Despite missing out on an automatic promotion spot, a place in the Premier League remains tantalisingly close for four Championship clubs via the playoffs.

But only two teams can advance to the final, dubbed "the richest game in football," at Wembley on May 27 (live on ESPN+). (Oh, and unlike the Champions League, away goals don't matter here.) Will it be playoff heartbreak yet again for fallen giants Leeds when they face Derby? Who will win the Midlands battle between former European champions Aston Villa and last season's top-flight dropouts, West Brom?

Here's everything you need to know, from the managers to the potential match-winners, who can decide the ties to the keys for victory.

Jump to: Derby vs. Leeds | Villa vs. West Brom

Derby County vs. Leeds United

WHEN:
-- First leg: Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. BST (Live on ESPN+)
-- Second leg: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET / 7:45 p.m. ET (Live on ESPN+)

The backstory: Frank Lampard's Derby face Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds for the first time since "Spygate," the furore sparked in January when a Leeds employee was sent to covertly scout a Derby training session. Leeds were aiming for automatic promotion until the last few weeks of the season but fell away alarmingly and only just finished third, while Derby secured their place in the top six on the final day of the regular season. Leeds won both of their previous league fixtures, 4-1 at Pride Park in August and 2-0 in the return at Elland Road.

This would be a tasty enough tie -- two great clubs of the 1970s with enmity going back decades -- even without two of the biggest names who have ever managed in the Championship in either dugout. But when you throw in the spying controversy -- questions about which Lampard wearily tolerated and Bielsa angrily rejected this week -- as well, then this has the potential to be one of the spiciest playoff games in recent memory.

How they match up: Lampard noted last weekend that Leeds will be favourites, on the basis that they finished third, nine points ahead of Derby, but recent form might point the other way. Leeds have looked weary for months, Bielsa's intensely demanding style possibly taking its toll on a young and relatively shallow squad, and they lost three of their last four games of the campaign. Derby, on the other hand, have lost just one of their last 12 and reacted superbly when put under pressure by West Brom in that crucial final game.

Derby star to watch: Derby's best players this season have been loanees, in defender Fikayo Tomori and midfielder Mason Mount (both from Chelsea), but their biggest attacking threat is probably Harry Wilson, borrowed from Liverpool, who possesses a cannon of a left foot and can rip through defences.

Leeds star to watch: Pablo Hernandez has been not just Leeds' best player this season but arguably the best in the whole division, the former Swansea and Valencia winger now acting as one of Bielsa's attacking central midfielders in his 4-1-4-1 formation.

X factor -- Derby: Tomori, a silky smooth defender with a calmness and sense of timing that allows him to dominate strikers despite not being that physically imposing, has improved all season and will be in the Premier League next season either way. If he maintains his form and keeps out Leeds, it might just be with Derby. If Ashley Cole is fit, he could provide coolness and experience in these most high-pressured of games.

X factor -- Leeds: Kemar Roofe was the club's star man in the first half of the season but was injured in February and wasn't able to get back into the team after returning to fitness. However, with Patrick Bamford suspended, Leeds will rely on Roofe for goals.

Derby need to ... keep a close eye on Hernandez, particularly as Bradley Johnson, their holding midfielder, has probably been their weak link in recent weeks.

Leeds need to ... finish their chances. In their last four games, which yielded just a point and cost them automatic promotion, Leeds took 108 shots, 25 of which were on target, but they scored only four goals. They will need to be more clinical.

Prediction: Derby County. They should win the first leg at home, and then have enough to close things out at Elland Road.

Aston Villa vs. West Bromwich Albion

WHEN:
-- First leg: Saturday, 12:15 p.m. ET / 5:15 p.m. BST (Live on ESPN+)
-- Second leg: Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. ET (Live on ESPN+)

The backstory: Local rivals face off in a derby that is usually pretty lively, even without the crushing pressure of the playoffs. Both teams have changed their manager this season, with Villa fan Dean Smith taking over at his boyhood club in October, when Steve Bruce was dismissed with the side 15th in the table and going nowhere, and he's assisted by former England captain John Terry.

