World Cup qualification has reached its business end, with most of the 32-team line-up to be confirmed over the next week or so.
Many countries have already got their places secured, but a host of others are yet to realise their dreams or see them crumble.
The tournament has courted controversy ever since its hosting rights were awarded, but it promises to be quite the spectacle in a part of the world that has never hosted it before.
Here is everything you need to know about the finals
Where is the World Cup being held?
The 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar. It is the first time the tournament will be held in the Middle East
The finals will be staged in five cities: Al Wakrah, Al Khor, Al Rayyan, Lusail, and the capital, Doha.
Q…
Robert Lewandowski s first-half strike proved enough as LaLiga leaders Barcelona overcame Getafe 1-0 on Wednesday.
Hansi Flick s side were wasteful at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, but ultimately got over the line to make it seven league wins out of seven matches to start the season.
Barca were without a glut of stars due to injury, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is set to be out for the rest of the season, joining Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and Andreas Christensen on the treatment table.
The Blaugrana also rested Pedri, though his absence was not felt as Lewandowski pounced on David Soria s error to put the hosts ahead after 19 minutes.
Barca had 16 attempts in total and mustered 1.92 expected goals, yet cou…
Pep Guardiola says any extension to his Manchester City contract will not be agreed until next year, insisting now is not the time to discuss his future.
City require just four points from their final two games to secure the fourth Premier League title of Guardiola s reign at the Etihad Stadium after thrashing Wolves 5-1 on Wednesday.
Title rivals Liverpool extended manager Jurgen Klopp s contract until 2026 last month, sparking speculation City could look to do the same with Guardiola, whose current deal expires at the end of next season.
But Guardiola says any new contract will have to wait until next year, even though he revealed he would be happy to stay for another decade if he was certain City would continue to perform at their current level.
I…
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played just 10 times for Lokomotiv Moscow, and only one of those appearances was as a starter.
Yet, his father claimed in 2020 that then-Lokomotiv coach Yury Syomin cried actual tears when Kvaratskhelia said he would not be staying beyond the end of his initial loan agreement. The youngster also apparently broke down.
Seemingly the teenaged Kvaratskhelia made quite the impression on his coach, though curiously not enough to play on a regular basis. It s fair to say Kvaratskhelia s decision to move on and ultimately join fellow Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan was a smart one.
After that, I was glad my son was in Rubin, where they let him play football, Kvaratskhelia Sr added, and it was in Kazan where the talented winger began to con…
Carlos Queiroz is hoping Iran can exorcise the pain of four years ago when they go up against China in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup.
The top-ranked side in the continent have not lifted the trophy since 1976 and were defeated by neighbours Iraq in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Australia at the same stage in 2015.
Head coach Queiroz acknowledges that in knockout football there is little margin for error but urged his team – 2-0 winners over Gulf Cup champions Oman in the last 16 – to embrace the challenge in Abu Dhabi.
No two games in football are ever the same, in football it is always a different story, said Queiroz, whose team are undefeated in the competition.
The game versus China is a new game, a new adventure, and one in which …
West Ham and Sheffield United reached an out-of-court settlement over the long-running Carlos Tevez affair on this day in 2009.
The Blades had demanded compensation of up to £45million following their relegation from the Premier League in 2007 – a demotion they insisted would not have occurred had Tevez not excelled for the London club.
West Ham had breached rules over third-party ownership when signing Tevez and his fellow Argentina international Javier Mascherano the previous summer.
The pair had arrived at Upton Park in a surprise, headline-grabbing move from Brazilian club Corinthians but it later emerged the rights to the players were partially owned by their agent Kia Joorabchian’s company, Media Sports Investment.
This contravened Premier Leag…
The Detroit Lions are still looking for their first win of the 2021 NFL season as they head into their annual Thanksgiving Day matchup — this year against division rival Chicago Bears.
Chicago hasn’t been much better but NFL betting odds still opened with the Bears as 3-point road favorites for this Week 12 Turkey Day showdown.
With nothing but pride — and maybe a job or two — on the line between these NFC North rivals, here are our best free NFL picks and predictions for Bears vs. Lions on Thursday, November 25, with kickoff at 12:30 p.m. ET.
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NFL Week 3 odds are moving as we’re now into gameday Sunday, and while the player prop markets have pretty much settled, there are still a couple of lines that offer some intriguing value.
Today, I’m looking at both sides of the same game: keying in on a very talented Seattle wide receiver who is set to get more downfield targets… and then a Falcons running back that should get back to doing damage in the passing game.
Check out the breakdown below with my latest free NFL picks and Week 3 player prop bets.
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The Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos have had dramatically different starts to their respective seasons with the Dolphins shooting up the Super Bowl odds board, while the Broncos have already dropped two games as a home favorite. The teams will face off in South Florida on Sunday with the Dolphins favored by 6.5 points with a total of 47.5, according to the latest NFL odds.
Each team’s quarterback will be under the microscope for different reasons as Tua Tagovailoa has skyrocketed to being the league favorite in NFL MVP odds, while Russell Wilson will be desperate to show he can return to his old self.
Let’s dig into what we’ve seen out of the teams this season and how they match up against each other. Here are my NFL picks and predictions f…
Now that we’re on the other side of Thanksgiving, the real NFL season begins.
There’s a mad dash to the finish line for those pushing for the postseason. And for everyone else, motivations range from week to week.
What we do know for sure is that getting the best of the number for your bets is the foundation of profitable handicapping — no matter if you’re wagering on good or bad teams.
I run down the opening NFL Week 13 odds and highlight some spreads and totals to bet now and a couple to leave for later in the week.
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