Porto have confirmed head coach Sergio Conceicao has committed his future to the club through to 2021.
The Primeira Liga leaders face title rivals Benfica, who are a point off the top, on Saturday and delivered a pre-match boost by announcing a contract renewal for Conceicao, who had two spells with Porto as a player.
Conceicao, linked with taking charge of Premier League side Everton last year, has led Porto to the last 16 of the Champions League this season.
Porto trail Roma 2-1 after the first leg of their tie with the return game set to be played at Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday.
Conceicao s side are also on track to reach the final of the Taca de Portugal, holding a 3-0 lead after the first leg of their last-four clash with Braga.
When I sp…
Sweden ensured they bowed out of Euro 2012 with a win, defeating France 2-0 in Kiev on Tuesday.
Erik Hamren s men had nothing but pride to play for following defeats to Ukraine and England in their opening two games, while the French needed victory to confirm top spot in Group D and avoid a potential encounter with Spain in the knockout phases.
However, Sweden ended France s 23-game unbeaten run courtesy of second-half goals from captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sebastian Larsson.
France will now meet defending champions Spain in the quarter-finals.
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Serie A returns on Saturday, with Milan looking to retain their title after a first Scudetto triumph in 11 years.
The Rossoneri have brought in Belgium duo Charles De Ketelaere and Divock Origi to bolster Stefano Pioli s squad as they prepare to face another challenge from rivals Inter.
Simone Inzaghi will have his own Belgium international striker Romelu Lukaku to call on again after he was brought back on loan from Chelsea.
How will those clubs fare, who is likely to be their closest challengers, and who will be fearing the drop from Italy s top flight?
Stats Perform AI has predicted the outcome of the campaign, estimating the likelihood of teams finishing in each position informed by their expected results in each match.
These are calculated…
Bayern Munich are entering a new era under Julian Nagelsmann, but it looks unlikely much will change when it comes to their dominance of the Bundesliga in 2021-22.
It could be another good season for Wolfsburg, but things are not looking too good for Greuther Furth, according to Stats Perform predictions.
The Stats Perform League Prediction Model, created by Stats Perform AI using Opta data, has analysed the division ahead of the new season to assign percentages to potential outcomes for each club.
The model estimates the probability of each match outcome (win, draw or loss) based on teams attacking and defensive qualities, which considers four years worth of results, with weighting based on recency and the quality of opposition. The season is then simulated 10,…
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was yesterday awarded the 2013 Ballon d Or award
Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the Ballon d’Or award yesterday.
The Portuguese international won the award ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery.
Emotional
The 28-year-old was emotional when he received the award.
On receiving the award he said: I have no words to describe this moment. Thanks to all of my team-mates at Real Madrid and the national team.
Without all of their efforts this would not have been possible. I am very happy, it is very difficult to win this award.
Everybody that has been involved with me on a personal level I have to thank. My partner, my friends, my son. It is a t…
You know at some point this season, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is going to yell out the classic coaching cliché, “DREW BREES AIN’T WALKING THROUGH THAT DOOR!”.
Brees has hung them up, leaving this once-feared passing game in flux. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill could play a few rounds of musical chairs under center, putting added weight on the Saints’ dominant defense to finally hog the spotlight.
Payton is going to earn his paycheck this year, but can he earn some extra scratch for NOLA backers as well?
Enjoy our 2021 New Orleans Saints NFL betting preview.
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The AFC North rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens shines under the Sunday Night Football spotlight in Week 12. With the division still very much up for grabs, this primetime contest holds extra weight as NFL betting hits the home stretch of the schedule.
Baltimore is a 3.5-point favorite and will have star QB Lamar Jackson back under center after missing last week’s game due to illness. Cleveland is also expected to have QB1 Baker Mayfield active, as he’s been dealing with injuries…well, all season.
Check out our free NFL betting picks for Browns at Ravens on November 28.
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In the first meeting since last season’s NFC Championship game, the San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium as slight 1.5-point home favorites.
The 49ers only managed 50 plays in that game and are the slowest team in terms of pace of play so far this season when it comes to neutral situations. With left tackle Trent Williams out, is there much hope for the 49ers’ offense as they face the No. 1 defense in EPA/rush?
Find out in my free NFL player prop picks for Monday Night Football between the Rams and 49ers.
Also: check out our full Rams vs. 49ers picks and predictions.
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In Week 3, I was the one that was teased as my top teaser leg selection — the Baltimore Ravens — failed to take advantage of several opportunities to beat the Colts and take care of business. As a result, my teaser record moves to 1-2, but I like my chances of making things even this time around as there’s a handful of great teaser spots in the Week 4 odds.
Once again, my weekly reminder as to how this article works: I look through the NFL odds and rank my five favorite teaser legs of the week below, and the top two get paired together as my official teaser bet. I follow the basic teaser strategy of crossing as many key numbers as possible while never teasing through zero.
Let’s get into my NFL picks for Week 4 teaser action! Be sure to…
Patience is not a virtue shared by many NFL teams, especially when that team has just one win on the season.
The Carolina Panthers pulled the plug on head coach Frank Reich, 11 games into his tenure in Charlotte. Not only did the Panthers fire Reich but also cleaned out much of his offensive coaching staff.
That leaves Carolina in the hands of interim head coach Chris Tabor and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who was handed play calling duties by Reich a few weeks back only to have that role revoked before the head coach was canned Monday.
That chaos in Carolina sets up Tampa Bay for a much-needed win after dropping back-to-back games on the road. The Buccaneers are back in Raymond James Stadium and laying a sizeable spread considering their quality…