Good morning football fans. It’s Friday, April. 10 - The Premier League’s fixture difficulty ratings, hotels in World Cup host cities claim there’s far less demand than expected, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Premier League Matchday 32: Arsenal vs. AFC Bournemouth, Sat 11, 12:30 BST / 7:30 ET. Bournemouth have won two of their last three league games against Arsenal, more than they had in their previous 14, and they are on an 11-game unbeaten run. However, leaders Arsenal have won each of their last four Premier League games. Sunderland vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Sun 12, 14:00 BST / 9:00 ET. Spurs are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Sunderland, but they are winless in 13 league games and are the only side to have not won in the league this year. Chelsea vs. Manchester City, Sun 12, 16:30 BST / 11:30 ET. Chelsea are winless in their last nine Premier League games against Man City (D3 L6). The Blues are also in bad form, having lost both of their last two Premier League games by an aggregate score of 4-0 and have won only one of their last six. See every Premier League MD32 fixture here and table here.
Results…
TOP TALKING POINTS
Premier League Run-In
Premier League leaders Arsenal have the fifth-easiest remaining fixtures this season, according to Opta’s fixture difficulty ratings. Five of the seven teams Mikel Arteta’s side, who are nine points clear at the top of the table, face are in the bottom half of the table, including Burnley and West Ham, who are currently in the relegation zone. See the Premier League table here.
Manchester City, who have a game in hand, have the seventh-hardest fixtures, with a run that includes Chelsea (A) and Aston Villa (H). Arsenal and Manchester City meet at the Etihad in Matchday 33 on April 19, which could prove a crucial fixture in the title race.
With regard to relegation, aside from Wolves and Burnley, who are almost definitely relegated (99% probability), West Ham, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds are the contenders to go down. West Ham are the most at risk, with a 58% chance of relegation, while Spurs have a 26.2% chance of relegation, but are still statistically more likely to survive than not. In terms of fixture difficulty among these teams, Leeds have the easiest run-in, followed by Tottenham, then Nottingham Forest, with West Ham facing the hardest set of games.
See upcoming Premier League fixtures here.
World Cup Boon ‘Isn’t Materialising’
The heads of hotel associations in three World Cup host cities - New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco - have told Forbes they’ve not seen a surge in demand so far. Data also shows that airline bookings made in January and February for the World Cup host cities in June were down 5% and 3.6% from Europe and Asia, respectively, compared to last year.
Fifa forecast that it would deliver a $30.5bn economic boost to the United States. This figure hinged on the projected uptick in inbound international tourism, with tourism experts predicting that the World Cup would help reverse a 6.3% downturn in international visitors to the US. “On TV, the stadiums will appear full or almost full—but that's not necessarily the same thing as a tourism success,” Alan Fyall, associate dean at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, told Forbes.
However, another World Cup host city, Dallas, has seen a bump in hotel reservations, as AirDNA data shows demand for short-term rentals in Dallas this June has risen 150%. It remains unclear whether other host cities will see a similar increase in demand in the lead-up to the tournament, which begins on June 11.
Nike’s UEFA Coup
Nike is in exclusive negotiations with Uefa to become the official match ball provider for all Uefa men’s club competitions from 2027 to 2031. A deal would break Adidas’ 25-year agreement as the match ball for the men’s Champions League, which it has held since 2001.
Adidas has dominated the match-ball market for the elite competitions, including being the supplier for the European Championship (see latest ball) and World Cups (see 2026 World Cup ball). Reports also suggest the German manufacturer intended to retain its existing sponsorship, but it had received rival interest from Nike and Puma, the latter of which took over the Premier League’s match-ball rights from Nike this year.
The value of the deal across the competitions could roughly double to more than 40m euros (£34.8m; $46.70m) a year, the Financial Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
POLL
Do you stick to your team or enjoy watching other teams too?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Liverpool defender Andy Robertson will leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires (More)
> Bayern Munich are just one goal away from breaking the Bundesliga goal record of 101 that Bayern scored in 1971-72 ahead of their game against St. Pauli on Saturday (More); see the Bundesliga table (More)
> Barcelona will look to maintain their La Liga lead when they host struggling Espanyol in a derby on Saturday; see the La Liga table (More) | Barcelona have lodged a formal complaint over the officiating in their 2-0 home defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg (More)
> Several private equity firms are being sounded out for a potential minority investment in Serie A’s international media rights business (More)
> Wrexham travel to Birmingham City on Sunday (April 12) in the Championship as the Welsh side sit two points behind the play-off spots; see the upcoming Championship fixtures (More) and table (More)
Americas
> England will play World Cup warm-up games in Tampa and Orlando in June against New Zealand and Costa Rica (More)
> Charlotte FC host MLS Eastern Conference leaders Nashville SC in a battle for first place during Matchday 7's Saturday Showdown (More); see every upcoming MLS fixture (More)
> Club America host second-place Cruz Azul in the Liga MX Clausura Matchday 14 on Saturday (April 11); see the Liga MX table (More)
> The Northern Super League, Canada’s first professional women’s football league, have released this season’s kits (More)
> USL Championship’s Louisville City travel to winless Loudoun United FC on Friday (April 10) to kickstart Matchday 6 fixtures (More); see the Conference Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Global women’s sports revenues are projected to exceed $3bn in 2026, an increase over the $2.4bn in 2025, a new report has found (More)
> Italian clubs AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus said they will play a series of pre-season friendlies in August at Perth Stadium in Australia (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Should Arne Slot be Liverpool's manager next season?
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (44%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (53%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.F: “Absolutely. If you think about it, this is how everyone expected his first season at the helm to be, and he went and won the title. Cut the guy some slack. If Liverpool doesn't give Arne a chance to bring the team back up next season, they are doing him and the team a disservice. If Sir Alex had been fired after he had a bad season, Man United never would have achieved the heights it did.”
🙅♂️ N.N: “As a Liverpool fan, I love our culture and the way we back the manager, but this is just ridiculous. Time and time again, we get outclassed tactically, the fans leave games early, and the players clearly aren't motivated or in shape. We need a big shake-up, and it needs to happen soon before things continue spiralling.”
🙅♂️ J.P.L: “I don't feel like he's imposed any identity on this team. At least with, say, Barca or Bayern, you can say their game is to score a ton of goals, sometimes at the expense of defence. But Liverpool? They aren't prolific goal scorers, they aren't a lockdown defence, they're all over the place. There's nothing they can point at and say, ‘That's us.’ They're mediocre at some things, bad at others, and don't seem to be going anywhere or building towards anything. A change is in order.”
EXTRA TIME
Why did Italian football fall?
Uefa’s official Champions League team of the week.
Adidas are winning the race to 3D printed football boots.
The best 21 women’s players aged 21 or under.
Why La Liga teams will play in retro shirts this weekend.
How fluid PSG exposed Slot's back-five tweak.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who were the last three players to win the World Cup with their national team while playing with Bayern Munich?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I’m arguably one of the best defenders in the world in both boxes.
Answer
Corentin Tolisso (France 2018), Benjamin Pavard (France 2018) and Lucas Hernandez (France 2018).
