Sports News - April 20th

Kildare will play the winners of Offaly vs Louth in this year’s Leinster senior football championship.

The draw was made this morning, with last year’s semi finalists Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Laois having a bye to the quarter finals.

The other 7 teams were drawn for the first round pairings and Westmeath, being the last team drawn from the group, got a bye to the quarter finals

Dublin will begin their quest for a seventh successive All-Ireland Football title, their a 16th title in 17 years and an 11th consecutive Leinster title against either Wexford or Wicklow.

Dublin’s game will be away from Croke Park.

Davy Burke’s Wicklow side twice beat Wexford in the space of a week last year to clinch promotion from Division 4 of the League

The other quarter-finals are Meath vs the winners of Carlow or Longford, while Westmeath, who got a bye from the first round will play Laois.

The final is scheduled for the weekend of July 31st/September 1st.

The Leinster hurling draw was also made:

In the quarter finals, its Dublin v Antrim;  Wexford v Laois

The semis are: Kilkenny vs Wexford/Laois; Galway vs Dublin/Antrim.

================

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he won't resign, despite the club signing up as a founder of the controversial European Super League.

The German coach has reiterated his dislike for the concept.

There were protests by supporters outside his side's one-all draw at Leeds last night, but Klopp's confirmed he won't walk away.

That draw saw Liverpool miss out on the chance to move into the Premier League's top-four.

Sadio Mane ended a run of 10 games without a goal to give the champions the lead, but Diego Llorente equalised in the 87th minute.

Tonight Chelsea are home to Brighton at 8pm.

===
The Premier League will hold an emergency meeting later, where the 14 clubs not involved in the Super League will consider what happens next.

UEFA will look at what legal action they can take against the clubs.

President Aleksander Ceferin ((pron: seff-er-in)) has threatened to ban players from representing their counties at major tournaments.

===
Jim Magilton will take interim charge of Dundalk for their trip to Derry in the Premier Division of the Airttricity League this evening.

Reigning champions Shamrock Rovers are away to Drogheda United.

St Pat's host Waterford. Sligo Rovers are away to Bohemians, Longford play Finn Harps.

==============
Leinster say there's no timeframe for Johnny Sexton's return from his latest concussion.

The Ireland captain has been stood down for the PRO14 champions' clash with their rivals Munster this weekend.

Leinster will play Ronan O'Gara coached La Rochelle in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup at the start of next month.

===============

There's an eight-race card at Tipperary this evening where the first goes to post at twenty-to-five.