Ligue 1 relegation candidate Nantes has discovered some form at the right time ahead of hosting Rennes

A swift downward spiral in form has dented Rennes’ chances of making the cut to qualify for Europe next season, but it’s not yet too late for the central side to begin the turnaround at Nantes on Saturday. A stretch of four consecutive losses in all competitions has seen Les Rouge et Noirs slip down to 10th in Ligue 1, but there are still just four points between the club and a place in next term’s Europa Conference League at a minimum. Nantes has a different kind of fight on its hands as it battles to avoid relegation, though a recent run of successive away wins has taken the team five points clear of the drop zone for the time being.

How to Watch Nantes vs. Rennes Today

Game Date: April 20, 2024

Start Time: 11 a.m. ET

Game Venue: Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France

TV: beIN Sports

Live stream the Nantes vs. Rennes game on Fubo: Start your free trial now!

It’s at this point of the campaign when things can change all too suddenly for those clubs still yet to secure their futures—whether that means improving prospects for next term or simply guaranteeing top-flight soccer.

For Antoine Kombouare’s Nantes side, that equates to scrapping for the club’s place in Ligue 1 next season amid a run of eight successive defeats at home.

Luckily for La Maison Jaune, Kader Bamba was on hand to shoulder responsibility and fire Nantes to a dramatic 1-0 win at relegation rival Le Havre last time out thanks to his injury-time strike:

That marked a second win in as many away fixtures and proved particularly poignant as the club moved three points above Le Havre in the fight to avoid joining Ligue 2.

Luckily for Saturday’s host, Rennes has gone more than two months without an away win in the league and travels to the Stade de la Beaujoire on the back of three straight road defeats.

Julian Stephan gave the club a new lease of life after joining Rennes in November, but that initial wave of good form has since given way to mediocrity (or less).

Luckily for Rennes, the team has no injury concerns on its hands at present, while Moses Simon and Ignatius Ganago will sit out Saturday’s fixture for Nantes.

Regional restrictions may apply.

Drivers hit the track early on Saturday to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at the venerable Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Cup Series drivers hit the superspeedway on Saturday, with morning qualifying for Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on tap. The 2.66-mile tri-oval opened in 1969, with the first spring race run a year later in 1970. The track features steep banking from 32.4 to 33 degrees in the turns, 16.5 degrees in the tri-oval portion and 3 degrees on the back straightaway. The race covers 500.08 miles over 188 laps. Stages 1 and 2 last 60 laps each, with the final 68 laps forming the final stage. Brad Keselowski, whose last victory was in this race in 2021, shares the record of four spring wins with Jeff Gordon.

How to Watch GEICO 500, Qualifying, in NASCAR Cup Series Today:

Date: April 20, 2024

Time: 10:30 a.m. ET

TV: FOX Sports 1

Live stream qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

Chase Elliott threw his hat in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff ring last weekend with a win at Texas Motor Speedway, joining William Byron, Daniel Suárez, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin as provisional qualifiers for the postseason. The victory bumped Elliott up to fourth in the driver standings.

Kyle Busch led for only three laps last year en route to an overtime victory at Talladega, grabbing the lead back after Bubba Wallace crashed on the final lap to win under caution ahead of 2023 NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney.

Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, leads the driver standings by 17 points over 2017 winner Martin Truex Jr. Hamlin stands third, 28 points back, followed by Elliott (32 points), Byron (38 points), Ty Gibbs (55 points), Blaney (57 points, Tyler Reddick (66 points), Wallace (79 points and Bell (85 points) in the top 10.

Regional restrictions may apply.

In a scheduling shift for 2024, Grand Prix qualifying moves after the Sprint race for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai

Last year during the six Sprint weekends on the Formula 1 calendar, qualifying for the Grand Prix took place after a single practice session on Friday, with Saturday reserved for Sprint qualifying and racing ahead of the Sunday Grand Prix. That order changes in 2024 and takes effect for the first time at Shanghai International Circuit for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. The Sprint was held earlier Saturday, with qualifying for the Grand Prix to follow. China returns to the F1 schedule for the first time since 2019 at the Shanghai circuit, which opened in 2004 and hosted F1 racing annually through 2019 before a series of COVID-19 pandemic cancellations.

