Sports

For the first time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United are preparing for a final.

The Europa League might not be top of the agenda for Solskjaer s United ambitions but, after four semi-final defeats as manager in three different competitions, he will be delighted to have a shot at what could be the Red Devils first trophy since they won this competition in 2017.

Of course, this is also a momentous occasion for Villarreal: a first European final of any kind against a team who have been in these matches seven times previously. However, the Spaniards boast experience in coach Unai Emery, who won this trophy on three occasions while in charge of Sevilla.

Ahead of the first major final in European competition this week, Stats Perform examines the key Opta da…

When Cristiano Ronaldo made his €112million transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus in July 2018 at the age of 33, some questioned whether he would be able to match the spectacular form he sustained for nine seasons in the Spanish capital.

The five-time Ballon d Or-winning forward started slowly, failing to find the net in Serie A until mid-September when he hit a brace in Juve s 2-1 victory over Sassuolo, but he then scored consistently to strengthen the Bianconeri s successful defence of the Scudetto.

Further braces followed against Empoli, Sampdoria and Parma before the Portugal international scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 Champions League round-of-16 victory over his old rivals Atletico Madrid.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri has rotated Douglas Costa, Mario Man…

Julian Schieber scored the only goal in Dortmund s 1-0 victory over Manchester City

Manchester City’s season of European misery was complete last night as Dortmund defeated the English champions 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park.

The only goal of the game came from a close-range effort from Julian Schieber in the 57th minute.

City looked flat and couldn’t find their way back into the game. The victory means that Dortmund finish top of the group.

For City the defeat means that they don’t even have the consolation prize of playing in the Europa League, as they finished rock-bottom of the group.

Ajax clinched third spot and a Europa League place, despite going down 4-1 at Real Madrid. The Spanish champions took the lead after just 13 minutes through Cr…

Milan are top dogs in Italy for the first time in 11 years after holding off fierce rivals Inter to finish top of Serie A.

The Rossoneri finished the season with six wins in a row, and no defeat in 16, culminating in a 3-0 victory over Sassuolo on Sunday.

After falling just short in Stefano Pioli s first campaign at the helm when finishing second, Milan can finally celebrate a first Scudetto since 2010-11.

While it may only have been a little over a decade since Milan last reigned, a lot has changed both in a sporting and non-sporting sense.

Here, Stats Perform looks at how the world looked around the time of the club s most recent triumph in 2011.

First of many for Djokovic, McIlroy makes his mark

Novak Djokovic is favourite t…

Ahh, Week 2 of NFL betting, when opening week results can lead to overreactions from the public. We might be seeing one such line this Sunday as the Philadelphia Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers as 3-point underdogs.

The Eagles entered the season with the Over/Under on their win total set at just 6.5 but after a dominant performance in Week 1, they are seeing a short line as they welcome the Super Bowl contender 49ers to Lincoln Financial Field.

Here are our best free 49ers vs. Eagles picks and predictions for Sunday, September 19, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.

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The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills will meet for the third time this season as the AFC East rivals will look to advance to the Divisional Round with a victory in Buffalo Saturday night. Temperatures are expected in the low-20s, but the wind will be a non-factor and the snow should hold off. This total has started to climb as bettors are realizing the weather shouldn’t be a major factor for either team. 

Can Josh Allen throw for another 300 yards against what some think is an overrated New England defense? Can this Patriots offense play to its strength and have success on the ground versus the Bills’ No. 1 defense in EPA/play? Find out in our free player props and predictions for the Patriots vs. Bills.

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There’s a lot on the line Sunday night in the last game of the 2022-23 regular season. The Packers are on a roll and come in as 4.5-point home favorites, while the books are liking points in Lambeau with a 49.5 O/U in cold but clear conditions.

I’m liking both starting running backs to have big performances in what should be a slower-paced game than perhaps this total is indicating. 

Here are my NFL player prop picks for Sunday Night Football’s battle between the Lions and Packers. 

Also, be sure to check out our Rohit Ponnaioya’s full SNF betting preview, as well as Robert Criscola’s Aaron Rodgers spotlight props. 

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The Baltimore Ravens put up an absolute stinker in Week 5 after the offense managed just 10 points, largely due to a league-wide season-high of seven drops, two of which were for touchdowns. In Week 6, they will travel to take on the Tennessee Titans, who suffered a tough divisional loss last week against the Gardner Minshew-led Colts. The NFL odds have the Ravens as favorites.

Will Lamar Jackson’s pass catchers get over their case of the butterfingers and help the Ravens put up some points? Or will Derrick Henry & Co. get things back on track overseas?

Continue reading for free NFL prop picks and predictions for the Ravens vs Titans Week 6 matchup on Sunday, October 15.

Be sure to also check out our full Ravens vs. Titans betting preview and Lamar …

It’s the final week of the NFL season, which means we have one final big slate to identify the most likely first touchdown scorers and get some big price wins when it comes to Week 18 odds. 

We’re studying the First Touchdown Scorer markets to find three players who offer the perfect mix of value and opportunity to deliver some healthy returns. Let’s dissect the latest NFL odds and get right into it with our NFL picks. 

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We’re now into the second week of the NFL season and have already been surprised both positively and negatively by some teams, some showing vulnerabilities and others showing their backfields may be more committee-led than expected.

We dive in with our best first touchdown NFL picks and Week 2 touchdown props below.

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