Month: October 2024

Thibaut Courtois says he will not play for Belgium again, while Domenico Tedesco is still in charge of the national team.

Courtois made his international debut in October 2011, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to represent Belgium in a 0-0 friendly draw with France.

He has since made 102 appearances for his country and was an ever-present at five major tournaments between 2014 and 2022, earning his 100th cap in a 0-0 draw with Croatia as Belgium were knocked out at the group stage in Qatar.

However, the goalkeeper had a public falling-out with Tedesco in 2023 after leaving the Belgium camp ahead of a Euro 2024 qualifier amid a dispute over not being selected to succeed Eden Hazard as captain.

While Tedesco claimed the 32-year-old s exit was due to not fee…

Denmark and England have joined Italy and Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2020, with the Czech Republic and Ukraine sent packing following their respective defeats.

England seemed to back up pre-tournament suggestions of them being among the favourites when they dumped Germany out in the last 16, and they picked up where they left off to make light work of Ukraine.

It was a slightly trickier occasion for Denmark in Baku earlier in the day, though ultimately the efforts of Patrik Schick weren t enough for the Czechs as they failed to emulate the 2004 vintage that reached the last four.

Following the conclusion of the quarter-finals, Stats Perform looks at the key data takeaways from Saturday s action.

Ukraine 0-4 England: Record-breaking Three …

Fabio Capello believes England will fail to reach the Euro 2012 final even if they beat Italy in Sunday s quarter-final.

Roy Hodgson s side face Italy in Kiev after winning Group D and are in a buoyant mood, with the former West Brom boss still unbeaten with the national team.

But Capello, the man Hodgson replaced, is predicting a Germany-Spain final while also admitting he has mixed emotions ahead of the clash between his native country and former team.

I have contrasting sentiments about Sunday s game, the 66-year-old told the Mirror.

I worked with England for four years and I can t easily forget that. However, Spain and Germany will be the two finalists at Euro 2012.

Germany face Greece on Friday, with Spain playing France on Saturday, and…

Lionel Messi is determined to enjoy what could be his final few games with Argentina, having recorded five goal involvements in Tuesday s 6-0 rout of Bolivia.

Messi scored a hat-trick and provided assists for fellow forwards Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez as the world champions bounced back from a 1-1 draw with Venezuela in style.

The treble – his 10th in international football – took him level with Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the all-time charts, while he is the first player to register at least four goal involvements in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier since Luis Suarez in 2011 (four goals versus Chile).

Messi has refused to give any indication of whether he plans to play at the 2026 World Cup in the past, and for now, he is just enjoying his role i…

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi clinched a seventh Ballon d Or, extending his record as the player to have won the individual accolade on the most occasions.

The 34-year-old enjoyed a fruitful year at club level, scoring 32 times in 40 appearances across all competitions for PSG and Barcelona, but it was his exploits with Argentina that were most impressive, claiming the first major international trophy of his career by winning the Copa America. 

Bayern Munich s prolific striker Robert Lewandowski came second to Messi, but became the first winner of the Striker of the Year award after outscoring every player in Europe s top five leagues, netting 53 times in 42 appearances across all competitions so far in 2021, averaging a goal every 67 minutes.

Me…

Neymar claimed the injury he suffered in the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup was one of the worst moments of his career.

During the making of an exclusive new documentary entitled Neymar and The Line of Kings , the 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star has seemed to suggest his playing days are winding down.

I think it s my last World Cup, Neymar told DAZN when asked about next year s showpiece in Qatar. He will turn 31 seven weeks after the final of the tournament, scheduled for December 18, 2022.

PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino, Brazil boss Tite and compatriot Thiago Silva have been among those offering their support to Neymar, who claims he is unsure whether he has the  strength of mind to deal with football much longer.

And, in another excerp…

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are rested and ready with the Chicago Bears making their way to Raymond James Stadium in Week 7.

The Bucs have enjoyed some added downtime since playing in Philadelphia last Thursday, which is perfect timing for a team licking wounds on both sides of the ball. Tampa Bay is laying 12.5 points at home this Sunday – the fourth time the defending champs have been double-digit chalk in 2021.

Here are our NFL betting free picks and predictions for Bears at Buccaneers on October 24.

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Saturday sees the Commanders travelling to M&T Bank Stadium to face a Ravens team who knows all about winning in the preseason. 

It’s so well-known now that it’s almost become a cliché but John Harbaugh knows what it takes to win and takes a no-nonsense approach to every game, from preseason through to the Super Bowl.

For this game, you need to read our NFL picks and predictions for the Washington Commanders vs. Baltimore Ravens. 

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Can you hear that? It’s the sound of millions of NFL fans anxiously counting down the seconds until the 2023 regular season officially kicks off. Fortunately, they don’t have much longer to wait as a brand new campaign will get underway on Thursday, September 7 when the Detroit Lions take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. KC opened as 7-point favorites, but Detroit is far more than just cannon fodder after winning eight of its final 10 games in 2022.

The first game of the season always gets the “Lions’ share” of the attention, but there are so many more noteworthy games and events on the NFL schedule that deserve just as much fanfare. Here are 15 can’t-miss dates that every NFL fan should circle on their calendar.

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Sunday’s showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles has been two seasons in the making.

These NFC East rivals played their two scheduled outings last year, but both were forced to start a backup QB in one of those two games and it took a little shine off this classic grudge match.

The NFL Week 9 odds reflect healthy QBs for these high-powered offenses with Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts headlining one of the most anticipated games of 2023. As it stands, Philadelphia is a 3-point home favorite across the market heading toward the weekend according to NFL odds.

I dig into the spread and Over/Under total for this huge game and give my best NFL picks for the Cowboys vs. Eagles on November 5.

Cowboys vs Eagles odds

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