March is already upon us, meaning the football season is getting towards the business end for many players – especially those in Europe.
With the World Cup edging ever closer, form is going to become more crucial as players hope to nail down a place in their respective national team squads.
Of course, there are still plenty of teams yet to confirm their participation in Qatar, so some cannot take qualification for granted.
But that won t stop certain individuals from dreaming about getting themselves into contention and ultimately playing a starring role on the big stage.
Back in November, Stats Perform began their one-year countdown to the biggest show in football by identifying 11 uncapped players who could potentially break into their respective nati…
Everton attacker Kevin Mirallas said it would be unfair if Adnan Januzaj was picked by Belgium for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Manchester United starlet Januzaj, 19, declared his allegiances to the European nation despite also being eligible for Kosovo, Albania and Serbia among others.
Mirallas, a 43-time Belgium international, is pleased the teenager chose his country, but said he should not be selected for Brazil 2014.
There was a lot of pressure on him to make his mind up, and it is good for Belgium that he has chosen us, because he is a good player, Mirallas said.
But I don t think he should go to Brazil. It would not be fair to leave out another good player for someone who does not know the others and has not played a lot for his club in recent months.
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Harry Kane insists full focus remains on securing England s first international trophy since 1966 as he prepares to do battle with Spain s Dani Olmo for the Golden Boot in the Euro 2024 final.
England face Spain in the tournament s showpiece game on Sunday in Berlin having beaten the Netherlands in the semi-finals thanks to Ollie Watkins late strike.
Kane levelled the scores in Dortmund from the penalty spot, netting his third goal of the competition and putting him out on his own as the all-time top scorer in knockout games at the European Championships (six).
He now has more knockout stage goals in major tournaments than any other European player (nine), overtaking Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe (all eight).
6 Harry…
Barcelona are interested in signing Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina in the summer of 2023, . The report has claimed that former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona wanted to sign Amrabat in the January transfer window, but they could not agree on a deal with Serie A outfit Fiorentina.
The Blaugrana remain keen on Amrabat and will make a move again for the Morocco international midfielder at the end of the season. Fiorentina will ask for between €35 million and €40 million in transfer fees for the 26-year-old midfielder, who played for Morocco at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Amrabat has made 14 starts and four substitute appearances in Serie A for Fiorentina so far this season. The midfielder has also played five times in the UEFA Europa Conference League…
Giorgio Chiellini feels Juventus have improved in the two years since their Champions League final defeat, but he remains wary of the threat holders Real Madrid pose.
Juve were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in the 2015 showpiece, with Chiellini missing out through injury as his side were outclassed in Berlin.
However, the Bianconeri knocked Barca out at the quarter-final stage of this season s competition and the experienced centre-back is optimistic of their chances in Cardiff, despite Madrid s class.
Our start to the match will be crucial, Chiellini told a news conference. We have to be organised – that s essential in a one-off game and it gives you the best chance of reading the play.
We meet a team that have won this trophy twice in the last three year…
Former captain Faye White says the lack of media attention after England’s run to the European Championship final in 2009 was “soul destroying”.
The 45-year-old, who skippered the Lionesses for their 6-2 defeat to Germany in the final in Helsinki, was present on Monday to unveil a message of support laid out beneath the flight path out of Heathrow Airport for Sarina Wiegman’s side before they fly to Australia for the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday.
The message, large enough to be visible to the England party as their plane ascends over west London, reads “Lionesses, you’re our pride,” and is tagged with thousands of smaller messages of support submitted by fans across the country.
The move, which has been organised by one of the Football Associati…
If your NFL survivor pool were a video game, Week 12 would be that one crazy-difficult level that you just keep dying on.
Think World 8-3 from the 8-bit Mario Bros. with the god damn turtles that throw the hammers. How many times did you Gronk spike that Nintendo controller into your living room floor out of frustration?
You may be swapping out the video game buttons for the remote control when it comes to your NFL Week 12 survivor pool picks. There are no layups on the board, with only one team favored by a touchdown (and that’s Dallas on Thanksgiving).
And, depending on how your pool is shaped, the three-game holiday slate may be a week of its own (like in the Circa Survivor Pool in Las Vegas). That format limits your Thanksgiv…
The Las Vegas Raiders face a trip to Nashville to meet the Tennessee Titans, and both teams are still looking for their first win of the young season.
Now the Raiders get the road win in Week 3, while the defending AFC South champ Titans attempt to get back on track themselves.
Find where the betting edge lies in our NFL picks and predictions for the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Tennessee Titans.
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You won’t find sack props as easily as it is sifting through NFL odds for skill position players, but several bigger books are starting to put out sack odds on the league’s top pass rushers.
I’m looking at two of the NFL’s best this week as I back Chris Jones against a brutal Bears offensive line, while also putting my money on T.J. Watt. Here are my favorite NFL picks when it comes to sack props in the Week 3 odds slate.
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Thanksgiving Week is very much a turning point in the NFL season.
Teams not on pace to make the playoffs tend to lose their way post-Turkey Day, be it actual tanking for draft positioning, coaches and front offices kicking the tires on younger players, or guys just giving up on a losing year.
Many of those teams mailing it in for the final weeks of the schedule are the ones getting the points, which can make betting NFL underdogs – which I do exclusively in this column – a touch tricky.
Since 2020, underdogs have covered the NFL odds at a 51% clip from Week 12 onward, a dip from the 54% success rate against the spread for dogs from Week 1 to Week 11 in that same span.
Give those late-season pups a cushion of six points or more –…