The second semi-final saw a Russian side who had comprehensively outplayed Holland take on a Spanish side who had comprehensively outplayed Italy. The prize being the opportunity to take on the Germans in Sunday s final.

The first half was fairly even with Russia just shading the possession. Spain lost David Villa to injury towards the end of the half and he was replaced by Arsenal s Cesc Fabregas.

Early in the second half Xavi opened the scoring for Spain and from that moment on there was only ever going to be one winner. For the rest of the game Spain dominated, playing some exquisite football and leaving the Russians chasing shadows. Further goals from Guiza and Silva sealed a 3-0 win that did not flatter a scintillating Spain side.

For this fifth article in …

Liverpool claimed their sixth European Cup after a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid, on this day in 2019.

Jurgen Klopp’s men returned to the big stage 12 months after they had lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the 2018 final in Kiev, determined to go one better.

They did so still reflecting on a remarkable Premier League season during which they had finished on 97 points, yet still narrowly missed out on the title to Manchester City.

CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

The intervening three weeks had given them time to reflect upon on a near miss, but also to prepare for their showdown with Spurs after both had negotiated a path to Madrid in thrilling fashion.

Liverpool had looked to be heading out …

Covers is throwing an entry into the Circa Million Pro Football contest for the 2021 season and Adam Chernoff has been tabbed to make the weekly picks so let’s dig right in.

Here are his five ATS picks for Week 4 of the Circa Million betting contest.

Week 3 record: 3-2Season to date: 10-5Place: T-455 / 4,086

…

With just hours to go until the Big Game, sportsbooks are doing their utmost to lure in prospective bettors through promotional offers.

New customers who opt for the DraftKings Super Bowl promo can sign-up and claim $280 in free bets should they place a moneyline wager on either the Cincinnati Bengals or the Los Angeles Rams and win.

How-to claim $280 in free bets from DraftKings

Click here to register an account and start your journey towards claiming the DraftKings Super Bowl promo if you live in a state where the bonus is being offered. Be prepared to have personal information ready and to make a minimum deposit of $5 before placing any wagers. There is no DraftKings promo code required.

Once you’ve made your first deposit…

The Bengals offense isn’t lacking for superstar talent, but my NFL player props spotlight can only focus on one player — and I’m looking at the member of Who Dey nation who may shine the brightest of all.

Ja’Marr Chase props are my focus for this AFC Championship rematch with Kansas City, as the second-year wideout has quickly emerged as the most dangerous skill-position player on Cincinnati’s offense… and one of the league’s premier WRs overall.

In addition to my free NFL picks (and SGP) for Chase, check out Jason Logan’s Bengals vs. Chiefs betting preview and the best AFC Championship prop picks from Rohit Ponnaiya!

…

On the Week 7 edition of Thursday Night Football, we’ll see the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars meet at the Caesars Superdome. It’s a fascinating matchup, but our priority here is Alvin Kamara odds — the Saints RB has played three games since returning from his suspension and has already accumulated 285 yards from scrimmage.

With all eyes on Kamara, we’re going to get stuck into the best NFL odds prop markets for the 28-year-old running back. I’ve taken a look at Alvin Kamara-specific markets for my free NFL picks on tonight’s edition of Thursday Night Football.

You can also check out our Thursday Night Football props and Jaguars vs. Saints picks for more ways to navigate the Thursday Night Football odd…

The Philadelphia Eagles will have one eye on the New York Giants and one eye on the out-of-town scoreboard in Week 18.

Philadelphia’s late-season swoon has potentially cost it the NFC East title and a home playoff game, pending the result of Sunday’s Dallas-Washington contest that kicks off at the same time as this 4:25 p.m. ET start.

Should the Cowboys beat the Commanders, they would win in the division and the Eagles would slide to the No. 5 seed in the conference regardless of the result of this game in East Rutherford. 

What does that mean for bettors in this Week 18 NFC East encounter with the Eagles listed as five-point favorites in the NFL odds?

I break down the spread and Over/Under for Eagles vs. Giants and give my best …

Week 2 hit NFL survivor pools like a tornado in the trailer park, leaving less than 17% of entries in Covers’ free-to-play Pro Football Survivor Contest still standing to see Week 3.

After Week 1 results took a sizable chunk out of the pools, Week 2 was a great white bite with big faves like Baltimore, San Francisco, Dallas, Detroit, and Philadelphia all going down.

Luckily for me, I avoided those clubs and banked on the Los Angeles Chargers — or more the poor play of the Carolina Panthers — to get me through. The Bolts came up big, with a one-sided win.

I do expect the wild upsets to temper in Week 3, so don’t think you’re wise riding that crazy train into Week 4. That said, there are some sizable favorites I would avoid like th…

West Ham have made a last-ditch attempt to convince Jeremy Ngakia to sign a new contract but fear they are fighting a losing battle to keep the right-back, who is considering an offer to join Watford on a free transfer this summer.

Ngakia rejected West Ham’s offer of a new long-term deal last month, believed to be worth £5,000 a week, and he could stun them again by signing for one of their relegation rivals. The 19-year-old could play no part in his team’s fight to stay in the Premier League and is prepared to leave when his deal expires on 30 June, even though the east Londoners will still have seven league games left.

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City players not prepared for hectic scheduleRead more

West Ha…

DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE?

The Fiver lives for weeks like this. Ultimate Barclays, where hype ratchets up to the point where matches can never live up to the billing. Those occasions blown up to such Montgolfier Brothers’ balloon levels usually end up so low in entertainment that they would normally qualify for last place on Match of the Day 2. Long-time Fiver readers probably expect the old comedy one-two shuffle where this august banter email turns to the winner-takes-all battle between Norwich and Burnley, some meta riffs on Dean Smith’s ordinary-man demeanour, Delia Smith, Sean Dyche’s growling alpha realism and a sideways jibe towards Frank Lampard Frank Lamparding it at Frank Lampard’s Everton.