Nobody expected Arsenal to be at the forefront of the Premier League title odds this season, to top the table from deep into August to the tail-end of April and do so with such style and conviction. 

The significant improvement we witnessed last term was down-played over the summer, most probably due to their late collapse that revealed there was still some work to do. 

Back then, the commanding centre-back partnership of Gabriel and Saliba could only be imagined, the latter finally assimilated into the squad after a successful learning curve in France.

In midfield meanwhile, the manner in which Partey, Xhaka and Martin Odegaard have superbly synched up and bossed centre-circles all campaign long has genuinely surprised, even if each individual player was rated highly.

It was only up front where excellence was anticipated, with Bukayo Saka on the cusp of superstardom while Gabriel Jesus looked to be a shrewd purchase.

Oh, and on the left there was Gabby Martinelli, a winger blessed with trickery and pace and always full of running. 

He could be pretty decent on his day, too.

In truth, the Brazilian was an after-thought when predictions were made for the forthcoming season.

In 2021/22, he accrued 29 league appearances and posted double figures for goals and assist combined, but to many, if not most, he appeared to be a mercurial talent, too often veering from magnificent to anonymous in the blink of an eye. 

His was a back-story that greatly impressed, signing from the Brazilian fourth division for a mere £6m and arriving in London aged just 18 and barely speaking any English. 

But could, and would, Martinelli become a pivotal player in Mikel Arteta’s grand project? Or was he fated to be a peripheral presence, delighting us with his skills on sunny afternoons, only to fade from prominence when the going got tough and elite consistency was required.

The jury remained out.

Many months on and the verdict is now in and it’s unanimous. And Gabby Martinelli will never be an after-thought again. 

Still only 21 and with a development ceiling yet to be identified, the winger has been exceptional this term, tormenting full-backs and often proving to be the difference when Arsenal have been in need of a difference-maker.

Only five players have scored more pure match-winners across 2022/23 and pertinently all of them play as number nines. 

From out wide, with Arsenal looking to him mainly to create and assist, Martinelli has stepped up, providing a goal-threat at critical times, in crucial moments. 

Not that his strikes have been reserved only for late in games. Last October, Liverpool went to North London and with the Gunners now viewed as genuine contenders the pre-match narrative centred on their mental fortitude. 

The Reds had so often proven to be a painful nemesis. 

Yet just sixty-five seconds in, Martinelli raced through and slotted home. Displaying once again his new-found consistency, the Brazilian then put in an influential, Man of the Match performance.

All told, his 15 goals and five assists have been priceless, while 1.7 successful dribbles per 90 and 1.7 key passes have kept his side firmly in the Premier League betting to secure a famous league crown. 

Whether Mikel Arteta’s men go on to achieve this only time will tell, a commodity that the 21-year-old has plenty of. And it’s going to be fun seeing what he makes of it, this once peripheral bundle of potential who is fast becoming a bona fide superstar.

The Premier League betting will be fascinating to behold this summer as we all gear up for another long and enthralling top-flight campaign. 

Already, Manchester City are odds-on favourites to secure another league crown and this hardly surprises given their recent dominance of domestic football.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are priced around the 10/1 mark, reflecting their outstanding year as Mikel Arteta’s vision bears fruit, and beyond the Gunners in quick succession are the usual suspects, Manchester United and Liverpool.

The newest, richest kid on the block, Newcastle United, are firmly in the reckoning too.

You may however notice an omission from this esteemed short-list and it’s an odd one when it’s acknowledged that prior to a disastrous 2022/23, Chelsea averaged a third place Premier League finish in the five years following their last title success in 2017.

This is a club that is typically uber-competitive at the highest echelon of the English game, one that has spent north of £560m in the last calendar year to ensure they are uber-competitive again.

Furthermore, this is a club under new ownership, a seriously ambitious consortium led by billionaire Todd Boehly who have no intention of standing still this summer to admire the sheer scale of their investment thus far.

To add to an already star-studded squad, Christopher Nkunku will join, the prolific French striker having agreed a pre-contract deal, while the Blues are being linked to all manner of exciting talent, from Lautaro Martinez to Romeo Lavia, to Wilfried Zaha. 

The feeling is that should everything begin to click at Stamford Bridge, their odds in the football betting may come tumbling down come the autumn.

