Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given insists he will be fit for Euro 2012 despite a knee injury proving a setback to his preparations.
The 36-year-old says he will be ready to go for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, and said he was merely rested for the friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Given told reporters: I just hurt my knee in training on Monday and had a bit of a reaction, that was all.
If the Euros had started on Saturday I think I could have played, so I m not worried.
Obviously I d love to be training every day and have been playing because I don t like missing any games, but sometimes you have to listen to your body.
I hadn t trained, but I would have played. The specialist and the doctor felt it was just better to rest i…
Bayern Munich and new coach Niko Kovac will begin their Bundesliga title defence by hosting Hoffenheim when the 2018-19 season gets under way.
The fixtures for the new campaign were released on Friday, with Borussia Dortmund handed an eye-catching opening game at home to RB Leipzig and Schalke last term s runners-up travelling to Wolfsburg.
Bayern s clash with Hoffenheim their first league game under former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Kovac is due to kick off the season on Friday 24 August, with the remaining matches in the first matchweek taking place on August 25 and 26.
Newly promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf and Nurnberg will face Augsburg and Hertha Berlin respectively at the start of their campaigns.
The first Der Klassiker of the season will take place…
The 2014 World Cup may be some seven months away, but with the draw having been made, the time has come to make some early predictions. Online bookmakers have already started quoting prices on what is likely to be the most heavily bet sporting event in recent years, and we have in turn selected a total of eight ante-post markets we feel provide the best value for money. Given that the odds are going to change as the market moves, it may be a good idea to get them while they re hot.
Disclaimer. All odds listed for each market are based on the price when the article was written. The odds may have changed since.
1.) To Win Outright
Best Bet: Germany @ 5/1
While many people will be backing tournament hosts Brazil, I feel the combination of the huge pressure from t…
Australia and New Zealand have come together to submit a bid to co-host the 2023 FIFA Women s World Cup.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) and New Zealand Football (NZF) confirmed the joint bid in Melbourne on Friday.
The move was made with FIFA expanding the tournament from 24 teams to 32 in 2023.
As trusted members of FIFA, FFA and NZF are committed to hosting an excellent Women s World Cup that delivers real benefits for the game not only during tournament time, but in the lead up to the competition and afterwards, FFA chairman Chris Nikou said in a statement.
The decision to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, two leading nations in the promotion of women s football and gender equality, will accelerate the game…
Didier Deschamps reflected on a positive year for France, who went unbeaten in 14 of 15 matches after downing Sweden 1-0 in Marseille.
The French lost only to eventual World Cup winners Germany, the defeat seeing them crash out of the illustrious tournament in Brazil at the quarter-final stage.
It was the lone blotch on France s 2014, which culminated in a late 1-0 victory over Erik Hamren s Sweden on Tuesday with stand-in skipper Raphael Varane heading home from Antoine Griezmann s corner in the 84th minute.
Varane wore the armband, as goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was rested.
Deschamps said his side grew in confidence after storming through the group stages at the World Cup, and conceded they needed to improve their flexibility.
There were different p…
Julian Nagelsmann believes Germany have taken the next step in their development after sharing the spoils in an entertaining clash with the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Tijjani Reijnders handed the hosts the lead with just a minute and 39 seconds on the clock, only for Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich to respond before the break.
The Netherlands drew level five minutes into the second half through Denzel Dumfries, leaving the pair joint-top of Group A3 after the opening round of fixtures.
But with German ambitions of being strong contenders at the next World Cup after their Euro 2024 disappointment, Nagelsmann is looking to see improvements in every match despite the tournament being just under two years away.
“There is an awareness that every game is impo…
The worst team in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars, heads into New England to face the Patriots, who are chasing their division title. On the face of it, there’s only one winner, but given how unpredictable this season has been, you just never know.
Read on for our NFL picks and predictions for Jacksonville vs. New England on Sunday, January 2.
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Two of the top picks from the 2020 NFL draft will meet Sunday night at SoFi Stadium as Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins visit Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Dolphins’ offense looks healthy after some early-season worries. With the Chargers getting all their receivers back, could this be a back-and-forth, fast-paced track meet?
Here are my favorite NFL player props for Sunday Night Football’s battle between the Dolphins and Chargers.
Also, make sure to check out Jason Logan’s full SNF betting preview.
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What do we do when we don’t get what we want for Christmas? We go out shopping for ourselves.
And depending on what your tastes are for the latest NFL odds, you can go out shopping for the best spreads and totals that fit those needs. That means jumping on some of the opening numbers now and waiting for other lines to move later.
I highlight some value shopping in my weekly “Bet Now, Bet Later” lines for Week 17 odds.
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Two teams that were both disappointed losing in Wildcard Weekend last season look to kick off the 2024 NFL season with a victory as the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns face off on Sunday afternoon.
I think the wrong team is favored here, and my Cowboys vs. Browns predictions attack that line. See why I’m backing the Cowboys in my NFL picks for September 8.
Cowboys vs Browns prediction
My best betCowboys +2.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
My analysisAfter more disappointment last season, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to start their season off with a road victory against the Cleveland Browns.
A big reason for Cleveland’s quasi-success last year was their late-season run behind veteran Joe Flacco, filling i…