Yellow Fever: England to rattle Mario Balotelli’s cage June 12, 2014 ITALY stalwarts Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo will provide class and experience, while Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio and Marco Verratti offer balance and fight, as the country look to secure their fifth World Cup and erase the memories of the 4-0 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2012 final. If there are concerns over [...]
Homegrown factor (at Arsenal) makes Cesc Fabregas more useful to Chelsea June 12, 2014 It's not just incisive midfield play and experience on the big stage that make Cesc Fabregas attractive to Chelsea, who have today signed the former Arsenal captain from Barcelona for £30m on a five-year deal. Fabregas’s value to the Blues has increased markedly since the club decided to part company with two of its [...]
World Cup 2014: Wayne Rooney fires warning shot at Italy ahead of opener June 11, 2014 England striker Wayne Rooney has warned Saturday’s World Cup opponents Italy: “underestimate us at your peril”. Italy dumped England out of the 2012 European Championship via a penalty shootout, though had outplayed Roy Hodgson’s team during a goalless 120 minutes with midfielder Andrea Pirlo their star turn. Two years on, questions are still being asked [...]
World Cup 2014: Brazil ready to fulfil star billing as the greatest show on Earth commences June 11, 2014 “The time has arrived”, Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari roared last night as his team made their final preparations before taking on Croatia in the eagerly anticipated opening match of the World Cup. Seven years after Fifa president Sepp Blatter announced football would come to its spiritual home for the first time since 1950, the [...]
World Cup in brief June 11, 2014 Chile angry at hotel amenities CHILE’S coach Jorge Sampaoli is unhappy with the quality of the team’s hotel in Cuiaba. The South Americans have concerns over security, say the air conditioning is in need of repair and the internet signal is poor. Chile kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia tomorrow night. Sneijder gunning [...]
Sporting Index: Brazil v Croatia spread betting June 11, 2014 So, the wait is finally over and the 2014 World Cup gets under way tonight with Brazil v Croatia. However, those expecting a one-sided goal fest should tread carefully. Sporting Index unsurprisingly make the hosts the 1.5-1.7-goal favourites and have pitched total predicted goals in the game at 2.55–2.75. Yet, there is the distinct possibility [...]
Murray plays safe for SW19 June 11, 2014 WIMBLEDON champion Andy Murray insists new coach Amelie Mauresmo will not make any significant changes to his game before he begins defending his title later this month. Murray began his grass-court season yesterday with a straight-sets win over Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club, the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event. It was [...]
Puncture fails to hamper Froome June 11, 2014 BRITISH cyclist Chris Froome overcame a puncture to tighten his grip on the Criterium du Dauphine yesterday and close in on a successful title defence. The Team Sky rider finished in the peloton on the fourth of eight stages but maintained his 12-second lead over main rival Alberto Contador in the general classification. Froome, who [...]
Man City handed FFP reprieve June 11, 2014 FOOTBALL: Manchester City have received a boost after governing body Uefa confirmed the club will only need to include five home-grown players in their Champions League squad next season. City are restricted to 21 players rather than the standard 25 due to a breach of financial fair play rules, but will now not have to [...]
McIlroy to switch off at US Open June 11, 2014 GOLF: Former US Open champion Rory McIlroy plans to leave his phone at home when he tees off at the tournament today. McIlroy, who plays alongside fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, has been in the headlines following a recent split from tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, and said: “Sometimes you become dependent on all this new [...]