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Movies & TV

06th Jun 2015

Loads of GAA, Ireland v England and the Champions League Final: Sport on TV this weekend

No need to move off the couch

Conor Heneghan

Your guide to all the sport on the box this weekend.

Saturday

The big event on Saturday is, of course, the Champions League Final in Berlin, but there’s plenty to keep sport fanatics busy until then.

French Open women’s singles final, Setanta Sports, 2pm

The women’s singles final of the French Open tennis takes place at Roland Garros and will be covered on Setanta Sports from 2pm, which sets the day up nicely for what’s ahead.

Under-20 World Cup, Ireland v Scotland, TG4, 3.15pm

At 3.15pm, Ireland will be looking to build on a nail-biting win over Argentina in the Under-20 Rugby World Cup by taking the scalp of Scotland before meeting the All Blacks next week.

2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship Pool C , Sergio Lanfranchi Stadium, Parma, Italy 2/6/2015 Ireland U20 vs Argentina U20 Ireland's Tomas Quinlan Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Matteo Ciambelli

TG4’s broadcast starts at 3.15pm ahead of a 3.30pm kick-off.

Around the same time, Clermont take on Toulouse in the Top 14 semi-finals over on Sky Sports 3, while you can catch some Super Rugby via the red button on the same channel.

Leinster Hurling Championship, Galway v Dublin, RTE 2, 4.45pm

The Galway and Dublin hurlers couldn’t be separated at Croke Park on Sunday, but they’ll be back to have another crack at it in Tullamore on Saturday evening. Coverage starts on RTE 2 at 4.45pm.

Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Quarter-Final, Croke Park, Dublin 31/5/2015 Dublin vs Galway Dublin's Ryan O’Dwyer is tackled by Joe Canning, Jonathan Glynn and Cathal Mannion of Galway Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Christy Ring Cup Final, Kerry v Derry, TG4, 5.20pm

If that’s not enough hurling for you, Kerry and Derry will contest the Christy Ring Cup Final at Croke Park at 5.30pm and in what is a big boost for second-tier hurling, TG4 will be showing it live from 5.20pm.

Leinster Football Championship, Laois v Kildare, Sky Sports 3, 6.30pm

Galway and Dublin players will be delighted to have everything wrapped up in time for the Champions League Final, a luxury that won’t be afforded to the footballers of Laois and Kildare on Saturday evening.

Sky Sports will be broadcasting live from Tullamore from 6.30pm.

Then, the big one…

Champions League Final, Barcelona v Juventus, Sky Sports 1, 6pm, RTE 2, 6.45pm

That’s right, the small matter of a Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus will take place in Berlin on Saturday evening in the culmination of the best club competition in the world.

Will Messi be crowned a champion again? Can Tevez help Juve cause an upset?

(FILE PHOTO - Image Numbers 466730288 (L) and 466474110- EDITORS NOTE: A GRADIENT HAS BEEN ADDED)  In this composite image a comparison has been made between Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (L) and Carlos Tevez of Juventus FC. Juventus and FC Barcelona meet each other in the UEFA Champions League Final at the Olympiastadion Stadium on June 6, 2015 in Berlin,Germany. ***LEFT IMAGE*** BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 18: Lionel Messi of Barcelona looks on during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Barcelona and Manchester City at Camp Nou on March 18, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** TURIN, ITALY - MARCH 09: Carlos Tevez of Juventus FC looks on during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Sassuolo Calcio at Juventus Arena on March 9, 2015 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Irish viewers will have the option of tuning into RTE 2 from 6.45pm (immediately after the hurling) or they can get it on Sky Sports 1 from 6pm ahead of a 7.45pm kick-off.

We can’t wait.

Sunday

International football friendly, Ireland v England, Setanta Sports, 12pm

Kicking things off on Sunday is a pretty big encounter at the Aviva Stadium, where the Boys in Green take on the auld enemy England in the first clash between the pair on Irish soil since that infamous night at Lansdowne Road 20 years ago.

Republic of Ireland Squad Training, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 3/6/2015 Manager Martin O'Neill and assistant manager Roy Keane Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Setanta Sports will be covering the game live from 12pm ahead of a 1pm kick-off and fingers crossed there’s a positive outcome ahead of the far more important meeting with Scotland six days later.

The Sunday Game Live, Derry v Down, Cork v Waterford, RTE 2, 1.30pm

It’s GAA all the way this Sunday, with a couple of potential belters in store on the Sunday Game Live on RTE 2.

Derry and Down will battle it out in the Ulster Championship at Celtic Park at 2pm and that’ll be followed by a repeat of the National Hurling League final when Waterford and Cork meet at Semple Stadium.

Allianz Football League Division 2 Final, Croke Park, Dublin 26/4/2015 Down vs Roscommon Kevin Higgins of Roscommon with Kevin McKernan of Down Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Donall Farmer

Colm O’Rourke, Pat Spillane, Liam Sheedy and Ger Loughnane will all be in studio to provide analysis, with four hours and 40 minutes worth of coverage beginning at 1.30pm.

French Open men’s singles final, Setanta Sports, 4pm

In the middle of all that GAA, meanwhile, the men’s singles final of the French Open will take place at Roland Garros and is live on Setanta Sports.

If some of the most recent major finals are anything to go by, you might want to get comfortable on the couch.

European and PGA Tour Golf, Sky Sports 4, 12pm

Finally, if golf is your bag, the final day of the Nordea Masters in Sweden is on Sky Sports 4 from 12pm, with the closing day of the Memorial Tournament in Ohio taking over at 5pm.

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