Check out what our news editors will be watching over the next few days with our Weekend Highlights:
All weekend
Shanghai Masters final four - from 10:30 CET (Saturday)
The penultimate Masters 1000 title of the ATP season will be handed out this weekend, and there's more than just a trophy at stake in Shanghai.
That's especially the case for Rafael Jodar, who is looking to win his first Masters 1000 and move to the brink of securing a spot at the year-end ATP Finals. Given that this is his first full year on the ATP Tour and that he was ranked well outside the world's top 100 at the start of it, they would be truly remarkable achievements for the 20-year-old, and would firmly establish him as the biggest up-and-coming talent in men's tennis.
His semi-final has been made even more important by the fact that he's facing a rival in the Race to Turin, Daniil Medvedev, who will be desperate to triumph in China. The Russian has six Masters 1000 titles to his name, but hasn't won one in over three years; ending that drought and returning to the ATP Finals after missing out last year would make 2026 his best season in a long time.
There's significantly less pressure on the shoulders of Alexander Zverev, who's now guaranteed to end the year as the world number one. That being said, he'll still be very much motivated, not only to win an eighth Masters 1000 title but to prove that he deserves his spot at the top of the rankings by adding one to the two Grand Slams that he's won in 2026.
Standing in his way is something of a surprise package in Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Spaniard has lost six of his seven meetings with Zverev, but he's impressed in the Asian swing, winning the Chengdu Open and beating Frances Tiafoe on his way to the semis in Shanghai. With the biggest title of his career by far within sight, he'll be giving absolutely everything.
Finley Crebolder
Saturday, October 17th
Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays (ALCS Game 4) - 02:00 CET
After the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to their first World Series in 44 years with a 6-4 win in Game 4 (recap), it's now down to the Guardians and Rays to see who will join them for the title.
Cleveland currently have a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series after rallying in Game 3 (recap). They are seeking their first World Series win since 1948 and just their second appearance this century (2016). Now they need just two more wins (Rays need three) to reach the Fall Classic.
The Guardians held a 2-1 ALCS lead just three times in their history (1997, 1998, 2007). They ultimately lost two of the three, with the only outlier being '97 when they defeated the Baltimore Orioles in six games.
The Rays, on the other hand, are seeking their first-ever World Series title after failing in their only two appearances (2008, 2020). However, they face their first 2-1 ALCS deficit in franchise history.
The last time they went down 2-1 in a Postseason series was the 2021 American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox, which they ended up losing in four games.
Cleveland are rolling with Shawn Armstrong as their starting pitcher for Game 4. Armstrong has yet to allow a run this Postseason through 5.1 innings of work, giving up just one hit, recording no walks and three strikeouts.
Tampa Bay will be starting Nick Martinez. He had just one appearance this Postseason in a start against the New York Yankees during the Division Series. He finished that game giving up two runs on five hits through five innings with three strikeouts. But the kicker is that, in two starts against Cleveland in the regular season, Martinez tossed 13 shutout innings across two starts, giving up just seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts.
Eric Himmelheber
Sunday, October 18th
Leeds vs Manchester United - 15:00 CET
Leeds United vs Manchester United has long been one of the most heated rivalries in England outside the obvious cross-city derbies, but it's been a long time since Leeds went into a match against their sworn enemy as favourites.
They might well be this time around, however, after Daniel Farke's side made an encouraging start to the season while Michael Carrick's men have had a nightmare.
Where everything feels positive and calm around Leeds after their only defeat of the season so far came against the Premier League champions last weekend, the opposite is true of Man Utd. Carrick has a big job to turn the tide of negativity around the club after picking up six points from a possible 18 and producing sub-standard performances along the way.
A win at Elland Road against the form book and a rival that will be very much up for it would be the start of a potential redemption arc. But defeat could spell trouble for Carrick, and the sense that his future is heading in the wrong direction would feel even more inevitable.
Farke has a chance to inflict more misery on a rival club as well as further establish his side in the top half of the Premier League. Expect the message to his players before the game to be that this is a golden opportunity and Man Utd are there for the taking.
Whichever way you look at it, the latest chapter in one of the Premier League's great rivalries is one of the most fascinating in recent years.
Harry Dunnett
The pick of the Serie A matches this weekend comes right at the end of the slate, with Juventus hosting high-flying Lazio in the Sunday primetime slot in Turin.
Lazio are reborn under Gennaro Gattuso, who came in as manager in the summer, replacing Maurizio Sarri.
Funnily enough, Gattuso's reign started terribly with the club knocked out of the Coppa Italia by second-tier Mantova in his first competitive match in charge. Since then, however, the Romans are undefeated in six Serie A matches and top the table, level on points with champions Inter. Impressively, they have only conceded four goals in that run, too.
Luciano Spalletti's Old Lady have been more up-and-down this season, with a loss to Sassuolo and a draw last weekend at Cagliari meaning they sit down in sixth place looking up at the other title contenders for now.
Juve are, however, coming off a morale-boosting win in the Europa League at Celta Vigo on Thursday, and haven't lost at home to Lazio since 2017. They also haven't lost a competitive home fixture since May.
Gattuso has his side purring and rested, given they have no European commitments, so if there were ever a time to snap Juve's impressive home streak, it might be now.
Pat Dempsey
Real Madrid vs Sevilla - 21:00 CET
This weekend’s headline clash in LaLiga sees Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid welcome fifth-placed Sevilla to the Bernabeu in a crucial match for the hosts.
Despite Wednesday’s dramatic Champions League victory at Roma and a run of five wins in six across all competitions, Los Blancos continue to look unconvincing this season, as they trail leaders Barcelona by six points after the opening eight games.
Seven straight wins on home soil should serve as a good omen for Mourinho’s men, though, as well as a dominant head-to-head record against Los Nervionenses, with Real unbeaten in the last 15 LaLiga meetings (W13, D2).
Determined to avoid another relegation scrap this season, Sevilla have made their best eight-game start to a league campaign in five years, so Luis Garcia’s men will certainly provide a stern test for Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Co. Be sure to tune in on Sunday evening to see how the action unfolds.
Danny Clark