How to Watch Chinese Grand Prix, Qualifying, in Formula 1 Today:

Date: April 20, 2024

Time: 2:55 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

Live stream qualifying for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

The last time Formula 1 was in Shanghai, Valtteri Bottas — then with Mercedes — took the pole position before finishing second to teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2019. Current three-time defending world champion Max Verstappen placed fifth for Red Bull, behind the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

The Shanghai International Circuit covers 3.388 miles with 16 turns with the track designed to look like the Mandarin symbol for “shang,” or “upwards.” The race starts with the drivers flying into Turns 1 and 2 before darting left through Turns 3 and 4. Drivers favor the super-high g force in Turns 7 and 8 as well.

Verstappen comes to Shanghai with a 13-point lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez in the driver standings, with three wins in four starts this season. The Ferrari duo of Leclerc (18 points behind) and Carlos Saintz (22 points back) are third and fourth, respectively, with McLaren’s Lando Norris fifth, facing a deficit of 40 points.

Regional restrictions may apply.

McLaren’s Lando Norris starts from the pole in Saturday’s Sprint ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai

Lando Norris survived the rain-hit Sprint Qualifying on Friday and will start at the front of the grid for Saturday’s Sprint ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix (the race takes place on Friday night in the U.S.). Norris’ best time of 1:57.940 on the final lap of qualifying was initially deleted, then reinstanted by officials, leaving him an astonishing 1.2 seconds better than Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who starts second. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin begins in P3 next to three-time defending world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull. The Sprint covers approximately 62 miles and 19 laps around the Shanghai International Circuit.

How to Watch Chinese Grand Prix, Sprint, in Formula 1 Today:

Date: April 19, 2024

Time: 10:55 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN U (G)

Live stream the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

The Shanghai International Circuit features one of the longest straights on the F1 circuit, a lengthy three-quarter mile stretch between Turns 13 and 14, and returns to the Formula 1 calendar after a four-year absence. The track covers 3.388 miles with 16 turns and Michael Schumacher still holds the record for the fastest race lap with a 1:32.238 from the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in 2004.

Hamilton owns a record six victories in Shanghai, with Alonso and Nico Rosberg the only other multiple-time winners with two each. Hamilton’s sixth career victory on the Shanghai International Circuit came in 2019, the last time the race was run.

Verstappen, with three wins in four starts in 2024, leads the driver standings with 77 points, 13 points clear of Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez. The Dutch standout Verstappen also won four of the six Sprint events in 2023. Drivers in the Sprint receive points ranging from eight points for first place to one for an eighth-place finish.

Regional restrictions may apply.

The San Diego Seals take on the Vancouver Warriors to start the final weekend of the regular season today.

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season the San Diego Seals (12-5) look to keep pace for the best overall record in the NLL lacrosse. They enter this game two games behind the top seed in the league, with two matches left on the calendar before the playoffs begin. They take on the Vancouver Warriors (8-9), who are still working to secure a playoff seed this season. Seven teams have already clinched a playoff berth, with Vancouver tied with the New York Riptide and Saskatchewan Rush for the final slot. This is potentially the most important match on the calendar today and this weekend in the NLL Lacrosse with the playoffs right around the corner.

How to Watch Vancouver Warriors at San Diego Seals today:

Game Date: April 19, 2024

Game Time: 10:00 p.m. ET

TV: IND (KUSI – San Diego, CA)

Live stream Vancouver Warriors at San Diego Seals on Fubo: Start with your free trial today!

This is the first game of the season between San Diego and Vancouver. The match-up has the potential to help determine the final playoff seed in the NLL Lacrosse and potentially the second seed as well with all the other match-ups today and this weekend.

