The Belgium national team visit Wales tomorrow night in the first game of qualifying for the World Cup in 2014.
The team from the low countries of Europe have not qualified for a major tournament in a decade, after previously being part of the furniture at earlier international tournaments.
Generation
However, the current generation of players in the Belgium national side is regarded as of the best they have ever produced.
Not only does Belgium have players reaching their peak, but they also have some outstanding youngsters coming through as well.
These should be exciting times for fans of the Red Devils. They have achieved some impressive results in recent times, including a 4-2 friendly win over neighbours Holland.
Established
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Roberto Martinez insists Portugal s Euro 2024 quarter-final clash with France will not merely come down to Cristiano Ronaldo s duel with Kylian Mbappe.
Portugal and France face off in Hamburg on Friday, with a last-four meeting with either Germany or Spain the prize for the victor.
Many have billed the match as a head-to-head battle between Mbappe and his idol Ronaldo, with both superstars desperate to hit top form after underwhelming starts to the tournament.
Ronaldo is yet to score from 20 shots worth 2.75 expected goals (xG), the former being a tournament-high tally, and he was in tears at half-time in extra time after seeing a penalty saved in Portugal s last-16 tie versus Slovenia.
Mbappe, meanwhile, suffered a broken nose in France s Group D opener …
The 2017 Golden Boy nominees were announced yesterday and six English players feature on the 25-man shortlist, more than any other nation. Italian newspaper Tuttosport runs the award and the final decision falls to a panel of 30 experienced journalists.
Only players under the age of 21 are eligible, and previous winners include Wayne Rooney, Paul Pogba and, not surprisingly, Lionel Messi. Last year’s Golden Boy was Swansea loanee Renato Sanches, whose contribution to Portugal’s European Championship victory earned him this prestigious title.
This year there are a few players in contention to win it, and a plethora of talent amongst the nominees. Let’s take a look at the top 5 contenders.
5. Kasper Dolberg (for Ajax)
Ajax are famed for bringing through so…
Competition: Premier League
Market: Liverpool to finish outside of the top-four
Odds:
With Liverpool set to lose their influential striker Luis Suarez potentially to Barcelona this summer, while the Merseyside club will be in a very demanding Champions League campaign that can often play havoc with league form in 2014/15, it could be a very disappointing Premier League season for the Reds.
They finished runners-up last season to Manchester City, which has earned them their first Champions League campaign for a number of years. The extra fixtures in midweek can cause fatigue ahead of the typical weekend league games, which in turn will affect results if Liverpool don’t have strength in depth.
Their top scorer last season Luis Suarez scored 31 league…
Spain are Euro 2024 champions.
La Roja got the job done on Sunday in Berlin, with Mikel Oyarzabal s late effort seeing off England in a 2-1 victory.
But with the tournament now done and dusted, which teams and players really stood out and, conversely, which ones disappointed?
Here, with the help of Opta data, we take a look.
THE TOPS
Spain
An obvious one, but where else to start but with the champions? La Roja crashed out of the 2022 World Cup, losing to Morocco on penalties, but what Luis de la Fuente has done since replacing Luis Enrique is outstanding.
While Luis Enrique had a possession obsession. De la Fuente has added a direct aspect to that possession-based build-up. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal (more on him to come) were …
American billionaire Shahid Khan withdrew his offer to buy Wembley Stadium from the Football Association on this day in 2018.
The proposed deal was worth £900million and the FA was planning to spend the money on transforming grassroots facilities across the country over the next 20 years but the idea of selling the stadium, which cost £757million to build, proved to be controversial with many in the game.
The owner of Fulham and NFL side the Jacksonville Jaguars felt his offer to buy Wembley proved more divisive than initially anticipated and decided to pull out.
In a statement, FA chief executive Martin Glenn said: “Shahid Khan has informed us today that he will be withdrawing his offer to buy the stadium – and we fully respect his decision.
“At …
At this point, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Another week, another shitty NFL survivor pool selection. At least when it comes to my “savvy” picks.
My “safe” NFL survivor pool selections are still going strong, which makes me think the best survivor pool strategy maybe be a classic coaching cliché: Keep it simple, stupid – better known as the KISS method – and let everyone else out-think their way out of the contest.
We kissed our Circa Sports Survivor Pool entry and a shot at a cool $6 million goodbye weeks ago, but since no one has asked me to stop (for the love of God, please stop!) writing this weekly piece, I serve up my Week 5 survivor pool picks.
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The NFL preseason doesn’t start until the Hall of Fame Game on August 4. What’s a football bettor to do until then?
Our latest NFL betting notebook puts a Hollywood spin on handicapping the upcoming season. Get your popcorn ready…
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Much has been made of the Kansas City Chiefs’ banged-up and battered wide receiver room heading into Super Bowl 57. But after two weeks off, things may be looking up for the Chiefs in that department.
Kadarius Toney will suit up tonight despite suffering an ankle injury in the AFC Championship Game. He has not lived up to his potential at this early stage in his NFL career, but Toney is a lightning rod on the field with next-level speed. He could be an under-the-radar game-changer for the Chiefs, who are currently underdogs on the Super Bowl odds board.
His inconsistent play to this point could provide us some value with one of his Super Bowl player props this evening. Check out my Super Bowl predictions for Toney below.
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Week 7’s contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears was going to be hard to swallow for even the most dedicated football fan.
When you subtract both starting quarterbacks — which is likely the case on Sunday — this non-conference clash is about as appetizing as that plate of leftover spaghetti that got lost at the back of the fridge.
Luckily, we can coat that unpalatable pasta with the zesty spice of NFL betting.
The NFL odds for this game have visiting Vegas as a field-goal favorite, with QB Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined and the drop-off between the starter and his backups not as steep as Chicago’s situation.
Bears QB Justin Fields is doubtful, taking away their biggest weapon and leaving the offense under the co…