soccer predictions calculate each team's chances of winning each match and the league title across 26 leagues.
PARIS — Neymar is doubtful for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League game against Real Madrid next week after tests showed he has a cracked fifth metatarsal in his right foot along with a sprained ankle. PSG revealed the extent of Neymar’s injured foot late Monday without saying how long he will be sidelined. But PSG faces […]
The post PSG’s Neymar has broken right foot and sprained ankle appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
FIFA fans could be treated to a free World Cup mode this year, to coincide with the upcoming tournament.
Although it’s yet to be confirmed, you’d only need to look back to FIFA 14 to see how EA Sports could capitalise on the global event.
CLAIM YOUR FREE £20 BET Sun Bets have this brilliant offer when you sign up and bet a fiverHere, we discuss four things EA needs to do if the mode is to be a success – kicking off with the most important.
It has to be free
On May 29 2014, EA released a special Ultimate Team: World Cup mode – and better yet, it didn’t cost a penny.
It arrived as a free update – a welcome change given how strongly EA leans on the in-game purchase model.
Before you write off the idea of EA giving away anything as free these days, it would make commercial sense.
By releasing a World Cup mode – EA could then encourage people to buy limited World Cup kits or packs. It’s a sound model – but we’ll have to wait and see.
EA will be missing a huge trick if they do not include a World Cup mode
Kits and SBCS
Speaking of kits and packs, new World Cup SBCs and kits are an absolute must.
FIFA 14’s mode featured players and kits from all 32 teams taking part. It also included the official adidas® Brazuca match ball and Estadio do Maracana in Rio.
There were new player items, too – with updated player images and a World Cup theme to make your squad stand out. Some players even received updated stats and cards for the World Cup.
New cards and ratings will surely be part of the promotion
FUT promotions
Back then, there was a two-for-one promotion on FUT packs – which meant you got a free normal Gold pack in every World Cup pack opened.
Yes, you read that right.
Given just how much money EA has made from Ultimate Team, surely the odd free pack won’t do any harm?
The mode could be played offline and online – so was accessible to all
Online and offline
In FIFA 14, you could even play through the full tournament online or offline, from the groups to the knock-out stages.
Imagine taking your team through to the finals via couch co-op? Or playing the World Cup final with your mates online?
FIFA 14 really brought the World Cup to life – but this year the Frostbite engine should blow it out of the water
Please make this happen, EA.
Remember, keep on top with all the latest FIFA 18 news and FIFA 19 rumours by checking out our detailed ‘Absolutely everything you need to know’ article.
GERMANY’S Jonas Breinlinger completed a fairytale maiden visit to Zimbabwe by winning the 2018 edition of the Bonaqua Troutbeck ATU Sprint Triathlon African Cup at the Troutbeck Resort here yesterday.
The post Germany’s Breinlinger lifts Troutbeck Triathlon African Cup appeared first on The Standard.
Why did clubs turn a blind eye to the shocking abuse of young footballers?
Former Crewe manager Dario Gradi has denied he knew anything about the allegations concerning convicted paedophile Barry Bennell's Why did clubs turn a blind eye to the shocking abuse of young footballers?
FIFA 18 gamers have been treated to yet another patch, as EA Sports battles to improve the game.
The latest fix addresses a number of issues experienced by FIFA 18 users – from menu tweaks to Ultimate Team and audio / visual presentation fixes.
CLAIM YOUR FREE £20 BET Sun Bets have this brilliant offer when you sign up and bet a fiverAmong the list of changes, many of which are minor, are updates to the 2D portraits of 970 players.
EA has also added 2D portraits for 342 players that previously had a silhouette.
FIFA 19 will be announced some time in June – likely ahead of E3
In Ultimate Team, specifically FUT Champions Weekend League Match Preview screen, you will no longer see the status of your opponent update between “Making Changes” and “Ready”, it will always display as “Making Changes”.
Also, electing the difficulty of a match in FUT Squad Battles will no longer cause the player’s default match difficulty setting outside of FUT Squad Battles to be changed.
Take a look below to see the full list of changes – which have arrived on PC now, and will becoming to console imminently.
Made the following changes to settings:
The addition of an Accessibility Settings screen. This is available in the Main Menu on the Customize tab by selecting the Settings tile. This adds the following new settings: The ability for players to remove the need to use the right stick within the game menus, allowing for navigation with the left stick only when using a controller. The ability for players to remove the need to use the left and right trigger / left and right bumper buttons within the game menus, allowing for players to scroll up to the top of the menu and cycle through them with the left stick when using a controller. This change will impact the Game Settings and Controller Settings screens only. The ability to add an on-screen, and clickable, ESC button during gameplay to allow for opening the Pause Menu using the mouse only. The ability to increase the size of the clickable buttons within the game menus when using a mouse.
