Russia s coach Guus Hiddink said Monday that Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Igor Denisov had rejected his ivitation to join his squad in their preparations for the European championship s finals.

I invited Denisov to join our team in our preparations for the Euro-2008 finals but he has refused, Hiddink said.

It s his decision and we have to respect it. I m not set to invite anybody else. We need to avoid any negative elements in our preparations for the final stage.

Press reports said that Denisov was offended after he was not included in Hiddink s pre-selection, which was announced on May 14.

After the UEFA Cup final, which Zenit won 2-0 with Denisov scoring the winning goal, Hiddink phoned the midfielder to invite him to join the national side but…

Mikel Arteta is confident his Arsenal team can carry the efficiency shown in their win over Aston Villa into their meeting with Brighton on Saturday.

The Gunners maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 win at Villa Park but had to weather a storm in the East Midlands.

Arsenal managed nine shots in the contest to Villa s 11, but Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey s strikes ensured they exacted revenge on Unai Emery s side.

Despite their unusual lack of threat in front of goal, Arteta insisted that his players efficiency in front of goal has added another string to their bow for the new campaign.

Last year, I think we generated more, obviously because of the context of the game when they scored first, Arteta said.

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Spain s confidence in their own ability never wavered despite initial criticism of their performances at Euro 2020, according to Mikel Oyarzabal.

Real Sociedad winger Oyarzabal scored the crucial spot-kick as Spain beat Switzerland 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Saint Petersburg to progress to the semi-finals.

Luis Enrique s side became the first team in European Championship history to score five or more goals in consecutive games after wins over Croatia and Slovakia. Indeed, Spain had not scored more than four goals in any of their first 42 matches in the competition.

However, their goal rush came after successive draws with Sweden (0-0) and Poland (1-1) in the group stage, and their profligacy returned on Friday when they managed 28 shots across 120 m…

Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will be home to a friendly match between the most decorated club in Europe Real Madrid and Scottish giants Celtic.

The highly entertaining game is scheduled for August 11 and will be played as part of the 2012 World Football Challenge event, designed as a series of friendly matches played in the United States and Canada in July and August.

Tickets for the match are already on sale at and can be purchased for as little as $40. The most expensive tickets cost $450.

Before they face Celtic at Lincoln Financial Field, Real Madrid will play three other friendly matches as part of the 2012 World Football Challenge.

The La Liga winners tackle MLS champions LA Galaxy on August 2 at The Home Depot Center before taking …

Goalkeeper Francesco Toldo has signed a new two-year contract at FC Internazionale Milano, with the 37-year-old saying the Nerazzurri made him feel young as he committed himself to the cause until June 2011.

The former ACF Fiorentina goalkeeper said: It s a great honour to know that signing a two-year contract at the age of 37 is a first for a keeper at Inter. I wish to thank the club for their faith in me. I ll do my best to repay them in the best way .

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Jadon Sancho s arrival at Manchester United was initially heralded as something of a game changer for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, their right-wing problems set to be a thing of the past with the England international seemingly guaranteeing goals and creativity. 

But, as it did with most other stories in football, Cristiano Ronaldo s signing took the spotlight away and it seems everyone has been focused on the Portugal talisman. 

That might actually be a helpful thing for Sancho, given his start to life at United has been about as explosive as a candle. He is there, in the background, but unless you look at him it is very easy to forget his existence. 

Sancho thus far appears to have largely escaped full-scale criticism, with Ronaldo s goalscoring return and then…

Chile international Alexis Sanchez agreed to sign for Arsenal from Barcelona on this day in 2014 in a deal reported to be worth around £30million.

Closing a deal for Sanchez – who also had interest from Liverpool and Juventus – was down in no small part to the influence of Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.

The former Monaco boss is understood to have spoken to the player face to face while working for French television at the World Cup in Brazil, convincing him the Emirates Stadium was the right place to further his career.

“As many people have seen during the World Cup this summer, Alexis is a fantastic footballer and we are delighted that he is joining us at Arsenal Football Club,” Wenger told www.arsenal.com.

“Alexis will add power, creativity …

Week 8 kicks off with the best Thursday Night Football game of the season as the 7-0 Arizona Cardinals play host to the short-handed Green Bay Packers, who have a six-game winning streak of their own. We hand-picked our three favorite props to give us a little more skin in the game. 

We bring you our favorite free prop picks and predictions for Thursday night’s Packers vs. Cardinals Week 8  battle.  

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So, Drew Lock is your quarterback? You’re really doing this? OK. Drew Lock it is…

The Seattle Seahawks begin the post-Russell Wilson years with Lock as their guy for 2022 — and according to reports, the team wasn’t interested in any other QB options (Baker Mayfield or Deshaun Watson) after trading away the face of the franchise in March.

Pete Carroll is coming off his first losing season in a dozen years as head coach in the Emerald City after the Seahawks finished 7-10 SU (9-8 ATS) in 2021. He’s the third overall favorite to be the first head coach fired in 2022 with the Seahawks’ NFL odds calling for another regression in victories.

When it rains it pours, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Get out the umbrellas,…

The Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts will kick off their second preseason game of 2023 on Saturday night, with the Colts as -4.5 NFL odds favorites. 

Last week, the Bears played incredible offense in the first quarter and held on to beat the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Colts starters struggled and gave up an early lead they were unable to recover from against the Buffalo Bills.

I analyze the point spread and total and give my best NFL picks and predictions for the Bears vs. Colts below. 

Bears vs Colts odds

Bears vs Colts predictions

It was an unbelievable start to the 2023 preseason for Bears fans hoping to see Justin Fields and the offense improvements. Fields went a perfect 3/3 passi…