Rio 2016: We can control Neymar – Pinto

Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto is confident his team can control Neymar in their Rio Olympics semi-final against Brazil.

Neymar is under pressure to deliver the host nation football gold, an achievement that has eluded them in their history.

The Barcelona star and his men meet Honduras in the last four on Wednesday, with Nigeria and Germany in the other semi-final.

Pinto, also the senior team boss, said he is considering how to deal with Neymar.

I am thinking a lot about Neymar and how I can control him. I m looking for that player to mark him, he said.

I have played against him with Deportivo Tachira and we managed to control him, also with Honduras and we controlled him too.

Pinto knows the challenge awaiting his side, who were for…

Van Basten in dreamland after perfect Italian job at Euro 2008

Marco van Basten believes Holland have earned the right to dream of glory at Euro 2008 after their 3-0 demolition of world champions Italy kicked the tournament into life.

Holland s first win over the Italians in three decades and Italy s heaviest defeat in 25 years has left the Dutch in control of a group of death that also includes France and Romania, whose turgid goalless draw could not have been further removed from the exhilarating encounter served up here on Monday evening.

For the Dutch coach, the manner of the victory was every bit as important as its unlikely scale.

To beat the world champions playing football to the last minute it was for us a very nice game and also a historical game, he said. We have never beaten Italy by three goals.

If …

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain: Ronaldo versus Neymar in 2017-18

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…

“Hamit Altintop out until 2009”

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.

NFL Week 16 Bet Now, Bet Later: Colts-Cardinals Line Moving Quickly

The home stretch of the season is always a challenge for NFL betting. 

Now, COVID-19 throws a wrench into the mix, hitting teams hard over the past week and forcing the league to shuffle the schedule. We still have eight teams in action Monday and Tuesday, so NFL Week 16 odds are rolling out slowly.

We normally preach planning your attack by betting some spreads and totals now and waiting for moves on others. However, with a growing uncertainty around outbreaks, it can make the “Bet Now” part of this weekly article riskier.

That said, we move forward with our NFL Week 16 spreads and totals to bet now and the best lines to bet later. Be safe out there.

Commanders vs Eagles MNF Prop Bets: Monday Night Mismatch for A.J. Brown

The Philadelphia Eagles enter their Week 10 prime-time matchup with the Washington Commanders as a double-digit favorite for the third straight week.

The game script might favor the pass from the visitors, but as we saw last week with Houston, teams can run against the Eagles and have success.

Here are my best NFL player prop picks for Monday Night Football’s match between the Commanders and Eagles. You can also check out our Commanders vs. Eagles picks and predictions and our Jalen Hurts spotlight prop picks. 

Chiefs vs Patriots Odds, Picks, and Predictions Week 15: Second Half Stays Quet

The Kansas City Chiefs are reeling with a 1-3 straight up record over their last four games and head to Foxborough this week as 9.5-point road favorites vs. the New England Patriots, who are coming off a rare win and extra rest. 

With the public perception a little high on this New England offense after last week, are bettors getting a second-half total at the highest possible price heading into the weekend? 

I break down the NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for the Chiefs vs. Patriots on December 17. 

Chiefs vs Patriots odds

Chiefs vs Patriots predictions

The entire betting community knows the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the worst second-half-scoring teams in football, but it’s…

NFL Over/Under Betting Tips For 2023

Football Over/Unders are an exciting way to wager on NFL odds every Sunday, allowing bettors to wager on the total score instead of picking a winner. 

How the Over/Under works in football

The Over/Under in football starts with the oddsmakers’ projected total for the game. NFL betting sites will post an Over/Under for every game on the schedule based on the teams’ offense, defense, injuries, and other factors like home/away splits and weather.

For example, oddsmakers could examine a matchup and set the Over/Under total at 50 points. Bettors would then pick whether the final combined score of the game would be over or under 50 points. If the final combined score of both teams was 53, bettors who selected the Over would win the bet.

Guardiola calm in the face of Anfield storm from ‘high-intensity’ Liverpool

As Pep Guardiola prepares to take Manchester City into the cauldron of Anfield for Sunday’s showdown with Liverpool, he exudes a characteristic first witnessed towards the end of last season: serenity. Intensity has been superseded by a manager at ease – with his team and himself.

This new geniality appeared in May when City beat Paris Saint-Germain in their semi to reach a first Champions League final. When Guardiola’s third Premier League title was secured with three games to spare, it deepened. Come the next season and fresh travails, it was easy to assume Guardiola would return to his more recognisable persona.

Southgate insists Manchester City trio’s battle for game time is good for EnglandRead more

But …

‘You must never give up’: underdogs Napoli reach glorious summit again

This was not the stadium where Napoli had hoped to seal their Serie A title but after a 33-year wait you can make any place feel like the promised land. There are more than 500 miles of road between the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and Udinese’s Dacia Arena, and thousands of supporters travelled them to be present when their team crossed the finish line.

They were made to suffer a little while longer, watching Napoli fall behind to a brilliantly taken goal by Sandi Lovric. But when Victor Osimhen swept an equaliser home through a crowded penalty area at the start of the second half the celebrations began in earnest. One point was all Napoli needed.

The striker ran to the nearest pocket of away fans and hammered h…