Best Odds: 8/11

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Desperate to make up some ground at the top of the table, Real Madrid will make the trip to Balaídos when they face off against Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon.

Celta Vigo

Starting with the hosts, while Celta Vigo might have dominated large spells of proceedings against Athletic Bilbao last weekend, The Sky Blues eventually had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate on home soil. Unable to build off of what was an action-packed 4-3 victory against Huesca earlier in the month, Eduardo Coudet s side have gained a reputation for their inconsistencies. With many criticising their 2-0 loss against Valencia on February 20th, Los Celestes have shown some real issues since opening 2021. Despite opening the New Year with some in their camp even dream…

Valencia have pulled a shocking upset and they have claimed the 2018/19 Copa del Rey title against all odds. First-half goals from Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo were everything Los Che needed to win against a seriously-depleted Barcelona side. Lionel Messi scored for Los Blaugranas after the break, but it wasn t enough and Marcelino led Valencia to their first Copa del Rey title since 2008. Meanwhile, Barca couldn t win the Spanish Cup for the fifth straight season that would ve been a tournament record.

Gameiro and Rodrigo seal the deal for Valencia

Surprisingly, the Mestalla outfit looked much better right from the start and it was clear they had more hunger heading into this match. They were close to beat Jasper Cillessen in the sixth minute, but a goal-line clearance denied Ro…

Jamie Vardy will be remembered as Leicester City s greatest ever player, according to his former team-mate Andy King.

Vardy s goals fired Leicester to an unforgettable Premier League title triumph in 2015-16, when he was named the FWA Footballer of the Year and went on to play and score for England at Euro 2016.

While the likes of Riyad Mahrez and N Golo Kante went on to seek pastures new, Vardy remained as the Foxes talisman and on Saturday added the club s first FA Cup to their maiden top-flight title when Youri Tielemans thunderbolt sunk Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley.

The 34-year-old s fairy tale ascent from non-league football has been well documented and, with 116 goals, he lies 19th on the Premier League s all-time goalscorers list.

Vardy will have his eye…

Tottenham will face Rennes, Vitesse and NS Mura in the group stage of the inaugural Europa Conference League.

Spurs, with the help of a double from Harry Kane, secured qualification for UEFA s new third-tier club competition with a 3-0 win over Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday.

The presence of Kane, who will be staying at Tottenham despite Manchester City s long-standing interest, is sure to make Spurs one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Nuno Espirito Santo s side were placed into Group G, and have avoided too many arduous journeys, with a trip to Slovenia to face Mura – a team only formed in 2012 – the longest trip in store.

Roma, coached by former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, are the tournament s other favourites. The Serie A club will face Z…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggested Antonio Valencia s 10-year Manchester United stay could be coming to an end, with the club unlikely to trigger a one-year extension.

Valencia, 33, joined United in 2009 after a fine three-year spell at Wigan Athletic, essentially becoming Cristiano Ronaldo s replacement on the right flank at Old Trafford.

While the Ecuador international enjoyed a good first season, he missed the majority of his second campaign due to a broken ankle and many feel he has never been quite the same as an attacking presence.

Nevertheless, he has gone on to enjoy a solid career at United, becoming captain and successfully reinventing himself as a right-back under Jose Mourinho.

This season he has featured just five times in the Premier League due…

It s a fact that free transfers in football are, all things considered, quite expensive. Wages, signing fees, agent demands and general costs make any such deal have a sizeable imprint on a club s balance sheet.

Still, Paris Saint-Germain s signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma for a big fat zero in transfer fees sounds like a sensational piece of business – particularly after his Euro 2020 heroics.

The Italy goalkeeper has left Milan, his boyhood club, to join Mauricio Pochettino s side where he hopes to be able to challenge for the biggest club trophies, most obviously the Champions League.

Certainly, Donnarumma is right to aspire to the top prizes. This is a player who made 200 appearances for the Rossoneri by the age of just 21 years and 146 days, who was value…

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo said we don t touch other people s players  when asked about the possibility of Lionel Messi teaming up again with Neymar at the Ligue 1 champions. 

Brazil international Neymar caused a stir in the week, saying there is nothing he wants more than to line up alongside his former Barcelona team-mate again next year.

Messi failed to engineer a move away from Barca in the previous transfer window but, with his contract running out next June, it remains unclear whether he will choose to leave in 2021.

Neymar and Messi played together at Camp Nou between 2013 and 2017, but Leonardo did not want to talk up the chances of a mouth-watering reunion between the pair in Paris. 

You know, it s normal for Neymar t…

Olivier Giroud has to fight for every chance he gets, according to France coach Didier Deschamps, after the experienced forward marked a rare Chelsea start with a four-goal showing against Sevilla.

Having booked Chelsea s place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a late winner against Rennes last week, Giroud starred as Frank Lampard s side romped to a 4-0 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday.

Giroud, the first Chelsea player to score four times in a European match, has started just two games in all competitions this term and is behind Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner in the pecking order, though Lampard acknowledged the 34-year-old s display against Sevilla means he must be considered to feature from the off against Leeds United this weekend.

It is…

Gabriel Gabigol Barbosa scored an 85th-minute penalty as Brazil came from behind to preserve their perfect CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying record with a late 3-1 win at Venezuela.

The Selecao had never lost in 17 previous World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela (W16 D1) – the most Brazil had faced an opponent without defeat – but the South American giants found themselves sensationally trailing at half-time on Thursday.

Eric Ramirez s first international goal had bottom outfit Venezuela dreaming of the unlikeliest of wins in the 11th minute, but Marquinhos equalised in the 71st minute in Caracas.

Gabigol was fouled with five minutes remaining and converted his own spot-kick to guide CONMEBOL leaders Brazil to their ninth win in nine qualifiers on the road to Qat…

Liverpool s win over Atletico Madrid last week was the team s 25th match in all competitions in a row without defeat, equaling the club record set under the legendary Bob Paisley. However, the run was brought to a halt on Sunday at the London Stadium as West Ham emerged victorious from an extremely exciting contest with the Merseysiders.

An own-goal by Alisson Becker gave the Hammers the lead in the fourth minute, and Trent Alexander-Arnold equalized with a superbly taken free-kick in the 41st. Pablo Fornals restored the Hammers lead in the 67th and Kurt Zouma extended it in the 74, and Divock Origi eventually pulled one back for the visitors with seven minutes of the 90 left.

Controversies again

It s fair to say that the general standard of the officiating in the Prem…