Stoke City striker Peter Crouch refused a spot on the Euro 2012 standby list, according to England manager Roy Hodgson.
The 31-year-old target man has been left out of Hodgson s first two World Cup qualifiers, despite injuries to both Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll and doubts over Daniel Sturridge s fitness.
And the veteran manager revealed that it was the former Liverpool and Tottenham man s decision to avoid involvement in the summer tournament and not his.
I selected him for the Euros but he didn t want to come, Hodgson said.
He made it clear that unless he was in the squad he didn t want to be considered.
As a result, we ve selected squads since that time when I felt I didn t need him here. I m not going to bring him here to fill up the ben…
Market: Over 2.5 goals
Odds: 1/1 @
Already securing their spot at next year s World Cup finals, France will be hoping to end their qualifying campaign with a flurry when they make the trip to Finland on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Finland might open Tuesday s finale sat in pole position to secure a spot at next year s World Cup finals, they could have a nervy night on their hands. Sat holding just a two-point buffer over the chasing Ukraine in that lucrative play-off spot, Head Coach Markku Kanerva will be desperate for his side to show their resolve. Although the Whites might have been left heartbroken after their 2-1 defeat against Ukraine last month, they have managed to bounce back. Picking up some perfect momentum over the weekend as they …
Jamie Vardy scored for the 11th match in a row on this day in 2015 to break Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record and earn Leicester a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
The England forward opened the scoring against Manchester United in the 24th minute to surpass Van Nistelrooy’s 10-game mark, which had stood since 2003.
Vardy found his 14th goal of the season when he got on the end of Christian Fuchs’ pass and rifled past David De Gea from close range and become the first player to score in 11 consecutive games in the Premier League era.
Manchester United managed to find an equaliser when Bastian Schweinsteiger cancelled out Vardy’s opener with a powerful header from close range to make it 1-1.
The 28-year-old started the run of consecutive …
Sunday sees a massive clash in the AFC North with the top two teams facing off against one another. The Bengals travel into Baltimore to face the Ravens and attempt to end their five-game winning streak.
The Bengals are hugely improved this season with the chemistry between Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase flourishing, meanwhile Lamar Jackson is having an MVP level season. This is going to be an absolute war but who will come out on top?
Find out now in our NFL picks and predictions for the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens.
…
The Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos lock horns on Saturday night in what will be the preseason finale for both squads.
Both teams are coming off lopsided losses last week and seem content to finish the preseason with their starters covered up in bubble wrap.
Here are our best free NFL picks and predictions for Vikings vs. Broncos on Friday, August 26.
…
With the Windy City abuzz about finding their potential franchise quarterback in Justin Fields (an MVP betting darling), the Chicago Bears take the field Saturday afternoon against a Tennessee Titans team that many are counting out this season.
Despite “Da Bears” having the worst record in the league last season (3-14) and injuries being at the heart of the Titans’ disappointing 7-10 season, there seems to be far more optimism in Chi-town than in the Music City. The way each franchise attacked the offseason has a lot to do with that and could be why Chicago is -3.5-point chalk in the unpredictable world of NFL preseason betting.
Find out where my best bets lie in our NFL preseason picks and predictions for Titans vs. Bears on Saturday, August 12.
Few players has been under more scrutiny this season than Bryce Young, whose early season failures have mirrored those of the Carolina Panthers. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has already been picked off seven times during his rookie campaign and his QBR of 29.5 is the worst among all starting quarterbacks in the NFL. If ever there was a time for him to break loose, it’s on Thursday Night Football against the woebegone Chicago Bears.
Chicago has lost its last two games and has given up the second most points of any team in the NFC. The bruised and battered Bears are ripe for the taking, and Young could just be the QB to bring them down.
While there are a number of different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this gam…
Few players has been under more scrutiny this season than Bryce Young, whose early season failures have mirrored those of the Carolina Panthers. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has already been picked off seven times during his rookie campaign and his QBR of 29.5 is the worst among all starting quarterbacks in the NFL. If ever there was a time for him to break loose, it’s on Thursday Night Football against the woebegone Chicago Bears.
Chicago has lost its last two games and has given up the second most points of any team in the NFC. The bruised and battered Bears are ripe for the taking, and Young could just be the QB to bring them down.
While there are a number of different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this gam…
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs successfully held off Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills for the third straight time in the playoffs, and now will travel to take on the presumed MVP in Lamar Jackson and the rest of the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Conference Championship odds battle.
Can Mahomes lift the Chiefs among the Super Bowl odds once again? Or will Lamar Jackson prove the NFL odds right and punch his first ticket to the big game?
Continue reading for free NFL picks and predictions for the Chiefs vs Ravens conference championship game on Sunday, January 28th.
For more great AFC Championship game content, be sure to check out our Chiefs vs. Ravens predictions and our Lamar Jackson prop picks
…
The Miami Dolphins quarterback situation leaves a lot to be desired and with Tyler Huntley getting the start under center, we look to the Dolphins running back to lead the way.
De’Von Achane has been reliable on the ground, and my Titans vs. Dolphins predictions explain why betting on the RB to exceed his rushing yard total is the way to go. Read all about it in my NFL picks for September 30.
Titans vs Dolphins MNF prediction
My best betDevon Achane Over 56.5 rushing yards (-113 at FanDuel)
My analysisMike McDaniel’s offense is a mess, with the Miami Dolphins down their top two quarterbacks and leaning on recently signed Tyler Huntley under center on Monday night.
Huntley has proven to be a capable Plan B (…
In a season of ups, downs, postponements and wild differences in the number of matches played, it can be hard to pick out the games that will define this Women’s Super League campaign.
However, when Arsenal and Manchester City kick off in Borehamwood on Sunday, it is hard to believe there will be a bigger week for either team. Separated by four points (with Manchester City third and Arsenal fourth with a game in hand), for either side to keep title aspirations alive they will need to win and, counterintuitively, cheer for their opponent later in the week: Arsenal play the leaders, Chelsea, on Wednesday and City host second-placed Manchester United on Friday.
“The WSL is set up for that [season-defining games],�…