Zinedine Zidane did not select Gareth Bale in Real Madrid’s squad for their Champions League last-16 second leg against Manchester City on Friday as the Welshman “preferred not to play”.
Yet it is understood that Bale made the decision as he believed he would not be selected for a game in which Real need to overturn a 2-1 deficit, and so did not wish to travel.
Bale’s long goodbye leaves Real with a big bill and only themselves to blame | Sid LoweRead more
Zidane was asked why he did not choose the Welshman. “People say a lot of things,” Real’s coach said. “We have respect between us. The only thing to say – and this is a personal conversation between us – is that he preferred not to play. The res…
Manchester City opened their Premier League title defence with little trouble after sweeping aside Chelsea with a 2-0 away victory on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola s team are chasing a record-extending fifth consecutive title and opened their 2024-25 campaign with a routine three points at Stamford Bridge, in stark contrast to the remarkable 4-4 draw in this fixture last term.
Erling Haaland chipped past Robert Sanchez with a well-taken opener in the first half of his 100th appearance for City, profiting from Bernardo Silva s deft offload to send the visitors on their way to victory.
Nicolas Jackson responded for Chelsea by having an equaliser ruled out before the break, with the Blues striker caught offside after Ederson unconvincingly parried from Cole Palmer s dipping…
Toni Kroos has agreed to extend his contract with Real Madrid to 2023, the LaLiga club have confirmed.
The midfielder s future at Madrid had been in doubt with head coach Zinedine Zidane last month refusing to confirm the Germany international would stay amid an expected squad overhaul.
But Kroos hit out at reports in the Spanish press that said he was seeking a move away, describing the news as absolutely false information on Twitter.
And the 29-year-old, who joined from Bayern Munich in 2014, has now agreed a new four-year contract that will keep him at the club until 2023. His previous deal was due to expire in 2022.
Kroos has appeared in 28 LaLiga games this season and was a key part of the side that won three consecutive Champions League titles in Z…
The 2015 Cheltenham Festival has just been wrapped up and it s already time for another huge event as the 2015 Dubai World Cup, the world s richest horse race, takes place on 28th March at the Meydan Racecourse.
America s horse of the year 2014 California Chrome has been made the number one favourite, but Lea, African Story and Epiphaneia are also in the mix for the coveted title. And regardless of which horse you plan to back, 888sport has got you covered as they offer treble odds on all contenders.
How to claim
1. Make sure to .
2. Back any of the horses in the Dubai World Cup race at the normal price.
3. If your bet wins, 888sport will treble your profit and pay it in real cash within 72 hours.
…
Robin van Persie scored a brace in Manchester United s 4-0 in at Wigan
The Premier League games on New Year’s Day produced a host of goals as usual.
Manchester United remained seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table, after winning 4-0 at Wigan. Javier Hernandez fired the visitors in front in the 35th minute from inside the penalty box, after Ali Al Habsi had saved Patrice Evra’s low effort.
United doubled their lead in the 43rd minute, Robin Van Persie turning Ivan Ramis before curling the ball into the top corner.
Javier Hernandez scored his brace in the 63rd minute, pouncing on a Robin Van Persie free-kick to fire home inside the penalty area.
Van Persie made it four in the 88th minute, when he was left completely unmarked…
With Premier League clubs travelling far and wide to fulfil commercial commitments as well as prepare for the upcoming campaign, the 2023-24 pre-season diary is packed full of fixtures across the globe.
Here, the PA news agency looks at what the top teams will be doing, who they will face and how they will be ramping up to challenge for honours.
Arsenal
D.C. United s Wayne Rooney will coach MLS All-Stars against Arsenal
— B/R Football (@brfootball)
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners will head off to a training camp at adidas headquarters in Nurnberg on July 9 and will face the second-tier side as part of their preparations before travelling to the United States.
The trip includes high-profile friendlies against the MLS All-Stars, managed by Wayne Roone…
Liverpool struck a world-record deal to sign defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton on this day six years ago.
It was announced on December 27, 2017 that the sought-after Dutchman would move to Anfield on January 1 in a transfer understood to be worth £75million, the highest price ever paid for a defender at that time.
A Southampton statement read: “Southampton Football Club can confirm it has reached an agreement with Liverpool over the transfer of Virgil van Dijk.
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk)
“Southampton have agreed a fee that will set a new world-record for a defender. The club wishes Virgil well in his future when the deal is completed on January 1, 2018.”
Van Dijk had handed in a transfer request during the summer o…
The Baltimore Ravens don’t get much time to catch their breath after a thrilling win on Monday before welcoming the red-hot Los Angeles Chargers to M&T Stadium in Week 6.
Baltimore is a 3-point home favorite fresh off a come-from-behind overtime victory against Indianapolis – the team’s fourth game decided by a single score. The Chargers enter Sunday on a three-game winning streak, knocking off Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Cleveland in the process.
Here are our free NFL betting picks and predictions for Chargers at Ravens on October 17.
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Two of the NFL’s most famous franchises kick off their preseason schedules at a legendary venue today when the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
The Chiefs and Bears approach the August schedule in very different places. The Chiefs are simply loading back up for another year in the heat of contention, with a long-established core’s sights set firmly on playing deep into January.
Chicago, meanwhile, is in the early days of yet another regime, with former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus the latest to be tasked with turning around a dysfunctional NFL giant.
The contrasting standing of these two teams takes focus in our NFL picks and predictions for the Chiefs vs. Bears, with kickoff on August 13. …
In the realm of sports betting, football is king. A perfect example of this is NFL Draft betting.
The annual spring event, in which pro teams bolster their rosters with the best available talents from the college ranks, has become big business for sportsbooks and keeps that NFL action coming even in the middle of the offseason.
With the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft set to begin on Thursday, April 27, we teach you how to bet on the draft, break down some betting tips to help you turn a profit when the picks come in, and run down the most popular ways to wager on the NFL Draft.
NFL Draft bet types
There are a handful of staples on the NFL Draft betting board, but bookmakers get more and more creative every spring with the differen…