Of course, such positivity ignores the elephant in the room, or more accurately the steaming pile of manure it has left behind in the form of Chelsea’s current, dilapidated campaign.

Some allowances were made for Thomas Tuchel’s sacking just six games in because new owners always tend to want their own man, but still by every conceivable metric it was a premature decision, made all the stranger after Boehly fully backed the German in the summer, bringing in a wealth of players considered a neat fit for Tuchel’s style of play.

At the time of his sacking, the Blues resided sixth, having picked up 10 points from a possible 18.

In came Graham Potter, the chief architect of a long-term project we were told, but the Brighton man struggled to carry sufficient weight at the helm with results suffering as a consequence.

Factor in also, Frank Lampard’s moribund spell as interim boss and that brings us to the present and a league table that makes for depressing, slightly surreal reading.

With less than a handful of fixtures remaining, Chelsea lie outside of the top ten, behind neighbours in Fulham and Brentford who they have long lorded over.

They have won less than a third of their games, and all season long they have committed to just three more shots on target to Everton and Leicester, both of whom languish in the drop-zone. 

This has naturally translated to a meagre tally in the goals for column, with Chelsea scoring an average of a goal per 90, almost half that of Liverpool’s total, who are also said to be enduring a season to forget. 

Indeed, to put their troubles into proper context, were it not for Tuchel’s 50% win ratio early into their campaign, Chelsea would be deep in the relegation mire right now. 

And yet. And yet.

While not for a moment down-playing the depths in which Chelsea have plumbed across their annus horribilis, even when entrenched in crisis they have been proficient at the back, blessed as they are with a roster of elite staff.

We'll keep working together. 💪 pic.twitter.com/TZRoH203Mg

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 7, 2023

Think Koulibaly and Silva with their world of experience and storied ability. Think Fofana and Badiashile, who combined cost over £100m and are destined to be defensive stalwarts at the Bridge for several years to come. 

Down the flanks, Reece James and Ben Chilwell can each excel for club and country if injuries can be avoided while in midfield Kante, Kovacic and Fernandez would individually walk into any Premier League side and improve them immeasurably.

Let’s not forget either that the latter set Chelsea back a British transfer record fee. He has shone in his opening months on our shores but the best is yet to come.

Up front, well now we admittedly encounter some pushback because Raheem Sterling is clearly not the answer, a once impactful winger whose career trajectory is on the decline.

Pulisic, Harvertz and loanee Joao Felix meanwhile are very much of a like, supremely gifted on their day but focal points they are not. That’s where Nkunku comes on, or for that matter, Martinez.

With a brilliant targetman to feed off, Chelsea’s attack suddenly makes sense. Suddenly it can thrive. 

In the days ahead, Maurico Pochettino – a superb coach with a point to prove in the Premier League - is expected to be announced as Chelsea’s next manager and what he’ll inherit is a squad capable of winning a title.

The rest, from the outside looking in, is just possibility and jigsaw pieces arranged in the right places. 

The Blues have suffered a nadir in modern times, no question about it. But they can be a force to be reckoned with again next term. Just you watch.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

This feels like a huge summer for Manchester United with Erik Ten Hag looking to move on some established players and bring in talents who better align with his footballing mandate. 

Top of the Dutchman’s shopping list, his name underlined and bolded, is reputedly Harry Kane, the Spurs ace set to arrive at Old Trafford prior to 2023/24 for a considerable sum.

In the departure lounge meanwhile, Anthony Elanga, Eric Bailly and Donny van der Beek are all near-certs to leave but unquestionably the biggest headlines will accompany the likely exit of another English Harry, a player who became the world’s most expensive defender on joining United in July, 2019. 

What a fall from grace it’s been since. 

Indeed, it is interesting to revisit that period and acknowledge the Harry Maguire that the Reds signed, as opposed to the much-maligned and marginalised figure he has become. 

Four years ago, the Yorkshireman was held in extremely high regard, his signature chased by both Manchester giants, with City eventually dropping out when Leicester played hard-ball.

Just twelve months earlier, Maguire had played a pivotal role in England reaching a World Cup semi-final, completing a successful campaign that saw him secure Leicester’s Player of the Year merit.

Granted, his form tailed off thereafter but with so much transfer speculation surrounding the defender that was to be excused. 

