Barcelona planning Busquets talks after Spain´s World Cup campaign

Barcelona will ask Sergio Busquets to provide clarity on his future plans when he returns from the World Cup, Jordi Cruyff has revealed.

Midfield stalwart Busquets is due to reach the end of his Barcelona contract at the end of this season, and he has been linked with a move to Inter Miami.

After 15 seasons at Camp Nou, Busquets could elect to finish his career in Major League Soccer with the team part-owned by David Beckham.

His long-standing team-mate Gerard Pique recently retired in mid-season, surprising Barcelona, and the club want to be sure they are aware of Busquets next intentions.

Cruyff said in an interview with TV3: When the World Cup is over, we will talk to him. He s earned every right to decide his future, but the club also needs to plan it…

5 big questions facing Gareth Southgate after England’s Euro 2024 qualification

England’s impressive victory over Italy at Wembley on Tuesday night confirmed their qualification for Euro 2024.

While there are still two qualifiers still to play in November, attention will already be shifting to how England end a 58-year wait for a major men’s trophy in Germany next summer.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key questions Gareth Southgate will need to answer between now and the start of the finals as he prepares to lead England into a fourth tournament as manager.

Faith no more?

Southgate has always remained loyal to players he feels he can trust and who have not let him down when they have turned out for England.

Among the current crop, former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and Manchester City midfielde…

San Jose Earthquakes v Houston Dynamo: Howard hopes to celebrate investment with road win

Houston Dynamo will hope to celebrate Tim Howard s investment into the side with victory against San Jose Earthquakes when the pair meet in MLS at PayPal Park.

United States men s national team legend Howard was announced as a minority investor in the Dynamo on Tuesday, with Houston excited by his experience.

His wealth of experience across soccer, both as a player at the highest levels and subsequently as a sporting director and media analyst, will be invaluable within ownership as we continue to build a competitive and successful organisation, majority owner Ted Segal said.

On the pitch, the Dynamo have followed back-to-back victories with just one point across their last two games.

Houston were beaten 3-2 by Western Conference joint-leaders Real Salt …

Wirtz focused on Euro 2024 amid Bayern Munich links

Florian Wirtz says now is not the time to discuss his Bayer Leverkusen future, as he prepares to lead Germany s bid for Euro 2024 glory on home soil.

Wirtz has emerged as one of the most highly rated attacking midfielders in world football, starring for Xabi Alonso s team as they went unbeaten to become Bundesliga champions in 2023-24.

He was named Bundesliga Player of the Year after scoring 11 goals and adding 11 assists, also helping Die Werkself win the DFB-Pokal to make it a double.

The likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United have all been linked with a move for Wirtz, while German media reports claim he is Bayern s top long-term target.

Wirtz is under contract at the BayArena until 2027, though, and he will not contemplate his clu…

FIFA World Cup Final Preview: Brazil 2014 produces moments to remember

Brazil 2014 will be remembered as one of the best FIFA World Cups in history, here we reflect on some of the most memorable moments.

Hosts humiliated by rampant Germany

Few could choose between Brazil and Germany ahead of their mouth-watering semi-final clash. Yet the European side flipped the narrative by producing a performance for the ages in a 7-1 drubbing of the hosts. A shell-shocked Brazil found themselves 5-0 down after just 29 minutes, with their opponents seemingly taking pity on the five-time champions thereafter. Few will forget the night Germany broke Brazilian hearts in their own backyard, even enjoying a standing ovation from
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a bedazzled home crowd when the seventh goal went in.

Costa Rica upset the odds

Earmarked as whipping b…

Kadarius Toney Super Bowl 57 Prop Odds and Prediction: Toney Surpasses Low Receiving Yards Line

Much has been made of the Kansas City Chiefs’ banged-up and battered wide receiver room heading into Super Bowl 57. But after two weeks off, things may be looking up for the Chiefs in that department.

Kadarius Toney will suit up tonight despite suffering an ankle injury in the AFC Championship Game. He has not lived up to his potential at this early stage in his NFL career, but Toney is a lightning rod on the field with next-level speed. He could be an under-the-radar game-changer for the Chiefs, who are currently underdogs on the Super Bowl odds board. 

His inconsistent play to this point could provide us some value with one of his Super Bowl player props this evening. Check out my Super Bowl predictions for Toney below.

NFL Betting Notebook, Odds, and Schedule: Tom Brady's Need for Speed

The NFL preseason doesn’t start until the Hall of Fame Game on August 4. What’s a football bettor to do until then?

Our latest NFL betting notebook puts a Hollywood spin on handicapping the upcoming season. Get your popcorn ready…

Vikings vs Packers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Week 8: How Low Can You Go at Lambeau?

The Minnesota Vikings head to Lambeau Field in Week 8 for a divisional battle against the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings are coming off a huge win on Monday Night Football against the 49ers and will take on a Packers side that is fresh off a road loss to a bad Broncos team.

NFL odds opened with the Packers as slim 1-point home faves but that line has flipped to favor the Vikes at -1 with the total listed at 43. Here are my best free NFL picks for Vikings vs. Packers on October 29. 

Vikings vs Packers odds

Vikings vs Packers predictions

The Minnesota Vikings are on the road on a short week and are prime for a letdown after an upset victory against the 49ers on Monday. That said, I still have a tough fading t…

The image that most captivated football fans after Bayern’s win

IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE

Shortly before former Uefa secretary general Hans Bangerter commissioned the current incarnation of Big Cup, its designer Jürg Stadelman and his father went to his office and covered the floor with drawings of different trophies. “He made comments like ‘The Bulgarians would like the bottom of that’,” Stadelman would later recall. “‘The Spaniards would like this but the Italians would prefer that and the Germans would go for this.’ We put the design together like a jigsaw puzzle.” It remains unclear whether or not Stadelman specified that Bangerter insisted on making the mouth of the trophy wide enough so that one day, decades in the future, Lucas Hernandez might hit upo…

Euro 2012: Van Tiggelen blasts Van Persie

Former Holland defender Adri van Tiggelen has encouraged Oranje boss Bert van Marwijk to include Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the starting XI for the next two group stage matches.

The inclusion of  Huntelaar would inevitably relegate Arsenal talisman Robin van Persie, who did little to nothing against Denmark in Holland s first match of Euro 2012, to the bench.

I guess it is about time that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar starts up front, I am kind of fed up with Robin van Persie, he told NUSport.

It is a fact he did an amazing job at Arsenal this season, but his performances have been heavily disappointing in the Netherlands national team.

Besides, we have two defensive midfielders who are hardly involved in attack. If Denmark benefited from that, Germ…