San Diego comes into this game off a loss. Before that loss San Diego had won four straight games to rise up to second place in the league. That loss came to Saskatchewan, one of the teams that Vancouver is competing with to make the playoffs this season and a potential first round series.

For Saskatchewan, if the team wins out the regular season along with New York, it would miss the playoffs due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Vancouver would lose the tiebreaker with both teams if all three won out or finished in a tie losing the head-to-head matchups. They need a lot of help along with huge wins down the stretch starting today.

Regional restrictions may apply.

Mets look to extend winning streak as west coast road trip begins against the NL West leading Dodgers

After starting the season 0-5 the New York Mets have won 10 of their last 13 games, including four in a row, as they open a three-game weekend series tonight against the National League West Division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Making his fifth MLB start, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 4.50 ERA) will take the mound for the Dodgers in search of his second win in three starts while the Mets will counter with veteran southpaw Sean Manaea (1-1, 4.30 ERA) who got roughed up in a 11-7 loss to Kansas City on Saturday allowing six earned runs in 3.2 innings of work.

How to Watch New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers:

Game Date: April 18, 2024

Game Time: 10:00 p.m. ET

TV Channel: MLB.TV – New York Mets

Live Stream the New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts ranks third in MLB with his team-leading .369 batting average after collecting 14 hits in his last nine games including a 5-for-5 effort with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in a 6-2 win over the Nationals on Tuesday. Betts has had a lot of success against Manaea hitting .345 lifetime off the Mets starts with seven extra base hits and eight RBIs in 29 at-bats.

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso leads the team with six home runs through his first 18 games this season and comes into tonight two home runs away from 200 for his six-year MLB career. After a breakout rookie season in 2019 where he hit 53 home runs, Alonso has hit 40 or more homers in each of his last two seasons.

These teams split the 2023 series 3-3 with each team winning two games on the road and five of the six games being decided by two or more runs.

Regional restrictions may apply.

Jordan Montgomery and the Arizona Diamondbacks will take the mound on Friday against Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will stay on the road this weekend continuing a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Friday with the second game in San Francisco, California. The Giants came away with a 5-0 win yesterday night in the first game of the series. Logan Webb picked up the win after going 7.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts giving up just two hits and walking one batter. Lamonte Wade Jr opened scoring for San Francisco with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning. Wilmer Flores pinch hit for Michael Conforto in the eighth inning and hit a two-RBI double to left field to send the team up 3-0. Mike Yastrzemski finished the scoring off with another two-RBI single scoring Austin Slater and Jorge Soler. The Diamondbacks will look to even the series 1-1 tonight.

How to Watch Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants Today:

Game Date: Apr. 19, 2024

Game Time: 10:15 p.m. ET

TV: MLB.TV – San Francisco Giants

Live stream Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

The former Texas Ranger will start the game for Arizona on the mound tonight. The left-hander has yet to make his debut with his new team this season looking to repeat as National League Champions. In 2023, he went 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA and 166 total strikeouts. He ranked No. 8 lowest ERA last season in the league.

San Francisco will also be starting a pitcher who is new to its team this season. The former San Diego Padre, Blake Snell, will pitch his third start this season. He is 0-2 and has pitched seven innings over two games. He went 4.0 innings in his last start giving up seven earned runs and strikeout out just four batters.

Regional restrictions may apply.

Nevada and UNLV will square-off Friday night in the first game of their Mountain West series.

Nevada will take a long road trip to Las Vegas for the first game of a Mountain West series against in-state rival UNLV at Earl E. Wilson Stadium on Friday night. The Rebels are currently in sixth place in the conference standings with a Mountain West record of 7-11 and an overall record of 19-17. The team’s most recent game was played against California Baptist earlier this week and resulted in a 6-2 road loss. Alex Pimental brought home the team’s only two runs after hitting a single in the seventh to bring home Rylan Charles and Chase Ditmar, however, it wasn’t enough to make up for the five-run lead California Baptist had earned. Dylan Rogers pitched 2.2 innings and gave up two earned runs to take the loss on the mound.

