Ernesto Valverde has led Barcelona to the title in LaLiga for the second season in a row, but their coach remains something of an enigma.

While former Barca bosses such as Pep Guardiola had huge personalities that came to dominate Camp Nou, Valverde is completely the opposite.

Saying little of interest to the media indicates Valverde likes to keep his cards close to his chest, but there is no doubt he has done a fine job since joining from Athletic Bilbao.

Barca may take winning trophies for granted nowadays but, with Valverde s men through to a Copa del Rey final against Valencia, back-to-back doubles is a serious possibility.

And with Barca in the Champions League semi-finals, Valverde may yet write his name into the history books by leading the club to…

Despite improved play in recent months by China s beleaguered football team including a draw with Paraguay this week, the national coach has urged fans to lower expectations for next year s Asian Cup.

In friendly tune-ups for the January tournament in Qatar, China lost to Iran 2-0 last week, but tied World Cup quarter-finalists Paraguay 1-1 on Tuesday in front of 30,000 fans in Nanjing.

Borussia Dortmund forward Lucas Barrios drew first blood in the opening minutes to give Paraguay a 1-0 lead, before China s youthful striker Gao Lin headed home the equaliser in the 34th minute.

Paraguay is a world-class team we played well today and we succeeded in containing their attack, coach Gao Hongbo said in post-match comments.

It was not so important to win or …

Manchester United announced they had agreed a deal to sign centre-half Raphael Varane, on this day in 2021.

The French international arrived at Old Trafford on a four-year deal from Real Madrid, ending a 10-year stay at the Bernabeu.

A statement from United read: “Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of French international defender and World Cup winner, Raphael Varane, subject to a medical and to player terms being finalised.”

Introducing our newest Red

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

During his time with Madrid Varane won three LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey, four UEFA Champions League crowns and four FIFA Club World Cups.

The 2018 World Cup winner’s transf…

Baby we can talk all night, but that ain’t getting us nowhere. I told you everything I possibly can. There’s nothing left inside of here.

Blah, blah, blah… TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BADDDDDDD! 

That was the tune for my NFL survivor pick strategy last week, which was spot on with Tampa Bay as my safe survivor pick and New Orleans as my team to avoid. But my featured pick on Pittsburgh came out looking like two-day-old meatloaf and not the improbable rock god who gave us the above poetry.

Here are my Week 3 survivor pool picks – take ’em or leave ’em.

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The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers rekindle their NFC rivalry in the Wild Card Round in Arlington, Texas on Sunday afternoon.

The Niners snuck into the postseason with a thrilling come-from-behind win over the L.A. Rams in Week 18 and enter the NFL Playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NFL, having won seven of their last nine contests. Despite that momentum, San Francisco is a field goal underdog to Dallas, which earned the No. 4 seed in the conference thanks to a soft home stretch.

Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for 49ers at Cowboys on January 16.

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The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers meet for a third time this season when the NFL playoffs open with the NFC Wild Card Round on Saturday afternoon.

San Francisco won both regular season matchups with Seattle and is a hefty point spread favorite in this postseason edition of the NFC West rivalry.

We put the spread and total on the back burner for this 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff and concentrate on the popular NFL prop bets for Saturday’s showdown. Here are my best NFL prop picks and predictions for Seahawks at 49ers on January 14.

Be sure to also check out Sam Farley’s Seahawks vs 49ers Wild Card picks and predictions!

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The schedule gets nasty in Week 6 with the opening third of the NFL season coming to a close.

Not only do teams really start to feel the wear and tear of the gridiron, but several clubs are up against tricky situations that could impact the outcome of their Week 6 odds. 

Each week I highlight these spots — aka spot bets — and what to consider when folding these angles into your usual handicapping routine. 

Here are my top letdown, look-ahead, and schedule spots to consider when betting the Week 6 NFL odds.

Letdown spot: Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) at Chicago Bears

The Vikings shift gears in Week 6, coming off a huge home stand against the Kansas City Chiefs before traveling to the Windy City to fac…

Coming off a humbling loss on Monday, the San Francisco 49ers will look to wrap up the No.1 spot in the NFC as a practicing Brock Purdy and the Niners cross the country to take on the Washington Commanders who have dropped six straight, are decimated in the secondary, and might have to go back to Sam Howell under center.  

It’s not easy finding value in Christian McCaffrey’s props, but with Elijah Mitchell likely back and a concentrated effort to get CMC more involved in the passing game, is a five-catch game on the horizon for the MVP hopeful despite being a heavy favorite? 

I break down the Week 17 NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for 49ers at Commanders on December 31. 

49ers vs Commanders odds

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The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are expected to battle atop the AFC East standings all season, making Week 2’s Thursday Night Football matchup a massive one.

Both teams escaped with wins in their season openers, and our Bills vs. Dolphins predictions like Josh Allen to come out firing under tonight’s prime-time lights.

In addition to my best NFL picks on September 12, check out Rohit Ponnaiya’s favorite Bills vs. Dolphins props.

Bills vs Dolphins TNF prediction

My best betJosh Allen Over 1.5 passing touchdowns (+102 at FanDuel)

My analysisJosh Allen put together one hell of a game for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two others in a 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

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DID HE KEEP HIS PRESENTS? NO, HE’S SHERINGHAM

The old saying that “the first yard is in the head” was never particularly good news for The Fiver. So it made us fall out of our dentist’s chair to learn Edward Paul Sheringham MBE, the man that adage was written for, has turned 54 (FIFTY-FOUR). First of all: happy birthday, Teddy! Second: can we voluntarily furlough ourselves for a lockdown period spent watching late-1990s highlight reels?

In truth that’s how thousands of us are spending our time anyway, isn’t it? Be honest. The curious thing about Clever Teddy was that he only became mainstream from his mid-20s onwards – coincidentally from around 1992, wh…