Michel aiming to help Girona squad ´turn the page´ after PSG defeat

Girona head coach Michel has tasked his players to turn the page following their 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on their Champions League debut.

Girona frustrated their Parisian hosts, restricting Luis Enrique s side to just five shots on target from the 26 they attempted.

However, Blanquivermells hearts were broken in the 90th minute after Nuno Mendes harmless delivery slipped through the hands of Paulo Gazzaniga.

But the Catalan club s focus now returns to league action, having started the season with seven points from their opening five fixtures.

Michel s side travel to the Estadio de Mestalla to face bottom-placed Valencia, a team they have enjoyed relative success against in recent years.

Girona have won four of their eight meetings wi…

Can Greece do it again at Euro 2008?

Greece shocked the footballing world in 2004 when they became European Champions in Portugal winning the final against the much fancied hosts.

It was the year that the Olympic Games was to return to its earliest home, but the football team were merely a distraction for the Greek people before the games began. They entered the tournament having never won a game in a major competition before, let alone the entire competition!

Is it possible that lightening could strike twice and that Greece could be about to become the first side ever to successfully defend their title?

The obvious, sensible answer to that question is an emphatic, no. Can we really look beyond Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Holland? People have mentioned Croatia and Gus Hiddinkââ…

From Mbappe to Balotelli – five players who could overshadow Neymar in Ligue 1 in 2017-18

With Ligue 1 set to get under way this weekend, eyes across the world will be on Paris Saint-Germain and Neymar, the world-record jewel in the crown of Unai Emery s side.

The Brazil star has swapped Barcelona for the French capital in a bid to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi and stake a claim to be considered the finest footballer on the face of the earth.

While his frankly preposterous €222million price tag has caught most of the headlines, Neymar is sorely mistaken if he believes the spotlight will be his and his alone in what could be a fiercely-contested top flight in 2017-18.

Here, we take a look at five players who could overshadow the 25-year-old in his first season in France. One or two names might surprise you

 

MARIO BALOTELLI (NIC…

England U21s 8/5 to win this afternoon’s Euro 2015 clash against Portugal U21s

Competition: U21 European Championships
Market: England U21s to win against Portugal U21s
Odds:

England U21s lock horns with Portugal U21s this afternoon, with the Three Lions looking to get off to the perfect start in the European Championships. Gareth Southgate’s men have been in fine form ahead of the fixture, winning five of their last six internationals, including wins against the likes of France and Germany.

The under 21s have beaten Portugal during their impressive run, and are being tipped to go all the way in the tournament this summer. England boast a stronger side than the majority of teams in the European Championships, with many of their stars regularly featuring in the Premier League. Southgate has enjoyed a near-perfect preparation with his …

Spanish PM sets sights on World Cup after Euro 2008 win

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is dreaming of glory for Spain at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after his side beat Germany 1-0 to win Euro 2008, its first major title in over 40 years.

They deserved to win and this is only the beginning. The best is yet to come. We have to go for the World Cup now, he told private Spanish television Cuatro from Vienna, Austria after congratulating the squad.

I am happy, really happy. Its a privilege because I believe I am the first premier of the democratic era who has presided over a title win. My generation had the right to enjoy seeing its national team win a championship like this, he added.

Spain last lifted the European Cup in 1964, when right-wing General Francisco Franco ruled the country with an iro…

Modric urges Croatia focus on Qatar despite ´unforgettable´ 2018 World Cup

Croatia s World Cup exploits at Russia 2018 remain unforgettable for Luka Modric but the veteran midfielder wants to put those memories aside in Qatar.

Modric claimed the Ballon d Or in 2018 after guiding Croatia to the final of FIFA s top tournament, which ended in defeat to France, while winning a third consecutive Champions League with Real Madrid.

The 37-year-old and coach Zlatko Dalic are two familiar faces from the Russian run in an otherwise much-changed squad.

Modric was named Golden Ball winner at the last World Cup, given to the tournament s best player, but wants to put previous success behind him ahead of Wednesday s Group F opener against Morocco.

Definitely, what we ve been through in 2018 in Russia is unforgettable and indelible in my mind…

Buccaneers vs Patriots Odds, Picks & Predictions: Consensus Picks and Betting Splits for Sunday Night Football

It’s not surprising that Sunday Night Football has a Super Bowl feel considering all the hardware shared between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who butt heads for the first time ever when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the New England Patriots in Week 4.

The NFL betting odds for Bucs at Patriots have seen some huge movements heading into the primetime finale for Sunday. Here’s a closer look at the spread, total and consensus picks for Tampa Bay at New England.

2022 NFL Mock Draft Version 2: Neal Remains Top Pick, Ekwonu Jumps to 4th

With the NFL Combine in the books, that means it’s full-on NFL Mock Draft season. But even with new testing data at our disposal, there are still many unknowns heading into this draft.

For starters, there is no clear-cut No. 1 pick and while there are some high-ceiling quarterbacks like Malik Willis and Matt Corral, there is no Andrew Luck or Joe Burrow in this class.

With the combine in the rearview mirror, more betting options will be on the way as NFL Draft odds are available, so here is version 2.0 of my 2022 NFL Mock Draft to help get us prepared. You can also review Mock Draft version 1.0.

•JAX •DET •HOU •NYJ •NYG •CAR •NYG •ATL

•DEN •NYJ •WSH •MIN •CLE •BAL &b…

Long Shot Bets for Super Bowl 57

Super Bowl LVII is the biggest “public” betting event on the calendar for sportsbooks, which means a wave of first-time and recreation bettors driving the action, rather than wise guys and professional gamblers.

That influx of public money has many people looking to risk a little to win a lot with their Super Bowl picks. That’s the reason a bet like a “safety being the first score” of the Big Game is now sitting around +4,000 odds compared to the +7,500 it used to have a decade ago.

You see, bookmakers took a bath on that specific prop not once but twice in recent years, with Super Bowl XLVI and Super Bowl XLVIII both having a safety as the opening score of the game. Those long-shot bets took a good chunk out of the books’ p…

NFL Best Bets and Player Props for Week 7: Stefon Diggs Gets it Done… Again

Looking through the Week 7 odds, I truly feel why fantasy football analysts call this “byemageddon” — there are six teams inactive this week, including some very fun defenses to attack for Overs (Tennessee and Carolina), as well as a few that help when betting the Under on NFL odds (Dallas and the New York Jets).

So, we’re left mostly to gleam through either a bunch of games involving the middle of the pack for making NFL picks this week… orrrrrrrr….. we just hammer what few bad defenses are available this week.

That sounds like the better option; so after fading the Giants, the Cardinals, and the Bolts with my first three NFL player props for this Sunday’s slate, I’m continuing to attack bad defenses (including pic…