Football betting: Chelsea cup win a priority against under-strength Manchester City February 18, 2016 It might be over-selling things to say that Chelsea’s season rests on Sunday’s FA Cup fifth round match against Manchester City, but it means a lot more than it would in any other year. Premier League failings and Champions League struggles means the most realistic chance of silverware for the Blues this term comes in the [...]
Football betting: up-for-the-FA Cup West Ham fancied to run riot against Blackburn February 18, 2016 West Ham boss Slaven Bilic never won the FA Cup as a player, but he’s got it firmly in his sights as a manager. The Hammers overcame Liverpool in the last round after Angelo Ogbonna’s 120th-minute winner, and Bilic has said he’d rather win the cup than qualify for the Champions League. Standing in his [...]
Leicester City’s owner will be able to sell club for more than 10 times what he paid for it if Foxes win the Premier League February 18, 2016 A debt-laden, second tier club who had never won the top-flight title may have not appeared to be the most failsafe investment when Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester City for £39m in 2010. But if the Foxes, who have provided the story of the season so far with an unlikely charge to the top of the [...]
Pochettino vows not to sacrifice Europa League in bid to preserve Premier League title tilt February 17, 2016 Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has dismissed suggestions that he could sacrifice the Europa League to concentrate on his side’s bid to secure a first top-flight title since 1961. Second-placed Spurs closed the gap on Premier League leaders Leicester to two points with victory at rivals Manchester City at the weekend, while they host Crystal Palace [...]
Ezequiel Lavezzi to become one of the highest paid players in the world after swapping PSG for Hebei China Fortune February 17, 2016 For Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, Hebei China Fortune certainly live up to their name. The Chinese Super League club have made the former Paris Saint-Germain man one of the highest paid players in world football after handing him a two-year contract worth £400,000-a-week. Lavezzi, 30, joins former Premier League players Stephane M'Bia, Gervinho and Gael Kakuta at [...]
Premier League clubs could be offered cash incentives to take the Europa League seriously February 17, 2016 The Premier League is considering offering its clubs in the Europa League cash incentives to take the competition seriously in order to retain its Uefa coefficient ranking. English clubs are in danger of losing one of their four Champions League spots to Italy following recent under-performance in Uefa competition from Premier League clubs. Tottenham Hotspur [...]
Relegation-haunted Sunderland to reduce cost of season tickets February 16, 2016 Relegation-threatened Sunderland have followed the lead of fellow Premier League side West Ham by announcing reductions to season-ticket prices for the 2016-17 campaign. Adult season tickets at the Stadium of Light next term will start at £350, down by £20, and the move follows widespread supporter unrest at the growing cost of attending top-level matches in [...]
The FA Cup: Midweek games and no replays proposed for tournament by Premier League powers February 16, 2016 Football's oldest competition could be set for a major revamp to invigorate it for the modern era. Proposals to adopt a format similar to the League Cup, by moving games to midweek and scrapping replays altogether, have been discussed by Premier League representatives and the FA according to reports. The League Cup itself could also be [...]
Champions League: Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink warns Eden Hazard to forget possible Paris Saint-Germain move as teams prepare to meet again February 15, 2016 Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has urged Eden Hazard to forget any prospect of a big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain and focus on proving he is fit again by helping to halt the in-form French champions. Hazard appeared to give his suitors fresh hope when he said it would “difficult to say no to PSG” in a [...]
FA Cup final tickets to be cut by £5 each as Football Association responds to growing fan unrest at match-day costs February 15, 2016 Football Association chiefs have cut ticket prices for this year’s FA Cup final and semi-finals amid supporter unrest at the growing cost of attending top-level matches. All tickets for the 21 May showpiece have been reduced by £5 while seats at the two semi-finals in April, which are also held at Wembley, have been cut [...]