Despite improved play in recent months by China s beleaguered football team including a draw with Paraguay this week, the national coach has urged fans to lower expectations for next year s Asian Cup.
In friendly tune-ups for the January tournament in Qatar, China lost to Iran 2-0 last week, but tied World Cup quarter-finalists Paraguay 1-1 on Tuesday in front of 30,000 fans in Nanjing.
Borussia Dortmund forward Lucas Barrios drew first blood in the opening minutes to give Paraguay a 1-0 lead, before China s youthful striker Gao Lin headed home the equaliser in the 34th minute.
Paraguay is a world-class team we played well today and we succeeded in containing their attack, coach Gao Hongbo said in post-match comments.
It was not so important to win or …
Manchester United announced they had agreed a deal to sign centre-half Raphael Varane, on this day in 2021.
The French international arrived at Old Trafford on a four-year deal from Real Madrid, ending a 10-year stay at the Bernabeu.
A statement from United read: “Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of French international defender and World Cup winner, Raphael Varane, subject to a medical and to player terms being finalised.”
Introducing our newest Red
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
During his time with Madrid Varane won three LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey, four UEFA Champions League crowns and four FIFA Club World Cups.
The 2018 World Cup winner’s transf…
Be curious. Not judgmental.
The quote is attributed to Walt Whitman, but it’s been made famous by the popular comedy series “Ted Lasso”, which took home Tom Brady-like hardware at the Primetime Emmy Awards last weekend.
Be curious. Not judgmental.
It sounds like the perfect mantra for making the best NFL underdog bets each week.
But that’s not my point. My point is Whitman never said it.
Despite blind public opinion and a slew of Wayfair-peddled products — like mugs and folky wall plaques — that feature the quote next to Whitman’s name, English scholars can’t find any evidence of attribution anywhere.
My point is don’t just believe something because it’s on a mug, or a shirt or a…
The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs this Sunday.
The Bucs will look to take care of business as 8.5-point favorites but things could get messy with inclement weather expected. There’s a high chance of rain in Tampa Bay on Sunday along with 20 mile per hour winds, which has seen this total plummet from an opening number of 49.
With both teams surely factoring this into their gameplans we try to find the best betting angles with our free player prop picks for the Eagles vs. Buccaneers.
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The NFL playoffs have finally arrived. Wild Card weekend offers a six-pack of games, beginning on Saturday afternoon.
I’ve taken a look at the entire NFL odds slate, and have come up with my four favorite sides, which I’ll break up into a pair of two-leg parlays.
Check out my NFL parlay picks for Wild Card weekend.
…
Halloween is on the way, which means it’s horror movie season. But if you think those flicks are scary, consider the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation heading into Week 6’s home stand with the San Francisco 49ers.
QB Deshaun Watson has been ruled out with a shoulder injury and so it’s now up to backup P.J. Walker to face a San Francisco defense ranked near the top of most statistical evaluations.
It’s a situation that’s spooked the NFL odds enough to move Cleveland from a 5-point home underdog to a +10.5 point pup.
Let’s size up the spread and Over/Under total for this Week 6 odds clash as I give my best NFL picks for 49ers vs. Browns on October 15.
49ers vs Browns odds
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The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans get the Saturday primetime stage for their “win and you’re in” Week 18 showdown, and there’s a bonanza of NFL odds to explore with a playoff spot on the line.
A lot has changed since these teams met in Week 2 when Anthony Richardson was the Indy starter and Dameon Pierce was dominating touches in the Houston backfield. Instead, we’ve got tasty NFL player props for Gardner Minshew and Devin Singletary this weekend.
These teams bring their matching 9-7 records to Lucas Oil Stadium, and I’ve highlighted my favorite NFL picks from the booming props market for January 6.
Be sure to also check out our Texans vs. Colts predictions and C.J. Stroud odds and props spotlight for mo…
Week 1 was about as wild as it gets, with shocking upsets (rip to all Bengals backers in survivor pools), unexpected breakouts (looking at you, J.K. Dobbins), and the Giants, Browns, and Jets never failing to disappoint… by being disappointments.
All that craziness led to a 2-3 week for me with my NFL player props, so we’ve got a reasonably low bar to pass for an improvement in Week 2.
My bounce-back week started with some tough luck in TNF, but my NFL picks today provide more optimism in backing a pair of WRs to exploit iffy defenses, a 3DRB to continue getting work in the pass game, and Travon Walker ravaging the Browns’ offense.
Latest NFL prop picks
- Walker o0.75 sacks-140 at DraftKings
- Hill o11.5 re…
Football great Pele will not light the Olympic cauldron at the Rio 2016 opening ceremony due to health concerns.
The 75-year-old, a three-time World Cup winner, is the most famous athlete in Brazilian history and was due to perform the coveted task of capping off the showpiece to mark the beginning of the Games.
However, the former Santos star has had to announce his unavailability just hours before the spectacle at the Maracana, the iconic stadium he graced during his illustrious playing career.
Pele said in a statement: Dearest friends,
Only god is more important than my health.
In my life I have had fractures, operations, pains, hospital stays, victories and defeats, and I always respect those who admire me.
The responsibility …
It may have something to do with the world champions love of cagey football, the catenaccio cat and mouse variant they patented, that Italy arrive at Euro 2008 with the oldest squad.
With an average age of 29-and-a-half the Azzurri have no shortage of experienced heads on their shoulders although Roberto Donadoni has called up budding stars in the shape of 23-year-old Alberto Aquilani and 25-year-old striker Fabio Quagliarella.
In contrast, co-hosts Switzerland have the youngest squad with an average age of 26.4 years.
Swiss coach Kobi Kuhn once appeared in a series of TV adverts that featured babies as an unsubtle way of suggesting youth should be given its head and his charges can boast the youngest player of the tournament in 19-year-old striker Eren Derdi…