When Real Madrid brushed Liverpool aside in the Champions League final, Cristiano Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen as Gareth Bale led the charge – little did the world know that this was a sign of things to come.
That 3-1 win brought an incredible era to an end at Los Blancos, as Zinedine Zidane stepped down as coach less than a week after guiding the club to a third successive Champions League title.
It proved to be Ronaldo s final match in a Madrid shirt as well, with the Ballon d Or holder securing a shock €112million move to Juventus last month, bringing a nine-year association with the club to an end.
Ronaldo s presence had been vital in Madrid s previous two Champions League successes. He scored the winning penalty in the 2015-16 shootout and netted tw…
Tottenham face a difficult tie with serious injury problems against a resurgent Everton.
All seemed to be going so well for Harry Redknapp s Tottenham Hotspur, but as we head into the tail end of the season and Tottenham s attempts to break into the top four come under scrutiny, the Tottenham team seems to be hanging together by a thread. Bentley, Jenas and Lennon all miss out from midfield, and Assou Ekotto and Woodgate are missing from the defence. The likelihood of Ledley King playing hangs in the balance. Two goalkeeepers out and a doubt over Jermaine Defoe, and it doesn t paint a pretty picture. However, Tottenham can be boosted by the return to form of Pavyluchenko and the threat posed by him and the towering Peter Crouch should cause Everton trouble.
Everton ar…
Cole Palmer became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals in the first half of a game on Saturday, as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer netted all of Chelsea s goals in a game featuring six first-half goals and none after the break, with Georginio Rutter and Carlos Baleba on target for the visitors.
No player had ever previously scored four times in the first half of a Premier League match, while Palmer s first three goals came within a span of just nine minutes and 46 seconds.
Only five other players have previously scored a quicker hat-trick in the competition, with Sadio Mane s remarkable two-minute, 56-second treble for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015 the fastest.
Gabriel Jesus previously held the rec…
Manchester City midfielder Rodri is not giving up on retaining the Premier League title after Sunday s 3-1 loss to Liverpool, highlighting the Reds inability to hold on to their lead last season.
A thrilling encounter at Anfield left Liverpool with a nine-point lead over City, their most likely long-term challengers.
Many feel City now have too much ground to make up if they are to retain their crown, but they found themselves in a similar situation last season.
Although Rodri was not at the club at the time, the Spain international is well aware of how City fought back from being seven points behind the Reds to lift the trophy for a second successive season in 2018-19.
When asked if defeat at Anfield ended City s Premier League chances, Rodri told report…
Michael Laudrup vowed that Swansea would continue to play their traditional passing game following his appointment as manager on this day in 2012.
The former Denmark international was named as successor to Brendan Rodgers, agreeing a two-year contract with the Premier League club.
Laudrup won five Spanish league titles with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the early 1990s, and the creative midfielder was one of the players of his generation.
“Everyone knows the style of football Swansea play, and it suits my way of thinking,” Laudrup told Swansea’s official website.
“It is going to be a new experience for me, and I am really looking forward to it. I have spoken to many people about Swansea and watched a number of their games on DVD – with many more …
Editor’s note: This preview was written before news was released that Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa would serve as the emergency backup due to a finger injury.
The Texans’ trip to Miami to face the Dolphins won’t get many neutrals salivating but it’s a crucial game for both teams. The Texans and Dolphins sit on 1-7 records and only the Lions have fewer wins. Now, they face each other with one team set to double their season win total.
If you’re betting on this game then ensure you read our NFL picks and predictions for the Houston Texans vs. Miami Dolphins.
…
All eyes will be on the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night as these two hopeful division winners meet in Week 1 for the second straight season.
With all the talk about Tom Brady and the offensive line issues in Tampa, I’m looking at the Cowboys’ problems up front and how the possibility of Dak Prescott not having much time vs. this Tampa blitz could force Dallas to play behind the sticks.
I’m also looking at how Jerry Jones’ love for Ezekiel Elliott affects Tony Pollard. Here are my three best prop picks for Buccaneers vs. Cowboys.
…
While a lot of NFL betting trends are simply coincidental and need to be taken with a grain of salt, it’s undeniable that some teams simply excel or flat-out suck in specific situations. As bettors, it’s our responsibility to determine if there’s actual value in backing these trends and to track if the market is reacting to how teams are performing in these spots.
While many seasoned bettors scoff at betting trends, I view them as a good starting point for a handicap, with two very important caveats:1) They should never be backed blindly2) They should always be supported by statistics
While every season is different and old trends give way to new ones, here are a few longer-standing trends to consider as we enter the 2023 NFL season.
…
Two of the hotter teams in the NFL meet tonight on Sunday Night Football, despite rough starts for both teams, as the 6-4 Minnesota Vikings take on the 4-5 Denver Broncos.
The Week 11 odds favor the home team, as they look to get back to .500 in the standings. However, the Vikings have won five straight games and two straight with Joshua Dobbs at the helm.
Find out what my NFL picks are for this SNF affair as I take a deep dive into the SNF odds.
You can also get a full game analysis with our Vikings vs. Broncos picks, and more great prop bets in our Russell Wilson props spotlight.
…
It was a rough year for Kansas City Chiefs receivers.
As a group, the Chiefs receiving corps topped the NFL in dropped passes with 39 (a drop rate of 6.9%) despite having a Hall of Fame quarterback in Patrick Mahomes making throws.
Mahomes boasted the second-highest percentage of passes on target (82.2%) with the fifth-lowest rate of bad passes (13.3%), which meant those bobbled balls were the fault of his butter-fingered teammates.
Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice wasn’t immune to those miscues, but he did prove his worth to Mahomes and quickly became one of his most reliable targets. In fact, Rice was almost as popular an option as TE Travis Kelce and finished just behind the star tight end in terms of receptions and receiving yards.
<…