Cristiano Ronaldo was the biggest omission as UEFA named the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament.
Five players from competition winners Italy made the best XI announced on Tuesday, though there was no place for Golden Boot winner Ronaldo.
The Portugal forward scored five times, as did the Czech Republic s Patrik Schick, but Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku got the nod in a front three with Federico Chiesa and Raheem Sterling.
Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire were the other England representatives in the team.
But there was no place for fellow defender Luke Shaw, who scored in the final to cap a fine tournament, or his Manchester United team-mate Paul Pogba, one of the tournament s stars before France s elimination in the last 16.
Player of the tournament …
Oldham s Jose Baxter faces his old club Everton this weekend hoping to help his side cause another FA Cup shock
The fifth round of the FA Cup takes place this weekend with a number of teams hoping to cause upsets and some looking to avoid shocks.
One of the teams that caused a shock in the fourth round were League One Oldham.
The Latics knocked out Premier League Liverpool in the last round and now host the Reds neighbours Everton at Boundary Park.
One of the key players for the League One in that clash was former-Everton youngster Jose Baxter and he will be hoping to come back to haunt his old club in this clash.
Liverpool fielded a slightly weakened team at Boundary Park, but the Toffee’s are unlikely to make the same mistake.
Evert…
Manchester City s bid for a second Champions League crown got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a goalless draw by Inter in a repeat of the 2023 final.
Both teams squandered numerous chances in a breathless back-and-forth affair at the Etihad Stadium, with Inter defending resolutely before threatening to hit Pep Guardiola s hosts on the break on numerous occasions.
City s goal machine Erling Haaland was hoping to become the fastest player in history to score 100 goals for a European club, but he saw a header held by Yann Sommer early on before rolling another effort narrowly wide of the post.
Marcus Thuram flashed a first-time shot over the crossbar as Simone Inzaghi s men fired a warning shot of their own, while another Sommer save prevented Phil F…
Previously on NFL Underdogs…
I faded the defending champs in favor of the underdog Buccaneers, who not only came through as 3.5-point pups in Super Bowl LV but gave me my first Big Game payday since I picked up the reigns of this long-running column.
Over the past three seasons, I’ve gone 95-76-1 ATS, selecting only NFL point spread underdogs each week of the regular season and playoffs. And with the 2021 slate giving off that amazing new sneaker smell, we start the process all over again with my favorite NFL betting picks getting the points in Week 1.
Funny enough, we pick up where we left off, fading the Kansas City Chiefs in favor of a live underdog.
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The touchdown market has become one of the most popular and potentially profitable props in the NFL betting world. Each week, we’re going to throw down three to four units as we try to uncover some of the best weekly NFL TD props and dig into the matchups that surround them.
We’re taking some shots at the inaugural Week 18 TD board and hitting a newly-formed hybrid back, a slot receiver in a must-win game, and a backup running back.
Without further ado, our Week 18 touchdown prop picks.
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Hey look: a Week 16 TNF matchup featuring the Top 2 picks from last year’s draft going head-to-head!
Sure, I’m glossing over the fact that Zach Wilson has still not shown much indication that he is actually a franchise quarterback, but one outta two ain’t bad, right?
And that one, well hoo boy. Trevor Lawrence props have been fun to play lately, as he has been torching opposing defenses of late, and now we’re going to dip into his NFL player prop markets against the vaunted Jets defense.
Our Jaguars vs. Jets betting preview likes one of Lawrence’s targets to thrive, while my free NFL picks also like the Jags QB…
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The first four weeks of the 2023 NFL season have been a freefall for the Cincinnati Bengals, who bring a 1-3 record and banged-up superstar to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.
The health of Joe Burrow is the biggest catalyst for Cincinnati’s stumbles, with the standout quarterback limited due to a lingering calf injury. Burrow’s ineffectiveness under center has the Bengals’ offense in the toilet, clipping the claws of an otherwise high-octane attack.
That slow start for Cincinnati, and a 3-1 against the spread mark from Arizona, has flipped the Week 5 odds on its ear. The preseason point spread for this non-conference clash was as big as Bengals -7.5, but the line has slipped below a field goal as we head toward the weekend…
The Houston Texans’ playoff hopes are on the line as they face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but their fate is still in their own hands and they’ll be boosted by C.J. Stroud’s return.
The Texans managed to split the two games while Stroud was in concussion protocol, but they were second-best last weekend in a 36-22 loss to the surging Browns. Even so, Houston is in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC South heading into Week 17.
Tennessee has had its own quarterback injury woes, but Will Levis is expected to be back under center for a Titans team that’s still playing hard despite a 5-10 record. The visitors’ last three losses have all come by a 3-point margin, including a 20-17 setback last weekend against the Seahawks.&nb…
NFL Week 2’s Sunday Night Football showdown between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans could be a glimpse into a future Super Bowl pairing.
Houston features 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud while Chicago holds high hopes for 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
I’m buying into the Williams hype to an extent as I look at the opening odds for Sunday Night Football and give my early Bears vs. Texans predictions and NFL picks for September 15.
Bears vs Texans predictions
Early spread leanBears +6.5 (-105 at bet365)
My analysis
This spread is bouncing around a touchdown, with some books opening at Houston Texans -7 and taking early Chicago Bears money to trim it down to -6.5 as of Tuesday m…