He was ‘an elite player’, according to his former team-mate Michael Dawson, speaking to the BBC in the week his £80m transfer was confirmed ‘One day you will see him being a captain of Manchester United’. 

These words were prescient, with Maguire attaining the armband, just six months later, but really, if we’re being blunt about matters, that’s about the only projection of his career-defining move that has been realised. 

Because elsewhere, a series of poor displays for an immensely high-profile club saw Maguire become short-hand for United’s failures. 

Weighed down by his hefty price-tag and exposed too often by a malfunctioning midfield, the centre-back flailed, routinely caught out of position and prone to mishap, and as United’s odds each season in the Premier League betting became ever-more-distant so too did Maguire’s reputation plummet.

Online, he became a figure of fun, mocked by rival supporters, while the situation took a much darker turn last year when a bomb threat was delivered to his family home. 

Shorn of all confidence, Maguire made 16 individual errors last term that, directly or otherwise, resulted in goals conceded. 

Enter Erik Ten Hag, but any notion that the Dutchman’s appointment might signal a second act for the struggling stopper was soon dispelled when United shelled out just shy of £50m for Lisandro Martinez to partner a fit-again Raphael Varane. 

All season-long, Maguire has made a grand total of seven league starts with a recent injury crisis at the back leading to Ten Hag overlooking his club captain, instead reimagining Luke Shaw from his full-back berth.

Ironically, any interest in the 30-year-old was rebuffed by United last January but that was purely due to numbers, to wanting him available to them if needs must.

But with a full window ahead, and United looking to establish themselves once again in the Champions League betting, an extended loan deal surely beckons, for a player who once promised the world.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

AC Milan vs Inter Milan Preview

It’s great to see these two behemoths of European football in the Champions League semi-final stage and a mouth-watering double header awaits.

The San Siro will host both matches and home advantage will count for very little, though AC Milan are the designated home side for the first leg.

Both clubs have failed to inspire confidence in Serie A predictions this season but it has been a fantastic campaign for fans across the city when it comes to the Champions League.

Italy will be represented in the Champions League final for the first time since 2016/17 and the jury is out on which Milan side will advance to the showpiece.

History is well and truly on the side of AC Milan. The Rossoneri have advanced to the next round on both occasions when the Milan clubs have been matched up.

However, there’s no time like the present and Inter are arguably better placed to prevail. It won’t be straightforward but the Nerazzurri are the stronger of the two teams.

Inter head into this fixture off the back of five wins in a row in all competitions and it would be fair to say that confidence is high in that camp.

Meanwhile, Milan have been inconsistent – winning three of their last eight games. That doesn’t tell the whole story though as they are unbeaten in nine matches.

With that in mind, we can expect a tight contest at the San Siro. Football betting odds for a low scoring game are well worth checking out, under 2.5 goals looks likely.

For me, I fancy Inter to get the job done over two legs and they can snag a first leg lead if everything goes to plan. Without a doubt, they are the more ‘complete’ Milan side.

My best bet of this game is for Inter to win to nil. It could be cagey, it might even be a bit tedious at times but I won’t mind as long as the Nerazzurri get the win.

Bet on Inter with 888Sport

Inter Milan are one of the most successful clubs in Italian football and sports betting punters will be keen to back the Serie A giants throughout the 2022/23 season.

Could we see Inter win the Serie A title once again? Join us here at 888sport for our Inter predictions and previews this season as the Nerazzurri look to regain top spot in Italy’s premier division.

Inter Club History

Inter was formed in 1908 after a group of players from the Milan Cricket and Football Club – now officially known as AC Milan – wanted the club to accept more foreign footballers.

According to the history books, the first Inter club captain was Swiss native Hernst Marktl and he is an iconic figure in their long and illustrious history.

Just two years later, Inter won their first Italian title. Since then, the club have tallied 18 league titles and those who bet on football will remember the glory years in the mid-2000s.

Inter Milan won five consecutive titles during their golden era, culminating in the Nerazzurri becoming the first Italian club to capture the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble.

Inter and local rival AC Milan share the San Siro Stadium – one of the most prestigious stadiums on the planet.

The venue opened in 1926 and Inter beat AC Milan 6-3 in the first game to be played there – just one year before club legend Giuseppe Meazza made his debut in the blue and black.

In 1979, Meazza sadly passed away and the stadium was officially renamed in his honour. However, most fans of European football continue to know to the ground as San Siro.

