After years of being derided as one of European football s worst elite leagues, Ligue 1 is now home to some of the best players in the game.

The respective fortunes of Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco have attracted a plethora of world-class players to French shores.

Household names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Radamel Falcao all now call Ligue 1 home.

There is no doubt that the level of talent present in the division has increased markedly and, despite the financial fair play sanctions that were handed down to PSG in May, neither the defending champions nor Monaco are likely to stop their spending any time soon.

However, the adverse effect of PSG and Monaco s financial power is that it has left the rest of the league, which features a numbe…

Georges Mikautadze, who earned a share of the Golden Boot at Euro 2024, has returned to hometown club Lyon less than three weeks after being bought by Metz.

Mikautadze netted three times as Georgia reached the last 16 on their major tournament debut in Germany, only to lose 4-1 to eventual champions Spain.

That earned him a share of the Golden Boot alongside five other players; Cody Gakpo, Harry Kane, Dani Olmo, Jamal Musiala and Ivan Schranz.

He spent the second half of 2023-24 on loan at Metz from Ajax, scoring 13 times in 20 appearances but failing to prevent them from being relegated from Ligue 1.

Metz lost a relegation play-off to Saint-Etienne but still exercised a clause to sign Mikautadze permanently earlier this month.

However, it was sti…

Europe s qualifying section for the 2022 World Cup reaches its dramatic climax over the next week, with eight more nations set to secure their places in Qatar.

There will be 50 matches played during this international window, during which the outcome of all 10 groups will be decided, with Denmark and Germany the only European nations to have already booked their tickets.

Indeed, the other eight group winners will seal automatic qualification for Qatar 2022, while another 10 nations will advance to March s play-offs as the runners-up.

The 10 second-placed teams will be joined by the two best group winners from the 2020-21 Nations League who have neither already qualified nor sealed a play-off spot via the group stage.

With plenty of excitement and drama gu…

We’re at the one-third marker of the NFL season with Week 6 odds on the board. With the gap between contenders and pretenders becoming clear, the NFL lines tighten, and getting the best of the number is even more vital to keeping your best NFL bets in the black.

With that in mind, these are the best spreads and totals to bet now – and the best to bet later – in Week 6 of the NFL schedule.

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With Drew Brees jumping into the red-hot pickleball space and retired head coach Sean Payton putting his feet up (before picking out homes in Dallas), no one would have blamed the New Orleans Saints for tearing down the Mardi Gras float in 2022.

But, with veteran defensive coordinator Dennis Allen taking over the head coaching reigns and long-time Payton staffer Pete Carmichael calling the offense, it’s business as usual in the Big Easy. That means pushing for a postseason spot. 

The Saints’ NFL odds are split on the success of NOLA this season, with a break-even win total and the playoff props projecting a fight to the finish for New Orleans. Can the good times continue to roll in the Crescent City? We find out with our New Orleans Saints 202…

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Super Bowl Sunday! The most hotly-anticipated game on the sports calendar kicks off at about 6:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium, as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles. 

If you’re wondering what the latest Super Bowl odds are, trying to finalize your Super Bowl predictions, or just looking to add some Super Bowl props to your docket, we’ve got your back with our last-minute updates below.

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It’s almost Halloween and if you’re looking for last-minute costume ideas, you might want to keep in mind that for an NFL quarterback, there is nothing more terrifying than a 270-pound behemoth trying to take your head off.

I hunt for those kinds of monsters as I dive into the NFL odds and find the best defensive player props to bet on. This week, that’s headlined by one of the scariest defensive players in the league — Philadelphia’s Haason Reddick. 

Here are my favorite sack and tackle NFL picks when it comes to the latest Week 8 odds. 

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Matthew Stafford is back in the Motor City for the first time since being traded as his Lost Angeles Rams lock horns with the Detroit Lions tonight. Stafford was Detroit’s starting quarterback for more than a decade and while he put up impressive numbers for the Lions, they played in a grand total of three playoff games — all losses.

They’ve entered the postseason in style by winning the NFC North and their Super Bowl odds sit at +1,800, significantly shorter than Stafford’s Rams (+5,000). Wild Card odds for this game have the highest total of the weekend at 51.5, signaling that we could see a big day for Stafford.  

Let’s break down the best ways to bet on the Matt Stafford odds in our NFL picks for this Wild Card showdown.

Don’t …

It’s another prime-time slot for Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons, but the joy of Monday’s dramatic late win could be short-lived with the Kansas City Chiefs in town tonight.

Though the Chiefs are somewhat fortunate to be entering with a 2-0 record, I still think they’ll come out on top here as Patrick Mahomes is a monster in dome games.

I’m also looking at player prop markets concerning running backs Bijan Robinson and Samaje Perine for my favorite Chiefs vs. Falcons predictions and NFL picks on September 22.

Chiefs vs Falcons SNF predictions

• Chiefs -3 (-115 at bet365)
• Under 46.5 (-110 at bet365)
• Robinson Over 107.5 rushing + receiving yards (-115 at bet365)
• Perine anytime to…
  

Jan Vertonghen is set to leave Tottenham after his teammates paid emotional tributes following the final game of the season at Crystal Palace.

The Belgium defender has not been offered a new deal and will leave after eight years service during which he made more than 300 appearances and was one of the most reliable centre-backs in the Premier League. The goalkeeper Michel Vorm is also departing with the club set to confirm their exits on Monday.

Tottenham secure Europa League qualification with draw at Crystal PalaceRead more

Harry Kane said on Instagram after the draw at Palace that secured a Europa League place: “Wish nothing but the best for jvertonghen and mvorm with whatever is next for them. Been a pleasure s…