Albania coach Sylvinho looked up to Arsene Wenger as his inspiration, while he hailed Pep Guardiola as a genuis .

Sylvinho did not have much success during spells in charge of Lyon in France and Corinthians in his homeland of Brazil, but has excelled in his first job as a national team manager.

He took over Albania s national team at the start of 2023, and guided them to the Euro 2024 qualification. It is just the second time the Balkan nation have progressed to the finals of UEFA s flagship competition, and his efforts saw him rewarded with the Golden Decoration of the Eagle by Albania s prime minister.

Sylvinho lost just one of his opening eight games as Albania coach, with that defeat coming in his first match against Poland, though his side did slip to a 3-0 …

Halfway through last season, Borussia Dortmund were in pole position to dethrone Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

The new year saw Lucien Favre s bright young side falter just enough for Bayern s know how to tell, with Niko Kovac s men claiming a seventh successive top-flight crown.

But it means the anticipation is for a memorable tussle once again this time around, with the processions of recent campaigns hopefully a thing of the past. Throw in an ambitious chasing pack and you have quite a spectacle.

Before the first ball is kicked, five Omnisport journalists have put their necks on the line with some top-four predictions.

We totted up the overall scores and here s what we came up with. Apologies in advance to all at Signal Iduna Park…

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As we gear up for another edition of the Women s Champions League, the excitement around this iconic club competition is as tantalising as ever.

This season s tournament, which starts on Tuesday, brings with it new managers and big moves from some top players, as the best and brightest across women s European football go toe-to-toe.

Sixteen teams have qualified and will now battle it out to be crowned champions of Europe in Lisbon next year.

The tournament will welcome Celtic and Galatasaray, who have become the first teams from Scotland and Turkiye, respectively, to reach the group stage in this current format.

There are also debutants in the form of Swedish side Hammarby, who turned heads in the qualifying rounds by knocking out last season s quarter-fi…

This could be the most important match in the race for that crucial fourth place champions league spot and Man City will be hoping that home advantage is enough for them to put their noses in front in this race to the wire.

Roberto Mancini s obvious selection dilemma is who to play between the sticks for this critical game. With first and second choice keepers Given and Taylor both out injured, City were given special dispensation to bring in another keeper to act as cover. Martin Fulop has been brought in on loan from Sunderland although it is not clear whether Fulop will be selected to start, with Nielson also available to Mancini. Lescott, Petrov and Johnson all still miss out for Man City but in reality it is a near full strength squad which Mancini can select from. This is…

Alisson has become the first goalkeeper to win the Samba d Or Award, beating Liverpool team-mate Roberto Firmino to the prize with Neymar only fifth.

The stopper took 35.54 per cent of the vote for the best Brazilian player in Europe with Firmino in second spot with 23.48 per cent.

Liverpool won the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in 2019 while Brazil claimed Copa America glory.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva came third with another Liverpool player, midfielder Fabinho, finishing fourth in the voting.

Congrats to goalkeeper being voted the best Brazilian player in Europe for 2019 and becoming the winner of the 11th edition of the Samba Gold!

— Sambafoot (@Sambafoot)

Three-time winner Neymar, wh…

Kai Havertz became the first player to score his maiden Champions League goal in the final since Ilkay Gundogan in 2013 when he broke the deadlock for Chelsea against Manchester City on Saturday.

Germany international Havertz – a big-money signing from Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the 2020-21 campaign – put Thomas Tuchel s side ahead three minutes before the interval in Porto. 

The 21-year-old had made 20 appearances in the competition with the Blues and Leverkusen without scoring prior to that strike. 

He was teed up by Mason Mount, who became the first English player to provide a Champions League final assist since Manchester United s Wes Brown against the Blues in 2008. 

1 Kai Havertz is the first player to score his first UEFA Champions Leagu…

When compared to all the advanced stats and computer-learning power ratings out there, situational handicapping can seem a bit… passé.

But tell that to the Cincinnati Bengals and our “schedule spot” for Week 8. 

Spot bets are an additional layer to your handicapping, going beyond what the analytics tell you and digging into how the schedule can rattle the psyche of NFL teams. Before you make your NFL betting picks, check out my favorite letdown, lookahead and schedule spot bets for Week 9.

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Sunday football is back, and we have a pair of important debuts!

Matt Ryan spent 13 years in Atlanta, demanded a trade, and wound up with an Indianapolis Colts side in win-now mode after a late-season meltdown cost them a shot at the playoffs.

Lovie Smith becomes the fourth head coach over their last four seasons, and he’s in charge of the Houston Texans’ rebuild with a number of highly touted rookies. 

Who will have the better debut, Ryan or Smith? Find out in my free NFL football betting picks and predictions for this Week 1 showdown between the Colts and Texans on Sunday, September 11.

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With the regular season just around the corner, the Seattle Seahawks will look to seal a 3-0 record in the preseason as they visit the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

The Seahawks have flipped the script with a more productive August after going 1-5 in its last two preseasons — and that’s largely thanks to big contributions from Drew Lock and a pair of sharp defensive outings. A strong first half against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend paved the way for a 22-14 win.

Matt LaFleur and the Packers are unlikely to risk Jordan Love for many snaps here, just as Geno Smith’s minutes will surely be limited for the visitors. However, that should mean more opportunities for Green Bay backup Sam Clifford and dynamic running back Emmanuel Wilson as the ho…

This Sunday serves up our final game in Europe of the NFL season with the second of two contests in Germany. The Colts and Patriots are meeting in Frankfurt in Week 10, with the Pats considered the home team while sitting as 1.5-point underdogs in the NFL odds. 

We’re going to have a deep dive into Patriots’ QB Mac Jones this week. Let’s discuss the best ways to bet on Mac Jones odds for the final Germany game with our free NFL picks for Week 10.

You can also check out our Colts vs. Patriots picks for a full matchup breakdown, and Colts vs. Patriots player prop picks for more player-based wagers.

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