Inter Honours List

• Serie A: 1909–10, 1919–20, 1929–30, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1970–71, 1979–80, 1988–89, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2020–21

• Coppa Italia: 1938–39, 1977–78, 1981–82, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2021–22

• Supercoppa Italiana: 1989, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2021

• UEFA Champions League: 1963–64, 1964–65, 2009–10

• UEFA Europa League: 1990–91, 1993–94, 1997–98

• Intercontinental Cup: 1964, 1965

• FIFA Club World Cup: 2010

Inter Competitions This Season

The 2022/23 season saw Inter Milan competing on multiple fronts, with the Nerazzurri fighting it out in Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Champions League.

Having finished second in the Serie A table last term, Inter will be looking to get their hands back on the Scudetto crown and Simone Inzaghi’s side will be popular in Serie A predictions this season.

Inter reached the last-16 stage of the Champions League and it would be a dream come true for fans of the Serie A giants if they are able to lift Europe’s elite club trophy for a fourth time.

The 2022/23 Supercoppa Italiana takes place in mid-January and sees Inter doing battle with local rivals AC Milan, though that fixture is due to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

If you enjoy looking at Serie A odds and betting on Italian football, do so here at 888sport – and you can find Inter predictions and tips for every Nerazzurri match here.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

AC Milan vs Inter Milan Preview

It’s great to see these two behemoths of European football in the Champions League semi-final stage and a mouth-watering double header awaits.

The San Siro will host both matches and home advantage will count for very little, though AC Milan are the designated home side for the first leg.

Both clubs have failed to inspire confidence in Serie A predictions this season but it has been a fantastic campaign for fans across the city when it comes to the Champions League.

Italy will be represented in the Champions League final for the first time since 2016/17 and the jury is out on which Milan side will advance to the showpiece.

History is well and truly on the side of AC Milan. The Rossoneri have advanced to the next round on both occasions when the Milan clubs have been matched up.

However, there’s no time like the present and Inter are arguably better placed to prevail. It won’t be straightforward but the Nerazzurri are the stronger of the two teams.

Inter head into this fixture off the back of five wins in a row in all competitions and it would be fair to say that confidence is high in that camp.

Meanwhile, Milan have been inconsistent – winning three of their last eight games. That doesn’t tell the whole story though as they are unbeaten in nine matches.

With that in mind, we can expect a tight contest at the San Siro. Football betting odds for a low scoring game are well worth checking out, under 2.5 goals looks likely.

For me, I fancy Inter to get the job done over two legs and they can snag a first leg lead if everything goes to plan. Without a doubt, they are the more ‘complete’ Milan side.

My best bet of this game is for Inter to win to nil. It could be cagey, it might even be a bit tedious at times but I won’t mind as long as the Nerazzurri get the win.

Bet on AC Milan with 888Sport

AC Milan silenced their critics in 2021/22 as they lifted the Serie A title for the first time in over a decade but can they defend the Scudetto crown this season?

If you bet on football regularly, you’ll know all about Milan and their illustrious history. Here, we’ll be providing Milan betting previews on every Rossoneri fixture.

AC Milan Club History

Founded in 1899, AC Milan is a club steeped in history. Englishman Alfred Ormonde Edwards was the club’s first official president but it wasn’t long before controversy struck.

Milan survived a split in 1908, with a group of players deciding to leave and create a new club – now known as Inter Milan.

Inter and AC have competed against each other over 100 times, with the Milan derby earning the title “Derby della Madonnina” after the status of the Virgin Mary at the nearby Cathedral.

Nowadays, the two clubs share the San Siro but AC Milan actually played at five different stadiums before moving to their current home in 1926.

Milan have paid tribute to two of their greatest ever players by retiring jersey numbers; the number 6 shirt worn by Franco Baresi and the number 6 shirt owned by Paolo Maldini.

Both players dedicated around 20 years of service to the club and their legacy as Milan legends is firmly entrenched in the club’s annals.

One of the biggest clubs in the world, AC Milan became the most successful European team in the history of international football when they won the FIFA Club World Cup – their 18th major trophy in international competition.

