Newcastle United showing interest in Joe Gomez

Italy moved within touching distance of the Nations League quarter-finals after Giovanni Di Lorenzo s double powered them to a 4-1 triumph over Israel on Monday.

Luciano Spalletti s side will need just a point from either of their last two matches in November to secure progression after a convincing victory in Udine that pushed Israel further towards relegation.

Israel goalkeeper Omri Glazer provided stern resistance in the first half before Mateo Retegui s penalty, awarded for a foul by Dor Peretz on Sandro Tonali, broke the deadlock four minutes before the interval.

Captain Di Lorenzo doubled his side s advantage before the hour, powering a header in from close range after Giacomo Raspadori s inviting free-kick, though Israel halved the deficit with 24 minutes …

England will face Spain in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday, November 15.

Both nations will begin new eras this season, with Sam Allardyce having replaced Roy Hodgson as England manager following their last-16 exit at Euro 2016, while Julen Lopetegui was installed as Vicente del Bosque s successor after Spain bowed out at the same stage in their bid to win a third consecutive European title.

Spain won the previous meeting between the sides, 2-0 in Alicante last November thanks to goals from Mario Gaspar and Santi Cazorla.

New fixture confirmed:

v
Tuesday 15 November
8pm

On sale 13 September
From £20/£10

— England (@England)

Frank Lampard scored the only goal when England triumphed in the previous Wembley meeting five years…

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker:

Braga will host Maccabi Petah Tikva at Estadio Municipal de Braga on Thursday evening for the first leg of their Europa League second round qualifying tie.

The victor of this two-legged encounter will face off against either Molde FK or Silkeborg IF in the third qualifying round.

Braga

Including qualifiers, Braga are gearing up for their eighth consecutive season in the Europa League, aiming to improve upon last year s early exit in the third qualifying round against Qarabaq FK.

Braga s primary goal in recent years has been to break into the top two of the Portuguese top flight, a feat last achieved in the 2009-10 season. However, they ended the 2023-24 campaign in fourth place for the third time in four seasons.

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Depending upon which narrative you chose to embrace, Neymar will either look to start a Paris Saint-Germain dynasty in which he is the jewel when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League or turn in an audition to be the Santiago Bernabeu s latest galactico.

The Brazil forward was apparently motivated in part by his desire to win the Ballon d Or when he swapped Barcelona for Paris last August and dumping the reigning European champions out at the last-16 stage would certainly do much to further his ambitions.

Madrid s reported courting of Neymar has much to do with Cristiano Ronaldo s perceived decline over recent months but the Portuguese icon appears to be coming good at just the right time.

Quietly – by his standards – Ronaldo has scored seven goals in…

Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop is unlikely to make another appearance before 2009. This was announced by manager Jürgen Klinsmann on Friday.

Altintop fractured his metatarsus six months ago but recovered in time to represent the Turkish national team at Euro 2008.

But the injury returned in August, and the player has been able to spend only 64 minutes on the pitch this season.

Klinsmann revealed that Altintop needs surgery to correct the injury. It will be the second operation within a month time for the 25-year-old.

…

A classic NFC South showdown takes center stage for Sunday Night Football in Week 15, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to the reeling New Orleans Saints at the pirate ship.

The Bucs are favored by 11.5 as they aim to win for the fifth straight game. The Saints, on the other hand, have mostly struggled of late outside of Week 14’s beatdown against the Jets. The Buccaneers are not the Jets. 

Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for Saints at Bucs on December 19.

…

We’re already in Week 10 and despite a bump in the road last week, it’s been a profitable season to date on the player prop front.

The Week 10 markets have been slow to open but that hasn’t stopped me from finding some gems, and today’s NFL player prop picks are exactly that. I’m hitting the Over on a pair of rookie running backs who have very different roles on their respective teams. 

I break it all down below. 

…

The Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts have both hit a rut. Hurts and the Eagles were held without an offensive touchdown last week in Dallas in their second straight double-digit defeat against a top NFC opponent. 

The Birds have lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2021 and Hurts hasn’t helped despite NFL odds often being favorable.

However, they’ll have a chance to get back on track in Week 15 against a Seattle Seahawks team that has lost four straight and is a slight home underdog in the latest MNF odds. 

Before making your NFL picks, read on for our Jalen Hurts odds spotlight for Monday Night Football as part of our Eagles vs. Seahawks predictions.

And if more NFL player props are your flavor, w…

The Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks will both have the bulk of their starters on the field to open their final NFL preseason game tonight.

Deshaun Watson’s status is still in the air for the Browns, but we could get our first glimpse of him throwing to their trio of stud receivers. Meanwhile, Geno Smith will get a few series under center for the Seahawks as they continue to break in their new offensive scheme.

Find out why key injuries for Cleveland will play an important role in the outcome of this one in our Browns vs. Seahawks predictions and NFL picks for Saturday, August 24. 

Browns vs Seahawks prediction

My best betSeahawks moneyline (+102 at DraftKings)

My analysis

We probably won’t know…

Borussia Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek hopes to be fit and available for selection by 2014.

The Poland international is currently undergoing hip and groin treatment and has not featured for the club this season.

While the 28-year-old is eager to return to the side, he insists he will not rush his comeback and risk a further lay-off.

My goal is to come back for the second half of the season, Piszczek told Bild, before stating his intention to complete his return in good time.

Even though I have now and then a little pain, it is definitely much better than before the operation. I am satisfied.

I will do nothing unnecessary to put myself under pressure after such a major operation.

There were fears that manager Jurgen Klopp may be without fellow d…