Verratti urges Italy fans not to forget Donnarumma contribution at Euro 2020

Marco Verratti has come to the defence of his Paris Saint-Germain and Italy team-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The goalkeeper came in for criticism following PSG s recent Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid, in particular for his error that led to Karim Benzema scoring the Spanish side s first goal at the Santiago Bernabeu in an eventual 3-2 aggregate loss for the Parisians.

Donnarumma has conceded six goals in his last two club appearances, but ahead of Italy s World Cup qualifying play-off against North Macedonia, Verratti wants Azzurri fans to remember his performances during the run to winning Euro 2020.

We need to be confident. Thursday will be an important match against a team that deserves to be here, Verratti told a news conference.<…

Wigan draw Manchester City in 2013 FA Cup final re-run

Manchester City will face Wigan Athletic in a re-run of the 2013 FA Cup final as the Premier League heavyweights avoided one another in the fifth-round draw.

Ben Watson s late header gave Wigan a shock 1-0 win at Wembley on that occasion, a result that preceded Roberto Mancini s dismissal as City manager.

The Latics, now in League One, claimed a top-flight scalp at the weekend as Will Grigg s brace saw off West Ham 2-0, while Pep Guardiola s men maintained their pursuit of honours on four fronts with a 2-0 victory at Cardiff City.

City were chasing a domestic treble in 2013-14 before Wigan beat them 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in round six of that season s FA Cup.

Manchester United will travel to either Huddersfield Town or Birmingham City after Alexis…

Eagles vs Lions Week 8 Picks and Predictions: Are The Eagles Packing It In?

The Detroit Lions are 0-7 in the standings but far from winless in the hearts of NFL bettors, with a 4-3 mark against the spread heading into Week 8’s home date with the floundering Philadelphia Eagles.

The Lions are coming off an emotional loss to the Los Angeles Rams and former franchise QB Matt Stafford last Sunday, but there’s no quit in Dan Campbell’s team. Despite that ATS record and Philadelphia’s 2-5 mark, Detroit is an NFL betting underdog at home this Sunday, getting 3.5 points from the Eagles.

Here are our NFL free picks and predictions for Eagles at Lions on October 31.

NFL Power Rankings: Matt Ryan Gives Colts Big Boost Behind Center

It’s time! Week 1 is here and so are my NFL power rankings. These can be helpful tools for bettors when pricing matchups while also keeping everything in check from week to week and avoiding recency bias. 

In games on a neutral field, every higher-ranked team would be favored or, at least, a pick ’em on the moneyline in this format. For two teams ranked closely together, the difference in the spread would be a home-field advantage (if any), which varies slightly from team to team.  

Ravens vs Commanders Preseason Picks and Predictions: Baltimore's Preseason Dominance Continues

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders will be the lone teams in action Monday night when they kick off their second preseason game of 2023 at FedEx Field in Summerfield, MD. 

Baltimore will be looking to continue its record streak of 24 consecutive preseason wins, and while Washington has just named its starting quarterback for Week 1 of the NFL season, it still be motivated to end the streak. 

I’ve analyzed the NFL odds to give my best NFL picks and predictions for the Ravens vs. Commanders below. 

Ravens vs Commanders odds

Ravens vs Commanders predictions

The Baltimore Ravens have already announced their quarterback plan for this game, which does not feature either Lamar Jackson …

How to Stream Broncos vs Bills Live — Free With bet365

Coming into this season, most pegged the Buffalo Bills to contend for a Super Bowl, and while they may yet do so, the product through nine games has been inconsistent at best. Now they return home to face a Denver Broncos side that many expected to take a step forward under Sean Payton, but that’s also failed to materialize. The NFL odds have the Bills laying seven points as home favorites with the total sitting at 47. 

While there are a number of different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this game… did you know that you can also live stream Broncos/Bills directly from legal sports betting sites?

In Canada, bet365 is one of our most trusted NFL betting sites — and the premier platform that offers NFL live s…

Fun Super Bowl 58 Broadcast Prop Picks: Mr. Irrelevant or the GOAT?

Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is shaping up to be the most-viewed NFL championship game of all-time. NFL odds for the official viewership set by one sportsbook is 117.5 million viewers with the Over heavily juiced. That same book sets the female viewership share at 46.5% thanks to the expected appearance of Taylor Swift.

The game attracts many causal observers who, quite frankly, do not come to talk about the Chiefs’ pursuit of a dynasty or what their Super Bowl odds are. They don’t care about the schematic edge inherent to Christian McCaffrey’s mere presence. If you find yourself watching the game with some of these “fans” you can debate when to kick a field goal or when to go for…

Colts vs Jaguars Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets for Week 5: Thomas Takes Flight Against Indy

The winless Jacksonville Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC South showdown at EverBank Stadium on Sunday.

Jacksonville rookie Brian Thomas headlines our Colts vs. Jaguars predictions, with Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the air attack set up for success against a weak Indy pass defense in Week 5.

Find out more in our NFL picks for October 6.

Colts vs Jaguars prediction

My best betBrian Thomas Over 50.5 receiving yards (-135 at BetMGM)

My analysis

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas has been a lone bright spot through the first four weeks, boasting 17 receptions for 275 yards and a pair of scores on just 26 targets. His 12.8 aDOT and 10.6 yards per target are high-end marks, and he’s c…

Steve Bruce blames club’s coronavirus outbreak for Newcastle’s poor form

Steve Bruce has blamed a coronavirus outbreak at Newcastle United’s training ground in December for derailing the team and increasingly putting them in danger of relegation.

Since the virus swept through the club, sidelining key players including Allan Saint-Maximin and Jamaal Lascelles for several weeks, Newcastle have struggled. They prepare for Friday night’s game against Aston Villa at St James’ Park having won only two of their last 18 games in all competitions.

That run has seen Newcastle drop to 16th, a point ahead of Brighton – whom they visit next Saturday – and a resurgent Fulham. Their problems have also been exacerbated by the groin, hamstring and knee injuries which will sideline Saint-Maximin…

Switzerland beat Slovakia 2-0 in Euro 2008 warm-up

Switzerland enjoyed a 2-0 friendly win over Slovakia on Saturday, just two weeks before the Euro 2008 championships, which they are co-hosting, get underway.

Midfielder Valon Behrami opened the scoring in the 56th minute before he then turned provider seven minutes later setting up the second goal for veteran striker Alex Frei.

Captain Frei is now just one international goal away from the record of 34 set by Kubilay Turkyilmaz.

He could equalise the record, or even beat it next Friday in St Gallen during the last warm-up match for the Swiss, this time against Liechtenstein.

Swiss coach Kubi Kuhn also fielded Patrick Mueller, who left his club Lyon to join his national teammates in Lugano on Friday despite not getting permission from his French side w…