West Brom's dugout switch was more unexpected, as Darren Moore paid the surprising price for a winless three games in March, even though they were fourth in the table and with an outside chance of automatic promotion. Caretaker boss Jimmy Shan took charge, and since then has done a very decent job considering the uncertainty over his position and constant speculation over whether a more permanent boss might be appointed.

How they match up: These are perhaps two of the best matched teams that could face each other in a playoff game. After an indifferent start under Smith and a terrible run around the turn of the year, Villa have been in blistering form since March, and come into this game flying. West Brom haven't been as rampant but won the last game between the two, and have a wealth of talent available that means they could have the ability to turn the tie if things are going against them.

Villa's star to watch: It's no coincidence that Villa's recent brilliant run began when Jack Grealish returned from an injury that had kept him out for the guts of three months. Since coming back, Grealish has been made captain and has lead by being the division's outstanding individual player since March.

West Brom's star to watch: West Brom are at their best when Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle combine. The forwards have 45 goals between them this season, which accounts for over half of their overall total. If they're to make it into the final, these two will need to fire.

X factor -- Villa: Tammy Abraham. The Chelsea loanee might turn out to be one of those players who are excellent in the Championship but aren't quite good enough for the Premier League, but he has scored 25 goals this season and will be back after missing three games, thus theoretically well-rested.

X factor -- West Brom: Shan switches between a 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 system, and in both the central midfielders are vital. In Rekeem Harper they have a youngster who is going to be a star, the complete modern midfielder who can run and run and run, but also pass and pass and pass.

Villa need to ... get the ball to Grealish as much as possible. When he has control of the game, he can bend it to his will, and if Villa are to succeed most things will go through him.

West Brom need to ... attack Villa with gusto. Villa's signing of defender Tyrone Mings in January was inspired, and really helped to tighten their backline. But West Brom need to back their excellent forwards to break through, and should do so early on.

Prediction: Aston Villa. To a point, form can go out the window in the playoffs, but Villa's fine run has been more a true reflection of their ability rather than a transient spell of good play.

‘It has been an emotional week and I was very nervous today’
By ELLIE MAWSON in Manchester

England’s former World No.1 Laura Massaro got her 2019 Manchester Open campaign off to a winning start after she overcame compatriot Millie Tomlinson in round two at the National Squash Centre.

The 2013 world champion announced earlier this week that she will retire at the end of the season and she ensured that she put on a strong showing in front of her home crowd as she powered past World No.22 Tomlinson by an 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 margin at the PSA World Tour Silver event.

“I had to adapt as I was on there,” said Massaro following her win. “I went with it, sticking with the bits that were working, and trying to work out the bits that weren’t. I felt pretty focussed on there more than anything, despite it being such a tough week.

“It has been an emotional week, and I was really nervous today, just because I have got so many amazing people and I didn’t want to let them down on what could have been my last performance.”

She will now face top seed and Egypt’s World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in tomorrow’s quarter finals after she conquered France’s World No.35 Coline Aumard in straight-games to advance.

PSA World Championship runner-up El Tayeb was forced to utilise her experience as she battled back from going behind in the third to send out the Frenchwoman by an 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 scoreline.

“I thought we were going to a fourth,” said the 25-year-old Egyptian. “She has improved so much from the last time we played and I could see that because I’ve been following her results recently. She can attack anything that was short and would attack it very well. It was a very hard game and I’m pleased with how I played.

“I’m in the state of mind where the seeding is just a number. I’m just happy to be in the quarter-final of another tournament and hopefully, whoever I play I can play well.”

They will be joined in the quarter finals by English No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry after she toppled eight-time World Champion Nicol David, who like Massaro will also retire at the end of the season, in four-games.

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The tall Englishwoman started strongly, before losing her concentration in the third as David mounted a comeback. The Malaysian continued that momentum into the fourth, but Perry was able to reign her back in to close out in four games.

“When I saw the draw, Nicol had announced she was going to retire and there was that bit of dread in your mind that will the occasion get into my head a bit,” said 28-year-old Perry. “But on the other side I was actually really happy because she is such a fantastic player and I wanted that thrill of competing against Nicol one last time.