Milan Honours List

• Serie A: 1901, 1906, 1907, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1978–79, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2021–22

• Serie B: 1980–81, 1982–83

• Coppa Italia: 1966–67, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1976–77, 2002–03

• Supercoppa Italiana: 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2004, 2011, 2016

• Champions League: 1962–63, 1968–69, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 2002–03, 2006–07

• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1967–68, 1972–73

• UEFA Super Cup: 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007

• Intercontinental Cup: 1969, 1989, 1990

• FIFA Club World Cup: 2007

Milan Competitions This Season

Like arch rivals Inter, Milan started the 2022/23 season competing in four tournaments: Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and the Champions League.

The main aim this campaign will be to retain the Scudetto title, though Milan are likely to face stiff competition from the likes of Inter, Juventus and Napoli throughout 2022/23.

The Coppa Italia is Italy’s equivalent of the FA Cup and is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious cup competitions in world football.

Can Milan lift the famous trophy for the sixth time? It would be foolish to back against them in the sports betting markets for that particular competition.

A Supercoppa Italiana bonanza awaits as Milan and Inter do battle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A win for the Rossoneri will cement their status as the team to beat in Italy’s fashion capital.

Last but not least, we have the Champions League. At the time of writing, Milan have navigated their way to the knockout stages of the competition and Tottenham Hotspur are next up.

Can we see Milan scale the heights of Europe’s elite club competition once again? Those into Serie A predictions will be hoping to see the red and black advance deep into the tournament. 

Follow 888sport this season for the latest predictions, previews and betting tips on Milan fixtures.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

Terroni. That’s what the inhabitants of Naples are called by the rest of Italy, regions that include the affluent and cosmopolitan Milan, with its two behemoth football clubs that have won a combined 38 Scudettos, not to mention ten European Cups. 

It’s a derogatory term used in Turin too, a city whose landscape is dominated by the imposing Allianz Stadium, home of Juventus. The Zebras have won the league 11 times since 2000 and countless times before. 

These three clubs lie at the very heart of world football’s establishment. They always have the best players, most often bought, not nurtured.

They always grab the headlines and get the girl. And so their fans look down – figuratively, and literally when purveying a map – to the impoverished environs of Naples and its neighbouring towns and dismiss them out of hand.

Napoli Defy Odds

They are ‘terroni’, a word that faithfully translates as ‘southerners’ but the location is redundant in this instance. It more accurately means ‘underclass’. It more accurately means ‘peasants’.

Last summer, these southern peasants sold their defensive rock Kalidou Koulibaly and their midfield maestro Fabian Ruiz while reluctantly conceding too that age had finally caught up with their goal-scoring legends, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens.

Between them, these lethal hit-men had fired over 200 goals for Gli Azzurri but both were let go.

Understandably then, after several years of knocking at the scudetto door, with four runner-up finishes in the last 10 years under Benitez, Sarri and presently Luciano Spalletti, not a great deal was expected of Napoli this season.

They were a fading force. Their hopes of replicating their incredible glory days back in the late Eighties all-but-gone.

Players Step Up

Only then striker Victor Osimhen came to the fore like never before, notching 22 goals in 27 appearances across 2022/23. At the back, their £18m summer singing Kim Min-jae has been little short of magnificent.

Down the left flank meanwhile, we have witnessed one of the most exciting announcements of genius in recent times, with Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia bamboozling full-backs and spell-checkers alike. The 22-year-old has been a revelation.

Looking complete and exhilarating from the off, Spalletti’s men quickly became a prominent fixture in the Serie A betting and led from the front from early September on.

Famous and impressive wins were secured in Milan, Rome and Turin. Goals were racked up at a rate of knots – or at least by Serie A standards – while at this late juncture they’ve been breached at the back every 129 minutes all campaign long.

A Dream Achieved

And on Thursday evening, by drawing away to Udinese, this mad, brilliant, vibrant, scary football club attained their first league title for 33 years, sparking celebrations usually reserved for the end of films that see aliens vanquished and humanity saved. 

But this is not about the city-wide firework displays, the colour and the carnival. It is not even about the legacy of Diego Maradona, whose anarchic spirit is imbued in Naples’ brickwork and soul. 

This season, Napoli were also strongly backed in the Champions League betting only to succumb at the quarter-final stage, their luminous artistry fatigued. But should they retain their key personnel, they’ll be back, topping Serie A predictions, and taking on the continental establishment. 

This is a great team, one that seemingly sprang from nowhere. And that gives sincere hope for every one of us peasants out there.

