Month: November 2024

Manchester United are interested in signing Unai Simon from Athletic Bilbao, according to . The report has claimed that United are on the hunt for a new goalkeeper, and that Simon is on their radar.

Simon has been on the books of Bilbao since 2011 and has come through the club’s youth academy to establish himself in the first team. The Spain international goalkeeper is one of the best in his position in La Liga. Simon made 36 appearances in La Liga last season and played 31 times in the league in 2022-23.

Andre Onana is the first-choice goalkeeper at Manchester United at the moment, but the 28-year-old has not always been at his best. While Onana is good with his feet, the Cameroon international goalkeeper does make mistakes at the back and is not always great at stop…

A lot can change in a month. Think back to England s pre-Euro 2020 friendlies and most fans or pundits were likely highlighting the defence as their primary concern.

Harry Maguire was injured and seemingly a doubt for the entire group stage; Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out of the tournament; and certain decisions made by Tyrone Mings had alarm bells ringing.

Yet, here we are, four weeks on and England are preparing for a Euro 2020 semi-final having not conceded a single goal in five tournament matches.

While sceptics might suggest the general level of those opponents wasn t always world class, the fact is their five clean sheets has equalled a major tournament record – it is a genuine achievement in itself.

That record is extended to Jordan Pickfor…

Thomas Tuchel collected the first league title of his coaching career in double-quick time when Paris Saint-Germain claimed their sixth Ligue 1 crown in seven seasons on Sunday.

After failing to get over the line with a draw against Strasbourg and heavy loss to Lille followed by a shock defeat to Nantes, PSG finally took an unassailable lead at the summit with five games still to play in France s top flight.

Kylian Mbappe and the other members of a star-studded line-up can add Coupe de France glory on April 27 but this remains a season that will still probably be remembered for one crushing failure at the Parc des Princes.

Manchester United s improbable heist in the French capital dumped PSG out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage and the co-existence …

Japan have been invited to play in the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, following their maiden appearance in the 1999 edition, the Japan Football Association said Thursday.

Junji Ogura, the association s vice president, learned of the invitation in Nassau, Bahamas, where he was attending the congress of football s world governing body FIFA, a spokeswoman for the FA said.

We ll have more details when the vice president returns home, she added.

Japan competed in the South American continental championship in 1999 in Paraguay under French coach Philippe Troussier.

The Blue Samurai were knocked out at the group stage with one point, losing to Paraguay and Peru and drawing 1-1 with Bolivia.

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Fabinho is optimistic Liverpool can replicate their strong finish to the 2020-21 season to secure a top-four Premier League finish this term, declaring: We are still a big team .

Liverpool sit eighth in the table following a run of three league games without a win, 10 points adrift of Newcastle United and Manchester United in third and fourth respectively, with just 10 matches remaining this campaign.

Having gone close to winning an unprecedented quadruple last term, Liverpool are now in severe danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since an eighth-placed finish in 2015-16, but Jurgen Klopp s men have experience of snatching a top-four spot at the last.

Liverpool looked destined to finish outside the top four during an injury-hit 20…

In Week 3 of the NFL season, we finally start to see teams for who they really are. It’s also the beginning of the end for football bettors.

The playing field between books and bettors is pretty level in the opening two weeks, but by Week 3 the oddsmakers’ power rankings are beginning to sharpen up and the data behind those lines is fattening.

That makes betting into the best of the number vital from here on out. We give our best NFL betting tips for the Week 3 spreads and totals to bet now, and the ones to bet later.

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It’s been 31 years since the Cincinnati Bengals last won a game in the NFL Playoffs, but they are favorites to end that drought when they face off against the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC Wild Card tonight. 

That’s because the Bengals have something they didn’t have the last 31 years this time around – quarterback Joe Burrow. The second-year man made a huge leap in his sophomore season, but will he and a dynamic Cincinnati offense be enough to cover against a feisty Las Vegas Raiders team led by Derek Carr?

Find out in our free NFL picks and predictions for Raiders vs. Bengals on Saturday, January 15.

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The final regular season week of NFL betting picks and predictions is always a wild one, as handicappers scour the news wires for any inclination of a team’s Week 18 plans — be it a club resting starters, pushing for a postseason spot, or wrapping up a losing campaign.

And, for what it’s worth, the last week of the schedule has gone to the dogs in recent years. 

Since 2015, point-spread underdog picks are 59-49-4 ATS in Week 17/18, covering at a near 55% clip. That includes a 27-19-2 ATS mark for dogs in those finales since 2019 (58.7%) and a 10-6 ATS count for point spread pups in the inaugural Week 18 last season.

I’m hoping underdogs keep their bite in this weekend’s closing contests as I’ve been trying to get…

A 34-0 win would normally be enough to win over the NFL betting markets, but the New Orleans Saints and their Week 6 odds aren’t drawing action ahead of a non-conference clash with the Houston Texans.

NFL odds opened New Orleans as big as a 2.5-point road favorite following their one-sided win over New England in Week 5, but the early money has been on host Houston. That’s slimmed this spread to as low as NOLA -1 at some sportsbooks.

I dig into the adjustment for the spread and Over/Under total for this Sunday showdown and give my best free NFL picks and predictions for Saints at Texans on October 15.

Saints vs Texans odds

Saints vs Texans predictions

Texans second-year running back Dameon Pie…

All of a sudden, the Pittsburgh Steelers have pulled themselves out of the bottom of the AFC standings and have a real shot at the playoffs if a few things go their way. First and foremost, however, Mike Tomlin and Co. will need to take care of a Baltimore Ravens team that’s resting its starters.

The only reason the Steelers are even in this position is thanks to Mason Rudolph igniting a stale offense and utilizing the plethora of talented playmakers around him. Chief among them has been George Pickens.

You can see how I’m betting on the George Pickens odds as we dive into the Week 18 NFL odds in my free NFL picks below.

For more Saturday NFL coverage, check out our Steelers vs. Ravens predictions and our Steelers vs. Ravens props.

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