“It’s fantastic to have such a big women’s event in England. We haven’t had many of them and so I would like to thank the support of Manchester City Council and the PSA and everyone else who has made it possible.”

Perry will take on Wales’ World No.9 Tesni Evans in the next round after she put in an immaculate display against Dutch No.1 Milou van der Heijden to advance in Manchester.

The Welshwoman, who won her first British Nationals title at the National Squash Centre, proved that she was a contender for the PSA World Tour Silver title after she sent van der Heijden out by an 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 margin.

“Any time I play Milou and come out with a 3-0 win then I’m really happy,” said 26-year-old Evans. “She is playing some really good squash at the moment and it definitely won’t be long until she is moving up more than she already is.

“I think the court suits me and I just love playing here. It’s so close to home and I’ve had good wins here and good memories, so I hope that will have a part this week.

“The women’s tour is amazing at the moment and for us to have standalone events and show what we can do is really important.”

Number two seed Joelle King ensured a safe passage through to the last eight as she overcame a resilient Nele Gilis of Belgium.

The World No.5 started strongly to take the first two games, before Gilis made life difficult for the New Zealander by taking the third. In the end, King’s experience proved to be too much for the Belgian to handle, as her class shone through to take an 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-1 victory.

“I felt like in the first I had my game plan pretty spot on,” said 30-year-old King. “She has had some good results of late and has been pushing the top players so her resilience doesn’t go away. She has improved as a squash player a lot and I know it was going to be tough today and it was.

“It’s like any court, when you are playing well then you enjoy it and when you’re not then it’s not the best day. I felt like I got some good game time today and I found areas on the court that worked well and hopefully it can continue tomorrow.”

Next up for King is England’s former World No.3 Alison Waters after she fought off a comeback from Egypt’s World No.14 Salma Hany.

Waters claimed the brighter start as she opened up a two-game lead, before Hany boldly battled back to claim the next two and push the match to a tense fifth.

It looked as though the tie was going to go in the way of the Egyptian as she raced into a 9-5 lead, however, Waters soon fought back and eventually was able to see out the victory and book herself a place in the last eight.

“I just thought if I’m going to lose this then I need to go out trying something,” said the Englishwoman. “My shots came off and I just tried to be relaxed and I think that was my whole thing for the game.

“Sometimes you just need to not put so much pressure on yourself and let it flow and I did that and luckily I came out the winner.

“We were here each year for the Nationals and so I have some good memories. It feels a bit like a second home and I’m pleased to be back here in Manchester.”

The other quarter final tie will see Egypt’s World No.7 Nouran Gohar face United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy after they secured respective wins over England’s Emily Whitlock and Julianne Courtice.

Gohar was forced to fightback from one-game down against Whitlock as the Englishwoman started strongly to nullify the attacking intent of the hard-hitting Egyptian. However, the World No.7 was able to maintain her composure to come back and secure a quarter final berth.

“Her length was immaculate today,” said 21-year-old Gohar. “Usually I’m the one who plays it in the backside and hit the ball in the right positions, but she did that today and I had to try and find another solution.

“The last two months have been good and I’m trying to play well on court and the results will come for sure.”

Meanwhile, Sobhy took out home favourite and Manchester-based Courtice in a tough battle to move into the next round.

“Last time we played it was on home soil for me, we played in Chicago,” said the 25-year-old from Boston. “I had the home crowd which helps a lot and the home court advantage, it was the reverse this time and she has been playing really well. She has improved a ton since we last played in February, so hats off to her for really making me push this round and I’m really happy to be through.

“I played Nouran a couple of years ago when I came back on tour after being injured. She had a really good week in El Gouna and I had a pretty decent week as well. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and it should be good.”

The quarter-finals take place today (Saturday May 11) at 17:00 local time (UTC+1) and the action will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan). 

PSA $76,000 Women’s Manchester Open 2019, National Squash Centre, Manchester, England.