FIFA 18 has come under fire for a number of issues – many of which EA is working hard to fix
Addressed the following issues in all screens:
Pressing the D-pad, when using a controller, would occasionally not register.Made the following changes in FIFA Ultimate team:
In FUT Champions Weekend League, on the Match Preview screen, you will no longer see the status of your opponent update between “Making Changes” and “Ready”, it will always display as “Making Changes”. There is a known issue with this change that sometimes results in the status for your opponent showing as blank, it will be addressed in a future update. Selecting the difficulty of a match in FUT Squad Battles will no longer cause the player’s default match difficulty setting outside of FUT Squad Battles to be changed. In the preview panel for a FUT Champions Channel replay, the match records displayed for the participating players will now reflect their record when that match took place instead of their current record.
FIFA 19’s The Journey will see the return of Alex Hunter
Addressed the following issues in FIFA Ultimate team:
German and Polish text overlapping the button icons on the controls panel in FUT Champions Channel. Player Contracts and Manager Contracts were incorrectly capitalized in the search filter options of the FUT Transfer Market.Made the following changes in Audio / Visual / Presentation:
Updates to the 2D portraits for 970 players. Added 2d portraits for 342 players that previously had a silhouette.Addressed the following issues in Audio / Visual / Presentation:
Post goal commentary saying that a defender deflected the ball on goal, when it was actually the keeper that touched the ball before it went into the net, when using Arabic, German, Dutch, Spanish, French, Italian, Mexican Spanish, Polish, Russian or Japanese commentary.
Flamengo forced to play Rio final outside of the state after Botafogo refused permission to use their rented ground
Vinicius Junior of Flamengo celebrates a goal for Flamengo.
(Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images)Flamengo forced to play Rio state final outside of the city after Botafogo refused permission to use their rented ground
LONDON — As unlikely as it sounds, Lionel Messi is still waiting to score his first goal against Chelsea after drawing a blank in eight previous Champions League matches. The five-time World Player of the Year is likely to get another chance to break his duck this week and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes the […]
The post Messi aims to score against Chelsea at 9th attempt appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
The French Football League (LFP) has opened a formal investigation into alleged racist
OUR Premier League teams are back as superpowers in Europe.
Spurs got two away goals against Juventus in the 2-2 draw and Man City thrashed FC Basel 4-0 in Switzerland.
Natalie Sawyer was impressed by the British teams in the Champions League
Then, a Sadio ManΓ© hat-trick helped Liverpool cruise to a 5-0 win away to Porto.
Even with the tough Premier League schedules our teams face, they are still producing great results even away from home.
City and Liverpool won 4-0 and 5-0 respectively at decent opposition and showed that they are serious contenders for the trophy.
Spurs are also in the mix and could be the dark horses for Europe’s biggest prize.
Saido Mane and Liverpool caught Natalie Sawyer’s eyeMATTHEW CHILDS
Natalie Sawyer thought Spurs’ 2-2 draw at Juventus was a great resultAP:Associated Press
Next week, Chelsea face Barcelona and Man United travel to Spain for their tie with Sevilla.
We all expect Jose’s boys to win the two-legged duel against a very good Sevilla team, so all eyes are on Antonio Conte.
ICE MAIDENS Natalie Sawyer: Team GB’s girls can fire a record Winter Olympics medal haul in PyeongChang
If his Blues can pull off an unexpected win over the two legs, then that could revive their season.
It could give England an unprecedented five teams in the quarter-finals of the Champions League (if our other teams do the business as well).
Antonio Conte could relieve the pressure he’s under at Chelsea if he wins the Champions League says Natalie SawyerAFP or licensors
The possibility of five teams in the last eight of the Champions League is amazing when you consider that the Premier League has the toughest schedule in world football.
This would, of course, mean at least one all-Premier League tie, and who can forget those memorable games involving Liverpool, Chelsea and Man United some years ago?
If Chelsea can knock out the favourites, there would of course be a frenzy of excitement, the odds would look favourable for one of our teams to lift the trophy.
Conte needs this trophy more than the other managers and has the toughest tie, if he can inspire his team to get through it will no doubt be the sweetest of victories.
