Maguire back in England training ahead of Euro 2020 opener

Harry Maguire was back in team training with England on Thursday ahead of their Euro 2020 opener against Croatia at the weekend.

All 26 members of Gareth Southgate s squad took part in the session at St George s Park as preparations for Sunday s game at Wembley continued.

Maguire has not played since May 9, when he damaged ankle ligaments during Manchester United s 3-1 Premier League win away to Aston Villa.

The centre-back missed United s final four league games of the season, in which they lost at home to Leicester City and Liverpool, drew with Fulham and won at Wolves.

He also sat out the Europa League final against Villarreal, which the LaLiga side won on penalties following a 0-0 draw in Gdansk.

Speaking last week, Southgate said it would be…

Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku joins exclusive club after Bournemouth masterclass

Jeremy Doku joined an exclusive club in Manchester City’s win over Bournemouth, with his four assists one of a host of Premier League records notched up over the weekend.

Jarrod Bowen and Brighton also made bits of history and here, the PA news agency looks at the landmarks headlined by Doku’s virtuoso display.

Four-assist club

An incredible four assists and a goal for helped us to a 6-1 win on home soil

Best bits

— Manchester City (@ManCity)

Doku inspired the 6-1 thumping of Bournemouth, scoring the first goal and then setting up Bernardo Silva, twice, and Phil Foden as well as seeing a shot deflect in off Manuel Akanji.

Doku is the eighth man – and, at 21, the youngest – to record four assists in a single Premier League ga…

Jet fuel probe to ensure no 2010 shortages

A jet fuel shortfall at Africa s busiest airport will be investigated to ensure no shortages during the 2010 football World Cup, South Africa s energy minister said Thursday.

Minister Dipuo Peters announced a multi-sector team to probe the dropping of fuel stocks at OR Tambo International airport to a two-day stockpile which the airport said was due to interruptions in the country s supply network.

The minister wants to ensure that we are ready for 2010. She has asked all of them to work together and ensure that there is sufficient supply of jet fuel at the airport, said spokesman Bheki Khumalo.

It is a serious concern about the the period leading to and after 2010, we need to insist and make sure that we don t have a repeat of this.

A five-day stockp…

Ward signs Palace contract to 2021

Joel Ward has agreed a new three-year Crystal Palace contract, committing his future to the club through to 2021.

Ward s 163 Premier League appearances for Palace is more than any player in the club s history and he will now have a chance to extend his record.

The 28-year-old defender started 19 Premier League games in the 2017-18 season and is thrilled to be staying at Palace.

I m delighted to be re-signing, Ward told Palace s official website. I ve been here for six years now and this will take me just shy of a testimonial so I m looking forward to what the future has in store.

There s been some fantastic moments; it s been a great ride, and long may that continue. I wanted to stay here and be a part of it as I feel at home here, and it s important fo…

Euro 2012 Group D preview: Sweden v France

Portugal s Cristiano Ronaldo could be the inspiration his club team-mate Karim Benzema needs to help France to the Euro 2012 quarter-finals.

The two Real Madrid team-mates failed to score in their initial two group games at the European Championships, prompting criticism Ronaldo and Benzema were failing to produce their best when their respective countries needed them.

Ronaldo and Benzema combined for 61 goals for Real Madrid last season and after Ronaldo scored both goals in Portugal s 2-1 win over the Netherlands on Sunday, France coach Laurent Blanc will hope Benzema can replicate that kind of performance against Sweden on Tuesday.

Blanc has backed Benzema to find his goal-scoring touch against the Swedes and argued the 24-year-old has been in good form so f…

Ten players to watch in Europe´s top five leagues in the 2022-23 season

The 2022-23 season is right around the corner, with plenty to keep an eye on across Europe.

Title battles in England, Spain and Italy could be too close to call, while France and Germany will see rivals trying to knock Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich off their respective perches – while there is even more set to occur in the fight for European qualification and to avoid the drop.

Central to these battles will be the players, both new signings and established members of the old guard, and here are 10 to watch in the year ahead.

 

Ousmane Dembele – Barcelona

Previously considered to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence on Barcelona s transfer failings in recent years, Dembele turned a corner in the second half of last season to f…

LaLiga 2021-22: Can Barcelona take back the title without Messi? Stats Perform AI predicts

LaLiga is arguably harder to call than ever before heading into 2021-22 – Barcelona no longer have Lionel Messi to guide the way and Real Madrid have seen significant upheaval, so surely the smart money is on defending champions Atletico Madrid?

Diego Simeone s men won the title in 2020-21 after watching Barca and Madrid trade success for seven years and look in good shape given they ve not lost any major players. But can you really write off the big two ?

Well, you shouldn t, according to Stats Perform predictions.

The Stats Perform League Prediction Model, created by Stats Perform AI using Opta data, has analysed the division ahead of the new season to assign percentages to potential outcomes for each club.

The model estimates the probability of each …

Atletico Madrid 8/5 to win the 2013/14 Champions League trophy against Real Madrid

Competition: Champions League
Market: Atletico Madrid to win the Champions League
Odds:

After sealing the La Liga title in the final day of the league season, Atletico Madrid are now looking forward to their Champions League final against Real Madrid next weekend.

Diego Simeone’s men have been superb in Europe, winning nine and drawing three of their 12 Champions League games while having knocked out such heavyweights as AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.

As a result, 888 Sport are giving them odds of 8/5 to win the Champions League at Real Madrid’s expense. But their fierce City rivals will still be a difficult entity to beat. Real have lost one and drawn one of their 12 games in Europe this season, conceding just nine goals.

Managed by …

Vikings vs Chiefs Preseason Picks and Predictions: Can Vikes Offense Keep Up?

The Kansas City Chiefs wrap up their 2021 NFL preseason as they host the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night. 

Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes made waves earlier this summer when he said that the only record he wants to break is for the Chiefs to go 20-0 and win the Super Bowl. While their preseason record won’t contribute to that mark, they look like a good bet to finish with a perfect 3-0 record with NFL betting odds installing the Chiefs as 4-point home favorites at Arrowhead Stadium. 

Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for the Vikings vs. Chiefs on Friday, August 27, with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET.

NFL Player Prop Bets for Week 12: Big Changes in the Big Apple

The turkey is done and it’s time to get things back to normal with Week 12’s Sunday slate of props. We’re eyeing an Over in the Giants’ offense, finding our best fringe tight end play, dissecting the Colts’ run game, and fading the San Francisco playboy for one more week.

We bring you our favorite free prop picks and predictions for Week 12.