Second Round:
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (35m)
[5] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 11-8, 11-4, 11-8 (38m)
[6] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 (30m)
[3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Nicol David (MAS) 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6 (42m)
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 (37m)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 4-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-9 (33m)
[7] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Salma Hany (EGY) 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9 (49m)
[2] Joelle King (NZL) bt Nele Gilis (BEL) 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-1 (42m)
Quarter Finals:
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [5] Laura Massaro (ENG)
[3] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v [6] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [8] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[2] Joelle King (NZL) v [7] Alison Waters (ENG)

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – Leading from start-to-finish, Austin Brown of nearby Millstadt, Ill., was the hometown hero on Friday night, dominating Belle-Clair Speedway to win the 28th annual Knepper Memorial.

The wire-to-wire score aboard the BOSS Chassis/Toyota Racing No. 17 marked the fifth-career POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League victory for Brown.

Earning the pole position via a strong sixth-to-first heat race win, Brown took the green flag for the 30-lapper with 16-year old Cannon McIntosh of Bixby, Okla., to his outside in the Dave Mac Motorsports/Spike-Toyota No. 08.

Brown immediately shot to the lead as McIntosh fell back and three-time POWRi champion Zach Daum moved into second aboard his Daum Motorsports/Eagle-Toyota No. 5d.

With lap traffic looming, Daum and defending Knepper Memorial winner Tucker Klaasmeyer were hot on Brown’s heels and ready to challenge. However, a lap 11 caution bunched the field back up and allowed Brown to sneak away, while a frenzy ensued behind him.

That frenzy saw Daum, Klaasmeyer, McIntosh and Tanner Carrick all squaring off, while Brown continued to pace the field.

The battle raged for second, with multiple position swaps between Daum and McIntosh. A red flag for top-10 running Tyler Thomas on lap 24, followed by a three-car tangle on the final lap between Klaasmeyer, Logan Seavey and Carrick shuffled the lineup late.

On the final green-white-checkered restart, Brown quickly pulled away, while Daum and McIntosh’s battle reached the boiling point.

As Brown came out of turn four to take the double checkered flags, Daum and McIntosh collided and tangled at the apex, both coming to a stop and ending a chaotic feature event.

Nonetheless, it was Brown’s night, as he climbed atop the BOSS/Toyota No. 17 following his wire-to-wire run and received both a standing ovation and roaring applause.

Escaping the wreckage of the final corner and leaving with a career-best second-place finish was California’s Jesse Colwell, while rounding out the podium with another career-best finish was Oklahoma’s Ace McCarthy, who hauled from 17th-to-third.

Finishing fourth was Oklahoma’s Kaylee Bryson and taking fifth was Jake Neuman.

Dirt modified ace Nick Hoffman crossed sixth in his POWRi debut, with rookie Daison Pursley, Nick Knepper, Presley Truedson and Chance Morton completing the top 10.

The finish:

1. 17-Austin Brown (1); 2. 71-Jesse Colwell (6); 3. 28-Ace McCarthy (17); 4. 11B-Kaylee Bryson (16); 5. 3N-Jake Neuman (21); 6. 21KS-Nick Hoffman (7); 7. 9-Daison Pursley (8); 8. 55-Nick Knepper (15); 9. 5T-Presley Truedson (19); 10. 7M-Chance Morton (23); 11. 67K-Holley Hollan (18); 12. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer (4); 13. 71K-Tanner Carrick (5); 14. 67-Logan Seavey (9); 15. 5D-Zach Daum (3); 16. 08-Cannon McIntosh (2); 17. 91T-Tyler Thomas (10); 18. 3B-Shelby Bosie (14); 19. 97K-Jesse Love (11); 20. 11-Daniel Robinson (13); 21. 22-Andy Malpocker (12); 22. 30T-Tyler Vantoll (20); 23. 20G-Noah Gass (22).

Lap Leader(s): Brown 1-30.

Hard Charger(s): Neuman (+16)

ROSSBURG, Ohio – There was no one even close to Tyler Courtney’s zip code during Friday night’s AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series feature at Eldora Speedway.

Courtney, the defending USAC national sprint car champion, threw a massive turn-one slide job on early leader Kevin Thomas Jr. to take command of the race on the seventh round and never looked back.

