2023 promises to be a breathtaking year in the world of sport, with three World Cups and plenty of other marquee competitions – and here are our predictions of what might happen over the next 365 days.
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With 14 wins in 16 games to start the 2022/23 Premier League season, Arsenal fans are slowly starting to believe that the title may be coming to North London this year. The Gunners have been far and away the best team in the league in the first half of the campaign, and despite injuries to key attackers such as Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe, have shown no signs of slowing down. Mikel Arteta’s side have a significant seven-point lead at the summit of the table ahead of Manchester City, and if injury luck goes their way, Arsenal will be lifting Premier League trophy number 14 in 2023.
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The Indian cricket team are coming up to a decade without an ICC trophy to their name. The last title the Men in Blue won was the 2013 Champions Trophy under the stewardship of MS Dhoni, and there has been plenty of disappointments in major tournaments since then. However, that could all change in 2023, with India having three great chances to secure some silverware.
The Indian women could spring a surprise and win the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa. However, the men have an even greater chance of success as they look to win the 2023 ODI World Cup at home or the ICC World Test Championship final against potential opponents Australia.
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Rafael Nadal made a barnstorming comeback in 2022, winning the Australian and French Open and losing just one match at the majors all year to put himself above Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on top of the all-time list with 22 Grand Slams. However, that record is under threat in 2023. Having won another Wimbledon title in 2022, Novak Djokovic is already at 21 Grand Slams, and the Serbian superstar has shown no signs of slowing down when he has been on the court in recent months.
Novak will be the favourites to win the Australian Open and Wimbledon due to his record at both events and has it in him to get past an ageing Rafael Nadal at the French Open in 2023.
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2023 could see some major moves in the transfer window, with Kylian Mbappe, Rafael Leao, and potentially Declan Rice making big-money moves across Europe. However, one superstar player who will leave their club this year is English striker Harry Kane. The Spurs forward has been a one-club man throughout his career, but with just one year left on his contract and Tottenham going nowhere under Antonio Conte, the Englishman may want to test the marker in 2023.
At 29, Harry Kane still has three years of his prime – if not more – left in the tank and clubs such as Bayern Munich, Manchester United, or Chelsea could entice the Englishman to make a move this summer.
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The Lucknow Super Giants finished fourth in their maiden season in the Indian Premier League in 2022, and the KL Rahul led-side could go one step further in 2023 and lift the IPL title. Lucknow addressed their weaknesses at the 2023 auction with the addition of a hard-hitting left-hander in Nicholas Pooran and will also be strengthened by the return of Mark Wood to their bowling ranks. The Super Giants have one of the most complete sides on paper heading into the 2023 IPL, and if they play to their potential, we could see another new franchise lift the trophy this year.
ML Sports