Arch-rivals in football and cricket will be in action on Sunday while Formula One enthusiasts will once again get to witness the ongoing rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
There have been quite a few Super Sundays in the world of sport. Each unique to the sports and the teams involved and the one on 24 October should also live up to the hype. Arch-rivals in football and cricket will be in action on Sunday while Formula One enthusiasts will once again get to witness the ongoing rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Here’s a primer on the upcoming Super Sunday:
India vs Pakistan – T20 World Cup
Arch-rivals who don’t play often against each other. Both countries take immense pride in their cricketing teams but off-field issues came in the way of sport and it became a norm for these two teams to only meet in the ICC tournaments.
So, on Sunday, Babar Azam’s Pakistan will have it tough against Indian players who got enough game time playing the IPL in UAE. But Pakistan are also not new to the conditions having played a number of T20 games in UAE. They won their six matches at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the venue for Sunday’s game, and in fact, they are unbeaten in their last 11 games in UAE. But India have dominated their opponents in World Cups, having won all 12 matches at the big stage.
“To be honest, we don’t want to focus on the past. We are looking forward to this World Cup. We will focus on our strength, ability and apply that on the day,” Babar said at the pre-match press conference.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli though has played down the hype.
“I honestly never felt so,” Kohli said when asked if it feels different whenever India meet Pakistan. “I have just approached this game as another game of cricket and I know there is a lot of hype around this game, more so with ticket sales and demands of tickets.
“Apart from that, I don’t think we can make anything extra out of this game and for us it’s a game of cricket that has to be played in right spirit, in the way we know we can,” he said.
Match timing: Toss will take place at 7 pm IST and match will get underway at 7.30 pm IST.
Where to watch: Star Sports Network in India and live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Manchester United vs Liverpool – Premier League
United are already four points behind second-placed Liverpool after failing to win their last three league games. AP
Manchester United, revived by their European escape act, face a stern test against bitter rivals Liverpool in a crucial clash in the Premier League title race
On the brink of a disastrous Champions League defeat against Atalanta on Wednesday, Manchester United staged a rousing fightback to ease the pressure on boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United’s recovery from two goals down was capped by Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner, ensuring they avoided a fifth defeat in eight matches.
But the joy and relief that poured from the Old Trafford stands after that 3-2 victory will turn back to the jeers and angst if United crash against old foes Liverpool on Sunday.
United are already four points behind second-placed Liverpool after failing to win their last three league games and another slip against Jurgen Klopp’s in-form side would be a major blow to their bid for a first English title since 2013.
Liverpool pose a serious threat to United’s upbeat mood and they travel to Manchester having scored three or more goals in seven away matches in all competitions this term.
They are unbeaten since April, a sequence of 21 matches which is their longest run since going 24 unbeaten from January to May 1989.
Spanish champions Atletico Madrid were vanquished on Tuesday, yet Klopp doesn’t believe Liverpool are at their best yet.
“We are not that confident, to be honest. We know our struggles, we know our problems but we try to ignore them very often,” he said.
Match timing: 9 pm IST.
Where to watch: Star Sports Network in India and live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Barcelona vs Madrid – LaLiga
The first Clasico since Lionel Messi left for Paris.
The visit by Madrid will close a three-game home stretch for Barcelona that coach Ronald Koeman called crucial to getting his team back on the winning path after a poor start to the season left him under intense pressure.
Koeman’s side started the week beating Valencia 3-1 in the league. It was followed by beating Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 on Wednesday that boosted Barcelona’s chances of avoiding elimination from the Champions League’s group stage for the first time in 20 years.
But Koeman was critical of his players for not being more convincing against a timid Dynamo. Defender Gerard Pique scored Barcelona’s only goal in three Champions League matches this season while their attack continues to sputter.
Newcomer Memphis Depay leads Barcelona this season with four goals, but no other player has scored more than twice. Compare that to Madrid, which has got 11 goals from Karim Benzema and seven more from Vinicius Junior.
Match timing: 7.45 pm IST.
Where to watch: MTV and Voot Select in India.
