Competition: Serie A
Market: Atalanta to beat Crotone
Odds:
Italy s top league returns for yet another massive round of games as the competition continues to heat up. With the season past its halfway stage, teams are beginning to see where the are likely to finish in the table if they maintain their current form, meaning the sides at the bottom desperately need to turn things around, while those at the top must continue their good work. With this in mind, Atalanta travel to face Crotone on Saturday.
Crotone have been very poor this season and this has seen the side slip down the table towards the relegation zone. After 23 games they have won five, drawn five and lost 13 times, scoring 18 goals and conceding 40 times. In their last five they ha…
Chelsea eased into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup by beating a youthful Manchester City side 5-1 at Stamford Bridge.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini pledged to play with a scratch side in light of the fifth-round match being moved to Sunday for television coverage, with an eye on Wednesday s Champions League trip to Dynamo Kiev and a lengthy injury list.
The Chilean stuck to his word as he named five full debutants, although one of those – French striker David Faupala – seemed to care little for his manager s assertion that the tie was not a real game when he promptly cancelled out Diego Costa s 35th-minute opener.
But Chelsea s class and experience told during the early stages of the second half, with Willian and Gary Cahill scoring in quick succession …
Neymar is quite rightly carefully been weighing up his next move.
After all, this is a man who cares greatly about the perception surrounding him, and his next big decision could be the one to define his legacy.
The summer transfer window might be shut, but the most expensive player in the world may still make a move to his old club Barcelona or their fierce rivals, Real Madrid. For now, however, he remains with Paris Saint-Germain. Thee’s also been mention of a switch to Juventus, but that seems even less likely from a punter s perspective.
A man might just put his stake on Barcelona. After all, the Spanish team are keen to secure their target and have put in a £130 mullion bid to secure him. They were even willing to offer Ousmane Dembele and Ivan Rakitic …
Inter coach Luciano Spalletti recognises his side are running out of opportunities to get back into the Champions League spots.
After starting the season well, Inter tailed off and have looked to be in danger of missing out on the top four for a while.
They managed to claw themselves back up to fourth, but a draw and defeat in their last two have seen them drop down to fifth again, a point behind Roma.
And Spalletti accepts Inter cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to secure a return to Europe s elite competition, which they have not featured in since 2011-12.
There are increasingly fewer and fewer opportunities, which means they are worth more than ever and must be exploited, said Spalletti ahead of Saturday s trip to Atalanta.
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Claudio Ranieri is ready to welcome the crowning moment of a special season when Leicester City host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tottenham s 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Monday ensured Leicester became the 24th team to win the top-flight title in England, completing a remarkable campaign for a team who were at 5000-1 to lift the trophy back in August.
Leicester will be presented with the trophy after full-time at the King Power Stadium, giving them the chance to celebrate in front of their own fans before their final-day trip to last season s title-winners, Chelsea.
And Ranieri, the eighth different manager to win the Premier League, is looking forward to the chance to celebrate with his entire first-team squad at the final home match of an unforgettab…
Roma have confirmed the capture of midfielder Bryan Cristante from fellow Serie A side Atalanta.
The 23-year-old Italy international joins on an initial loan deal, costing €5m, with an obligation for Roma to complete the permanent signing of the player for a further €15m if various sporting targets are met.
Cristante has agreed a contract that runs until 2023 and joins after 18 months with Atalanta, where he scored nine goals in 36 Serie A appearances for the seventh-placed side last term.
He has also featured five times for Italy since making his debut in October 2017, most recently appearing in the 1-1 draw with the Netherlands earlier this month.
Speaking to the club s official website, Cristante said: I am very pleased because coming to Roma was a…
Diego Maradona will not forgive Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza for meeting up with Mauro Icardi at Inter.
The 23-year-old is yet to feature for his country under Bauza, who visited the San Siro club this month and has confirmed Icardi could be considered for selection.
Maradona has labelled Icardi a traitor for marrying Wanda Nara, the ex-wife of former Sampdoria team-mate Maxi Lopez.
Bauza has denied claims his ongoing exclusion is down to a friendship between captain Lionel Messi and Lopez, but the 59-year-old s stance on the issue has not impressed the iconic Maradona.
Asked if he forgives Bauza for meeting Icardi, Maradona told Clarin: I do not. I will not talk to [Bauza] anymore.
It is his [Icardi s] life. I do not care, but for me he doe…
Only three decisions have been deemed incorrect by the VAR Independent Review Panel (IRP) following the first round of cinch Premiership fixtures, the PA news agency understands.
Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski’s so-called double-hit penalty against St Mirren and two incidents that went against Dundee were flagged up as mistakes by the panel.
The IRP claimed a red card handed to Dundee midfielder Josh Mulligan and the Tayside club’s disallowed goal against Livingston were errors.
There have been 407 VAR checks since the start of the season, 24 of which led to on-field reviews.
The IRP was set up by the governing body ahead of the start of the season, the first full campaign with the video technology in place.
The panel of former players, manage…
According to Corriere dello Sport, Inter Milan are set to offer Mauro Icardi a pay rise as they begin the process of working out a new deal for the forward. Icardi, 25, has been with Inter since 2013 when he joined from Sampdoria, and in that time he s been able to establish himself as one of the most lethal goalscorers in all of Italian football.
While he hasn t quite been able to translate that to the international stage courtesy of Higuain, Messi Aguero, he s certainly still considered to be a hot commodity in the realms of European football. Inter Milan are currently preparing for their return to the UEFA Champions League, with their final day exploits last season ensuring that they d return to the competition that they won back in 2010.
The Serie A season begins t…
Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce has announced that an agreement has been reached with Ligue 1 champions AS Monaco over the summer transfer of Nabil Dirar.
Fenerbahce beat competition from England and France to the signature of the 31-year-old Morocco winger who is due to arrive in Istanbul on Friday. Medical examinations have also been arranged.
Having helped AS Monaco out of League 2 to the top of French football in just five years’ time, Nabil Dirar leaves the Principality Club with a respectful attitude from both parties.
Dirar started his professional career with Diegem Sport. His fine performances draw plenty of attention across Belgium and it was Westerlo who came calling for the Morocco starlet.
Before his arrival to Monaco in 2012, Dirar spent fo…