Sevilla vs Real Madrid Tips

Real Madrid head to Seville for what looks like a difficult clash and many Los Blancos fans will just want the season to end now.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side showed battling qualities to get past Rayo Vallecano in midweek but the manner of that victory was concerning.

While Real have cruised like a Rolls Royce in recent years, they’ve stuttered over the finish line this campaign and are likely to have little to show for their season’s work.

Sevilla have a Europa League final to prepare for but that doesn’t mean that the hosts won’t be taking this game seriously – after all, they’re playing against Real Madrid.

The home side have enjoyed great success in recent months and it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see Sevilla claim three points in what should be an exciting contest.

The visitors are involved in a battle to finish second behind Barcelona and the pressure is on Real to fend off Atletico Madrid over the final two matchdays.

This is a potential banana skin for the Spanish giants though and I’ll be backing Sevilla to spring a shock. The La Liga betting price on a home win is certainly very appealing.

Bet on Real Madrid with 888Sport

Will Real Madrid win yet another Champions League title in 2022-23? 

888Sport provides all the latest Champions League outright odds, La Liga tips and Copa del Rey markets to wager on Los Blancos during the 2022-23 campaign.

Real Madrid Club History

Real Madrid were founded in 1902, and has been a stalwart of La Liga betting, having been a founding member.

Los Blancos, a nickname inspired by their iconic white home kits, have never been relegated, and boast a tally of 35 La Liga titles, which is an all-time record.

They also have won the most European Cup/Champions League titles with the most recent coming in 2022. 

The club’s first league titles came in the 1930s, but it was the 1950s and 1960s when Real established itself as a true powerhouse.

The club from the capital won numerous domestic and continental honours during the period, and was home to some of the era’s greatest players including Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás.

Those standards have been maintained ever since. Since 1953, Real have never been longer than six years without a La Liga title, and their lengthiest spell without a Champions League or European Cup was between 1966 and 1998.

Even then, they lifted back-to-back UEFA Cups in the 1980s.

The turn of the millennium saw Florentino Perez take charge, ushering in the first Galácticos era. Perez brought in one big star per year, an approach he mirrored during his second stint in 2009.

The first period led to the signings of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and many others. The second was headlined by Ballon d’Or winners Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid Honours List

• La Liga – 1931-32, 1932-33, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1971-72, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1994-95, 1996-97, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17, 2019-20, 2021-22

• Copa del Rey – 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1961-62, 1969-70, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1988-89, 1992-93, 2010-11, 2013-14

• European Cup/Champions League – 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1965-66, 1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2021-22

• UEFA Cup – 1984-85, 1985-86

• Club World Cup – 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018

Real Madrid Competitions This Season

When it comes to placing a bet on football, Real Madrid have a wide variety of competitions to delve into. 

As Champions League winners in the past season, Real competed in the UEFA Super Cup on 10th August. They won the encounter 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Potentially, Real will also compete in the Club World Cup in February 2023.

Their defence of the Champions League got off to a good start as they topped their group ahead of RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic. They will meet Liverpool in the last 16. 

Real Madrid won La Liga for a 35th time in 2021-22, and will be looking to defend their crown in 2023. Their Copa del Rey campaign will begin at the round of 32 due to their involvement in the Supercopa de España.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

Managerless, on their second interim boss, and hopelessly drift in the Premier League top four odds, 2022/23 has become a nightmare season for Tottenham, one that has developed comedic undertones of late courtesy of some ridiculous results. 

At Newcastle, a horrendous opening 20-minute spell saw them breached five times, all to resounding mockery from rival fans.

Just one week later, Harry Kane and co clawed back a three-goal deficit at Anfield, with their £58m signing Richarlison finally breaking his league duck with a 93rd minute equaliser. Cue mayhem in the away end.

Ninety seconds later, came a seismic sucker-punch, Jota scoring the winner. 

Add in a persistently leaky defence, a jaded fan-base feeling increasingly disenfranchised and detached from their club, and the likely imminent departure of Kane and it can safely be attested that these are the very worst of times for the North London giants, a nadir for a club that only four years back proudly competed in a Champions League final.

It is a sustained decline that began soon after that marquee event in Madrid when Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy sacked Maurico Pochettino and became oddly dead set on recruiting a coach with a ‘winning mentality’ above all other considerations.

