Xabi Alonso will not allow Bayer Leverkusen s Europa League final defeat against Atalanta to alter his pride, after their historic 51-game unbeaten run ended on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga champions were eyeing an unlikely treble, with the DFB-Pokal final to come this weekend, but those plans came crashing down in a 3-0 loss to Atalanta.
Ademola Lookman single-handedly powered Gian Piero Gasperini s side to their first title in 61 years, producing an individual performance for the ages with a decisive hat-trick.
European heartbreak marked Leverkusen s first loss this season, with their last defeat coming to Bochum on the last day of the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign, as Alonso s side were finally stopped.
Yet the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder …
Euro 2020 data dive: Goal-shy England make history, Scotland unable to end wretched tournament recor
England, Croatia and the Czech Republic are all heading into the last 16 of Euro 2020 following their respective results on Tuesday, but it was an unhappy evening for Scotland.
Gareth Southgate s Three Lions did what was required to secure top spot, knowing that anything other than a victory would have seen the Czech Republic go through as Group D winners.
At Hampden Park it was a straight shootout between Croatia and Scotland, with the victors prolonging their tournament or both departing early in the event of a draw.
Using Opta data, Stats Perform reviews the best facts from Group D s conclusion.
Czech Republic 0-1 England: Three Lions in historic progression despite struggles in front of goal
Much was made of England s toothless showing in the…
Brighton managed a remarkable second-half comeback as Georginio Rutter scored one and played a key role for another in a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou s visitors had won their last five games, including their EFL Cup and Europa League exploits, and started well on Sunday as in-form Brennan Johnson scored for a sixth straight outing.
James Maddison doubled the away side s lead before the interval, aided by Bart Verbruggen s handling blunder, but Yankuba Minteh halved that deficit after the restart with a thumping finish.
Destiny Udogie was somewhat at fault for Minteh s finish, and the Spurs defence again struggled as Rutter restored parity before the hour mark after dancing around a couple of defenders.
Former Leeds United st…
Virgil van Dijk never had any doubts over the Netherlands in their Euro 2024 quarter-finals, in which they moved one step closer with a comeback victory over Turkiye.
The Oranje fell behind to Samet Akaydin s 35th-minute opener as Turkiye scored their fourth Euro 2024 goal form a defender, the most by any nation in a single edition of the European Championship.
Yet Stefan de Vrij levelled with a thumping 70th-minute header, his first international goal since March 2015 against Spain, before Mert Muldur bundled into his own net just six minutes later.
That secured a Euros sem-final clash with England on Wednesday as the Netherlands reached the last four at this competition for the first time since 2004.
Dutch captain Van Dijk, however, expected his side to…
This is one of those groups where things should be pretty straightforward, or at least that is how everything seems on paper. Mighty Bayern Munich should have no problems finishing first, revived Arsenal are expected to join the Bavarians in the next stage, and Olympiakos are likely to pip Dinamo Zagreb to the Europa League berth. However, considering that these kinds of groups often serve us a fair share of surprises, maybe pre-season predictions might not prove correct. Much will depend on the start the so-called weaker sides make in this year s competition.
Outright Tips
Market: Group Betting
Tip: Bayern Munich to Win Group F
Odds:
After winning their fifth Champions League title two years ago, the Bavarians were eliminated by El Clasico rivals in the previous tw…
1) Inter Milan
Last season’s Serie A champions are strong favourites to secure another title this campaign and it’s not hard to see why.
Jose Mourinho’s arrival has galvanised a squad of players brimming with quality and optimism. While transfer targets such as Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho and Ricardo Quaresma haven’t arrived at the San Siro, Mourinho has made some clever signings over the summer.
Brazilian winger Amantino Mancini looked impressive during five impressive seasons with Roma, while Sulley Muntari was one of last season’s best Premiership midfielders.
From Julio Cesar in goal, the central defensive partnership of Walter Samuel and Cristian C…
The touchdown market has become one of the most popular and potentially profitable props in the NFL betting world. Each week, we’re going to throw down three to four units as we uncover some of the best weekly NFL TD props and dig into the matchups that surround them.
We’re hoping Santa brings us some touchdowns this Christmas because the COVID landscape is making things difficult in the TD prop market world. With that said, we’ve still dug up a handful of TD plays for Sunday that we hope to have better returns than that pair of new socks.
Without further ado:
…
NFL fans and bettors were treated to a Thanksgiving Day three-pack, but Week 12 is just getting started. There are still 13 games left to be played on Sunday and Monday, with several strong sides that stand out.
We’ll group together a pair of undervalued road favorites, then take an Over with a low bar to clear along with a heavy favorite that should still cover with ease.
…
The Green Bay Packers try to snap a two-game skid as they head to Charlotte to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, December 24. The Packers are 6-8 but can still make the playoffs while the Panthers have the worst record in the NFL but are coming off their second win of the year.
NFL odds have the Packers installed as 4.5-point road favorites with the Over/Under at 36.5 for this Week 16 clash.
Here are my best free Packers vs. Panthers NFL picks and predictions.
Packers vs Panthers odds
Packers vs Panthers predictions
It’s funny how much seven days can change a team’s stock. Two weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers were on a three-game winning streak where they had pulled off upset victories agai…
With the start of a new NFL season, my weekly trends article is back, posting every Wednesday before the games kick-off.
Backing trends at the start of any season, regardless of the sport, can be a little tricky. While some rosters and coaching staffs don’t go through an overwhelming amount of change, others have gone through a dramatic turnover which heavily changes the team’s playing philosophy. As a result, we’ll see some trends bleed into the early parts of the 2024 season and beyond, but others will fizzle out quicker than the career of Deshaun Watson.
Some in the betting community can’t stand trends, but I simply…