Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday, Jan 1
Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday: - - - - SOCCER PREMIER LEAGUE (1500 kickoff unless stated) Stoke City v Manchester United (1245) Aston Villa v Crystal Palace Hull City v Everton Liverpool v Leicester City Manchester City v Sunderland Newcastle United v Burnley Queens Park Rangers v Swansea City Southampton v Arsenal West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (1730) - - Chelsea and City resume title battle LONDON - Chelsea take a three-point lead into 2015 and begin the year against one of their favourite opponents in Tottenham. Champions Manchester City face Sunderland and third-placed Manchester United travel to Stoke. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/, pix, expect first lead by 1445 GMT/945 AM ET, by Mitch Phillips, 650 words) - - ASIAN CUP Australia, Jan. 9-31 We continue our extensive preview package for the region's biggest soccer tournament with profiles and factboxes of the eight teams that comprise Group A and Group B. Hosted by Australia for the first time, this year's Asian Cup is considered wide open, with several sides believing they have a chance of emerging victorious in Sydney on Jan. 31. - - Group A Australia, South Korea, Kuwait and Oman. Group B Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and China. - - Time to deliver for Socceroos on home soil SYDNEY - After a year of sometimes painful transition and an encouraging yet ultimately pointless World Cup campaign, Australia enter 2015 knowing that promise no longer counts for anything and only results matter. (SOCCER-ASIA/AUSTRALIA, moved, by Nick Mulvenney, 400 words) Also moving at 0800 GMT are profiles and factboxes of the eight finalists listed above with similar items concerning Groups C and D moving at the same time on Friday. - - - - NFL Resurgent Cowboys headline wildcard weekend MIAMI - The Dallas Cowboys return to the playoffs on Sunday after a four-year absence seeking their first Super Bowl appearance since their victory in 1995. We preview a wildcard weekend featuring four games, headlined by the Cowboys who host the Detroit Lions. (NFL-WILDCARD/ (PREVIEW), expect by 1730 GMT/12.30 PM ET, by Simon Evans, 400 words) - - - - NBA Bulls take on Nuggets, Kings visit Timberwolves The Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls host the Denver Nuggets while the Sacramento Kings visit the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves in the two games on the league's New Year's Day schedule. (NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0430 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - - - NHL Blackhawks and Capitals clash outdoors in Winter Classic The in-form Chicago Blackhawks will aim for a third straight win when they visit the Washington Capitals on New Year's Day for the outdoor Winter Classic at Nationals Park, home of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals. (NHL-CLASSIC/, expect by 2200 GMT/5 PM ET, 400 words) - - Canucks host Kings in Pacific Division matchup The (21-11-3) Vancouver Canucks host the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in a key matchup of Pacific Division rivals in one of just two games on the schedule. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0700 GMT/2 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 500 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0101 GMT/8:01 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) (London desk editor: Pritha Sarkar)