Following a memorable AFC Champions League qualifying run last month, Ceres Negros coach Risto Vidakovic knows his team can’t afford to let up as it braces for a tough title defense of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup Asean zone crown starting on Tuesday.
The post Busmen brace for tough Cambodians appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
WARRIORS and Mamelodi Sundowns forward Khama Billiat has vented his frustrations for failure to secure a move to Europe during the just-ended January transfer window by firing his South African […]
The post Khama Billiat fires agent appeared first on The Standard.
Everton loanee scored on his Bundesliga debut
Ademola Lookman of Leipzig celebrates his goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and RB Leipzig at Borussia-Park on February 3, 2018 in Moenchengladbach, Germany. (Photo: Lukas Schulze/Bundesliga/DFL via Getty Images )Everton loanee scored on his Bundesliga debut
People scoffed when Mario Balotelli moved to Nice back in 2016.
The Italian striker, who once had such promise and potential, joined the Ligue 1 side after disappointing spells at Milan and Liverpool.
In fact, he described his time with the Reds as the “worst mistake of his life”.
CLAIM YOUR FREE £20 BET Sun Bets have this brilliant offer when you sign up and bet a fiverBut it’s all looking very good for him along the French Riviera.
He netted 15 goals in his first season in France, showing us all what he can do when he knuckles down, while his tally of 13 goals so far this season makes him the sixth-highest scorer in the French top-flight.
And it seems his good form and lack of controversy (as far as we know, he hasn’t set off anymore fireworks in his bathroom) could see him receive a recall from Italy’s interim manager Luigi Di Biagio.
Reuters The Italian has enjoyed a good spell in Ligue 1 with Nice[/caption]
The Under-21 manager, who will take charge of the Azzurri’s senior team in their upcoming friendlies against Argentina and England, replaced the hapless Gian Piero Ventura on an interim basis after Italy’s failure to reach this summer’s World Cup.
And according to Corriere dello Sport, Di Biagio is keen to give Balotelli a chance to prove his worth to the national team.
The 27-year-old hasn’t featured for his country since the 2014 World Cup, having been overlooked by both Ventura and Antonio Conte.
EPA Balotelli’s last appearance for Italy came at the 2014 World Cup[/caption]
The same report also hints that recent international retirees Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini will be recalled for the upcoming games.
Buffon’s last appearance for the national side was in the calamitous play-off defeat to Sweden, when the legendary goalkeeper tearfully apologised to fans and announced his retirement from international duty.
But it seems Di Biagio wants the 175-cap man to receive a much more fitting send-off, while also helping the side through their current transitional phase.
Gianluigi Buffon retired in the aftermath of Italy’s dreadful World Cup qualifying campaign
Di Biagio will also call up some of the youngsters who have played under him previously, including teenage sensation Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PLAY DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER Pick seven players to win £10k!READ MORE:
Tearful Gianluigi Buffon retires from international duty after Italy fail to qualify for World Cup 2018 What are the odds on Gianluigi Donnarumma beating Gianluigi Buffon’s Italy caps record? Ivan Rakitic offers his World Cup place to Gianluigi Buffon in brilliant tribute
BENJAMIN MENDY is not one to shirk a challenge, no matter how cold it gets.
The Manchester City star certainly did not shirk the cold when he visited the Super Bowl in Minneapolis as he witnessed the Philadelphia Eagles’ 41-33 win over the New England Patriots.
Minnesota is -20°C but SHARK’S NOT COLD 
A post shared by Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) on Feb 4, 2018 at 9:03pm PST
To prove how he can handle the pain, he stripped off his shirt and had a dance around in the -20C temperatures in Minnesota.
Frenchman Mendy, 23, has been doing rehab on a cruciate ligament tear he picked up in September.
The former Monaco man has been making slow but steady progress as he looks to overcome the blow and get back into Pep Guardiola’s high-flying City squad.
But he has taken a detour to Minnesota, where he appears to have been doing some conditioning work on the joint following surgery.
A post shared by Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) on Feb 2, 2018 at 4:43pm PST
Game day !! Super Bowl #SBLII who you got ?? 
#Sharkteam
A post shared by Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) on Feb 4, 2018 at 12:27am PST
And by a lucky coincidence he has also had the chance to witness a Super Bowl for the first time, and he didn’t get a bad vantage point either.
Mendy stood proudly on the sidelines as the Eagles won their first ever Vince Lombardi trophy.