Inter Milan vs Juventus – Serie A
Juventus are convinced they are on the right track after a rocky start to life back under Allegri. AP
On Sunday, Juventus’ defence will face a sterner test against the stellar attack of Serie A champion Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia. Inter’s last five Serie A matches have recorded 22 goals, albeit not all for the Nerazzurri.
Inter also beat Sheriff 3-1 on Tuesday. But that was their first victory in this Champions League, while Juventus has three wins out of three and has yet to concede in the competition.
Going into the clash of styles on Sunday, Juventus are convinced they are on the right track after a rocky start to life back under Allegri, who returned to the club two years after he was fired. The Bianconeri are slowly climbing the table and sit seventh, three points behind third-placed Inter but 10 behind leader Napoli, who has won all eight of its matches.
Inter cantered to the league title last season, ending Juve’s run of nine successive Serie A titles. The Bianconeri — under Andrea Pirlo — barely sneaked into the Champions League places, finishing fourth.
Match timing: 12.15 am (Monday).
Where to watch: Voot Select.
Marseille vs PSG – Ligue 1
The experience of a football match in Argentina is almost unmatched for the raw passion of the crowd, the spectacle in the stands often more eye-catching than events on the pitch.
Yet if there is one place in Europe that can match it then it might be the Velodrome in Marseille, where fiery Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli now prowls the touchline while up to 65,000 supporters generate a spine-tingling atmosphere.
That can be the case for any game, but when Paris Saint-Germain come to town it is very special indeed.
They love their football in the French Mediterranean port city, but they always hated PSG, even before Qatar bought the capital club in 2011.
“Le Classique” – as it is sometimes known – is the biggest fixture in French football, and on Sunday it will have a distinctly Argentinian flavour.
This will be Sampaoli’s first match against PSG as Marseille coach. In the away dugout will be his compatriot, Mauricio Pochettino. In the away team will be Lionel Messi, getting his first taste of France’s biggest grudge match.
Messi was the hero of so many Clasicos for Barcelona against Real Madrid and is the all-time top scorer in the history of that fixture. He will be conspicuous by his absence when the Spanish giants go head-to head on Sunday.
Table-toppers PSG are overwhelming favourites. They have lost just once to OM in 10 years. The Messi factor means the celebrations in Marseille will be quite something if they can get the better of PSG.
Pochettino, who hails from the same province of Santa Fe as Sampaoli and Messi, will have Mbappe in his line-up and will hope to have Neymar back from injury.
He may also find a place for Angel Di Maria, who started his career at Rosario Central, the city rivals of Newell’s, and Mauro Icardi. Both were born in Rosario.
All of them are familiar with the passion for the game that will make Sunday at the Velodrome such a spectacle.
Match timing: 12:15 am (Monday).
Where to watch: Voot Select and JioTV app.
United States Grand Prix – Formula 1
Max Verstappen will look to extend his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton at the US Grand Prix. AP
The US Grand Prix has played a role in the tense title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton with the championship rivals nipping at each other all weekend. The race is on Sunday but the two have done their part in F1’s much-hyped return to America.
The series is booming in the United States and a sold-out crowd of an expected 140,000 at the Circuit of the Americas will see points leader Verstappen lead his Red Bull at the start. He’ll be alongside seven-time champion Hamilton driving for a Mercedes team that has dominated this Texas course.
The two have gone back-and-forth since Friday practice when Verstappen flipped his middle finger at Hamilton in practice and called the five-time Circuit of the Americas winner a “stupid idiot.” Then Verstappen nipped Hamilton on last lap of qualifying by a whisper .209 seconds to snatch the pole.
So it will be the 24-year-old Dutchman out front at the start on Sunday at a track where Hamilton has dominated practically since the day it opened.
This race is important in the title fight because Mercedes has historically done so well. So Verstappen and Red Bull need to capitalize in Texas because Verstappen holds just a six-point lead in the standings with six races remaining.
The lead has seesawed several times this season as Verstappen tries to hang on in his chase of his first F1 championship. Hamilton is seeking a record eighth title, but this is his toughest challenge in years.
It sets up a potentially explosive start in front a massive sold-out crowd that should be among the largest for a US sporting event since the start of the pandemic.
Race timing: 12:30 am (Monday).
Where to watch: Star Sports Network in India and live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
With inputs from AP and AFP