Here are the top sports stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 7:30 p.m. GMT/ 2:30 p.m. ET. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.

TOP STORIES

BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-USYK-FURY/

'Talking's been done': Fury gets serious ahead of Usyk rematch

RIYADH, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Tyson Fury insisted that there would be no joking around ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, as both heavyweights were subdued in a bizarre press conference on Thursday.

SOCCER-ENGLAND-WOL/PEREIRA

Wolves appoint Pereira as manager after sacking O'Neil

Wolverhampton Wanderers have named Vitor Pereira as head coach on an 18-month deal, the Premier League club said on Thursday, hoping the Portuguese can guide them out of the relegation zone

MOTOR-F1-MERCEDES/

Bottas returns to Mercedes as reserve driver after Sauber exit

Valtteri Bottas will return to Mercedes as a reserve driver for the 2025 season, the Formula One team announced on Thursday, after the Finn left Sauber at the end of the season.

UPCOMING

SOCCER

SOCCER-ITALY-INT-UDI/REPORT

Italy - Coppa Italia - Inter Milan v Udinese

Inter Milan play Udinese in the Coppa Italia

19 Dec 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT

SOCCER-ITALY-INT-UDI/REPORT

Italy -Coppa Italia - Inter Milan v Udinese

Inter Milan play Udinese in Coppa Italia

19 Dec 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT

SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-MUN/REPORT (PIX)

England - EFL Cup - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United

Tottenham Hotspur play Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

19 Dec 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT

SOCCER-ENGLAND-TOT-LIV/PREVIEW $(TV)$

England - English Premier League - Liverpool press conference

Liverpool's Arne Slot holds a press conference ahead of his side's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.

20 Dec 04:15 ET / 09:15 GMT

SOCCER-ENGLAND-MUN-BOU/PREVIEW (TV)

England - English Premier League - Manchester United press conference

Manchester United's Ruben Amorim speaks to the media ahead of his side's Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth.

20 Dec 08:30 ET / 13:30 GMT

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CBJ-NJD/ (PIX)

NHL - Columbus Blue Jackets v New Jersey Devils

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-TBL-STL/ (PIX)

NHL - Tampa Bay Lightning v St. Louis Blues

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-PHI-LAK/ (PIX)

NHL - Philadelphia Flyers v Los Angeles Kings

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

20 Dec 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-NSH-PIT/ (PIX)

NHL - Nashville Predators v Pittsburgh Penguins

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee

20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CHI-SEA/ (PIX)

NHL - Chicago Blackhawks v Seattle Kraken

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - United Center, Chicago, Illinois

20 Dec 20:30 ET / 01:30 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CGY-OTT/ (PIX)

NHL - Calgary Flames v Ottawa Senators

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta

20 Dec 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-EDM-BOS/ (PIX)

NHL - Edmonton Oilers v Boston Bruins

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta

20 Dec 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-VGK-VAN/ (PIX)

NHL - Vegas Golden Knights v Vancouver Canucks

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

20 Dec 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-SJS-COL/ (PIX)

NHL - San Jose Sharks v Colorado Avalanche

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California

20 Dec 22:30 ET / 03:30 GMT

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

BASKETBALL-NBA-DET-UTA/ (PIX)

NBA - Detroit Pistons v Utah Jazz

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-ORL-OKC/ (PIX)

NBA - Orlando Magic v Oklahoma City Thunder

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Kia Center, Orlando, Florida

20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-WAS-CHA/ (PIX)

NBA - Washington Wizards v Charlotte Hornets

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia

20 Dec 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-BOS-CHI/ (PIX)

NBA - Boston Celtics v Chicago Bulls

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

20 Dec 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-TOR-BKN/ (PIX)

NBA - Toronto Raptors v Brooklyn Nets

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

20 Dec 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-SAS-ATL/ (PIX)

NBA - San Antonio Spurs v Atlanta Hawks

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas

20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-MEM-GSW/ (PIX)

NBA - Memphis Grizzlies v Golden State Warriors

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee

20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-HOU-NOP/ (PIX)

NBA - Houston Rockets v New Orleans Pelicans

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

20 Dec 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-DAL-LAC/ (PIX)

NBA - Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Clippers

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

20 Dec 20:30 ET / 01:30 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-PHX-IND/ (PIX)

NBA - Phoenix Suns v Indiana Pacers

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

20 Dec 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-MIN-NYK/ (PIX)

NBA - Minnesota Timberwolves v New York Knicks

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

20 Dec 21:30 ET / 02:30 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-SAC-LAL/ (PIX)

NBA - Sacramento Kings v Los Angeles Lakers

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California

20 Dec 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-POR-DEN/ (PIX)

NBA - Portland Trail Blazers v Denver Nuggets

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon

20 Dec 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

FOOTBALL-NFL-LAC-DEN/ (PIX)

NFL - Los Angeles Chargers v Denver Broncos

2024-2025 NFL Season (Regular Season) - SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

20 Dec 20:15 ET / 01:15 GMT

GOLF

GOLF-EUROPEAN/

European Tour - Mauritius Open

Coverage of the Mauritius Open from Mont Choisy Le Golf in Grand Baie, which forms part of the DP World Tour

20 Dec 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT

BOXING

BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-USYK-FURY/ (PIX) (TV)

Heavyweight World Title Fight - Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury - Weigh-In

Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk and British heavyweight Tyson Fury weigh-in ahead of their rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

20 Dec 13:00 ET / 18:00 GMT