Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice to help Barcelona thrash Villarreal 5-1 on Sunday.
Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season when they went down to Monaco in the Champions League in midweek, but Hansi Flick s team bounced back in style in LaLiga.
They have now won their opening six league matches under Flick to start the season.
Lewandowski found the net twice inside 35 minutes before Villarreal pulled a quick one back through Ayoze Perez.
But Pablo Torre made it 3-1 after the break and Raphinha completed the rout for Barca with two goals late in the second half.
Barcelona did, however, lose goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen just before half-time after the German goalkeeper fell and was visibly in pain as he was carried …
The second international break of the campaign is upon us, and in the Premier League, that usually means one thing.
Sacking season may be drawing closer. Seven games into 2024-25, some managers might already have reason to worry.
While Everton s Sean Dyche and Leicester City s Steve Cooper are among those to have eased the pressure with crucial victories in recent weeks, and Oliver Glasner will likely get more time at Crystal Palace, three other bosses are under scrutiny already.
Manchester United s worst start to any Premier League season after seven games has seen Erik ten Hag come in for heavy criticism, while Wolves and Southampton are yet to record a single victory, meaning Gary O Neil and Russell Martin could soon come under fire.
But what does the …
France are world champions for the second time after winning a scintillating final against Croatia that epitomised a tournament packed with drama, goals, glory and heartache.
Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann both took their World Cup goal tallies to four with strikes in the Moscow showpiece, while Paul Pogba scored his only goal of the 2018 competition and Mario Mandzukic put through his own net to make France the first team to score four in a final since Brazil in 1970.
Didier Deschamps men won all but one of their seven matches en route to lifting the game s most coveted trophy for the first time in 20 years, scoring 14 goals and conceding six, while Croatia claimed the unwanted record of being the first team in 44 years to lose in their first World Cup final.
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(GSM) David Beckham is expected to play on after this summer s World Cup despite claims to the contrary which suggest he is ready to retire.
The former England captain will turn 35 next month, and has spoken of his desire to continue playing for his country beyond South Africa 2010.
The reports have suggested Beckham wants to come back to the United Kingdom and spend more time with wife Victoria and children Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, having achieved everything he wants to in the game.
But the source close to Beckham said: It is nonsense.
Beckham, who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, is currently two games into another short loan period at AC Milan and is due to face Siena tomorrow.
Already, the midfielder has made such a …
Matthijs de Ligt set his sights on team success with Juventus after claiming a prestigious individual prize at the Ballon d Or ceremony on Monday.
The Netherlands international was named the 2019 winner of the Kopa Trophy, given annually to the best player in the world aged under 21.
De Ligt described the award as an honour and hoped it would not be his last taste of silverware for the season.
Juve, the club he joined from Ajax in July, have long harboured ambitions to win the Champions League and are locked in a Serie A title race with Antonio Conte s Inter.
Inter will be a difficult challenge because they are a great team with great players, De Ligt told reporters in Paris.
But the season is long and for us it is all about winning.
A s…
The UEFA Champions League group stages are finally here. Tomorrow marks the first fixtures, with Chelsea FC and Arsenal representing the English Premier League. Manchester United and Manchester City will take the field on Wednesday with extremely high expectations for the Manchester-based clubs. Previews for United and City will be available tomorrow. So let s get to it.
Chelsea v. Bayer Leverkusen: from Stamford Bridge, London, England
This match stands out for one reason, it marks the return of former Blues midfielder Michael Ballack to Stamford Bridge. Ballack will reportedly be honored by Chelsea prior to kick-off. The club will be thanking Ballack for the four years he spent with the team and Ballack is ever so thankful.
Th…
The New Orleans Saints try to stop the bleeding of a five-game losing skid when they head to East Rutherford to face the New York Jets in Week 14.
New Orleans, which hasn’t won since Halloween, is coming off a mini bye after a loss to Dallas at home last Thursday. The Saints aren’t certain of their quarterback situation for Week 14, either, with Taysom Hill injuring his finger in his first start last week, which could have Trevor Siemian back under center Sunday.
Check out our free NFL betting picks and predictions for Saints at Jets on December 12.
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For the second straight week, the Chicago Bears will be in primetime. After suffering a 12-7 defeat at Soldier Field in a forgettable Thursday night affair in Week 6, the Monsters of the Midway will invade Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots to end Week 7.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields has not exactly thrown his hat in the ring for NFL MVP this year, but that doesn’t mean his NFL player prop markets aren’t offering solid wagering opportunities. Here are our three favorite Justin Fields props for Monday, October 24.
Be sure to also check out Jason Logan’s Bears vs. Patriots betting preview as well as Josh Inglis’ favorite player prop picks for Monday Night Football.
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The Minnesota Vikings have lost two of their last three, with their lone win coming in last week’s disgusting 3-0 victory. Josh Dobbs, who originally lit up the scoreboard for the Vikings following their trade for him after Kirk Cousin’s season-ending injury, has been benched and backup Nick Mullens will get the start as an underdog in the NFL odds.
They will take on the Cincinnati Bengals, who have won two straight with backup Jake Browning under center. He’s averaged 315 passing yards during that time.
Which backup quarterback will rise to the occasion and help make their team make an improbable playoff push?
Continue reading for free NFL prop picks and predictions for the Vikings and Bengals Week 15 matchup on Saturday, December 16. And don’t forget …
The Minnesota Vikings have had a hellacious week on the injury front. J.J. McCarthy opted for a full meniscus repair that will sideline him for all of 2024 and Jordan Addison was spotted in a boot following Wednesday’s practice.
My Vikings vs. Browns prediction has us backing a deep Browns roster against the undermanned Vikings. Find out more in my NFL picks for today’s preseason action!
Vikings vs Browns prediction
My best betBrowns -4.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
My analysisThe preseason is all about picking up moral victories and after the Minnesota Vikings secured their first preseason win since 2019 last week, they had exactly that. But just as things were looking up, Minnesota experienced a week from hell.
J.J. McCarthy w…