NFL Underdogs: NFL Picks, and Predictions Week 15

Ireland are heading home from Euro 2012 after a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in a Group C encounter in Gdansk on Thursday night.

Fernando Torres, omitted from the starting line-up in the first match, scored a brace and David Silva and Cesc Fabregas each bagged a goal in a match that saw total Spanish domination from start to finish.

Each side had made just one change from their previous Group C match, with Torres and Simon Cox being introduced to the action in place of Fabregas and Kevin Doyle, and it was the two strikers who made an immediate impression at the start of the match.

Cox tested the gloves of Iker Casillas in the first minute of the game with a well-struck shot from the edge of the area that was competently saved by the Spain captain.

T…

FIFA has confirmed it will utilise semi-automated VAR offside technology at the Qatar 2022 World Cup later this year, says head of refereeing Pierluigi Collina.

The move to introduce further advancements in the VAR process for this year s showpiece tournament has been ongoing over the past few months.

Following trials at the Arab Cup and Club World Cup, the fresh processes – which can cut VAR decision-making from 70 seconds to 25 seconds – is set to be implemented in the Gulf State in November.

Collina, a former World Cup final referee when he took charge of Brazil s win over Germany at Korea/Japan 2002, says the time is now to bring in semi-automated technology, which will further enhance decision-making.

We are very positive. It is ready,  he…

Koke feels Atletico Madrid are in a better shape to beat Real Madrid in next week s Champions League final than they were in 2014.

Atletico were beaten 4-1 after extra-time by their great rivals two years ago, but that meeting in Lisbon came just a week after an intense, league title-winning 1-1 draw with Barcelona at Camp Nou.

This time around, Diego Simeone s team will have had two weeks rest before their showdown at San Siro, and Koke feels they will be much fresher.

We ve had more time to prepare than the 2014 final in Lisbon, that year we d just played the league decider against Barcelona and were tired, this year we re better physically, he said at a news conference.

We ve had two weeks to prepare and have done so very enthusiastically.

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Morgan Gibbs-White fired Nottingham Forest to a first victory against Manchester United since 1994 as Erik ten Hag’s side ended a topsy-turvy year with a whimper.

The Red Devils had won the sides’ last 11 meetings in all competitions, but new boss Nuno Espirito Santo would celebrate a memorable second win in just five days.

Gibbs-White’s super late strike from the edge of the box wrapped up a memorable 2-1 triumph after Marcus Rashford had capitalised on a terrible Matt Turner pass to cancel out Nicolas Dominguez’s opener.

WHAT A WAY TO END 2023!

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC)

This was United’s 14th defeat in all competitions this term and a miserable end to the year for a side that were a pale imitation of the one that roared …

The Minnesota Vikings have their work cut out for them as they travel into Wisconsin winter conditions to face the Green Bay Packers. While that may be daunting enough on its own, the Vikes are going to be a bit shorthanded on Sunday Night Football.

Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins (COVID) will miss this NFC North primetime showdown, news that swung this NFL betting spread from Minnesota +6.5 to as high as +13.5. This uncertain scenario will play out in what is forecasted to be the coldest game in Lambeau Field history, with game-time temperatures around 7 degrees (feels like 3 degrees).

Cozy up to our free NFL picks for Vikings at Packers on January 2.

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With the playoffs on the horizon, the Kansas City Chiefs are running out of time to find their best form, but all they’ll want from this Week 16 odds matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders is a division-clinching win.

The Chiefs are double-digit favorites in the latest NFL odds and all eyes will be on Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce as they try to wrap up an eighth straight AFC West crown. 

There are lots of markets to choose from on Monday. I’ve been checking the list of player props (and checking it twice), and these three NFL picks jump off the screen.

Make sure to also check out our Raiders vs. Chiefs betting picks and Patrick Mahomes spotlight before placing your wagers!

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Soccer-mad Brazilian sports fans will get to enjoy a different kind of football tonight when the Green Bay Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles in sunny Sao Paolo.

The early anticipated showdown will be the first NFL regular season game played in South America, and 49,000 local fans are expected to pack Corinthians Arena to witness the awesome spectacle.

There are a number of subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this evening’s game, but did you know you can also live stream the action directly from legal sports betting sites?

Discover the details below and be sure to read our Packers vs. Eagles predictions ahead of kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.

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There is often discussion and debate, friendly and fiery, over which league tops the rest in terms of competitive balance, investment and the quality of the product on the pitch. In many ways these are abstract discussions to which we will never really have a clear answer. That is in part because women’s football is not a static beast but a living, breathing creature with its development constantly in flux and uneven, which means finding a fair barometer is close to impossible.

Some, mainly in the US and prompted by frustrations at the lack of US or US-based players in the Guardian top 100 female footballers, pointed recently to the success of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns over Lyon in this summer’s Women’s International Champions Cup t…

Tributes have been paid from across football to the former England forward Trevor Francis, Britain’s first £1m player and the scorer of a European Cup-winning goal for Nottingham Forest, after he died at the age of 69.

Birmingham City, the club where Francis began his professional career and spent 15 years as a player and later a manager, described him as “the player everyone wanted to see”. Forest called Francis a “true legend who will never be forgotten”.

Trevor Francis – a life in picturesRead more

A statement on behalf of the Francis family said he had had a heart attack at home in Marbella on Monday morning. Francis, who went into management initially as a player‑manager, also had a base in Solihu…

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