Oranje boss Bert van Marwijk has revealed that he will change his starting XI for Sunday s deciding group match against Portugal.

Normally we have a lot of creativity and we are fast at the front, but against Denmark and Germany it was not there, he told KNVB s official website.

But this happens in football. We lost two games, so I have to change my squad for match against Portugal.

Perhaps Van Marwijk himself is to blame for this lack of creativity . How creative and ambitious can you be if you deploy two defensive-minded midfielders, Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong.

Thus, Van Marwijk will surely sacrifice either the Manchester City man or the veteran skipper.

Of the two, I fancy Van Bommel to keep his place, while De Jong will…

Manchester City sealed a significant coup on Thursday as Pep Guardiola put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension with the Premier League champions.

If the 47-year-old sees out his deal it will represent a five-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium – longer than the respective four and three season stays the restless innovator managed at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Throughout their march to domestic glory this season, City have been putting plans in place behind the scenes in an attempt to secure a lasting period of success.

Guardiola is merely the latest key figure to sign fresh terms, although the future of other stars does not have similar clarity.

Ederson

Arguably the most important signing of Guardiola s two-year reign to date, the …

Italy are facing an all too familiar situation as they prepare to meet Ireland in their final Group C match on Monday.

At the 2004 European championships held in Portugal, the Italians were eliminated from the group stages following Sweden and Denmark s 2-2 draw.

That was the score the Danes required in their final group game, and they booked their passage to the knockout phase at the expense of Italy.

And the same scenario again confronts the 2006 World champions.

If they beat the already-eliminated Ireland at the Stadion Miejski in Poznan and either Spain or Croatia prevail in their clash, Italy will progress, but a 2-2 draw between their fellow Group C sides would send Cesare Prandelli s men home.

However, if the Spain and Croatia encounter e…

England match-winner Chloe Kelly described the 2-1 victory over Germany in Sunday s Euro 2022 final as what dreams are made of .

The Lionesses made history with a breakthrough triumph at Wembley, delivering a first major trophy win for England s women s team.

England were thrashed 6-2 by Germany in the Euro 2009 final, but it was far tighter this time around, with goals from substitutes Ella Toone and Kelly making all the difference.

Kelly, the 24-year-old Manchester City striker who suffered an ACL knee injury 14 months ago, poked in a 110th-minute winner after the tournament finale went to extra time.

Honestly, it s amazing. This is what dreams are made of. As a young girl watching women s football, now this, it s unbelievable, Kelly told BBC Sport.…

Opportunism was the name of the game for Atletico Madrid in 2020-21 and, ultimately, it led them all the way to the title.

First, they pounced on the opportunity to sign Luis Suarez, then Diego Simeone s squad enjoyed a commanding start to the season that left their rivals playing catch-up.

Lionel Messi s situation at Barcelona contributed to the Blaugrana being slow out of the blocks, and although Atletico almost contrived to throw it all away in the latter stages of the season, they proved their resilience in seeing it out.

While opportunism led to success then, this season Atletico arguably find themselves on the cusp of a new, dominant era. Barca are in an even greater mess than 12 months ago and no longer have Messi to bail them out, while Madrid s only maj…

Villarreal defender Jaume Costa admits it will be tough to replicate the club s stunning 2013 in the new year.

Marcelino s side were promoted to La Liga ahead of this season and have made an excellent start to life in Spain s top flight.

Villarreal currently sit sixth in the table at the mid-season break thanks in the main to a defence that is third-best in the division behind the top two, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Costa has made 14 appearances for Villarreal this season but acknowledges 2014 might not be as good for the club despite being upbeat about the future.

Being at the level of this year is going to be tricky, Costa said.

But we know we have to perform like that if we re going to do well.

Every year in football is different and every game…

The last team to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles was Tom Brady’s 2004 Patriots team. And after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Promised Land in 2020 and cementing his place as the greatest of all time, Brady is essentially now chasing his own ghost.

The Bucs are favorites to win a second straight Lombardi, the NFC title, the NFC South, and pretty much every game on their 2021 schedule. Are bettors willing to eat that chalk or will they snack on all the points being handed to Tampa’s opponents?

Here’s our 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL betting preview.

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Sunday night, the Cleveland Browns visit their AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, as both clubs look to win back-to-back games for the first time since mid-October. Baltimore comes in as 3.5-point favorites with a total of 47 and will have Lamar Jackson under center, while the Browns should get tackle Jack Conklin and RB Kareem Hunt back.

Can the Browns lean on their power running game against the Ravens’ No. 5 rush defense? Can Lamar and the offense find some success after totaling just 26 points over their last two games? Find out in our Sunday night free props and predictions for Browns at Ravens.

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A rematch of the NFC Championship Game will play out at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night as the Los Angeles Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers. 

Los Angeles has ruled the roost in the NFC West through three weeks at 2-1, though the 49ers trail by just a game at 1-2. If San Francisco forces a tie with L.A. in the divisional standings, it will likely be due to a big effort from wide receiver Deebo Samuel. 

Here are our three favorite Deebo Samuel prop picks for Monday, October 3.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s teaser time!

Sadly, the teaser ship didn’t get righted last week, and my teaser record for the season now sits at an unfortunate 5-8. It’s been a tough stretch when it comes to the NFL odds, but with five weeks remaining and the potential for a teaser or two in the playoffs, there’s still time to turn this thing around.

Week 14 odds are an ugly one for the most part, highlighted by a lot of backup quarterbacks and some potentially messy weather. However, we do have some nice-looking teaser spots that can hopefully give our bankrolls a nice boost to contribute to some holiday fun!

I need some rum for my eggnog, and a teaser win in W…