Market: Benfica win
Odds: 1/2 @
Simply looking to finish off the job on Tuesday night and extend on their Champions League adventure, Benfica will welcome Spartak Moscow to the Estádio da Luz.
Starting with the hosts, managing to open the 2021/22 Primeira Liga with a largely dominant display on the road, the mood in Benfica s camp should be at a real high. Grabbing a deserved 2-1 victory on their travels to Moreirense and with their sights set on mounting a real title charge this season, The Eagles also sit in pole position to extend on their Champions League run in midweek. Landing a 2-0 win away in Russia last week in what was their first competitive outing since the end of May, Head Coach Jorge Jesus saw his side sign off their preparations with an eye-catch…
David Moyes bemoaned West Ham s failure to match Gent s physicality as they were made to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final.
West Ham headed to Belgium unbeaten in the competition this season, a record they protected on Thursday.
But it could have been so much better for the Hammers, who led through Danny Ings opener with their first attempt on the stroke of half-time.
Rather than kick on in the second half, however, Moyes side let Gent back into the game.
Hugo Cuypers equalised for the home side, and West Ham never looked comfortable defending against breakout star Gift Orban, who hit the crossbar with an overhead kick.
Moyes was forced to accept a draw was a reasonable result ahead of returning…
Monaco have denied they may be forced to part with striker Radamel Falcao because of the row brewing over the club s tax status.
As they are based in the tax haven of Monte Carlo, Monaco, who were acquired by Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2011, can pay their stars huge, tax-exempt salaries, which their Ligue 1 rivals cannot match.
There is the prospect France could pass a new tax rate on incomes over €1 million of 75 per cent, greatly reducing the bargaining power of the other 19 clubs in Ligue 1.
But the French league has now ruled Monaco must relocate their headquarters to France by June 2014, making them subject to the same tax conditions as their rivals.
This has led to reports some of the club s big-name arrivals, such as Falcao, Joao Moutinho a…
The agent of Schalke forward Teemu Pukki expects his client to secure a move away from the club before the close of the transfer window.
The Finland international made just two Bundesliga starts last term after finding himself behind Dutch frontman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the striking pecking order.
Celtic are reportedly keen on offering Pukki a route out of the Veltins-Arena and, though the Scottish Premiership outfit have seen a bid turned down, the 23-year-old s representative is predicting a positive conclusion.
The offer has been rejected by Schalke, but there is still time until the end of the window, so that is not an issue, he said.
There are concrete pre-arranged conditions that have to be met, then to my knowledge Pukki should leave Schalke. There have b…
Adrien Silva refused to be drawn on comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but praised his Portugal team-mate s leadership on and off the field.
Ronaldo was at his very best in Portugal s 3-3 draw with Spain in their World Cup Group B opener, while Messi struggled and missed a penalty for Argentina in their stalemate with Iceland, leading to contrasting reports about their form in the media.
Silva told reporters that comparisons between arguably the two best players of all time were not valid, and heaped praise on Ronaldo s impact on the Portugal squad.
You can t compare Messi with Ronaldo, said Silva. We have a leader, he s with us and he must do what he must do. He has to help us as best as he can.
Adrien Silva já chegou à conferên…
Newly re-elected Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has suggested Manchester United outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger is ready retire.
Schweinsteiger left Bayern for United in 2015, but has not hit the same heights at Old Trafford that he did during a distinguished spell at the Allianz Arena.
Problems with injury and form saw him struggle to make an impact last season, before he was deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho at the start of this campaign.
He has yet to feature for United in any competition this term and recent reports suggested he could leave United for a move to MLS in January, while Brazilian side Santos have also shown an interest in signing the former Germany international.
However, Hoeness has hinted the 32-year-old midfielder c…
The England and Wales Cricket Board has joined the tributes to HRH Queen Elizabeth II following her death aged 96 and confirmed the second day of the third Test against South Africa will not take place on Friday.
The monarch, Britain s longest-serving head of state, passed away at her home in Balmoral on Thursday, on a day where no play took place at The Oval due to poor weather.
The deciding encounter will not resume on Friday as planned however, with the ECB confirming that both it and fixtures in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy will be deferred in the wake of the Queen s passing.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is deeply saddened at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, read an official statement.
The thoughts of everyone involved in the g…
Bosnia and Herzegovina have scheduled a friendly against Russia one day before the start of the World Cup, sparking controversy and attracting criticism from within their own ranks.
The match is set to take place in Saint Petersburg on November 19, on the eve of Qatar 2022, with the date and Bosnia s opposition both being highly questionable.
Russia s national teams were banned from international competition following the invasion of Ukraine, weeks before the team were due to start a play-off campaign for a potential spot at the World Cup.
Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, who were due to be potential opponents for Russia, pressured for the ban to take place, while federations representing England, France and the United States quickly made it clear they wou…
Rockstar’s L.A. Noire, a detective game set in 1940s Los Angeles, celebrates its 10th anniversary today, May 17. To mark the occasion, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the stars of the game for a retrospective, and one topic that came up was a sequel.
Mad Men actor Aaron Staton, who played lead character Cole Phelps, said he never heard a peep about Rockstar making a sequel to the game, which was developed by the now-defunct Team Bondi out of Australia. Staton said he wonders where a sequel might go, considering the fate of his character.
“I never heard a word about a sequel,” he said Come from Sports betting site VPbet . “If there was another story, I would be curious what they would tell since Cole Phelps died…
Atletico Madrid s president said Monday he has received no offers for Argentine star Sergio Kun Aguero, a reported target of Chelsea, or Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan.
No club or representative has come to us, said Enrique Cerezo. We have no offers for our players.
We don t want to sell, the idea is to make a great team, he said.
British media reports last week said Chelsea had launched a 45-million-pound (53-million-euro) bid to sign the 21-year-old Aguero, who scored 17 goals last season to help Atletico claim a place in the Champions League.
Cerezo said he had not heard from Real Madrid s new president Florentino Perez, despite Spanish press reports the club was interested in Forlan, the top scorer in the Spanish league last season.
Atletic…