Here are the top sports stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 7:30 p.m. GMT/ 2:30 p.m. ET. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.
TOP STORIES
BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-USYK-FURY/
'Talking's been done': Fury gets serious ahead of Usyk rematch
RIYADH, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Tyson Fury insisted that there would be no joking around ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, as both heavyweights were subdued in a bizarre press conference on Thursday.
SOCCER-ENGLAND-WOL/PEREIRA
Wolves appoint Pereira as manager after sacking O'Neil
Wolverhampton Wanderers have named Vitor Pereira as head coach on an 18-month deal, the Premier League club said on Thursday, hoping the Portuguese can guide them out of the relegation zone
MOTOR-F1-MERCEDES/
Bottas returns to Mercedes as reserve driver after Sauber exit
Valtteri Bottas will return to Mercedes as a reserve driver for the 2025 season, the Formula One team announced on Thursday, after the Finn left Sauber at the end of the season.
UPCOMING
SOCCER
SOCCER-ITALY-INT-UDI/REPORT
Italy - Coppa Italia - Inter Milan v Udinese
Inter Milan play Udinese in the Coppa Italia
19 Dec 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT
SOCCER-ITALY-INT-UDI/REPORT
Italy -Coppa Italia - Inter Milan v Udinese
Inter Milan play Udinese in Coppa Italia
19 Dec 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT
SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-MUN/REPORT (PIX)
England - EFL Cup - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur play Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
19 Dec 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT
SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-LIV/PREVIEW $(TV)$
England - English Premier League - Liverpool press conference
Liverpool's Arne Slot holds a press conference ahead of his side's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
20 Dec 04:15 ET / 09:15 GMT
SOCCER-ENGLAND-MUN-BOU/PREVIEW (TV)
England - English Premier League - Manchester United press conference
Manchester United's Ruben Amorim speaks to the media ahead of his side's Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth.
20 Dec 08:30 ET / 13:30 GMT
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CBJ-NJD/ (PIX)
NHL - Columbus Blue Jackets v New Jersey Devils
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-TBL-STL/ (PIX)
NHL - Tampa Bay Lightning v St. Louis Blues
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-PHI-LAK/ (PIX)
NHL - Philadelphia Flyers v Los Angeles Kings
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
20 Dec 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-NSH-PIT/ (PIX)
NHL - Nashville Predators v Pittsburgh Penguins
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CHI-SEA/ (PIX)
NHL - Chicago Blackhawks v Seattle Kraken
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - United Center, Chicago, Illinois
20 Dec 20:30 ET / 01:30 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CGY-OTT/ (PIX)
NHL - Calgary Flames v Ottawa Senators
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
20 Dec 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-EDM-BOS/ (PIX)
NHL - Edmonton Oilers v Boston Bruins
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
20 Dec 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-VGK-VAN/ (PIX)
NHL - Vegas Golden Knights v Vancouver Canucks
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
20 Dec 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT
ICEHOCKEY-NHL-SJS-COL/ (PIX)
NHL - San Jose Sharks v Colorado Avalanche
2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
20 Dec 22:30 ET / 03:30 GMT
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
BASKETBALL-NBA-DET-UTA/ (PIX)
NBA - Detroit Pistons v Utah Jazz
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-ORL-OKC/ (PIX)
NBA - Orlando Magic v Oklahoma City Thunder
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-WAS-CHA/ (PIX)
NBA - Washington Wizards v Charlotte Hornets
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-BOS-CHI/ (PIX)
NBA - Boston Celtics v Chicago Bulls
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
20 Dec 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-TOR-BKN/ (PIX)
NBA - Toronto Raptors v Brooklyn Nets
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
20 Dec 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-SAS-ATL/ (PIX)
NBA - San Antonio Spurs v Atlanta Hawks
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-MEM-GSW/ (PIX)
NBA - Memphis Grizzlies v Golden State Warriors
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-HOU-NOP/ (PIX)
NBA - Houston Rockets v New Orleans Pelicans
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-DAL-LAC/ (PIX)
NBA - Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Clippers
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
20 Dec 20:30 ET / 01:30 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-PHX-IND/ (PIX)
NBA - Phoenix Suns v Indiana Pacers
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
20 Dec 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-MIN-NYK/ (PIX)
NBA - Minnesota Timberwolves v New York Knicks
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
20 Dec 21:30 ET / 02:30 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-SAC-LAL/ (PIX)
NBA - Sacramento Kings v Los Angeles Lakers
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
20 Dec 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT
BASKETBALL-NBA-POR-DEN/ (PIX)
NBA - Portland Trail Blazers v Denver Nuggets
2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon
20 Dec 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
FOOTBALL-NFL-LAC-DEN/ (PIX)
NFL - Los Angeles Chargers v Denver Broncos
2024-2025 NFL Season (Regular Season) - SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
20 Dec 20:15 ET / 01:15 GMT
GOLF
GOLF-EUROPEAN/
European Tour - Mauritius Open
Coverage of the Mauritius Open from Mont Choisy Le Golf in Grand Baie, which forms part of the DP World Tour
20 Dec 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT
BOXING
BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-USYK-FURY/ (PIX) (TV)
Heavyweight World Title Fight - Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury - Weigh-In
Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk and British heavyweight Tyson Fury weigh-in ahead of their rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
20 Dec 13:00 ET / 18:00 GMT
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