The 2014 World Cup may be some seven months away, but with the draw having been made, the time has come to make some early predictions. Online bookmakers have already started quoting prices on what is likely to be the most heavily bet sporting event in recent years, and we have in turn selected a total of eight ante-post markets we feel provide the best value for money. Given that the odds are going to change as the market moves, it may be a good idea to get them while they re hot.

Disclaimer. All odds listed for each market are based on the price when the article was written. The odds may have changed since.

1.) To Win Outright

Best Bet: Germany @ 5/1

While many people will be backing tournament hosts Brazil, I feel the combination of the huge pressure from t…

Australia and New Zealand have come together to submit a bid to co-host the 2023 FIFA Women s World Cup.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) and New Zealand Football (NZF) confirmed the joint bid in Melbourne on Friday.

The move was made with FIFA expanding the tournament from 24 teams to 32 in 2023.

As trusted members of FIFA, FFA and NZF are committed to hosting an excellent Women s World Cup that delivers real benefits for the game not only during tournament time, but in the lead up to the competition and afterwards, FFA chairman Chris Nikou said in a statement.

The decision to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, two leading nations in the promotion of women s football and gender equality, will accelerate the game…

The last time a footballer not named Lionel or Cristiano won the Ballon d Or was way back in 2007.

Messi and Ronaldo have enjoyed a duopoly over the game s biggest individual prize for the last seven years. The former has been honoured four times, the latter three. 

On Monday, Real Madrid s Ronaldo is in contention to win the Ballon d Or for a third year in succession a hat-trick that would draw him level with Barcelona s Messi on four awards overall.

Messi s team-mate Neymar is also in the race after he played a key role in Barcelona s treble-winning 2014-15 season.

So who will walk away from Zurich with the Ballon d Or under their arm? 

Is Ronaldo set to make it three in a row? Will Messi return to the pinnacle of world football after a two-ye…

The Championship is always enthralling, and there is no reason why the 2024-25 season should be any different.

Since its rebranding in 2004, there have been 14 different winners in the second tier. Half of those former champions will be competing in the latest edition.

Thirty-eight different teams have finished in the top six of the Championship. In that same period, the Premier League has only had 15, showing just how competitive this division is.

But of equal interest, the fight to remain in the second tier is always intriguing.

Here, we use Opta data to pick out the key storylines.

Leeds out to rectify play-off woes

Leeds, who lost to Southampton in the play-off final, became the only team to accumulate 90 points in a season yet fail…

The touchdown market has become one of the most popular and potentially profitable props in the NFL betting world. Each week, we’re going to throw down three to four units as we try to uncover some of the best weekly NFL TD props and dig into the matchups that surround them.

With two weeks to go in the regular season, we’re looking to finish off strong. We’re jumping on the Buffalo passing game yet again, taking a hometown boy in Kansas City, fading the Ravens and taking the smart play in Dallas.

Without further ado:

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Who knew that when you trade massive draft capital and give $140 million to one offensive player, giving him as many touches per game as possible would be good for your team?

Certainly not Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels… until recently, when he started force-feeding the ball to megastar wide receiver Davante Adams — and the Raiders’ offense has picked up its play.

So for my TNF spotlight this week, I’m going to follow suit and force-feed you Davante Adams props.

Our Raiders vs. Rams betting preview is (rightfully) down on the Rams, whose current NFL odds see them getting nearly a touchdown at home, but my free NFL picks are taking a more positive perspective… and cashing in on LA’s misfortune.

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Week 16 odds have arrived, which means only three weeks remaining of a full slate of NFL odds to dig into.

This is a big Christmas weekend with a slew of games on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I’m focusing on the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day contests as I analyze the defensive player props.

Let’s just say that Santa won’t be the only fat man bringing a sack this Christmas (please don’t tell Fletcher Cox I called him fat), and Dre Greenlaw will also be ringing plenty of bells against the Ravens. Here are my best free sack and tackle NFL picks for Week 16.

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Aaron Rodgers returns to the field on Monday night as the New York Jets head to Levi’s Stadium to face the San Francisco 49ers. Early money has poured in on the visitors and the Under, but my early Jets vs. 49ers predictions are going against the line movement.

Here are my best free NFL picks for this Week 1 showdown.

Jets vs 49ers predictions

Early spread lean49ers -4.5 (-105 at FanDuel)

My analysisThis spread opened with the San Francisco 49ers installed as 6-point favorites and slimmed as low as -3.5 before ticking back up to -4.5.

Super Bowl runners-up have gone 4-19 ATS in their following Week 1 openers since 2000. That said, most Super Bowl losers have plenty of roster turnover and tend to be due for regression aft…

Fulham were unable to find a breakthrough in the absence of the Championship’s leading goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic as they were held to a 0-0 draw by bottom club Derby at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva’s team were seeking an eighth successive win but they were denied by Wayne Rooney’s determined side. Fulham were left frustrated after being unable to capitalise on a succession of good chances, with Silva revealing afterwards that “six or seven players” including Mitrovic were affected by illness.

“It is a good point, a very difficult game against one of the best teams in the division,” Rooney said afterwards. “After the last week, to get four points against Bournemouth and Fulham, they deserve credit…

Ella Toone believes England’s players will embrace the pressure of travelling to the Women’s World Cup “with a target on their backs” after their triumph at Euro 2022.

Sarina Wiegman’s side are second-favourites behind the holders, USA, despite losing their 30-match unbeaten record in a friendly against Australia in April. They face Portugal at Milton Keynes on Saturdaytomorrow before departing for a pre-tournament training camp on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Alessia Russo savours England duty after ‘tough’ spotlight on club futureRead more

Toone, who scored England’s opening goal in the Euro 2022 final against Germany, expects the Lionesses to rise to the challenge in Australia and New Zealand. �…