Pep Guardiola s Manchester City are favourites to retain their Premier League crown this season after storming to glory with a record-breaking 100-point haul last time around.
It has been a close-season of quiet consolidation at the Etihad Stadium, with record-signing Riyad Mahrez coming in to bolster an already formidable side, which looked in fine order during Sunday s comfortable 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Community Shield.
But such a position of apparent strength has proved cruelly deceptive for reigning champions in England over the past decade.
Manchester United were the last club to win back-to-back league titles when they made it three in a row in 2008-09. Since then it has been a story of near-misses at best to outright implosions at worst.
The …
Ademola Lookman will be the toast of Bergamo after his hat-trick inspired Atalanta to Europa League glory, ending Bayer Leverkusen s 51-game unbeaten run after a 3-0 defeat in Dublin.
Nigeria winger Lookman is just the second player to score a treble for an Italian side in the final of a major European competition, after Pierino Prati for Milan against Ajax in the 1969 European Cup.
His single-handed match-winning heroics secured Atalanta s first-ever major European trophy as they became the 10th different Italian side to do so, second only to teams from England (13).
The records continued to tumble for Lookman, whose hat-trick was the sixth in a major UEFA final and the first since Jupp Heynckes’ for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Twente in 1975.
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The football world in South America will stop for roughly two hours this Saturday, as Lima will host the 2019 Copa Libertadores Final. Reigning champions River Plate and Brazilian giants Flamengo will go head to head to claim one of the biggest club titles in the world. River will aim to win their second straight Libertadores title, while Flamengo will aim to lift the trophy for the first time since 1981.
Flamengo have a clear edge since they enter this game on a 25-game undefeated streak in all competitions (W20, D5) – they have kept a clean sheet in 13 of those contests and have been in sizzling scoring form. However, River Plate can’t be taken for granted. They have been the most successful side in the decade, and aim to win their third title in five years following the …
Jesse Lingard admits he thought his Manchester United career was over following a social media post during a year in which family problems have taken their toll on his form.
Lingard endured a poor run of performances that cost him his place for his club and England, with a strike in the 2-1 loss to Astana last month ending a 307-day wait to score a goal.
During pre-season, the 26-year-old posted a crude video to Snapchat while on holiday with friends and was disciplined by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Lingard, who insists the footage was published by accident, has now revealed he was given a final warning over his future by Solskjaer after thinking the incident could have ended his time at the club.
The forward, who has been criticised for his social me…
It s on October but there have been numerous rumours floating around the web as of late.
From North London to Liverpool to Manchester, the rumours are picking up a head of steam ahead of the January transfer window.
This edition of Transfer Rumours Sunday promises to be the best one yet. Enjoy.
Arsenal
Surely the most shocking rumour of them all, Gunners winger Theo Walcott has been linked with a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
Despite the speculation, Walcott s agent Colin Gordon told calciomercato.it, Juventus have never called us. We have not received calls from Italy recently.
Gordon left the door open when asked about Walcott s long-term future, he said, We ll see. I don t know what will happen.
Liv…
The schedule slides into December in Week 13, signaling winter for fans of betting NFL underdogs.
The first dozen weeks of NFL action have been pet friendly for the past 13 years, with underdogs covering at a 53.1% clip between Week 1 and Week 12. However, once we hit the final page of our calendar (are those still a thing?), those dogs dip to 49.4% winners for the rest of the regular season.
That swing in underdog success has been amplified in recent campaigns, with point spread pups covering at a 56.2% rate in the opening 12 weeks since 2019 but slumping to just 49.2% from Week 13 onward.
Last year saw underdogs go 100-76-1 ATS in the first three months of the season (56.8%) and wrap December (and a bit of January) at just 41-49-2 ATS (45.7%). A…
If you’ve been in a holiday shopping craze, then you know just what we’re doing with our weekly NFL “bet now, bet later” lines.
We’re beating the crowds to the best of the number with spreads and totals to wager on right away, while also waiting for some extra value to pop up on those lines we want to bet later. It’s all about timing.
Here are our favorite NFL Week 15 spreads and totals to bet now, and the lines where you’ll want to pump the breaks.
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What could be better than an extra three hours of football in Week 8? That’s what we’re in store for when historic Wembley Stadium hosts the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.
This contest features a 39.5-point total, but we have three player props for you to consider for this Sunday morning clash.
Will Jags RB Travis Etienne make an impact, or could Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy steal the show? Don’t miss our NFL prop picks for Denver vs. Jacksonville, and check out our Broncos vs. Jaguars picks for more.
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It’s the last day of 2023 and that means it’s time to leave the year with a trio of plus-money milestone bangers following a profitable Week 16.
This Sunday, I’m looking at a secondary passing option for the Raiders, hitting a running back at 25-plus receiving yards, and betting on garbage time in Orchard Park. Another profitable week is in sight.
Here are my free NFL picks for your Week 17 player props betting card.
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We have an MNF odds doubleheader this week with both Titans vs. Dolphins and Packers vs. Giants playing at the same time. We’ll take a look at the game in South Beach as the Miami Dolphins try to keep their hot streak going tonight against the scrappy Tennessee Titans.
The Week 14 odds are heavily in favor of the home team as they look to win a fourth straight game since their bye week. However, the Titans need a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Find out what my NFL picks are for this Monday, December 11 affair, and get both our full-game analysis of Titans vs. Dolphins plus more great prop bets in our Tua Tagovailoa props spotlight.
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