both BT Sport 2, 7pm). In the Europa League, Man United visit Roma (BT Sport 2, 7.15pm) and Arsenal host Villarreal (BT Sport 3, 7.15pm). In the Women’s Champions League, Chelsea face Bayern Munich on Sunday, with Bayern leading 2-1 (BT Sport 1, noon).