The Netherlands will have to bounce back against bitter rivals Germany on Wednesday to keep their Euro 2012 hopes alive.
Grudge matches don t come much bigger than this with their Group B clash holding added significance after the Netherlands shock opening 1-0 loss to Denmark. Dutch fans will tell you they can handle a loss, just not to Germany.
That opening result was not part of coach Bert van Marwijk s plans meaning the Oranje will have to pick up the pieces and defeat either or both of Germany and Portugal, to progress to the next phase.
Both are in the world s top four and qualified for the tournament with exceptional verve and ease but it is the unwavering Germans that have the early advantage in the group after their 1-0 win over Portugal.
Van Mar…
Last year, Stats Perform began their 12-month countdown to the biggest show in football by identifying 11 uncapped players who could potentially break into their respective national squads before Qatar 2022 gets under way.
We have provided intermittent updates since then and, of the original 11, we ve already had three success stories.
Cade Cowell, Christopher Nkunku and Jonathan Clauss have all managed to claim their first caps, but there s still time for the others.
With the European domestic season now over, it s as good a time as any to see how our picks have progressed over the past three months.
Luis Maximiano (Portugal) – 23, goalkeeper, Granada
Unfortunately, Maximiano s positive start to the season ultimately gave way for a rockier s…
Arguably the toughest group at the tournament finals will see two title contenders and as many quality sides with a potential to surprise vying for places in the knockout stages. In spite of some injury problems, Germany arrive in Brazil on the back of three successive top 3 finishes and hoping to clinch their fourth World Cup title and first since 1990.
Led by Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal have high hopes, especially following a very good performance at the Euro 2012. meanwhile, Ghana and USA may be seen as underdogs, but following some impressive displays in warm-up games, both sides will be feeling confident about their chances of surprising either Germany or Portugal and reaching the Last 16 stage.
Winners of Group G
Germany have had their share…
Germany head into their Euro 2012 semi-final against Italy this evening as heavy favourites.
The current Germany team is regarded as one of the best that they have produced in along time and contains some of the brightest players in Europe.
Young
I recently read that the average age of the Germany squad is 24.4 years of age, and it would have been even lower had striker Miroslav Klose not been part of the squad. Germany haven’t just got a few young talents players they have a generation.
The likes of Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller have became household names in the last few years, as this exciting young German side have matured into a superb team unit.
Exciting
German teams of the past have not always been associated with pa…
The World Cup is over, and for many people around the globe it means going back to giving their full attention to their day-to-day activities, but this tournament won t be forgotten too quickly. There has been plenty to talk about, controversies which took the central stage even before the games began, plenty of excellent performances and sublime games, and moments that have ensured this particular World Cup has its place in the history of this sport forever.
Qatar
The fact that Qatar was the country selected as to host this tournament was obviously the reason why it had to take place at the start of winter in the northern hemisphere the temperatures which occur there in the summer simply wouldn t do for it. And while that in itself posed a serious challenge for the teams and …
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists they are in the Europa League to win it and they arrive in Linz “to compete, not to give opportunities”.
On Thursday the Reds take on LASK as they return to a competition in which their last appearance was the 2016 final defeat to Sevilla in the German’s first season at the club.
Since then Liverpool have won the Champions League and reached two other finals and lifted the Premier League, the Club World Cup, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
As it stands the Europa League is the only major trophy Klopp has not won in his near-eight years at Anfield and he wants to add that missing silverware to his honour role.
That means fans who were hoping to see exciting fringe talents like youngster Ben Doak, Harvey Elliott and …
No Russell Wilson means some of the star power of Week 6’s Sunday Night Football matchup is gone, but the Seattle Seahawks will try to get by with Geno Smith when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
Wilson’s finger injury led NFL betting odds to have Seattle as a 4.5-point underdog against a Pittsburgh team that snapped a three-game slide with a home victory in Week 5, improving to 2-3 on the season. The Seahawks, also 2-3, have had extra time to prep for Pittsburgh since playing last Thursday.
Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for Seahawks vs. Steelers on Sunday, October 17.
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Week 2 of the NFL preseason features an NFC-AFC matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Saturday night.
These teams will meet with both coming off losses. Last week, Tampa Bay dropped a close game to Miami, while Tennessee was the latest to fall to Baltimore on its 21-game preseason winning streak.
Despite issues getting the offense going against the Ravens, the Titans opened as 2.5-point home favorites in Week 2. Below are our best free NFL picks and predictions for Buccaneers vs. Titans on Saturday, August 20.
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We’ve reached the point of the year where football bettors are absolutely foaming at the mouth to get down some betting action. Thankfully, we’re on the cusp of another NFL preseason to help curb that appetite until the real games get here in September, and with the return of the preseason, comes the return of one of the greatest betting runs in modern gambling history.
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Monday Night Football will return to Detroit for the first time since 2018 as the 3-4 Las Vegas Raiders are set to take on the 5-2 Detroit Lions.
NFL Week 8 odds are large in favor of the Lions, as they look to bounce back from an embarrassing loss last week at the hands of the Ravens. However, the Raiders are bringing back Jimmy Garoppolo for this contest.
Find out what my NFL picks are for this MNF affair when I take a deep dive into the MNF odds.
You can also get our full game analysis with our Raiders vs. Lions predictions, plus a Jared Goff odds and props spotlight.
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