Following a lap-10 yellow for a slowing Robert Ballou, the Indiana native drove out to a whopping 8.704-second lead over the final 20 green-flag laps, cruising to the checkered flag over C.J. Leary in the end.

Courtney’s victory was his first series win of the year, and he becomes the fifth different winner in five completed USAC national sprint car features so far.

“Any time you can win here (at Eldora), it’s special,” said Courtney in victory lane. “We got behind the 8-ball a bit there with starting seventh, but I knew I just had to get to the front as early as I could, and I was fortunate to have a really good piece that I could do that with.

Rizzy (crew chief Tyler Ransbottom) gave me one spot-on race car and made my job pretty easy.”

Though Justin Grant started on the pole, he never led a lap all night, as both Thomas and Carson Short overhauled Grant on the initial start, dropping Grant back to third in a hurry before a red flag with two laps scored for a violent flip by Dave Darland in the fourth turn.

Darland climbed from his car uninjured and acknowledged the crowd, but his night was over.

On the restart, Courtney – who started seventh but had climbed to fourth before the stoppage – made a quick move to go to third and then wrestled his way to second by lap four, quickly setting his sights on Thomas for the top spot.

Courtney’s winning move came just three laps later, with a feverish pitch to the inside of the first turn as Thomas tried to keep his own momentum up around the outside groove of the half-mile dirt track.

Once he was clear, Courtney kept his foot on the gas pedal and never looked back, navigating traffic effortlessly and expanding his lead consistently throughout the remaining 24 laps.

A wild exchange for the runner-up spot ensued past the halfway point, with Leary eventually coming out on top of a frenetic scramble with Thomas, Brady Bacon and Chris Windom to secure runner-up honors.

Leary grabbed second from Thomas with 12 to go and held the position to the finish, but by that juncture, Courtney was long gone out front – and Leary admitted as much afterward.

“I’m frustrated. I really felt like we had a car that could have won this deal, but Courtney got us early when we were messing with Brady (Bacon) and Carson Short, and after I finally got to second he was just gone,” lamented Leary. “KT (Kevin Thomas Jr.) blocked every move I made for about 10 laps, and it just let Courtney run away from us.”

Bacon completed the podium in the first USAC race since the passing of his car owner, Richard Hoffman.

“This means a lot,” noted Bacon. “Eldora’s a hard place to run well at. I’ve won here and I’ve come back (the next time) and run 10th) here. You have a lot of pressure on you here, because it’s a high-risk place, but it was one of Richard’s favorite places and it feels good to get a strong result tonight for this group.”

Windom and Short crossed fourth and fifth, respectively, with Thomas fading to sixth in the final results.

Grant was never a factor and finished eighth, the first car one lap down at the checkered flag.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Lance Dewease assailed the field on Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway to win the World of Outlaws Tune Up event for 410 sprint cars, worth $4,180.

It was the first race at the track since late March thanks to continuous rainouts.

The 358 sprints made their season debut at the track on Friday night and Glenndon Forsythe picked up a $1,500 victory.

A rain delay of more than an hour hampered the event, but it also made for scorching speeds as the night wore on.

Dewease started fourth in the 25-lap sprint car field, but fell back a spot on the first lap thanks to Robbie Kendall. Meanwhile, polesitter Chad Trout streaked away with the lead over Anthony Macri and Freddie Rahmer.

However Rahmer was racing wounded, thanks to a missing inside front wing panel stemming from an opening lap mishap on the initial start that also ended up claiming Danny Dietrich.

The only caution flag of the race unfurled for Dietrich on the third lap, thanks to a collapsed front end, likely due to the initial start mishap.

Rahmer began slipping as the laps strung together and Dewease was able to get around him for fourth on the seventh tour, before taking third with nine away.

But the pace was quick on the soft, moistened clay and it took all that Dewease had to run down the front duo of Macri and Trout.

Steadily, he honed in on Macri for the second spot and using surges of speed at the end of the backstretch to blast across turns three and four, he overtook Macri with seven to go before going to work on Trout.

Upon taking second spot, Dewease trailed the leader by 1.5 seconds and it would take him another five laps to catch Trout and get command before then pulling out to a 1.2 second victory.

