Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker:
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Serie A table, Palmeiras will travel to the Arena Fonte Nova in the early hours of Thursday when they meet Bahia.
Bahia
Starting with the hosts, while Bahia might have been last seen heading into the international break with an action-packed 2-2 draw at home against Cruzeiro on June 10th, that result doesn’t cover what has been an extended rut for Renato Paiva’s squad. Although the Tricolor might have made their Serie A return this season, it is no secret that that Salvador-based outfit are tipped as a leading contender to be hit with an immediate second-tier return in 2023. Despite punching their Copa do Brasil quarter-final ticket on May 31st thanks to a nerv…
Romelu Lukaku has admitted he is not happy with the situation at Chelsea and harbours regret at the way he left Inter for Stamford Bridge.
The Belgium international signed for the Blues for the second time in his career in August for a reported club-record fee of £97.5million (€115m).
Lukaku later said he spoke to Inter boss Simone Inzaghi to plead for the chance to go back to Chelsea, the club he first joined from Anderlecht in 2011, as he felt he had unfinished business in the Premier League.
Inter fans were angry with Lukaku s determination to leave just weeks after they had celebrated a first Serie A title in 10 years, with the striker having played a critical role in their success under Antonio Conte.
Lukaku was directly involved in 35 goals (24 …
Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has announced his retirement at the age of 32.
Hazard won two Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge before moving to Real Madrid in 2019.
But the Belgian struggled with injuries and made just 76 appearances in four seasons at Real before leaving in the summer.
“You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time,” he wrote on Instagram.
“After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer.
“I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world.
“During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and team-mates – thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all.
…
Best odds: 17/20
Bookmaker:
Following the confirmation of the dismissal of manager Paul Heckingbottom and the imminent appointment of Chris Wilder in his place, Sheffield United are set to make their return to Bramall Lane, hosting Liverpool in Wednesday s Premier League fixture.
Sheffield United faced a humiliating 5-0 defeat against Burnley in their recent match, contrasting with Liverpool s thrilling 4-3 victory over Fulham at Anfield, where the Reds continued their flawless record at home.
Sheffield United
Prior to Sheffield United s visit on Saturday, Burnley had endured seven defeats in as many Premier League home matches during the 2023/24 season, setting an unfortunate record in the league.
In a stunning turn of events, Burnley began the…
Emiliano Martinez has signed a contract extension with Aston Villa to keep him at the club until 2029.
His current contract was set to run out in 2027, but he has now signed a new deal which will keep him at Villa Park for five more years.
The World Cup winner joined Villa in September 2020 for a fee of £17million from Arsenal and has made 160 appearances for them in all competitions.
In his debut campaign, he kept 15 clean sheets, equalling a club record for a single season, and has gone on to keep 54 shutouts in all competitions since.
Martinez s penalty shoot-out heroics in the Europa Conference League last season helped the club to the semi-finals, while he was also a key figure as they secured Champions League football by finishing fourth in the Pre…
Blue cards will be shown to players sin-binned in new trials to indicate they must spend 10 minutes in the technical area, the PA news agency understands.
The Daily Telegraph first reported the use of the cards on Thursday and it is understood these will be shown by referees as part of a new trial.
Dissent and tactical fouls, like Giorgio Chiellini’s tug on England’s Bukayo Saka in the Euro 2020 final, will count as blue card offences.
Full details of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) trial protocols are set to be published on Friday.
The Football Association is understood to be considering the possibility of trialling sin-bins in next season’s men’s and women’s FA Cups, PA understands.
The IFAB, which sets the laws of …
Market: St. Patrick s win
Odds: 4/11 @
Desperate to try and find some stability when returning from the international break, St. Patrick s will welcome UC Dublin to Richmond Park on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, last seen heading into the international break with a 1-0 loss away at Dundalk, St. Patrick s will be looking to kickstart their campaign here. Now sat five points adrift of finding a route back into the European places, the Saints have also managed to win just one of their previous five Premier Division showdowns. Claiming what was a thumping 3-0 victory against Bohemians on May 23rd, Tim Clancy s side will be desperate for a similar display on Friday night. However, with Dublin bragging rights up for grabs this weekend, St. Patrick s should be…
Manchester United-bound Casemiro has promised to return to Real Madrid later in his career.
Casemiro is joining United in a deal said to be worth an initial £60million (€70m).
The 30-year-old, who joined Los Blancos from Sao Paulo in 2013, has been a mainstay of Madrid s midfield since he returned from a loan at Porto in 2015.
He has won 18 titles with Madrid in total, including five Champions League triumphs and three LaLiga successes.
Ahead of his move to United officially going through, Casemiro bid farewell to Madrid on Monday, and pledged that he will one day return to the club.
I want to make it clear that one day I will come back here to show how special this club is to me, and to help in any way that might be useful, said Casemiro…
Christian Eriksen s quick emergence as a key player at Manchester United has not surprised former Red Devils midfielder Michael Carrick.
Denmark international Eriksen joined United on a free transfer in pre-season after playing the second half of the 2021-22 campaign with Brentford.
It was initially unclear how United would fit Eriksen into the team given the importance of Bruno Fernandes, but Erik ten Hag s inability to land key transfer target Frenkie de Jong seemingly made the decision for him.
Eriksen has generally featured slightly deeper than Fernandes and the pair s collective creativity has been a real asset for United in midfield.
That was particularly plain to see in the impressive 3-1 win over Arsenal, as Eriksen s passes to Fernandes were cruc…
Erik ten Hag has included Jadon Sancho in his 29-man squad for Manchester United s pre-season tour of the United States.
Sancho, who spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan with Borussia Dortmund, played 45 minutes in United s 2-0 win over Rangers last Saturday.
The 24-year-old made three appearances for Ten Hag last season after an argument over his performances in training saw him banished from the first-team squad.
Sancho has since been back in training at Carrington, with the pair drawing a line under their drawn-out disagreement after holding a positive meeting earlier this month.
Locked in for
Erik s 29-man squad for our pre-season trip to USA has been confirmed!
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
United trave…