Former England forward Rachel Yankey has warned that the Lionesses’ World Cup opponents will all want to be the side that eliminates the European champions when the tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.

Sarina Wiegman’s team are amongst the favourites as they seek to become the first England side to win a world title since 1966, particularly following last summer’s Euro 2022 success on home soil.

They fly out this evening to begin preparations for their opening match against Haiti and will be sent on their way by a message of support displayed beneath the flightpath out of Heathrow reading “Lionesses, you’re our pride.”

The gesture, arranged by the Football Association’s commercial partner Kind Snacks, is tagged with thousands of messag…

A Week 2 divisional dance between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins holds a ton of weight in the AFC East on Sunday. 

The Dolphins were the only team in the division to win their opener, knocking off the rival Patriots 17-16 on the road, while the Bills were stymied by the Steelers stop unit in a 23-16 defeat.

The NFL betting odds are giving a field goal to Miami, which has lost five straight meetings with Buffalo, going 2-3 ATS in that span. 

Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for Bills at Dolphins on September 19.

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The AFC South division title isn’t in contention, but one thing is, and that’s whether the Titans can seal the first round bye. To do that, they’ll need to head into Houston and defeat the Texans.

Can the Titans finally beat the Texans this season or will they blow their chances of a bye? Find out by reading our NFL picks and predictions for the Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans.

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The closing weeks of the NFL season bring a slew of outside factors influencing the outcomes on the field, beyond the standard situational handicapping angles we unearth in this article. 

Playoff pushes, lost seasons, player incentives, injured talents, resting starters, kicking the tires on a young prospect, and the always-spinning coaching carousel make betting the NFL Week 17 odds one of the toughest challenges of the year. 

Then toss in the situational spots — letdown, look-ahead, and schedule — into the mix and you’ve got to keep your head on a swivel and ear to the ground in Week 17. Before you get down any action, consider all the factors, including my top spot bets.

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Like ordering fajitas at your local Tex-Mex spot, NFL Week 6 odds are still sizzling fresh out of the oddsmakers’ frying pan.

If you’re new to this weekly feature, here’s the deal: I comb over the opening NFL odds and totals and project the market movement, highlighting the bets to make right now and the ones you may want to let simmer before getting down.

The whole point of this thing is getting the best number for your opinion, which is at the core of successful sports betting. 

Here are the bets to make now and the ones to make later in Week 6 of the NFL season.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks this evening, coming off a Christmas miracle win over the Cincinnati Bengals behind the arm of Mason Rudolph. Rudolph with his arm so bright was able to lead Mike Tomlin’s sleigh and keep the Steelers alive in the playoff hunt.

Seattle is coming off a win over the Tennessee Titans and remains in the seven-seed slot of the NFC playoff picture, the defense has been exposed on the ground in recent weeks. The NFL odds have the Hawks as 3.5-point favorites, but Pittsburgh is in position to get after Pete Carroll’s run defense.

Find out where my best bets lie in our NFL picks and predictions for Steelers vs. Seahawks on Sunday, December 31.

Steelers vs Seahawks odds

The New Orleans Saints see their level of competition go from “pleasure cruise” against the Carolina Panthers to “whitewater rapids” when they float into Arlington to play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.

Find out why I believe Cowboys QB Dak Prescott will be able to contribute on the ground as well as through the air in my Saints vs. Cowboys predictions and NFL picks for Sunday, September 15.

Saints vs Cowboys prediction

My best betDak Prescott Over 11.5 rushing yards (-115 at BetMGM)

My analysis

The ink is still wet on Dak Prescott’s new contract with the Dallas Cowboys, as the team announced his extension just before the Week 1 opener at Cleveland with Prescott getting a four-year, $240 mi…

Joe Cole has suggested Fabio Capello was not fully committed to his role as England manager and criticised the Italian for referring to David James as “Calamity”.

In an interview with the Guardian this month, Capello said England had “played without conviction” during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as they were eliminated by Germany in the last 16. But Cole, who came on as a substitute in the 4-1 defeat against Joachim Löw’s side in Bloemfontein, has questioned whether Capello fully embraced his role in the same way as the incumbent England manager, Gareth Southgate.

Fabio Capello: ‘I asked the players – Joe Hart or Calamity James?’Read more

“You have to say he is a legendary manager, what he’s a…

England’s World Cup 2018 finished on a somewhat bum note, as the Three Lions suffered a 2-0 defeat against Belgium on Saturday in the third-place play-off. In truth, the game was one that both sides could have done without playing.

However, they played, and Belgium showed their extra class with a victory in the end. The Belgium defeat and other experiences are important to the future of the English national team.

This England team have won the fans back

The critics who claim that England were in the comfortable half of the draw certainly have credence. No doubt Gareth Southgate’s side had an easier route to the semi-final than they could have had. The fact they fell to defeats when facing decent opposition is also a concern.

However, there are more positive…

European football giants England, Holland and Spain have all booked their places at World Cup 2010. All three countries have 100 per cent records in their groups and have brushed aside every team that they have played in qualification.

100 per cent records are not the only thing that these three great footballing countries have in common. All three teams are also World Cup underachievers. There is only one World Cup crown between them and that was back in 1966 when England triumphed on home soil.

Holland and Spain have both won European Championships since then. The great Dutch side of the 1980s prevailing in Euro 88 including beating England on the way to glory. Apart from that the Dutch national side has enjoyed limited success at recent major tournaments.

Dur…