Track conditions forced Dewease to use all the muscle in his car and in the cockpit to get the victory as he stated in victory lane, seemingly worn thin from the grueling speed.

The win was the 94th of Dewease’s illustrious career at the Williams Grove oval.

Trout rode home second, followed by Macri, Kendall and Rahmer.

Sixth through 10th went to Lucas Wolfe, Brian Montieth, Cory Haas, Rick Lafferty and TJ Stutts.

Heats went to Dewease and Dietrich, with the dash win going to Trout. Dewease set fast time with a lap of 16.634 seconds.

Forsythe wired the field for the 20-lap win in the 358 sprint feature.

He raced ahead of Matt Findley the entire way, but while holding a healthy lead most of the race, his advantage slipped away during the final five laps as his mount struggled to get off of the corners with speed.

Troy Wagaman Jr. rode home third followed by Doug Hammaker and Kevin Nouse.

Sixth through 10th went to Rodney Westhafer, Jeff Halligan, Rich Eichelberger, Kyle Denmyer and Todd Rittenhouse Jr.

Heats went to Denmyer and Westhafer.

The finishes:

410 sprints (25 laps): 1. Lance Dewease, 2. Chad Trout, 3. Anthony Macri, 4. Robbie Kendall, 5. Freddie Rahmer, 6. Lucas Wolfe, 7. Brian Montieth, 8. Cory Haas, 9. Rick Lafferty, 10. TJ Stutts, 11. Kyle Moody, 12. Steve Buckwalter, 13. Adrian Shaffer, 14. Dylan Cisney, 15. Troy Fraker, 16. Ryan Smith, 17. Danny Dietrich, 18. Mark Smith

358 sprints (25 laps): 1. Glenndon Forsythe, 2. Matt Findley, 3. Troy Wagaman Jr., 4. Doug Hammaker, 5. Kevin Nouse, 6. Rodney Westhafer, 7. Jeff Halligan, 8. Rich Eichelberger, 9. Kyle Denmyer, 10. Todd Rittenhouse Jr., 11. Chris Frank, 12. Dwight Leppo, 13. Gregg Foster, 14. Jacob Galloway, 15. Troy Rhome, 16. Scott Fisher, 17. Brett Wanner

ROSSBURG, Ohio – Donny Schatz led from start to finish in a caution-free rout Friday night at Eldora Speedway, winning the opening round of #LetsRaceTwo weekend at the half-mile dirt oval.

Schatz started on the pole and never faltered, holding Carson Macedo at bay early and then pulling away from Logan Schuchart late to take his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season.

With his Friday victory, the 285th of his World of Outlaws career, Schatz also assumed the lead in the series point standings as well.

The driver of the No. 15 Toco Warranty Centers/Ford Performance sprinter won the first of two DIRTvision Fast Pass Dashes to set himself up on the front row of the 30-lap main event, and when the green flag waved Schatz bolted to the early lead with Macedo in hot pursuit.

Macedo had one chance at Schatz in the opening laps, with a turn-one slider on the second revolution giving him momentary command over the field, but Schatz crossed back underneath him down the backstretch and never gave up the top spot again after that.

Friday’s win was Schatz’s third-straight score during Eldora’s #LetsRaceTwo weekend, but his first win at the track with new crew chief Steve Swenson.

“We’ve got a pretty good play book we’ve had over the years, but things change,” Schatz said. “Tires change. Cars change. The ways guys race change, so you’ve got to stay on the front side of it. That’s what we’ve been working on the past couple of months. I feel like we’ve figure out what we need to do to get things right for us.

“I’m happy about that and hopefully we can keep that to ourselves and not have to race against it.”

While Schatz dominated the box score by leading all 30 laps, it wasn’t without some competition in the second half of the race, as he had a hard-charging Logan Schuchart on his tail down the stretch.

Schuchart, who started fifth, grabbed the second spot on lap 13 and carved a lead of more than two seconds down under half a second with less than six laps to go as Schatz navigated through traffic.

