Market: Criciuma win

Odds: 4/6 @

Looking to make an immediate return to winning ways this weekend, Criciuma will welcome Londrina to the Heriberto Hulse on Saturday night.

Starting with the hosts, putting in a toothless performance last weekend as they missed out on a golden opportunity, there is no doubts that Criciuma will be seeking an immediate response here. Eventually slumping to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Avai, the Tigers will be excited to make a return to the Heriberto Hulse on Saturday night. Although Claudio Tencati’s men might be hoping to find some recent stability, it is no secret that the Santa Catarina-based outfit have their sights set on securing a Serie A return in 2023. Opening this weekend’s fixtures only sat outside the top-four thanks …

Lille missed the opportunity to close the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Marseille, while title aspirants Bordeaux were held at Valenciennes.

Rudi Garcia s men made the trip to Troyes on Saturday but could only manage a 1-1 draw after a late equaliser from Sebastien Grax.

With a Champions League encounter against BATE Borisov scheduled on Wednesday, Lille were keen to create some momentum heading into the clash and they hit the front seven minutes before the break.

Dimitri Payet showed great control and composure in the 38th minute before unleashing a well-placed shot into the bottom corner.

Lille dominated for extended periods but were punished for some lacklustre defending.

Stephane Darbion whipped in a cross with just two minutes remaining and Grax po…

Stoke City have enough strength in depth in the goalkeeper department to combat the departure of Asmir Begovic, according to manager Mark Hughes.

Begovic joined Chelsea on a four-year deal on Monday, ending the Bosnia-Herzegovina international s impressive stint at the Britannia Stadium, which began when he made the switch from Portsmouth in 2010. 

Jack Butland – who has spent most of his Stoke career on loan since transferring from Birmingham City in 2013 – is the favourite to take over from Begovic, although the club did sign Shay Given from Aston Villa last week.

And Hughes said: We wish Asmir well, he s moved on to the next chapter of his career after doing great things at Stoke. 

We are pleased he was here for the time he was and part of a su…

Bournemouth have been linked with a shock move to re-sign Jermain Defoe, .

The England international had a successful loan spell with the Cherries in the 2000/01 campaign as a teenager when he scored nineteen goals in thirty-one appearances in all competitions.

He could now be set for a return to the south coast, with the thirty-two year old’s future at Sunderland uncertain.

Defoe has racked up four hundred Premier League appearances across spells with the Black Cats, West Ham United, Portsmouth and two with Tottenham Hotspur while he also played seventeen times for MLS side Toronto FC before moving to the Stadium Light.

He also has fifty-five caps for his country and nineteen goals, and was part of the squads for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa…

Marco Reus is expected to miss Borussia Dortmund s Klassiker showdown with Bayern Munich.

Dortmund s fierce rivals can secure a sixth consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday if Schalke fail to beat Freiburg and Jupp Heynckes men go on to triumph at the Allianz Arena.

Although Bayern s procession to the title has long been a formality, having Germany forward Reus available to delay the inevitable would have been a welcome boost to boss Peter Stoger.

However, 28-year-old s injury curse continues to plague him and he has not made sufficient progress in rehabilitation from an adductor problem.

He hasn t practiced with the team yet, Stoger told a pre-match news conference. I doubt that he will be fit for Saturday.

Another of Germany s most gifted na…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defended his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo before the international break, adamant he is trying to learn from his own mistake of overexerting his players.

Ronaldo was surprisingly named among the substitutes as United could only draw 1-1 with Everton in their most recent Premier League match.

United produced a disappointing performance as they were left with just two wins from their past seven home games in the league.

Ronaldo came on in the second half to make his 200th top-flight appearance for United, becoming only the fifth player since 2003 to reach that milestone in two of Europe s big five leagues.

The Portugal star looked furious as he walked down the tunnel after that match and a video posted b…

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says that his role at the club has not changed, despite the appointment of Joe Kinnear as director of football.

Kinnear controversially returned to St James Park in June as part of an overhaul by club owner Mike Ashley, and he will have the final say on transfer spending.

Pardew will report in to the 66-year-old former Wimbledon boss, who also had a spell as Newcastle manager during the 2008-09 campaign.

However, the former Charlton manager has stressed that he will retain control over first-team affairs.

I m my own man, and I will manage this football club to the best of my ability, Pardew told BBC Radio Newcastle.

I spoke to one or two players and my staff here and made them very aware of where the position lies.

If Joe ca…

Sunderland have confirmed the signing of defender Lamine Kone from Lorient on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

The Ivorian defender, 26, has been the subject of interest from Sunderland for a number of weeks with talks reported to have twice stalled before being resurrected and finalised on Wednesday.

Kone joins Jan Kirchhoff, Dame N Doye and Steven Harper in arriving at the Stadium of Light this month as manager Sam Allardyce seeks to guide 19th-placed Sunderland away from danger.

Strengthening our defensive options was a priority for us and Lamine is a player that has impressed me when I ve seen him play, Allardyce told Sunderland s official website.

He is big and strong, attributes you need to play in central defence in the Premier League, and his arriva…

While it would be sad to see Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid, Masters champion Sergio Garcia feels the Spanish and European champions would be fine without their all-time leading goalscorer.

Allegations of tax fraud – denied by Ronaldo – have thrown the four-time Ballon d Or winner s future up in the air, with former club Manchester United linked.

Madrid president Florentino Perez has already dismissed talk of Ronaldo leaving but PGA and European Tour star Garcia – an avid fan of the LaLiga and Champions League titleholders – said the Spanish capital club are in a position to recoup a substantial transfer fee, should the 32-year-old Portuguese wish to leave.

As a Real Madrid fan it s sad to see the possibility of one of the best we ve ever had to lea…

Inter have begun discussions about the possibility of signing Chelsea s Davide Zappacosta, according to .

The Italian right back started his career in his homeland with Lega Pro Seconda Divisione club Isola Liri, before moving a league up to Avellino. He spent three years there, eventually helping with their promotion to Serie B. In 2014, he moved to Atalanta in Serie A and to Torino just one year later. signed him on deadline day last summer for a reported fee of €28million, not including bonuses.

In Antonio Conte s preferred 3-4-3 system Zappacosta played in a more advanced wing-back role, competing for the spot with Victor Moses, but the Nigerian has largely been favored. Nevertheless, he managed to gather 35 appearances in all competitions in 2017/18 and score tw…