Hansi Flick expects Ilkay Gundogan to remain with Barcelona this season, despite speculation linking the midfielder with a move away from Camp Nou.
The Germany midfielder, who arrived from Manchester City in 2023, has less than 12 months remaining on his contract with the Blaugrana.
Spanish media reports suggested Gundogan may depart the club following the arrival of Dani Olmo, with Jose Mourinho s Fenerbahce rumoured to be interested in acquiring his services.
The 33-year-old missed Barca s 2-1 victory over Valencia on Saturday, having suffered a head injury in their Joan Gamper Trophy defeat to Monaco earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, Flick is hopeful his compatriot s future will be at Barca.
[He] hurt his eyebrow on Monday and that s why he s…
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez refused to comment on his future after the country s Euro 2020 elimination at the hands of Italy, insisting the situation is too raw .
Italy booked their spot in the semi-finals against Spain after overcoming Martinez s Belgium 2-1 in Munich on Friday.
Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne put Italy two goals ahead by the 44th minute, but Belgium pulled one back before the interval courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku penalty.
Despite going close, Belgium – one of the pre-tournament favourites – were unable to find an equaliser against red-hot Italy as the Red Devils lost in the quarter-finals of the European Championship like they did in 2016.
Attention swiftly turned to Martinez, who is contracted through to the 2022 World …
Cristiano Ronaldo s goal saw Portugal defeat the Czech Republic 1-0 on Thursday and book their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2012.
A cagey contest at the National Stadium, Warsaw, produced few real chances, with Portugal dominating possession but struggling to break down a stubborn Czech side.
Ronaldo was the chief threat throughout, sending an early bicycle kick wide of goal, before striking the post in each half.
It was the Real Madrid star who eventually broke the deadlock, stooping to meet Joao Moutinho s cross and heading beyond Petr Cech to register the winning goal with 11 minutes remaining.
Paulo Bento s team will face either France or arch-rivals Spain in the semi-finals.
The Czech Republic started well, and managed to claim the upper…
Wilfried Nancy wants his Columbus Crew team to continue their consistency after reaching a club-record points haul in a regular MLS season last time out.
The Crew’s 3-2 win over Philadelphia Union on Saturday took them to 60 points in the campaign, marking their 17th win of the term, also equalling the club’s single-season record set in 2008.
Columbus knows that a point will be enough to guarantee second place in the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs, with Nancy expressing his delight about his squad’s ability to adapt to this campaign’s hectic schedule.
“This is the idea – all the time try to grow and seek for improvement,” Nancy said. “That s why I m really happy about this because we play 46 games.
“Last year at this moment, we…
The Copa Libertadores is a competition like no other, just look back at the 2018 final between bitter rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors.
The second leg of the all-Argentinean decider was sensationally played at Real Madrid s Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital three years ago after Boca s team bus was attacked by River supporters en route to El Monumental for the initially scheduled return encounter.
River eventually prevailed 5-3 on aggregate.
Fast forward to this week – Flamengo and titleholders Palmeiras will do battle at Uruguay s iconic Centenario stadium in Montevideo. Saturday s final is only the fifth decider to feature two teams from the same country in the tournament s history. Four of those fixtures have been all-Brazilian showdowns after Palm…
Bayern Munich’s shock defeat to Bochum on Sunday means they have lost three games in a row for the first time since 2015.
England captain Harry Kane’s late goal was not enough to avoid a 3-2 defeat, with Kevin Stoger’s penalty proving decisive.
That followed their 3-0 setback at title rivals Bayer Leverkusen, who now lead the Bundesliga by eight points, and 1-0 Champions League first-leg loss to Lazio.
Coach Thomas Tuchel insisted the Bochum result was “not deserved” after an improved performance but the losing run is the worst, excluding friendlies, since May 2015.
Pep Guardiola’s side on that occasion suffered through a very similar run starting with a 2-0 league defeat to Leverkusen.
Again a Champions League defeat followed – 3-0 …
The Carolina Panthers will attempt to flip their fortunes once again when they visit the New York Giants in Week 7.
The NFL betting odds have the Panthers as field goal favorites, bringing a three-game slide into MetLife Stadium after starting 2021 with a 3-0 record. New York is desperately trying to get healthy bodies on the field, losing two straight with a long list of key players dinged up.
Check out our NFL free picks and predictions for Panthers at Giants on October 24.
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After two joint practices this week, the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders will cap off their preseason with a Friday night showdown at Allegiant Stadium.
Starters are not expected to get much run and with Bill Belichick knowing Josh McDaniels and Jarrett Stidham well, it will be tough for the Patriots not to be prepared.
Find out where my best bet lies in my NFL picks and predictions for Patriots vs. Raiders.
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The San Francisco 49ers and the Las Vegas Raiders each have something to prove this season, but in very different ways.
Sunday’s visiting 49ers have been a near-constant in the Super Bowl discussion in the Kyle Shanahan era, but still have yet to win their sixth title. Meanwhile, the Raiders have to bounce back after a terrible 6-11 season which saw them miss out on the playoffs.
As usual, a lot of this preseason discussion is about who isn’t there, whether that’s starting quarterbacks or Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who is holding out. Don’t miss our NFL picks and predictions for 49ers vs Raiders on Sunday, August 13.
49ers vs Raiders odds
49ers vs Raiders predictions
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The Chicago Bears head to The Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. In the Week 9 odds, the Bears will try to bounce back from an ugly loss on the road to the Chargers, while the Saints aim to build on a road victory against the Colts last week.
NFL odds opened with the Saints as 7.5-point favorites for this contest before moving to -8.5. Here are my best free NFL picks for Bears vs. Saints on November 5.
Bears vs Saints odds
Bears vs Saints predictions
While the Chicago Bears have one of the worst overall defenses in the NFL, they’ve surprisingly been phenomenal against the run. The Bears rank third in defensive rush EPA and success rate while holding opponents to a league-low 3.3 yards per ca…