However, the 10-time series champion got back away in the final moments as slower cars killed Schuchart’s momentum, leaving the Shark Racing driver to settle for second in the end.

“I was following a car on the top … and he hit the wall and I had to check up pretty good there,” said Schuchart. “All and all, I thought it was a good race. I think we actually fell to sixth at the beginning and had to work our way back up there. I think we had the car to beat and the fastest race car.

“I hope we can come back tomorrow and get another shot at it.”

Macedo completed the podium after his front row start, followed by David Gravel and Jacob Allen.

Christopher Bell crossed sixth, followed by Tim Kaeding, Parker Price-Miller, Gio Scelzi and Ian Madsen.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

Ander Herrera has confirmed he will leave Manchester United at the end of the season when his contract expires.

Spain international Herrera, 29, made the announcement in a farewell message posted on the club's Twitter account.

A goodbye message from @AnderHerrera. ? #MUFC pic.twitter.com/z56bmBwXa9

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 11, 2019

Sources have told ESPN FC that Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan and Barcelona are among the clubs interested in signing the midfielder as a free agent in the summer, with Ligue 1 club PSG the most strongly linked.

Herrera spent five years at Old Trafford after signing from Athletic Bilbao in 2014. He helped the club win the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup in the 2016-17 and claimed the club's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award that season.

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"There is red in my heart, I knew it from the first time I played here and in the moment I started to wear it," he said.

"A club with thousands of fans who respect and remember all the players who give everything. I felt special when I heard my name chanted. I felt proud when the fans decided I was part of this incredible history.

"Every time I represented this club, in every game, in wins and losses, even when I couldn't help from the grass, I understood what this club means.

"I am going to remember each of the almost 200 matches that I have played with this jersey. Because playing for the greatest club in England, has been a true honour. Thanks for these five amazing years."

Herrera's fellow Spanish midfielder Juan Mata is also out of contract at Manchester united at the end of the season, and talks are ongoing with the 30-year-old over a new deal.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed last month that Antonio Valencia will also leave the club this summer.

Toss Ireland chose to bat v West Indies

Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss and chose to bat first against West Indies on a day that has no rain in the forecast. It is partly cloudy, but after Ireland's last game, against Bangladesh, was washed out, they will welcome the chance to have a full match with the opportunity to get off the bottom of the points table.

West Indies brought in Fabian Allen for Shane Dowrich, with Dowrich having endured a poor day in the field in their loss against Bangladesh. Boyd Rankin and James McCollum have come in for Ireland, with Barry McCarthy and Lorcan Tucker missing out.

This is a rematch of the first game of this tri-series. In that match, the West Indies opening duo of John Campbell and Shai Hope shattered records with a 365-run stand, and West Indies romped to victory by 196 runs. That loss left Ireland with a heavily negative net run-rate, and the washout against Bangladesh meant they stayed at the bottom of the points table. However, victory here can lift them above West Indies.

Campbell didn't play West Indies' next game, against Bangladesh, due to a sore back, and looks to have not yet recovered for this game either.

Playing XIs:

Ireland: 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 James McCollum, 5 Kevin O'Brien, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 George Dockrell, 8 Mark Adair, 9 Boyd Rankin, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 Josh Little

West Indies: 1 Sunil Ambris, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Jonathan Carter, 6 Fabian Allen, 7 Ashley Nurse, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cotterell, 11 Shannon Gabriel

TossPakistan chose to bowl v England

Pakistan have won the toss and chosen to bowl in the second ODI against England at the Ageas Bowl.

The pitch appears to be a belter and play is set to begin in bright conditions.

Both teams are starting from scratch after the opener to the five-match series was a wash-out at The Oval on Wednesday. There have been some personnel changes on both sides with Jason Roy returning to the top of England's batting order at the expense of James Vince after recovering from back spasms. Moeen Ali returns from a rib injury, replacing Joe Denly, and Jofra Archer is being rested, making way for David Willey.

Pakistan are without Mohammad Amir, who is suffering from viral infection, meaning Yasir Shah comes into the side.

Teams: England: 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 David Willey, 10 Chris Woakes, 11 Liam Plunkett.

Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Yasir Shah