Sports

Sunday s World Cup final will not be the first time Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have met on this stage.

If the encounter at Lusail Stadium is half as good as the instant classic witnessed in Kazan four years ago, then we ll be in for a treat.

France won 4-3 in their last-16 duel, a game that was defined by Argentina s fragility and Les Bleus ruthlessness.

Didier Deschamps men of course went on to win the tournament; Argentina soon sacked Jorge Sampaoli and Lionel Messi went into a self-imposed international exile.

It was a seismic contest in a variety of ways.

Mbappe elevated to superstardom

The final of Qatar 2022 is of course being billed as Mbappe versus Messi. Ahead of their meeting in Kazan, this wasn t really the case, with the la…

The Washington Football Team pulled out all the stops to steal a victory from the clutches of defeat last Sunday but now host a New Orleans Saints team playing with a chip on its shoulder and one finger on the panic button in Week 5.

The 2-2 Saints are slight NFL betting favorites in the nation’s capital, currently giving two points to the Football Team. This will technically be New Orleans’ fourth travel game in the first five weeks after losing the home opener to the Giants in Week 4.

Check out our NFL free picks and predictions for Saints at Washington on October 10.

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Football is king.

It doesn’t matter if we’re in the middle of October, or just kicking off mini-camps and OTAs in the spring: NFL news is non-stop and so is the action at the books, which is why we see more and more NFL odds coming out earlier and earlier.

Each week throughout the offseason, I’ll be digging into the biggest news across the league — and NFL betting landscapes — trying to connect the dots to available markets, like finding an NFL futures odds ticket worth a wager or an early-bird bet to place once we get game odds in the coming weeks.

We start the countdown to kickoff of the 2022 season (September 8) with our weekly NFL betting notebook.

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Officiating does not find its way into many handicaps but with the constant issues seemingly every week, coupled with Roger Goodell’s blind eye to the problems, maybe bettors should take some time and look at who will be in control of Super Bowl 57.

Carl Cheffers will be the head official Sunday, and that isn’t great news for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, but bettors can find a few ways to cash in on the flag-throwing referee when making their Super Bowl predictions.

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After nearly a month, Patrick Mahomes finally put together a truly Mahomes-esque performance last week with a 32-for-42 showing for 424 yards and four touchdowns.

In Week 8 odds, Mahomes and the Chiefs will face off against the Broncos for the second time in three weeks, and although they walked away with a win last time, it wasn’t the prettiest offensive showing after only putting up 19 points.

Can Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs string together a performance more like last week’s? Or will the altitude and thin air deflate the Chiefs’ offense?

Continue reading to find out our favorite Patrick Mahomes props and NFL picks for Chiefs vs. Broncos on October 29th.

Also, be sure to check out our full Chiefs vs. Broncos betting preview. 

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The Philadelphia Eagles head to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in what is the final game of Super Wild Card weekend. 

The Eagles cruised through the first 12 games of the season before stumbling to a 1-4 record down the stretch. Jalen Hurts’ play has been sporadic and the defense has been gashed consistently. 

Conversely, the Bucs come into this game as winners of five of their last six. They are NFC South champions and a team with plenty of confidence and momentum. 

Can the Bucs’ good play continue? Or will the Eagles find a way to snap out of their funk? 

While there are many different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this game… did you know that you can also live stream Eagles/…

Monday Night Football is a double feature in Week 4, with the undefeated Seattle Seahawks coming to Motown to meet the Detroit Lions in the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Seattle has played soft competition to get its 3-0 record, but our Seahawks vs. Lions predictions expect the visitors to rise to the occasion against the Leos. Find out more in my NFL picks for this September 30 tilt.

Seahawks vs Lions predictions

Early spread leanSeahawks +4.5 (-115 at FanDuel)

My analysisIf you read my early Cowboys vs. Giants predictions, you already know the importance of a four-point spread. If not, here goes.

Outside of the standard key numbers of three, six, seven, and 10 in NFL betting, a four-point spread is the next most important spre…

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker:

Sevilla and Villarreal will meet at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Friday evening, both aiming to secure their first victory of the 2024/25 La Liga season after opening with 2-2 draws.

Sevilla shared the spoils with Las Palmas, while Villarreal held Atletico Madrid to a draw in their first outing at Estadio de la Ceramica. This upcoming encounter promises to be an intriguing affair as both sides look to build momentum early in the campaign.

Sevilla

Garcia Pimienta s tenure as Sevilla head coach got off to an eventful start with a 2-2 draw against Las Palmas last Friday. Despite taking the lead twice in Gran Canaria first through Erik Lamela and later through Juanlu Sanchez Sevilla were unable to secure all three points as San…

Steven Bergwijn has signed a new contract with PSV until 2023, the Eredivisie club have confirmed.

The Netherlands international had been heavily linked with a switch to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, while Manchester United were also reportedly interested during the Premier League transfer window.

But Bergwijn, 21, will instead continue his career-long association with PSV, where the forward has won three Eredivisie titles.

Explaining his decision, Bergwijn told PSV s official website: This is the right decision.

There were other options, but ultimately everything has to fit. For me, but also for PSV, and the result is that I stay here with great pleasure and with great confidence.

Sooo fans.
How happy are you?

— PSV (@PSV)

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Edin Dzeko was a key player as Manchester City won 2-0 at Arsenal yesterday

Yesterday was a good day for the Manchester clubs in the Premier League, as both Manchester United and Manchester City claimed victories in big games.

Manchester United defeated old foes Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford in the early kick-off.

United took the lead on 19 minutes. United worked the ball well and Patrice Evra’s cross was swept home with a first touch finish from goal machine Robin Van Persie.

The Dutchman could have doubled United’s lead in the 27th minute, but the striker fired over from inside the area after Ashley Young had found him with a good pass.

The home side extended their lead in the 53rd minute. Robin Van Persie delivered a dangerous free-kick in…