Sam Smith and Ariana Grande are locked in a battle for the top spot of the UK albums chart this week, according to data from the Official Charts Company.

Just 577 chart sales separate the pair based on the first 72 hours of sales, with Grande's Positions currently holding the advantage over Smith's Love Goes.

Should Positions maintain its placing then it would become Grande's fourth consecutive UK number one album in what is also expected to be a successful week for the singer over on the singles chart, where she has three singles tracking inside the top 10.

Elsewhere, Cliff Richard's 41st studio album Music... The Air That I Breathe is currently third in the albums chart and leads the way on physical sales.

The current number one, Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You, is pushed down to four in the midweeks, while new compilation Long Hot Summers - The Story Of The Style Council is at five.

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