Best Odds: 8/11

Bookmaker:

Getting their Europa League qualifying adventure underway on Thursday night, Kilmarnock will welcome Cercle Brugge to Rugby Park.

Kilmarnock

Starting with the hosts, while Kilmarnock might have signed off the 2023/24 campaign by winning just one of their final five Premiership appearances, Derek McInnes’ camp did gain plenty of plaudits from across Scotland’s elite. Wrapping up a fourth-place finish and securing their most fruitful top-flight campaign since 2019, the former Aberdeen boss will be looking to mount a similar charge this time around. Excited to get their Europa League qualifying adventure underway on Thursday night, Killie will take plenty of positives from their pre-season preparations. Picking up some perfect moment…

Jurgen Klopp reaches 1,000 games as a head coach and manager on Saturday when Liverpool tackle Chelsea, and it has been quite a ride.

From a relegation battle with Mainz in the German second division to the heights of Champions League glory with Liverpool, Klopp has achieved more than anyone expected of a man whose playing career was distinctly modest.

It would be stretching it to say the signs were there from day one, but they were certainly there from day two.

Klopp was named as an interim replacement for Eckhard Krautzun when Mainz decided on a change of leader on February 27, 2001.

One day later, Klopp made his debut as a coach in the second tier of the Bundesliga. He had been a player in the team until that point, but this marked the beginning of a n…

Kevin De Bruyne became the second player to reach 100 Premier League assists for one club as the Manchester City playmaker teed up Erling Haaland for the hosts third goal in a 3-1 win over Leicester City.

The result cut Arsenal s lead to three points at the top of the table, ahead of the Gunners trip to West Ham on Sunday.

Saturday s games saw Ollie Watkins remain in eye-catching form for Aston Villa, but there were grim home defeats for London giants Chelsea and Tottenham as Brighton and Hove Albion and Bournemouth celebrated impressive victories.

Here Stats Perform, guided by notable Opta match facts, unpicks the finer detail from the day s Premier League action.

32 Erling Haaland has equalled the Premier League record for goals in a 38-game season (32)…

Inter Miami are sitting comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference table but face a challenge on Thursday when Columbus Crew visit for an MLS clash at Chase Stadium.

The Herons are two points clear at the summit of the East standings after snatching a 2-1 triumph over Philadelphia Union last time out.

Yet Wilfried Nancy s Crew have triumphed in their last four road games in the league, battling to a 3-2 victory over New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

It s a massive run and just shows how good we are mentally Mohamed Farsi said of the streak.

I think we have more away wins right now than last year all season. I think so or the same, so I m happy for that.

Farsi has become a central figure for Columbus and scored the go-ahead goa…

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.

…

(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…