Live coverage: Singapore GP, Bledisloe Cup opener at Eden Park and Premier League returns
Our live coverage on 9 October 2026 will follow the Singapore Grand Prix in the city state, the opening Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland and the Premier League’s return in England. Multiple live blogs will carry reports and real-time updates across F1, rugby, football, cricket, horse racing and the NFL.
New Zealand’s 53-match unbeaten run at Eden Park is under threat as the All Blacks, still recovering from a 3-1 series loss to South Africa, prepare to host an in-form Australia side. The Wallabies arrive unbeaten in six matches under Les Kiss, who succeeded Joe Schmidt in July and has recorded four wins and a draw. Australia’s 42-38 victory over the world champions in Perth two weeks ago was built on a solid set-piece, game management from scrum-half Ryan Lonergan and effective contesting of high kicks.
The Premier League resumes after a three-week international break amid ongoing fallout from the Manchester City case, with City scheduled to visit Anfield on Sunday. Saturday’s schedule features Manchester United v Tottenham at Old Trafford and Arsenal v Leeds at the Emirates, plus Aston Villa v Brentford, Chelsea v Bournemouth, Ipswich v Fulham and Sunderland v Brighton. Readers can join the conversation by emailing matchday.live@theguardian.com as the weekend’s action unfolds.
Arsenal’s perfect start to the season ended with a 3-0 defeat at Brighton in their last match; Leeds sit fifth in the table, three points behind Mikel Arteta’s side and are one of only five unbeaten clubs after five games. Leeds suffered heavy 5-0 and 4-0 defeats to Arsenal last season. Chelsea travel to Stamford Bridge with Marco Rose’s side winless in the league, lying 17th after three draws and two defeats, while Bournemouth will be without Alex Scott, who faces up to two months out with a thigh injury sustained on England duty.
Tottenham occupy the bottom spot with two points, while Manchester United have five points from five games — their joint fewest at this stage of a Premier League season — and are without a win in their past three league matches. Scott Murray will lead weekend coverage of Old Trafford with Jamie Jackson and John Brewin reporting, and Tom Bassam will provide build-up on Sunday morning for a programme that also includes Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest, Hull v Everton and the Championship midday ‘Southcoastico’ of Southampton v Portsmouth.
In Formula One, George Russell faces a grid penalty after his power unit failed when he was third and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli was second during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and he set the fastest time in practice on Friday ahead of an unusual daylight sprint on the city-state street circuit followed by the customary night race on Sunday. Last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was won from pole with fastest lap by Max Verstappen; 16 races into the new rules era Mercedes have 11 wins while Ferrari and McLaren have two apiece, and Sepang produced the first pole of 2026 by a car not powered by a Mercedes engine. Greg Wood will live blog day two of Newmarket’s big autumn meeting, where the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (3pm) pairs Godolphin’s Desert Castle against Coolmore’s Darkness Falls, Beylerbeyi bids to win consecutive Cesarewitch Handicaps (3.40pm) and Boiling Point seeks a second seasonal victory in the Darley Stakes (1.15pm).
Australia began a 12-month stretch with a three-Test series against South Africa at Kingsmead on Friday, followed by tours of India and England next year and the defence of their ODI World Cup title, a campaign Geoff Lemon will cover on the second day in Durban. Rob Smyth and James Wallace will pick up live coverage for day three of the first Test. For NFL viewers, Graham Searles will run the Sunday evening blog including San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks; the 49ers enter unbeaten at 4-0 while Seattle are 3-1, and last season the Seahawks beat the 49ers in week 18 and the divisional round before winning the Super Bowl on San Francisco’s home field.
Our live blogs will continue to carry rolling reports through the weekend: Philip Cornwall will steer the Singapore Grand Prix feed with Giles Richards reporting, David Tindall will host Premier League coverage culminating in Liverpool v Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, and Geoff Lemon will be on duty from Durban for the Test series.