Sports

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker:

Hoping to potentially climb their way back to the top of the La Liga table, Real Madrid will welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night.

Real Madrid

Starting with the hosts, while Real Madrid might once again failed to find their best form in midweek, Los Blancos did overcome what could have been a real Champions League banana skin. Eventually claiming a hard-fought 2-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk on home soil, returning boss Carlo Ancelotti is calling on his side to find some stability. Opening this weekend s fixtures sat just a single point adrift of climbing back to the top of the table, the Spanish heavyweights have still managed to find an extended unbeaten run. Last seen on domestic duties hanging onto …

Best odds: 4/9

Bookmaker:

Denmark and Finland are set to begin their respective Euro 2020 campaigns when they face each other in Group B on Saturday afternoon at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. Belgium and Russia, the remaining two teams of the pack, play in the evening of the same day at the Krestovsky Stadium (Gazprom Arena) in Sankt Petersburg.

Denmark

Denmark s history at European Championships took an unexpected turn in 1992, when they failed to qualify for the tournament but were still given the chance to take part due to Yugoslavia being banned from all international sporting events while war blasted the Balkan country apart. They stunned the football world by going on to win the trophy, beating reigning world champions  Germany in the final by 2-0. A…

RB Leipzig s Lukas Klostermann will make his international debut in a new-look Germany team against Serbia on Wednesday, while Manuel Neuer is preferred to Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Head coach Joachim Low shocked German football earlier this month when he announced Bayern Munich stars Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels were no long in consideration for international selection.

The experienced trio all played an important role in Germany s 2014 World Cup triumph, but following an embarrassing title defence in Russia last year which saw them dumped out in the group stage and a dismal Nations League campaign, Low has opted to make changes.

Many have come out in support of the ostracised trio, criticising Low for publicly ending their international careers i…

Lautaro Martinez claimed Lionel Messi previously attempted to convince the striker to leave Inter for Barcelona.

Messi has since ended a 21-year association with Barca as he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, while Martinez recently renewed fresh terms with the Serie A side until the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

The pair enjoyed success at the Copa America last July, collecting Argentina s first major trophy in 28 years as Messi starred with four goals.

But Martinez revealed the Blaugrana legend wanted to partner up with him at club level as well as he attempted to tee up a deal for the Inter man to join him at Camp Nou in 2020.

We talked about it a lot in the national team, he asked me what the situation was like between me and Inter, but …

Jurgen Locadia scored his second goal in as many games to help Brighton and Hove Albion to a 1-0 home win over Everton as Chris Hughton s side claimed all three points in a Premier League game for the first time in five attempts.

Everton went into the game having thrashed Burnley 5-1 on Boxing Day, but struggled to break down a resolute Seagulls defence, despite having Richarlison back in their starting line-up.

The Brazilian forward missed the best chance of the first half after Brighton s second-choice goalkeeper David Button, playing in the absence of Mat Ryan, fumbled the ball in the box and the home side seemed to gain confidence from each failed Everton attack.

The visitors thought Locadia was offside when he stroked the ball in from close range, but refe…

Referee Felix Zwayer, who awarded England a highly controversial penalty against Netherlands in the Euro semifinals, was banned from officiating for six months for accepting a bribe to help cover up a match-fixing scandal in Germany in 2005.

It was a questionable call, to put it mildly, from UEFA to put this man in charge of a semifinal of a European Championship, and it obviously didn t turn out too well.

However, Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham was fined for questioning his integrity back in his Borussia Dortmund days, and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk refused to answer a journalist question in his post-match interview.

Are you trying to get me in trouble?!

Virgil van Dijk furious with question regarding the integrity of the refere…

According to recent reports in England, Spanish champions Barcelona could be on the verge of making a surprising move for Real Madrid midfielder Isco. Barca are said to be very interested in signing the Spaniard, who has been on his way out of the Bernabeu for what feels like forever now. Alas, making the transition from one El Clasico club to the other is a tricky task in itself, and it’s something that nobody has done since back in 2007.

Isco clearly hasn’t been happy with Real for a long time now, but a move to Barca would likely serve as a big slap in the face to his current employers. Isco first joined Real back in 2013, when he made the switch over from Malaga.

At the age of 26, it seems like now is the time for him to make the next best move for his career �…

Raheem Sterling hit the winning penalty as Manchester City retained their EFL Cup crown with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Chelsea following a goalless draw that saw Kepa Arrizabalaga incredibly defy under-pressure Maurizio Sarri.

City hammered Chelsea 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium two weeks ago but Maurizio Sarri s switch of system to use Eden Hazard as a false nine – with Gonzalo Higuain missing out at Wembley on Sunday – boosted his side s defensive solidity.

Pep Guardiola claimed pre-match it was too early to talk about City s chances of winning a historic quadruple despite being in the FA Cup quarter-finals, leading their last-16 Champions League tie with Schalke and sitting neck-and-neck with Liverpool in the Premier League.

Remarkably, an injured …

Rangers have called a news conference for 1500 local time on Friday, at which it is expected they will confirm the appointment of Steven Gerrard as their new manager.

The Liverpool great has been in talks with the Scottish side this week and described the discussions as positive on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old is said to have agreed a three-year deal in the last 24 hours after travelling to Glasgow to iron out the details.

Rangers are now expected to hold a media conference at Ibrox to present Gerrard as their new manager, just four days after they sacked Graeme Murty in the wake of the 5-0 thrashing by rivals Celtic on Sunday.

It will be a first senior job in management for Gerrard, who has been working as a youth coach at Liverpool since January last year.<…

Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes issued an apology following his injury-time penalty miss in the shock Premier League defeat to Aston Villa, promising to bounce back amid the club s poor run of form.

United were upstaged 1-0 by visiting Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday after Fernandes blazed a last-gasp spot-kick over the crossbar.

Villa s Kortney Hause looked to have gone from hero to zero when he followed an 88th-minute headed goal at one end with a handball at the other five minutes later.

However, Fernandes – taking the penalty ahead of superstar team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo – fired over the crossbar as United suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season and third loss in four games across all competitions.

2 Bruno Fernandes miss…