Expectations from the Indian male shuttlers will also be high, given their exploits in recent months.
The Premier League's bottom two clubs met at Goodison Park and there was more woe for Everton as they bowed out on penalties to Southampton after a 1-1 draw.
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will spearhead the women's challenge in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games while London Olympics bronze winner Saina Nehwal did not expectedly feature in the squads.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal made another first-round exit, losing 15-21, 8-21 to Thailand's fourth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the women's singles event.
Italy recovered from the shock of conceding the fastest goal ever scored at a European Championship to beat Albania 2-1 on Saturday as Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella ensured the defending champions made a winning start.
Doubles specialist Markis Kido won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics partnering Hendra Setiawan, a year after the pair won the men's doubles title at the world championship in Kuala Lumpur.
The Indian women's team qualified for the quarter-finals in the Uber Cup badminton tournament despite a 2-3 defeat to 2014 runners-up Japan in their third and final Group D match, in Kunshan, China, on Wednesday. The men's team, however, continued its dismal run in the Thomas Cup and crashed out after being blanked 0-5 by Indonesia in their third Group B match at the Kunshan Sports Center Stadium.
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who hasn't played any tournament since the Birmingham Games due to an ankle injury, is now world number five after moving up a spot.
The favourites to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked as Manchester United manager on Monday.
Former England captain Cook, 34, who retired from international cricket this year, was his country's most-capped Test player and record test run scorer.
The 36-year-old is signed as a replacement for South African Wiaan Mulder, who is expected to travel to the West Indies with the Proteas in August.
Saina Nehwal was forced to retire midway through her opening match but India's young brigade produced a clinical display to notch up a fine 3-2 win over Spain and get off to a winning start in the Uber Cup in Aarhus, on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Sen, who won a bronze in the 2021 World Championships, has been in brilliant form, starting the year with a gold medal at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open before finishing runner-up, at the prestigious All England Open Championships and also at the German Open.
'Badminton at this level is a mental game.' 'Often just one or two points makes the deficit and often it's upstairs on the first floor that these things happen.'
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said there would a 'a new direction' next season with a new coach.
Fans were flanked by hundreds of police trucks securing the area as they let off fireworks and flares to the sound of honks and cheers.
Priyanshu toiled hard for one hour 14 minutes before losing 21-18, 14-21, 17-21.
A true legend of the game who paved the way and taught so many of us how to be as a player and as a person.
Against the unseeded Tunjung, Sindhu started on a bright note and played aggressively to surge to a 10-5 lead. She used her experience and reach to engage her opponents in long rallies initially.
Paris 2024 organising committee president Tony Estanguet on Sunday said the person who will light the cauldron on Friday was not yet aware they had been selected.
Carter was in politics, but not a politician, certainly not a transactional politician, points out Shreekant Sambrani.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will remain in the job for next season and has entered into talks with the Old Trafford club over a contract extension
Davies's poor spot-kick was saved low to his right by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Canada wasted numerous other opportunities to open the scoring.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday.
'They want us to win in every match, like in cricket.' 'It's so tough to play every tournament and win.'
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen continued to be the best-placed Indian at number seven while former world no. 1 Kidambi Srikanth gained a rung to the 11th position.
Batsman Kirk Edwards and wicketkeeper batsman Devon Thomas have been drafted into the West Indies World Cup squad after Carlton Baugh and Adrian Barath were ruled out, the International Cricket Council said.
The former India player died at his residence following cardiac arrest.
Indian women beat Thailand 3-2 in final, clinch historic gold in Badminton Asia Team Championships
Indian women made a stupendous start to their campaign at the Uber Cup badminton tournament by thrashing Australia 5-0, in Kunshan, on Monday.
League Two (fourth tier) side Stevenage pulled off the shock of the weekend by winning 2-1 at Premier League Aston Villa.
Manchester City have now won only once in 11 games in all competitions.
A 15 per cent decrease in the men's team insurance coverage also allowed them to upgrade the women's team coverage by 50 per cent
HS Prannoy said continuous experimentation has been the key to his "special" season as he reached his second final of the year at the Australian Open Super 500 tournament in Sydney.
India took control of the Group A match midway into the first half and dominated till the end.
Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal led India to the quarter-finals of Uber Cup with a crushing 4-1 victory over Hong Kong but it was curtains for their male counterparts in the Thomas Cup after they lost to Korea 2-3 in New Delhi.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty enjoyed another memorable 'Evening in Paris', lifting the French Open badminton crown for the second time with a dominating straight-game victory over Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the men's doubles final in Paris on Sunday.
Images from Saturday's action in the Nations League group stage matches.
India open FIFA women's U-17 WC campaign against USA with hope to get at least a point