BROTHERLY LOVE Thousands of Eagles fans celebrate Super Bowl win in Philly as cars burnedThe full-back is expected to be back in full training within a month after continuing his rehab in Minnesota, away from the Etihad Campus and under the close guise of specialist trainers.
Mendy damaged his ligaments just 28 minutes into City’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace back in September.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has defended naming only six substitutes for the game against Burnley on Saturday.
John StonesThe 2018 Philippines Football League season kicks off March 3 with six clubs disputing two trophies and the chance to represent the country in continental competitions next year.
The post Optimism surrounds six-team PFL with new season kicking off next month appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
The January transfer window officially closed on Wednesday evening, but not before a busy stream of business took place.
How busy? According to The Guardian website, approximately 515 transfer deals worth £792.7 million took place across Europe’s top five leagues: Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League and Serie A.
Premier League teams have accounted for £537.6 million of the deals that went down this month, outdistancing La Liga clubs (£303.5 million) by a wide margin.
Here’s a look at the four most expensive transfer moves of this past month which, not so surprisingly, all involve English teams.
Philippe CoutinhoMove: Liverpool to Barcelona
Price tag: £106m
Coutinho’s long rumoured move to Barcelona finally took place on Jan. 6, as he became the latest in a long line of Brazilian stars to set up shop at the Camp Nou. A traditional No. 10 by trade, he can also be deployed as a second striker, an attacking midfielder or out on the wing. After overcoming a thigh injury, he made his debut in a Copa del Rey match (subbing on for Andres Iniesta), and then earned his first start in a La Liga game last weekend. Against Alaves on Sunday, he seemed to crowd the space through the middle with which Lionel Messi was trying to operate, before he was subbed out in the 65th minute. No doubt, Coutinho is a dangerous and creative attacker. But it’ll be interesting to see how Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde uses him, and how the Brazilian adapts to not being the key figure through which the attack flows, like he was at Liverpool.
Virgil van DijkMove: Southampton to Liverpool
Price tag: £75m
Looking to bolster a defence that could charitably be described as leaky, the Reds bought Virgil van Dijk from the Saints, establishing a new world record transfer fee for a defender after they failed to procure a move for the Dutch international last summer. Van Dijk wasted little time in making an impression, as the 26-year-old centre back scored the winning goal in Liverpool’s win over Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. In doing so, he became the first player since Bill White in 1901 to score on his debut in the Merseyside derby. Able to play on either the left or right side in central defence, van Dijk is comfortable while in possession and is strong in the air, qualities that manager Jurgen Klopp hopes the Dutchman will put to good use in leading Liverpool’s defence.
[radioclip id=3861865]
Aymeric LaporteMove: Athletic Bilbao to Manchester City
Price tag: £57.2m
Never one to shy away from spending big money, the Citizens triggered Laporte’s release clause, making the 23-year-old Frenchman the most expensive signing in club history. City boasts the second-best defensive record in the Premier League, but there’s no denying they lacked depth at the back, especially in the middle, and it was an area of the pith they badly needed to shore up, especially if they hope to make a run in the UEFA Champions league. Manager Pep Guardiola hopes the left-footed Laporte can provide defensive balance and stability to a side noted for its attacking prowess. Also, Laporte’s ability to comfortably play the ball out from the back should be a perfect fit for Guardiola’s tactics and style of play. With Vincent Kompany dealing with injuries and likely to leave at the end of this season, the young Laporte looks poised to replace the Belgian as the Blues’ long-term defensive quarterback.
Pierre-Emerick AubameyangMove: Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal
Price tag: £56m
It was hardly a surprise that Aubameyang left Dortmund, as he had long wanted to make a move abroad. The signing of the 28-year-old Gabon international striker was a key part of Arsene Wenger’s overhaul of the Gunners’ attack, following the exits of Alexis Sanchez (who went to Manchester United in a swap for Henrikh Mkhitaryan) and the sale of Olivier Giroud to Chelsea. In four and a half seasons at Dortmund, Aubameyang scored 98 goals in 144 Bundesliga matches, and 141 goals in 213 appearances in all competitions. No wonder Arsenal made him their club-record signing. One of the interesting questions is how this will affect French striker Alexandre Lacazette, who signed with the Gunners for a club-record fee only last summer. Aubameyang will start for Arsenal – you don’t spend that kind of money on a striker and then sit him on the bench. But will Aubameyang play alongside or instead of Lacazette, who has nine goals in 28 appearances this season?
@obj bro !! Was great meeting you – new member of the #SharkTeam #SBLII