Louis van Gaal has called on the Netherlands to replicate their 2014 World Cup semi-final performance to contain Lionel Messi in Friday s quarter-final clash with Argentina.

Van Gaal s side reached the last eight with a 3-1 win over the United States on Saturday, while Argentina joined them by beating Australia 2-1 as Messi scored his first World Cup knockout goal.

Friday s match will represent the sixth World Cup meeting between the two teams. Only two fixtures have been played more often at the tournament – Brazil versus Sweden and Argentina versus Germany (both seven).

Argentina triumphed on penalties after the last such fixture finished goalless in 2014 s semi-finals, when Van Gaal was in the second of his three spells with the Oranje, and he says they must…

We enter Week 8 of NFL betting which means the oddsmakers’ power rankings are a well-oiled machine, flushing out all the dead data from last year and running on clean and concise results from 2021.

At this point, both books and bettors know what teams are about, and we have to go to great lengths to find advantages with our Week 8 NFL picks. 

That means looking past the analytics and digging into the situational muck that the schedule bubbles up. You know I’m talking about spot bets baby.

Here are my favorite letdown, look-ahead, and schedule spot bets for Week 8.

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A blown 18-point lead in the AFC Championship held the Kansas City Chiefs out of another Super Bowl appearance and could mark a metamorphosis for this team, with 2022 serving as the cocoon.

Am I getting a little too deep for you? 

From the sounds of things, going deep is something the Chiefs will miss after trading away long-bomb specialist Tyreek Hill this offseason. With that deal came plenty of draft picks, which sets up the future foundations of the franchise — but that doesn’t mean Kansas City won’t compete. 

Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the world, and he has plenty of ways to put up points. He’ll need to, because his defense lost many staples and is relying on young talent to grow while under c…

Say it ain’t so. 

After years of uproar aimed at Washington’s professional football team to change its name from Redskins to quite literally anything else, the team may do the unimaginable and circle back to its roots. 

A petition started by the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) is calling for the restoration of the team’s original name, which they deem will be beneficial to “the team, its loyal fan base, and the legacy it represents.”

This comes just three years after the team cut ties with the nickname in search of something more appropriate. The franchise settled on Washington Football Club before rebranding entirely to the Washington Commanders at the beginning of the 2022 season. 

Will this poorly-run franchise swit…

The NFL will send another pair of teams to Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts “visit” the New England Patriots with the Colts sitting as a slight 1.5-point favorites according to Week 10 odds.

With the travel and the No. 31 scoring offense in football, should bettors continue to fade a New England offense that lacks pass-catchers and a competent quarterback?

I break down the NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for Colts vs. Patriots on November 12. 

Want more great bets for this matchup? Check out our Colts vs. Patriots player prop picks and Mac Jones prop picks!

Colts vs Patriots odds

Colts vs Patriots predictions

The New England Patriots were supposed to rol…

The San Francisco 49ers have been cruising through the NFC in the Super Bowl odds, but now Kyle Shanahan’s team has to deal with the scrappy knee-biters from up north.

The NFL odds have the Detroit Lions as heavy 7.5-point underdogs in this one, and yet, that type of doubt is what’s fuelled Dan Campbell’s team all season. The question is whether or not the defense will be able to roar loud enough to slow down 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey.

You can see how I’m betting on the Christian McCaffrey odds as we dive into the Championship Sunday odds.

For more NFL picks, check out our Lions vs. 49ers picks and predictions and our spotlight on Brock Purdy odds.

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The Atlanta Falcons will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this evening for a special NFC South showdown on Thursday Night Football.

Despite a shaky history on primetime, my NFL picks for Kirk Cousins odds call for the veteran to shake the blues and air it out against the Bucs on Thursday, October 3.

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Jamal Musiala has pledged his international future to Germany over England. The 17-year-old, who became Bayern Munich’s youngest Champions League goalscorer in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over Lazio, was born in Stuttgart to a German mother and British-Nigerian father, but moved to England with his family as a seven-year-old and has represented both countries at youth level.

Musiala was spotted by Chelsea as a youngster before swapping their academy for Bayern’s two years ago.

‘Ice-cold’ Jamal Musiala making waves at Bayern after leaving ChelseaRead more

He told The Athletic of his decision to play for Germany: “I’ve thought about this question a lot. What is best for my future? Where do I have more chances to pl…

Ipswich suffered a serious blow to their hopes of automatic promotion from the Championship when they slid to a 1-0 defeat at local rivals Norwich.

A tense game of few clear-cut chances was settled by 39th free-kick from Marcelino Nunez, who fired home low and hard from over 30 yards.

The win left a below-par Ipswich side hoping for slip-ups from rivals Leicester and Leeds later in the day, while for Norwich it further cemented their place in the top six.

It also maintained their overwhelming supremacy in this fixture in recent times, with Ipswich having failed to clinch an East Anglian derby win since a 3-2 victory at Portman Road way back in 2009.

After a predictably tight start the home side began to take the initiative, winning a series of free-kicks …

The new LaLiga season starts this weekend but Barcelona and Real Madrid still have work to do in the transfer market before the big kick-off.

Barca and Madrid have lost much-loved club icons, with Cristiano Ronaldo departing the capital after a hugely successful nine-year spell and Andres Iniesta leaving the Catalan giants for a new chapter in his career in Japan.

Ernesto Valverde s side won the double last season and, on paper, seem to have strengthened more than Madrid, who have strenuously denied they will move for either of Paris Saint-Germain s superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The deadline may be just over two weeks away, but how are Barca and Madrid shaping up in terms of transfers ahead of the new season?

BARCELONA

Arrivals:…