Portugal have appointed Roberto Martinez as their new head coach.
Fernando Santos called time on his eight-year stint at the helm last month, a decision which followed Portugal s surprise World Cup defeat to Morocco.
Santos led Portugal to the quarter-finals in Qatar, where he benched Cristiano Ronaldo for the Selecao s two knockout games – a comprehensive 6-1 win over Switzerland and the 1-0 loss to the Atlas Lions.
Martinez, who was presented as Portugal s new coach on Monday and has reportedly signed a four-year deal, became a free agent shortly before Santos exit, leaving his role as Belgium coach after the Red Devils slumped to a dismal group-stage exit in Qatar.
Um novo ao serviço de Portugal bem-vindo, Mister Roberto Martínez!
A new le…
San Jose Earthquakes snapped a pair of skids in stunning fashion on Saturday with a 1-0 road defeat of Seattle Sounders.
The victory was San Jose s first since May 7, ending an 11-match winless streak, and their first win over Seattle since September 2015, halting a 14-game drought.
Cristian Espinoza s goal in first-half stoppage time, a left-footed strike from just outside the 18-yard box, made the difference for San Jose.
San Jose thought they had another in the 89th minute but Chris Wondolowski s goal was disallowed after a video review.
Class.
Pure class.
Cristian Espinoza ends the half with a beauty.
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes)
New England Revolution extended their lead atop the Eastern Conference w…
Rodrigo capitalised on a bad mistake from Ederson to score his first goal for Leeds United and secure a 1-1 Premier League draw against Manchester City at Elland Road.
City, hammered 5-2 at home by Leicester City last weekend, made a blistering start in driving rain at Elland Road and Raheem Sterling deservedly put them in front.
Leeds grew into a pulsating contest, though, and record signing Rodrigo opened his account for the promoted side soon after coming on when goalkeeper Ederson made a mess of trying to deal with a corner.
Rodrigo also hit the crossbar twice as the Whites continued their impressive start to life in the top tier, although City felt they should have had a late penalty for a challenge on Sterling.
It meant Pep Guardiola and Marcelo …
With the Champions League taking center stage on Wednesday night, we are set for what is another stacked schedule from across Europe. So, for those of you looking to place a midweek accumulator, we have found a few helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Wednesday April 19th
BST 19:45 Watford vs Cardiff City
Managing to make what was a much-welcomed return to winning ways over the weekend, Watford have the feel of a squad seeking some recent stability. Eventually picking up a deserved 2-0 win at home against Bristol City, Chris Wilder’s side should be smelling the chance to clinch back-to-back Championship victories for the first time since opening 2023. Although the Hornets might be facing a real uphill battle in their bid to claim a play-off finish th…
There has not been a lot of movement among Inter s defensive stocks in recent years, with Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni providing continuity in front of Samir Handanovic.
Skriniar appears set to leave this off-season, however, after five years at the club.
The Nerazzurri are reportedly well-prepared in what looks set to be an active transfer window for them.
TOP STORY – INTER PLAN FOR SKRINIAR EXIT AS PSG MOVE NEARS
Inter have identified who they would want to replace Skriniar in the event he departs for PSG, according to Tuttosport and Corriere dello Sport.
Gleison Bremer and Nikola Milenkovic are viewed as possible replacements for the 27-year-old Slovakia international, as his move to Ligue 1 appear…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists his reign is far from being over and he appreciates Steven Gerrard s comments after taking over at Aston Villa this week.
Former Anfield star Gerrard, often tipped as a future Liverpool manager, has left Scottish champions Rangers to join Villa in his first Premier League job.
But Gerrard rejected a suggestion he had taken the role as a stepping stone to managing Liverpool in the future.
He then claimed he would be happy if Klopp signed a lifetime contract, given how well he has done with the Reds.
Klopp is under contract at Anfield until 2024 and while he has not thought about a new deal, he was grateful to Gerrard and reiterated there is plenty of time left for him in his current job.
I thought Stevie sai…
Market: Bournemouth win
Odds: 11/10 @
In what is certainly a must-win showdown for Luton this weekend, the Hatters will welcome Bournemouth to Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, although Luton might have gained plenty of plaudits since making a famous Premier League return this season, the Hatters find themselves tipped as a standout relegation contender. Last seen earlier in the week getting hit with a routine 2-0 loss at the hands of Arsenal, Rob Edwards’ men still find themselves sat three points adrift of top-flight safety. Marking their return from March’s international break with a second-half collapse away at Tottenham as they suffered a 2-1 loss, the former Watford boss has seen his squad fail to win any of their previous…
Best Odds: 7/5
Bookmaker:
Looking to extend on their rampant start to proceedings, Tottenham will welcome Sheffield United to north London on Saturday afternoon.
Tottenham
Starting with the hosts, while Tottenham might have come under a huge amount of scrutiny last season as they missed out on any kind of European finish, Spurs have come roaring back this time around. Really enjoying life under new boss Ange Postecoglou, the Lilywhites have gained a string of early plaudits. Last seen heading into September’s international break with an action-packed 5-2 win away at Premier League returners Burnley, the former Celtic boss finds the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. With their sights now firmly set on securing a Champions League return this season, Tottenham…
Best odds: 8/11
Bookmaker:
Liverpool will face their hardest challenge to date in the Europa League in the form of Atalanta, whom they face in the quarterfinals of UEFA s second-string competition. The first leg of the tie will take place at Anfield on Thursday evening.
While the Reds tore Sparta Prague in the round of 16, Atalanta got to this stage by edging out Sporting Lisbon, whose head coach Ruben Amorim is being heavily linked with Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp prepares to leave Merseyside at the end of the season.
Liverpool
Some of Liverpool s forays away from home in the Europa League this term weren t great, but their finish at the top of the group containing LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse was never really in question, which means they di…
Inter star Romelu Lukaku said he owes Antonio Conte a lot after penning a heartfelt farewell message to the former Nerazzurri head coach.
Conte guided Inter to their first Serie A title since 2010 but the Italian boss remarkably departed less than a month on from the club s Scudetto triumph by mutual consent on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old, who had another year remaining on his contract after arriving from Chelsea in 2019, had been tipped to leave amid Inter s financial situation and a supposed dispute over salary cuts and player sales.
Lured to San Siro by Conte in 2019, Lukaku paid tribute to the outgoing boss.
Lukaku wrote via Instagram: 2014 we spoke for the first time and we have had a bond ever since. We had many moments to work together but only god …