How to Watch Nevada at UNLV in College Baseball Today:

Date: April 19, 2024

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET

TV: KVVU – Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network (SSSEN)

Live stream the Nevada at UNLV game on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

The Wolf Pack is under .500 overall this season with a record of 15-18, but a Mountain West record of 9-8 puts the team in fourth place in the conference standings. The team will look to carry momentum from a big 11-10 upset over No. 4 Oregon State into this weekend’s series. Josh Catacutan and Taylor Holder each recorded three RBI in the win. Holder hit a big three-run homer in the first to take the lead. Catacutan came through in the sixth and eighth with a flyout and a single that brought in two runs. The offense played well collectively while Matthew Canizares came through with the save on the mound, pitching one inning and striking out two batters.

When UNLV and Nevada met during conference play last season, UNLV took the first game in a 3-2 extra-inning win before Nevada won the series with a 9-4 win in game two and a 10-5 win in game three.

Regional restrictions may apply.

Stanford will host Cal on Friday night in women’s water polo action.

The Avery Aquatic Center is set to host an exciting weekend matchup between No. 3 Stanford and No. 5 Cal on Friday night for the regular season finale. The Golden Bears bring an overall record of 14-5 into Friday night’s game and a conference record of 3-2 for a spot in fourth place in the MPSF standings. The team’s most recent game resulted in a big 16-9 win over No. 17 San Jose State on Sunday. Maddie DeMattia led the Bears offensively with four goals on five attempts while Elena Flynn and Maryn Dempsey each added three goals to the scoreboard. Grace Smith played the full game in net and made eight saves for a save percentage of 33.3% in the win.

How to Watch California at Stanford in Women’s College Water Polo Today:

Date: April 19, 2024

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

TV: Pac-12 Bay Area (IN)

Live stream the California at Stanford game on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

The Cardinal is currently in second place in the conference standings with an MPSF record of 4-1 and an overall record of 16-4. The team has won two straight games with the most recent being a 13-4 win over No. 15 Indiana on Sunday. Christina Hicks powered the offense for Stanford with a hat trick in the first half and finished the game with four goals with a team-high seven shots. Maya Avital finished with 13 saves in net for her eighth double-digit save game of the season.

Both teams will head to Bloomington, Indiana next weekend to begin MPSF tournament play as the teams battle for the championship.

Regional restrictions may apply.

A rivalry game will take place Friday night as Oregon hosts Oregon State in Pac-12 play.

On Friday night, Oregon State will take a road trip to play No. 20 Oregon in Eugene for the first game of a Pac-12 series. The Beavers are currently in seventh place in the conference standings with an overall record of 17-23 and a record of 5-10 in Pac-12 play. Last weekend, the team played conference-leading Stanford and avoided the sweep by pulling out a narrow 6-5 victory in the final game. Grace Messmer, Lici Campbell and Madi Simon each recorded two RBI against the Cardinal to lift the team to a much-needed win. Ellie Garcia took the win in the circle after pitching 3.1 innings and striking out five batters.

How to Watch Oregon State at Oregon in College Softball Today:

Date: April 19, 2024

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

TV: Pac-12 Oregon (IN)

Live stream the Oregon State at Oregon game on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

The Ducks bring an overall record of 24-15 and a conference record of 10-7 into Friday night’s game for a spot in fourth place in the Pac-12 standings. The team’s most recent game was played against No. 21 Arizona to close out a Pac-12 series and resulted in a tough 3-2 loss. Ariel Carlson doubled in the first to bring home Kai Luschar and take a 1-0 lead, but the Wildcats countered to take a 2-1 lead. Paige Sinicki tied things up in the seventh with a solo home run to center field, but Arizona scored the final run in the eighth inning to avoid a sweep in the series. Morgan Scott was credited with the loss in the circle after giving up that final run.

When Oregon and Oregon State met last season in conference play, the Ducks won two of the three, but the Beavers earned a shutout in game three.

Regional restrictions may apply.