Ahead of Friday s FIFA World Cup draw, here are details of all 32 teams set to participate in Brazil next year.
ALGERIA
Key player: Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia)
How they qualified: Play-off victory against Burkina Faso
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Best showing at World Cup finals: Group stage (1982, 1986, 2010)
ARGENTINA
Key player: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
How they qualified: Topped South American group
Coach: Alejandro Sabella
Best showing at World Cup finals: Winners (1978, 1986)
AUSTRALIA
Key player: Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls)
How they qualified: Runners-up in Asian Group B
Coach: Ange Postecoglou
Best showing at World Cup finals: Round of 16 (2006)
BELGIUM
Key player: Vincent Kompa…
It is official. David de Gea is going nowhere!
The Spain goalkeeper penned a new contract with Manchester United until 2023 on Monday, with the option to extend the deal by a further year.
De Gea s future at Old Trafford has often been the feature of debate, with Real Madrid most famously coming close to securing his signature in 2015, while Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have also been reported suitors.
But the 28-year-old, who has become recognised as one of the world s best goalkeepers during his time at United, will be with the Red Devils for the foreseeable future.
Below, we have analysed Opta data to take a look at De Gea s best Premier League stats with United.
102 Since his debut in the competition in August 2011, David de Gea has kept …
Luis Enrique has urged his players to keep improving as Barcelona prepare to take on local rivals Espanyol in their first game of 2016.
The Catalan giants ended a stunning 2015 on a high by beating Real Betis 4-0 on Wednesday to cement their place at the top of La Liga and cap a year in which they won five major trophies out of a possible six.
Their head coach is not getting carried away, though, and wants to do even better in the year ahead.
I don t dwell on memories and 2015 is in the past, Luis Enrique told the Barcelona website.
Now I m interested in 2016 and being the best again. That s what professionals do.
Everyone can get better. The players, the coaches, and all the people that form part of this club.
There is very little …
Brentford have confirmed that record signing Igor Thiago has had successful surgery on his meniscus injury sustained in pre-season, but will be out of action until late 2024.
Thiago, who arrived from Club Brugge for £30million in July, picked up the injury in Brentford s 5-2 win over AFC Wimbledon earlier this month.
The Brazilian had scored twice on his first appearance for the club against the League Two side, but was withdrawn from the action at half-time.
Thiago was expected to be the replacement for Brentford s all-time top scorer Ivan Toney, but the recent news makes a move for the England international now less likely.
The 23-year-old scored 29 goals in 55 appearances in all competitions for the Belgian side last season, helping them claim a 19…
Monday Night Football in Week 16 features a matchup between a pair of .500 teams as the New Orleans Saints host the Miami Dolphins. Both of these teams are on the playoff bubble but can’t afford to lose with just three games remaining in the NFL regular season.
With New Orleans missing its top two quarterbacks the Over/Under for this game is the lowest on the NFL betting board this week at 37.5 while the ‘Phins are installed as 2.5-point road favorites.
Here are our best free Dolphins vs. Saints picks and predictions for Monday, December 27, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.
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Two losing divisional teams will meet Monday night, but thanks to the state of the NFC South, there’s a lot on the line for the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers under the prime-time lights.
With the second-shortest total of Week 13, there isn’t a whole lot to like in terms of player prop Overs, but that isn’t stopping me from hunting all the derivative markets looking for December winners.
Here are my NFL player prop picks for Monday Night Football’s battle between the Saints and Buccaneers.
Be sure to also check out our MNF full-game betting preview along with out three favorite Tom Brady spotlight props!
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The Cincinnati Bengals playoff hopes are alive and well after a three-game winning streak, despite losing Joe Burrow for the season. Now they get another Saturday matchup this time on the road against the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals are slight favorites in the Week 16 NFL odds and will be looking to win the battle of AFC North rivals still battling for a playoff spot behind the play of Joe Mixon.
We take a closer look at the Joe Mixon odds and give our best free NFL picks for Bengals vs. Steelers on December 23.
Make sure also to check out our Bengals vs. Steelers predictions and player prop picks!
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With kickoff just days away, a titan of the sports gaming industry is taking steps to promote responsible gambling across NFL stadiums.
Ahead of Thursday’s season-opening tilt between the Baltimore Ravens and the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, BetMGM announced on Friday plans to partner with the American Gaming Association (AGA) to promote Responsible Gaming Education Month in September.
“We’re excited to bring responsible gaming initiatives directly to fans in these NFL venues again this season,” said Rhea Loney, BetMGM’s chief compliance officer, via release. “We are setting a new standard for safety and awareness in the industry. At BetMGM, we believe that protecting our players and promoting responsible play is essential …
FAST EDDIE
It’s Eddie Howe’s first match in charge of Newcastle on Saturday, reader, and the generally amiable chap was probably mighty relieved to be back on less bumpy ground at his Friday press conference after squirming through his unveiling, when he was asked countless times for his thoughts on Saudi human rights abuses. Back then a man who The Fiver has always considered an intelligent, calm and likable sort grew as red-cheeked as a fictional public schoolboy rotter as he repeated the phrase “it’s a football decision” so often he could have been mistaken for the pull-string puppet of a blood-soaked regime. What? Oh.
With Friday’s press conference kicking off before the sun had bare…
Rob Page has revealed the Wales squad held a meeting to address “what needed to be said” after the Armenia debacle and discuss how to get their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign back on track against Turkey.
Wales endured a shock 4-2 defeat at home against Armenia on Friday but Page is adamant it was nothing more than a “massive bump” in the road for a young squad. Wales face Turkey in Samsun on Monday night, on the Black Sea, as Page seeks a reaction from his players and a much-needed victory.
Wales left with plenty to prove after painful throwback defeat by Armenia | Ben FisherRead more
“We had a group meeting yesterday [on Saturday] and addressed what needed to be said, we’ve put it to bed and full focus i…