“There were hard times,” Jérôme Boateng says as his mind drifts back to Bayern Munich’s wobbles at the start of the season. “It’s like being a child. As a child if I had no confidence, if you don’t get trust from your friends, then you lose the joy of the game. That’s what happens now, even when I’m older.”
Boateng, one of the finest defenders of his generation, could feel the spark ebbing away. Bayern were on the slide under Niko Kovac, a coach struggling to connect with a champion squad, and time finally appeared to have caught up with the old guard. Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer were under pressure and Boateng, aware that people were starting to view him as a fading force, wondered whether a change of scenery was req…
The rise of Andy Robertson is such that he was associated with fairytale in Scotland long before the sampling of good times with the international team. It is just that there are parallels between the journey of a kid from stacking supermarket shelves to the summit of club football and what has transpired in the colours of his country.
When Scotland drew 1-1 with Canada in a 2017 friendly, the crowd at Easter Road was below 10,000. Hampden Park was more than half empty for the visits of Israel and Portugal a year later. Campaign after campaign of failure had sapped the energy from the Scottish public. Robertson’s supposed battle with Kieran Tierney for the left-back position created a narrative that quite evidently neither player could be …
Best odds: 107/100
Bookmaker:
Estadio de la Ceramica will set the stage for a fascinating La Liga clash on Monday evening, as Villarreal host Atletico Madrid in the opening gameweek of the 2024/25 season.
Villarreal, after finishing eighth last season, narrowly missed out on European qualification. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid secured fourth place, ensuring their participation in the Champions League once again. Both teams will be eager to start their campaigns on a positive note, with Villarreal seeking redemption after a disappointing season, and Atletico looking to maintain their status as one of Spain s top clubs.
Villarreal
Villarreal s 2023/24 La Liga season ended in disappointment, as they finished eighth and missed out on European qualification fo…
Celta Vigo have completed a coup in securing star striker Iago Aspas to a new four-year contract.
Aspas has been a revelation for Celta since returning from Sevilla in 2015 for a second spell, and the club have acknowledged his inspirational form this term by tying him down until 2023.
The forward s career looked to be at a crossroads when successive seasons at Liverpool and Sevilla saw him score just two league goals in 30 appearances.
But a move back to Celta – where he came through the academy – saw him find his form again, scoring 14 LaLiga goals in the 2015-16 campaign and 19 in 2016-17, when he also helped the club to the Europa League semi-finals.
¡BOOOOOM! ¡ renueva y será celeste hasta el centenario del club!
— RC Celta (@RCCelta…
Yuri Lodygin sees no reason why Zenit s impressive start to action in 2015 cannot continue when Torino visit the Stadion Petrovsky in the UEFA Europa League last 16 on Thursday.
The Russian side have shown no ill-effects after a two-and-a-half-month break from competitive football in recent weeks, cruising to wins in their three fixtures without conceding a single goal.
Two of those games were against runaway Eredivisie leaders PSV in the Europa League s previous stage before Zenit resumed their Russian Premier League campaign with a 3-0 victory over Ural on Saturday to maintain their seven-point advantage at the top.
Andre Villas-Boas side blew away PSV 3-0 on home soil in the last round and Lodygin has called for no let-up when Serie A s eighth-placed team v…
Marouane Fellaini returns from his three-match ban as Everton visit Newcastle on Wednesday night
The New Year kicks-off with a full programme of midweek Premier League games.
In the first top flight game of 2013 West Brom hosts Fulham at the Hawthorns.
The Baggies are seventh in the Premier League, just three points behind fourth place Tottenham, despite losing 2-0 at Manchester United last time out.
The visitors have dropped down the table in recent weeks and have claimed just one win from their last 12 top flight games.
Martin Jol’s side are just four points clear of the relegation zone and are in desperate need of three points.
Manchester United start the new year seven points clear of city rivals Manchester City. The Red Devils visi…
Ben Johnson believes Ashley Cole’s influence can be key in England Under-21s’ bid to end their 39-year trophy drought.
The Young Lions host the Czech Republic in their Euro 2023 opener in Georgia on Thursday.
Cole – England’s most capped full-back with 107 appearances – has been part of Lee Carsley’s backroom staff since the boss was appointed in 2021.
He made his Premier League debut for Arsenal in May 2000 – when full-back Johnson was only four months old – and the West Ham youngster knows Cole’s input is crucial.
He said: “Ash is a top guy and a top coach. I think there could be a perception of him being here because of what he’s done for the seniors but his coaching is top drawer.
“He is a real encouragement to the lads…
Carlos Carvalhal left Sheffield Wednesday on December 24, 2017 after two and a half years in charge at Hillsborough.
The Portuguese, who guided the Owls to the play-offs in his first two seasons at the helm, departed the Sky Bet Championship club by mutual consent on the back of a seven-game winless run.
His exit came just hours after chairman Dejphon Chansiri released a statement of support for his head coach after fans chanted for his dismissal in the wake of a 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough a day earlier.
Carvalhal said on Wednesday’s official website: “The chairman and myself talked after the game and we believed this was the correct timing to make this decision.
“Of course, I am very sad at this moment because I have enjoyed my two seasons an…
The Green Bay Packers (4-1 SU/ATS) and Chicago Bears (3-2 SU/ATS) will renew their divisional rivalry at Soldier Field Sunday. The Bears are coming off a pair of wins — and covers — with Justin Fields under center while the Packers are riding a four-game winning streak and have won all four of the meetings with Chicago over the last two seasons.
Matt LaFleur is 4-0 ATS against the Bears and his Packers enter this Week 6 matchup as 4.5-point NFL betting road favorites. The total sits at 45 thanks to Chicago’s Top-10 DVOA defense and league-worst yards-per-play offense.
Here are our free picks and predictions for Packers vs. Bears for Sunday, October 17.
…
The Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions play their first games of the NFL preseason on Friday night.
The preseason doesn’t always make for the most riveting showcases, but with both of these squads rebuilding and spots in the starting lineup at stake, it should be an intriguing matchup.
Falcons fans will get their first chance to see new quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, while the Lions are hoping that No. 2 draft pick Aidan Hutchinson can help turnaround their defense.
Here our best free NFL picks and predictions for Falcons vs. Lions in Week 1 of the preseason.
…