Italy goalkeepers complain about Euro 2008 ball

Italy goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon and Marco Amelia are not particularly happy with the ball that will be used during this summer s European Championships.

The ball, dubbed the Adidas Europass, has been giving the two keepers serious difficulties.

Livorno goalie Amelia accused the ball of being too heavy, while Juventus star Buffon tries to stay positive:

Maybe we just have to get used to it. But it won t matter, I ll get the ball anyway.

Italy begin their Euro 2008 campaign against the Netherlands on June 9th.

2017 Confederations Cup: Betting Odds & Offers

Taking place a year ahead of the 2018 World Cup, the 2017 Confederations Cup will serve as a dress rehearsal for host national Russia, but also several other sides who could be serious candidates for the coveted trophy next summer. 

Even though Joachim Low decided to rest a number of key men, Germany are 2/1 favourites for the title, followed by , who arrive in Russia at full strength and eager to prove their worth at yet another major tournament. 

Very good Chile side are priced at 9/4 after claiming back to back Copa America trophies, while Mexico and hosts Russia are both priced at 1/1.

Cameroon, Australia and New Zealand are not really expected to progress from the group stage, let alone fight for the coveted trophy, but they will attempt to defy t…

The Numbers Game: Maresca faces mentor Guardiola in Chelsea bow

Another new season, another new head coach at Stamford Bridge.

And Enzo Maresca could hardly have been handed a tougher assignment as he leads Chelsea in the Premier League for the first time, with champions Manchester City the visitors to SW6 on Sunday.

It has been another busy off-season for the Blues, with the Todd Boehly regime sanctioning a £161million outlay on nine signings, including Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

City, on the other hand, have been largely quiet as Guardiola continues to put his faith in the group that delivered an unprecedented fourth straight league crown last season.

As two of English football s giants prepare to go head-to-head on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, we dive into the best Opta stats to p…

Euro 2008 day thirteen; the first quarter-final; Germany 3-2 Portugal

Day thirteen of the Euros saw the first of the knockout round matches when the tournament gets really exciting. There is no way back after defeat in the quarter-finals. I should know. I m English!!

As it turned out the game proved to be the last of Felipe Scolari s reign in charge of Portugal. He has taken them to a European final and quarter-final and a World Cup semi-final. I would guess that his spell in charge will be regarded as a success but he will always be disappointed that he didn t win anything with a very talented group of players.

The game proved two things. Firstly, the tournament is one of the best ever and the quality of football is higher than ever before. Secondly, the deluded journalists in England who have said we could have won the tournament if we …

France 4-2 Croatia: Les Bleus win replay of 2018 World Cup final

France came from behind to defeat Croatia 4-2 in a replay of the 2018 World Cup final on Tuesday.

Didier Deschamps side won by the same scoreline when the teams met in Moscow two years ago and they came out on top again in the Nations League Group A3 clash at the Stade de France.

A fine strike from Dejan Lovren put the visitors in front, but Antoine Griezmann struck and Dominik Livakovic scored an unfortunate own goal in the space of three first-half minutes to turn the game around.

Substitute Josip Brekalo restored parity after the restart, only for Dayot Upamecano s header and a penalty from Olivier Giroud to keep Les Bleus level with Portugal at the top of the group.

Croatia took the lead in the 16th minute when Lovren exquisitely controlled a looping …

On this day in 2012: England boss Fabio Capello resigns after captaincy row

On this day in 2012, Fabio Capello resigned as England manager following a meeting with Football Association chiefs at Wembley Stadium.

The Italian walked away from the job after the FA stripped John Terry of the England captaincy without consulting him.

Capello had been set to resign following the conclusion of the 2012 European Championships, but left just four months before the tournament began – throwing England’s preparations into turmoil.

Speaking to Italian TV station Rai at the time, Capello said that he “absolutely” disagreed with the decision.

An FA statement read: “The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager. This follows a meeting involving FA chairman David Bernstein, FA general secr…

NFL Week 10 Bet Now or Bet Later: Grab Cardinals Fast Against Spiraling Panthers

The 2021 NFL schedule hits double digits in Week 10 with the season passing the midway mark. Oddsmakers are locked in, with more than two months of data fueling their weekly power ratings, point spreads and totals.

Regardless of the week, the sharpest NFL betting tip is always to find the best odds for your opinion. That means jumping into action early into the week or waiting for the market to move to the number you want. 

We help you plan that attack, with our NFL Week 10 best spread and total to bet now and the best lines to bet later.

NFL Power Rankings: Reinvigorated Saints Passing Game Has NOLA Climbing

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and I’m trying my best not to overreact to some of the results, but too many incidents have me shaking up my NFL power rankings heading into Week 2. Even though top of the list didn’t see much movement, there are plenty of movers and shakers from 5th to 32nd.

In games on a neutral field, every higher-ranked team would be favored or, at least, a pick ’em on the in this format. For two teams ranked closely together, the difference in the spread would be a home-field advantage (if any), which varies slightly from team to team.  

Week 1 NFL Parlay Picks: Season Starts with Shootout in Seattle

Week 1 of the 2023-24 NFL season has arrived, bringing with it a sense of optimism (unless you’re an Arizona Cardinals fan). The slate is wiped clean for all 32 teams, as well as NFL odds bettors looking to make this campaign an unforgettable one.

I’ll try to get the year started off on the right foot by parlaying my two favorite spread plays for Sunday. Then I’ll give out my best same-game parlay play for a late afternoon affair.

Be sure to check out all our NFL picks and predictions for Week 1.

NFL Week 11 Weather and Odds: Super Bowl Rematch Will Get Messy

There are 11 outdoor games on the NFL Week 11 odds board and five of them could have their results skewed by the mid-November weather. That includes the biggest game of the year on Monday Night Football.

I comb the extended forecasts for rain, wind, and maybe even a little snow, and handicap how the elements will impact the teams involved and possibly your NFL picks.

Here’s the NFL Week 11 Weather Watch for the upcoming NFL odds slate.