Month: November 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo can stamp his mark on Euro 2008 in much the same way that Michel Platini and Zinedane Zidane bestrode the European championships of 1984 and 2000 and Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup.

So believes veteran teammate Nuno Gomes who waxed lyrical about Manchester United s sensational winger at Portugal s pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday s opening Group A clash with Turkey in Geneva.

When asked if Ronaldo could match the feats of Platini, ZZ and Maradona the Benfica forward, speaking in English, replied: I hope so and I think so.

I believe he has the quality to be the man of the tournament, I wish he could be that man but he doesn t have to prove himself.

The things he s done have already made him the biggest player of the…

Chelsea and Manchester United have both put their faith in big-money strikers as they bid to win the Premier League title this season.

After Diego Costa fell out of Antonio Conte s plans, the champions paid Real Madrid a reported £70million to sign Alvaro Morata, while United parted with £75million to buy Romelu Lukaku from Everton.

With Lukaku having seemingly been Chelsea s first choice, how the two strikers adapt to leading the line for title contenders is one of the Premier League s most enticing subplots, while Wayne Rooney s return to Goodison Park is one for the romantics.

Adding Vincent Kompany and Nathan Ake to those three attackers, here we examine five players to watch out for in the Premier League this season.

ROMELU LUKAKU

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Champions League holders Barcelona are obviously the odds-on favourites to top Group E, but with Roma and Bayer Leverkusen also in the mix, chances are the Catalans will have to work hard in order to secure the top spot. And while BATE Borisov are unlikely to cause too many problems to any of the other three sides, the likes of Giallorossi and die Werkself are widely expected to be involved in a highly entertaining battle for the second place and opportunity to continue the campaign in the knockout stages.

Outright Tips

Market: Group Betting
Tip: Barcelona to Win Group E
Odds:

The reigning Champions League winners were always going to be tipped as the most likely team to go through from this group and we have no doubts whatsoever that Barcelona will deliver. The Cat…

National Team Shirts

Difference Between Replica and Official Shirts

Some people believe that “replica” shirts refer to cheap knock-offs or fake shirts that only resemble the official football shirts sold by the clubs and national teams, but that is not really the case. Replica shirts are actually official club merchandise sold in club shops and online stores that are only slightly different to football jerseys worn by high-profile players in actual matches. Since replica shirts are unlikely to be used in match conditions, these are usually characterised by looser fit and may lack a couple of performance enhancing features, but other than that are almost identical to shirts worn on match days.

Both official shirts and replica jerseys are produced by…

France s World Cup squad is calmer and more experienced than the one that won in Russia, according to Ousmane Dembele.

Didier Deschamps side will become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962 if they overcome Argentina in Sunday s final at Lusail Stadium.

Dembele was an unused substitute when France beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 final but the Barcelona man has emerged as a key part of the team in Qatar.

Despite injuries to Karim Benzema, N Golo Kante and Paul Pogba leaving France short of key players, Dembele feels the squad is more at ease this time around.

It s not a dream yet. We re calmer and have more experience. We want to prepare well for this final, he said at a press conference on Friday.

It will be a great day. We …

Despite all the hype and coming in as nine-point road favorites, the New England Patriots and Houston Texans come into their Week 5 matchup with identical 1-3 records. Are Mac Jones and the Pats headed for a massive letdown after last Sunday’s media circus? 

Here are our free picks and predictions and NFL betting odds for Patriots vs. Texans for Sunday, October 10.

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It’s NFL Draft Week and our football analysts are pouring over the draft betting odds and making picks on which players will go where and when.

Draft prop bet picks

Uncertainty around Jacksonville’s first pick

By Andrew Caley

Is Walker a lock? Will it be Aidan Hutchinson who was the favorite for most of this process? Or do the Jaguars have a surprise in store for us?

Pick: Aidan Hutchinson Number 1 Overall Pick (+300)

Pick: Position of Jacksonville Jaguars First Drafted Player – Offensive Lineman (+430)

Pick made April 27

Read the full analysis and prediction.

Teams leave Wyatt on the b…

You have ordered your wings. Your local joint is offering a curly fry special. You ask for extra bleu cheese.

You bought extra bags of chips on yesterday’s grocery run. Your guest list is a bit longer than you’d like, but those are the perils of hosting a Super Bowl party.

The unexpected guests fall into two camps. 

One, he has gambled far too much on the Philadelphia Eagles winning outright but the Kansas City Chiefs covering a 1.5-point spread. That one-point middle is his sweet spot. A Kansas City missed PAT will make him happier than any appropriate analogy here would describe.

The other camp, they aren’t coming to your watch party to delve into Patrick Mahomes’s ankle health or the Super Bowl props market.