Best Odds: 11/10

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With the 2022/23 Championship campaign getting underway on Friday night, Burnley will make the trip to Huddersfield for a Yorkshire vs Lancashire showdown.

Huddersfield Town

Starting with the hosts, after suffering heartbreak at Wembley back on May 29th, Huddersfield will be desperate to put those memories to the back of their minds. Eventually falling to a 1-0 loss against Nottingham Forest in last season s play-off final, the Yorkshire-based outfit are getting a new era underway on Friday night. Appointing new Head Coach Danny Schofield after Carlos Corberán shockingly left the club earlier in the month, the Terriers have struggled to find much stability this summer. Signing off their pre-season preparations as they watched League…

Prediction: Both teams to score and Senegal to win.

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The African Cup of Nations continues on Thursday evening as two of the tournament s favourites, Senegal and Algeria, clash at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.

Both sides made a perfect start in Group C and will look to edge closer to the knockout rounds with another victory.

Senegal

By defeating Tanzania 2-0 in their opening group game of the tournament last week, Senegal were able to extend a stunning run of form under current manager Aliou Cissé. The Teranga Lions have won their last seven games in all competitions. In that time they also only conceded one goal and even that came in the 2-1 friendly victory against Mali. Only throughout the 2016/17 campaign did they embark o…

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi said there was the possibility that he could have been a River Plate player when he was younger.

Messi is in Japan as Barcelona prepare to face Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup.

Barca are favourites to go through to the final, where they could face South American champions River Plate.

And Messi admitted he could have been on the books of River as a youngster after having a trial at the Estadio Monumental in August of 2000.

Yes, but that’s a very long time ago now, he told FIFA.com.  

In the end it didn’t happen, but it is true that the possibility did come about, when I was very young.

The Argentina international has only come up against a club from his homeland o…

Tunisia international Aymen Abdennour has terminated his contract at Valencia and signed for Kayserispor in the Turkish Super Lig.

The centre-back made 35 appearances across two underwhelming LaLiga campaigns with Los Che after arriving from Monaco as Nicolas Otamendi s intended replacement in 2015, costing the club a reported €25million.

He was shipped out to Marseille in 2017 but finished a difficult two-season loan spell as part of the Ligue 1 club s reserves side, which competes in the fourth tier of French football.

Valencia confirmed the defender s contract was rescinded to facilitate the move to Turkey.

…

Juventus are to embark into a new era following Friday s announcement that Massimiliano Allegri is to step down at the end of the campaign.

Following a five-year stint at the Allianz Stadium, where he won five Serie A titles, four Coppas Italia, two Supercoppas Italiana and finished runner-up in the Champions League twice, Allegri is to call it a day after his side s final two matches of the 2018-19 season.

But amid all the trophy-winning highs, the 51-year-old also endured a number of lows – namely missing out on the Champions League crown that his side crave most of all.

Here we look back at the ups and downs of Allegri s tenure as Juventus start their search for a replacement.

75.5% Massimiliano Allegri has recorded the highest winning percentage amo…

Lionel Messi might be an expert when it comes to putting the ball in the net but the Barcelona superstar is also prolific when it comes to near misses.

Having set up Luis Suarez s opener in Saturday s 2-0 win at Eibar with a sumptuous pass, the five-time Ballon d Or winner rattled the upright with shot before half-time.

It means Messi has now been denied by post or crossbar in LaLiga 14 times this season, equalling a record he set himself in 2011-12.

The Argentina international is without a goal in his past three league outings but still has 20 in 24 top-flight appearances this term.

14 Lionel Messi has equalled the record of the most woodwork hit in a single season since at least 2003/04, which was set by Messi himself on 2011/12 (14). Wood

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Italy great Fabio Cannavaro insists the Azzurri cannot afford to fail to qualify for two consecutive World Cups.

The reigning European champions could not top their World Cup qualifying group, leaving them having to beat North Macedonia in the playoffs semi-final on Thursday to keep their hopes alive.

Italy would then have to bypass either Turkey or Cristiano Ronaldo s Portugal in the final to secure their spot at Qatar 2022, which means one of the previous two European Championship winners will not be present at the World Cup.

Robert Mancini s reinvigorated Azzurri responded to failure to qualify for FIFA s showpiece event in 2018 by lifting the delayed Euro 2020, and Cannavaro explained that it is vital that they find a way through this year.

Rober…

Fernando Llorente expects new club Napoli to have a successful season but insists the title pressure remains firmly on former employers Juventus.

Spanish striker Llorente signed on at Stadio San Paolo two months after the end of his contract at Tottenham.

The 34-year-old has prior experience in Italy, having scored 23 Serie A goals in a two-season stint with Juve.

Llorente won the Scudetto twice during his time in Turin and knows toppling the Bianconeri is a tough ask.

It s not easy. When I was at Sevilla we beat them 1-0 [in 2015], with me scoring, Llorente said.

I ve beaten them before but it s one thing to do it in a single game and another thing to do so over the course of a season.

Ottima prima sensazione in campo!  

— F…

Leighton Baines has been offered a 12-month extension at Everton but Ashley Williams will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the month.

Left-back Baines could extend his stay at Goodison Park to a 13th season after manager Marco Silva moved to keep the experienced former England international.

Signed from Wigan Athletic in 2007, the long-serving defender lost his place to Lucas Digne in 2018-19 and made just five Premier League starts.

Reports indicate Baines will take up the offer and bring an end to speculation linking him to Rangers.

Centre-back Williams, however, will not be returning to the Toffees.

corner!

Just Leighton Baines being Leighton Baines, at in 2012!  

— Everton (@Everton)

The 34-…

Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star Neymar revealed he considered retiring from football.

Neymar is regarded as one of the best players in the world, but he is a maligned figure due to his theatrics on the pitch and lifestyle away from the game.

The most expensive player in history after joining PSG from LaLiga giants Barcelona for €222million in 2017, Neymar admitted criticism has had an impact on him.

I will never lose the passion for football, but I have had moments that I did want to stop playing, the 28-year-old told Gaffer Magazine. Once, I reached a point of asking myself why I should keep playing if they do not like it.

I used to go home hot-headed and then remembered everything I ve done to get me here.

The love I have for football a…