Market: Under 3.5 goals

Odds: 4/7 @

Two sides who are seeking some stability in the early hours of Thursday morning, LA Galaxy will welcome FC Dallas to Dignity Health Sports Park in midweek.

Starting with the hosts, while LA Galaxy might have thought they had managed to turn a real corner when ending June thanks to those back-to-back victories against San Jose and Vancouver, they came crashing back down to earth earlier in the week. Still ruing a string of missed chances and failing to find a much-needed clinical edge in the final third, The Whites were hit with a 2-0 defeat against Sporting KC on home soil. Losing ground in the Western Conference title chase, Head Coach Greg Vanney will have a recent headache over his side s problems at Dignity Health Sports P…

Gianluca Scamacca scored his first West Ham goal as the Hammers established a commanding 3-1 lead over Viborg in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off clash.

Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio were also on target for the hosts at the London Stadium, with Jakob Bonde s header providing a consolation for the visitors ahead of next week s return leg in Denmark.

The Hammers fortunes were overseen by first-team coach Billy McKinlay, with manager David Moyes serving a touchline ban following his red card in last season s Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Vladimir Coufal wore the captain s armband in the absence of Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell – both also serving continental suspensions – but the hosts took the lead in t…

Sunderland boss David Moyes says centre-back Lamine Kone doesn t want a new contract, prompting fresh speculation that he will leave the club in this transfer window.

Everton have a bid on the table for the 27-year-old although Sunderland have expressed their determination to keep him on Wearside by offering him a new deal worth a reported £50,000 a week.

Kone, who played in the season-opening 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend, has refused to consider the offer, however, and has also ruled himself out of Sunday s Wear-Tees clash with Middlesbrough due to a back problem.

We want to keep him. We made him an offer of a new contract which as of this moment in time he has refused. He came in this morning with a bad back so he won t be available for the Mi…

Verdict: Bayern Munich

Best Odds:

Bookmaker:

In-form Bayern Munich continue their Champions League title push in Spain where they will face European specialists Sevilla in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie.

Sevilla

Los Rojiblancos have been experiencing all sorts of problems this season, but their erratic run of form should not fool anyone into thinking that Vincenzo Montella’s side will be a small fish to fry in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Sevilla boast an impressive European record in their most recent history, having won the Europa League titles for three successive seasons up until 2016. The La Liga side might be sitting in sixth place domestically but their champions pedigree will make them a respectab…

Wilfried Zaha has completed his return to Crystal Palace from Manchester United on a season-long loan, .

The 21 year old was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing as manager of United back in January 2012, spending the remainder of the 12/13 campaign at Selhurst Park before moving to Old Trafford last summer.

However, he made just four appearances under David Moyes last season, spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Cardiff City, where he played eleven times.

New United boss Louis van Gaal did select Zaha in preseason, but has decided that he is not part of his plans following the arrival of Angel di Maria, who completed his record move to the club yesterday.

United have taken just one point from two league games so far this season, and cr…

Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta has put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the club, .

The Spain international moved to Stamford Bridge from Marseille in the summer of 2012, and has since gone on to make ninety-three appearances in all competitions, scoring his one and only goal in a 2-0 victory at Arsenal in the fourth round of the League Cup last season.

He ended the 2013/14 campaign by being named the player’s player of the season before being part of Spain’s squad for the World Cup finals in Brazil while he has played every minute of the Blues’ three league games in August.

Chelsea currently top the Premier League after taking maximum points from their matches against Burnley, Leicester City and Everton, with their next game coming again…

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli defended his move to make significant tactical changes to his side, after their 2-1 friendly loss to France.

The former Fiorentina and Roma coach experimented with a three-man attacking line-up consisting of Stephan El Shaarawy, who scored Mario Balotelli and Antonio Candreva.

Despite the changes hardly proving positive in the loss to Les Bleus in Parma, Prandelli defended his decision to tinker with his tactics in search for the most suitable formation.

We didn t deserve to lose this, but it was right to experiment and we will experiment again, Prandelli told reporters.

We need to be ready for the (World Cup) and that means using these games to test things out. It was the first time we were trying the 4-3-3, so some move…

Market: Athletic Bilbao win

Odds: 8/11 @

Looking to extend on their Champions League charge this weekend, Athletic Bilbao will travel to a struggling Granada on Sunday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, although Granada might have punched a La Liga return for this season, Alexander Medina’s men have failed to find any kind of stability this time around. Already battling it out at the foot of the table and tipped as a leading contender to be hit with an immediate Segunda return in 2024, the Nasrids have continued to show some rather glaring issues on either side of November’s international break. Last seen getting hit with a routine 2-0 defeat at the hands of Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid, Granada should be bracing themselves for another stern test here. …

Aaron Ramsdale insisted Arsenal s 2-2 draw at Liverpool may eventually be considered a very good point despite the Gunners relinquishing a two-goal lead at Anfield.

Liverpool fought back through goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino to earn a share of the spoils after Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus fired Arsenal into a 2-0 lead on Sunday.

The result left Arsenal six points clear at the Premier League summit, ahead of second-placed Manchester City who have a game in hand.

Mikel Arteta s side may count themselves fortunate to escape with a point. Ramsdale was required to make two brilliant late stops, repelling a deflected Salah effort before preventing Ibrahima Konate from bundling over a gilt-edged opportunity, as Liverpool threatened a last-minute w…

Trent Alexander-Arnold s masterful showing against Leicester was not perfect according to Jurgen Klopp, who is reluctant to label the Liverpool star the best full-back in world football.

The freshly-crowned world champions romped to a 4-0 win at Leicester City on Boxing Day – their nearest challengers in the Premier League table – to open up a 13-point advantage at the summit.

Alexander-Arnold supplied assists for both of Roberto Firmino s goals before completing the scoring with a stylish breakaway strike.

Such brilliance prompted post-match questions over whether the 21-year-old is the best in his position globally, but Klopp was keen not to add to the hyperbole.

I am not too interested to be honest, he replied at a post-match news conference.

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