Borussia Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek has announced he will retire at the end of the 2020-21 season.

The 35-year-old joined Dortmund from Hertha Berlin in 2010 and has gone on to become a key figure at the club.

Predominantly a right-back, Piszczek regularly impressed with his attacking abilities – particularly during his first years at the club – and has enjoyed great success at Signal Iduna Park.

He was a part of the team that won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 under Jurgen Klopp, while he also helped them to two DFB-Pokal crowns and the Champions League final in 2013.

More recently Piszczek has began to operate as a right-sided centre-back in a back three and featured 29 times in the 2019-20 Bundesliga campaign, the most he h…

Atlanta United interim head coach Rob Valentino has backed Alexey Miranchuk to aid the Five Stripes’ push for the playoffs after his impressive showing against Charlotte FC.

Miranchuk, signed from Atalanta in July, showcased his individual qualities last time out, playing more passes into the final third (29) than any on the pitch at the Bank of America Stadium.

Atlanta currently sit 10th in the Eastern Conference table, a point behind D.C. United with a game in hand, with Valentino confident the Russian can propel his side into the playoff positions.

It was fantastic, it was good to get him integrated into the team as quickly as possible, said Valentino. He’s going to help us a lot down the stretch.

“His teammates getting used to him, him getting …

Best odds: 23/10

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Both Slovakia and Austria are intensifying their preparations for the upcoming European Championships by facing off in an international friendly at Stadion Tehelne Pole.

The Falcons aim to build on their impressive form from the latter part of 2023, while Das Team also seek to maintain their strong performance as they gear up for a challenging group stage encounter against Germany in the summer.

Slovakia

Slovakia kick off their 2024 international calendar on a high note following a successful end to their Euro qualifying campaign. Three consecutive victories against Luxembourg, Iceland, and Bosnia-Herzegovina secured their spot at the tournament in Germany.

Their last match in Group J took them to Stadion Bilino Polje…

The football season in top European leagues has come to an end and now it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming European Championship. The final squads are slowly being announced and online bookmakers are going the extra mile to offer the best outright bets on the web. With so many markets to choose from finding the outright bets that have the best value will be no easy task, and that is why we have compiled a list of top five outright bets for the European Championship.

1.) Spain to win Euro 2012

Odds: at

Arriving to the tournament as reigning European and World champions, Spain are rightly considered the number one favourites for the trophy and there is a great value in backing La Furia Roja at such sharp odds. Carles Puyol is already ruled out, wher…

Russia 2018 has broken the record for the most penalties awarded in a World Cup, with VAR continuing to dominate debate.

Portugal s dramatic 1-1 draw with Iran in Group B s final round on Monday included the 19th and 20th spot-kicks of the tournament.

Golden Boot contender Cristiano Ronaldo was denied by Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand after VAR overturned the initial on-field decision before incredible late drama in Saransk.

Sardar Azmoun s header was blocked by Cedric Soares arm, with referee Enrique Caceres again opting not to point to the spot.

After consulting the video replay system, though, Caceres awarded the penalty and Karim Ansarifard converted to earn Iran a point, although the result was not enough to send Carlos Queiroz s side through…

Former FIFA World Cup winner Geoff Hurst has urged fans to flock to Brazil for next year s tournament for more than just football.

Hurst scored a hat-trick to help England clinch the 1966 FIFA World Cup as they overcame West Germany 4-2 in the final.

The lead-up to next year s World Cup finals has been overshadowed by public protests in Brazil against the large-scale spending on football stadiums rather than using the money to overhaul the South American country s health system and improve law and order.

But despite that, Hurst remains adamant the World Cup will benefit Brazil, while he also believes it will be about more than football for the international fans who attend.

I think everybody is excited, not just because of the football and being in Brazil to watc…

Eight countries remain interested in hosting the 2023 Women s World Cup as they prepare to submit a bid book to FIFA later this year.

FIFA confirmed the eight-strong shortlist for the tournament, which will be the first finals to feature 32 teams.

Japan are the only former champions to register a continued interest, while Brazil who hosted the 2014 men s World Cup are also on the list alongside Australia.

There is further South American representation from Argentina and Colombia. New Zealand and 2010 men s hosts South Africa are set to make a bid, too.

South Korea is the final country in contention, although the Korea Football Association has expressed its interest in a joint bid with North Korea.

There had been a record 10 interested parties prio…

Suspended ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter was paid $3.76million in 2015 according to the Financial and Governance Report issued by world football s governing body.

The results showed FIFA reported a loss of $122m as a number of key sponsors deserted it during a scandal-ridden year.

It is the first time FIFA has recorded a loss since 2002, although much of the focus from the results is sure to focus on the organisation s disgraced former leader.

Blatter was succeeded as FIFA president by Gianni Infantino in the election at last month s Extraordinary Congress in Zurich, with the 80-year-old Swiss having been suspended on full pay last October in relation to a payment made to his then-UEFA counterpart Michel Platini in 2011.

The duo were banned from all footb…

Preston North End have parted ways with manager Ryan Lowe, the Championship club confirmed on Monday.

After just one game of the 2024-25 season, the 45-year-old has left by mutual consent.

Preston fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Sheffield United on the opening day, leading Lowe to be booed off the pitch by fans.

He has been at the helm for two and a half years, overseeing 125 matches. In that time, he has guided Preston to 13th, 12th, and 10th-place finishes and leaves with a win percentage of 38%.

We can confirm that manager Ryan Lowe has left the club by mutual consent.

We’d like to thank Ryan for his hard work and wish him all the very best for the future.

— Preston North End FC (@pnefc)

“Now is the right time for the cl…

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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