Back in 2001-02, Bayer Leverkusen earned the unwanted moniker of Neverkusen as they saw a potential treble unravel in the space of 11 traumatic days, finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal.

Twenty-two years later, Xabi Alonso s Werkself have already gone some way to banishing those ghosts by making Bundesliga history, Saturday s 2-1 win over Augsburg completing their unbeaten title-winning campaign.

This week, they have a chance to make it an unbeaten treble, heading to Dublin for Wednesday s Europa League final before taking on Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday.

Looking to deny Bayer one of the greatest achievements in recent memory are Atalanta, participating in their first European final following a memorable run t…

Croatia secured their place in the knockout stages of Euro 2020 and dumped Scotland out as they claimed a 3-1 win in Glasgow.

Having led through Nikola Vlasic s early strike, Zlatko Dalic s men were pegged back before half-time as Callum McGregor notched Scotland s first Euros goal since 1996.

However, the Croatians class eventually told, the evergreen Luka Modric netting a stunner before the influential Ivan Perisic headed home from a corner late on, equalling his country s record for the most goals at major tournaments (nine).

And that ensured the visitors clinched second place in Group D while bringing an early end to the Scots first major tournament appearance since 1998. 

Encouraged by an electric atmosphere at Hampden Park, Scotland made the bet…

According to Mundo Deportivo, Cristiano Ronaldo has urged Al-Nassr to sign Kevin De Bruyne when the contract between the Belgian playmaker and Manchester City expires at the end of this season.

Come next summer, De Bruyne will have spent exactly a decade with the Premier League champions, having joined from Wolfsburg back in 2015. Since then, he s made an unbelievable total of 274 goal contributions (103 goals, 171 assists) in 388 matches in all competitions for City, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and the 2023 Champions League, followed by the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Rightly considered among the best attacking midfielders in the world, it s easy to understand a goalscorer like Ronaldo wanting such a playmaker in hi…

Xherdan Shaqiri said there is nothing more brutal than losing on penalties after Switzerland s dream run at Euro 2024 was ended by England in the last eight.

Having eliminated champions Italy in the last 16, Switzerland were on course for a semi-final berth when Breel Embolo put them ahead with 75 minutes played on Saturday.

However, Bukayo Saka dragged the Three Lions level within five minutes, and after another 40 goalless minutes, Gareth Southgate s men held their nerve from 12 yards.

Manuel Akanji was denied by Jordan Pickford from Switzerland s first penalty, with every other kick being converted as England won on spot-kicks for just the fourth time in their history and the second time versus Switzerland (also in the Nations League in 2019).

Speakin…

Barcelona have approved their largest ever budget of €897million for 2017-18, following a record revenue in 2016-17.

The LaLiga giants earnings of €708m for 2016-17 were presented at the club s General Assembly on Saturday, with club members then approving next year s record budget with 391 votes for and 49 against.

The huge revenues did not include the €222m received from Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar, which should prompt another record-breaking set of figures in a year s time. 

It is the first time Barca have surpassed the €700m barrier in terms of revenue for a fiscal year, and the club have now accumulated a profit of €175m since 2010.

Barca plan to have earned €1billion in revenues by 2021, though that strategy could be threatened by th…

1) Barcelona

Pep Guardiola, one of the Nou Camp’s favourite sons, returned to the club over the summer to take the Barcelona hot set. That despite his lack of managerial experience.

Having endured the humiliation of finishing a massive 18 points behind old rivals Real Madrid last season, Barca will be looking to bounce back by capturing the La Liga title this time around.

The club has significantly bolstered their squad over the summer, signing Sevilla pair Seydou Keita and Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Martin Caceres, Jose Manuel Pinto, Alexsandr Hleb and Henrique.

The hurt of last season should spur Barcelona to towards their 19 La Liga title in 2008-2009, with a much improved side to select from in 2008-2009.

2) Real Madrid

…

The 3-11 New York Jets welcome the 2-12 Jacksonville Jaguars to MetLife in a game that has very few potential implications beyond draft order. The post-Urban Meyer Jaguars will be continuing to look to establish a new culture and Robert Saleh’s Jets will be trying to prove just how much they’ve improved this season. 

If you’re curious about this game then study our NFL picks and predictions for the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets.

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Thanksgiving ends with a game that might surprise many with its pace and offense as the Minnesota Vikings host the New England Patriots inside U.S. Bank Stadium. 

The books are down on both teams’ passing prospects, but with the shape of Minnesota’s secondary and some of the Vikings’ weapons on display, there could be a good amount of pass volume that isn’t accounted for.

Find out where the betting edge lies in my NFL prop picks for Patriots vs. Vikings. Also, be sure to check out Jason Logan’s full Patriots vs. Vikings betting preview and Jared Hochman’s Kirk Cousins spotlight. 

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Two quarterbacks with plenty to prove are set to face off on Sunday as the Arizona Cardinals take on the Chicago Bears in Week 16 odds.

While both teams will likely miss the playoffs, there’s still plenty of intrigue in this contest with Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Chicago’s Justin Fields trying to convince their respective franchises that they are the long-term answer at QB.

NFL odds have the Bears penned as 4-point home favorites, with the Over/Under at 43.5. Here are my best free NFL picks for Cardinals vs. Bears on December 24.

Cardinals vs Bears odds

Cardinals vs Bears predictions

While the Chicago Bears have been more competitive over the last couple of months, this line seems like an overcorre…

The sports betting business is not for the faint of heart, especially during the NFL season.

While some publicly traded companies worry about things like the unemployment rate, GDP growth, and trade relations with China, online gambling firms have additional and specific concerns, such as garbage-time touchdowns and seemingly meaningless field goals. 

That’s because a massive amount of money will be legally wagered on the upcoming NFL season, or approximately $35 billion, according to the American Gaming Association. And that kind of cash poured into NFL sides, totals, and parlays can help swing a sportsbook operator’s results in a positive or negative direction on any given Sunday. 

Here’s the official release…