Jose Mourinho was brought in for precisely this metric, his appointment ultimately proving to be disastrous. Later, serial title-winner Antonio Conte was lured to N17 to embed his serial title-winning mindset into the players and again it went terribly awry. 

In between these two, Nuno Espirito Santo was drafted in and the less said about his brief tenure, the better. 

So, when attempting to address Spurs’ slump, and highlight ways in which they can turn their fortunes back around, where better to start than with the most important decision the club must make in the coming months. Who gets the seemingly poisoned chalice that is the manager’s job?

Presently, Julian Nagelsmann is the favourite, an excellent choice should the club be able to entice the 35-year-old to a project in need of such drastic renovation.

Beyond the former Bayern boss, Luis Enrique is also prominent in the football betting alongside Vincent Kompany, his tracksuit still damp with champagne having guided Burnley to promotion.

Any one of these three men would provide significant impetus and direction to a club in woefully short supply of both.

Indeed, one of the most concerning aspects about Spurs’ worsening crisis is how utterly lost the players presently look. They are aimlessly flailing through games minus a clear identity.

Having a tactical blueprint to adhere to is just the start of course, and one that will no doubt quickly be implemented by the new manager.

From there, a critical transfer window awaits, with deadwood needed to be moved on and Harry Kane – in all likelihood – needing to be replaced. Even with the substantial funds his sale will raise, this is easier said than done.

A commanding centre-back is an urgent requirement also, and in this regard loudening rumours concerning an interest in Bayer Leverkusen stopper Piero Hincapie encourages.

Would you be open to #Tottenham appointing Xabi Alonso? 🇪🇸🤔 pic.twitter.com/qcm3848974

— The Spurs Watch (@TheSpursWatch) May 3, 2023

A fresh direction under an elite coach, a reimagined front-line, plus some solidity at the back won’t automatically transform Spurs. No-one would suggest such a thing.

But from these three changes, a wounded Tottenham can begin to heal.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

Forget about Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain. It started like a dream to win the Champions League together two years ago and it's now ending as a nightmare.

Behind the scenes, the crucial moment of this story between the legendary Leo and Paris Saint-Germain was one month ago, at the beginning of April: Jorge Messi, Leo's father and advisor, called members of PSG board to communicate them that his son was not going to sign a new contract despite an official bid made last February. It was already over; and the negotiation collapsed exactly one month ago.

In any case, this remains surprising if we think how advanced was that negotiation in December.

Before the end of the World Cup, Leo Messi met with members of the Paris Saint-Germain board in Qatar and the meeting was more than positive: PSG and Messi agreed on the idea to continue together at least for one more year, maybe two with an option included on both sides.

It was considered just matter of time to meet in January or February, discuss new deal details and then go to the signing stage. But the situation has completely changed in less than 6 months.

The crucial moment was after the two legs of Champions League's round of sixteen when Paris Saint-Germain have been eliminated by Bayern Munich. It was completely unexpected as PSG were really confident to make something special happen in the Champions League this season; but Bayern were perfect against them and the drama happened again for the French team.

This created a lot of changes in the plans of PSG for present and future; Messi's extension was close to being completed in December and January, but the scenario has completely changed because of some tension between parties after that Champions League fiasco.

When Paris Saint-Germain met with Jorge Messi for the second time at the end of February, the situation immediately looked different compared to two months before.

That tension didn't help and above all sources guarantee that the PSG project for next year was not yet clear: who will be the manager? How many players will be changed?

Messi wanted immediate answers but there were none, so the situation became nervous and Messi decided to leave the negotiations in early April.

At that moment the split between Leo and PSG began, continued with the events of the last few days: the club has decided in the last 48 hours to suspend Messi for the next two weeks, Leo will not be able to train with the group and will not be called up for the next games because his trip to Saudi Arabia (where he is ambassador for tourism) was not authorized by the club.

It seems like the last page of a now finished relationship between Messi and Paris.

What's next for Leo? Barcelona want him for sure, Xavi Hernandez is pushing to sign Leo as he's calling him every single week... but it all depends on Financial Fair Play as Barça are insisting with La Liga to find a solution, it's not that easy.

Al Hilal have offered €400m per season to Messi already one month ago, MLS side Inter Miami want Leo too but it's not decision time yet. Everything is open and Barça look as favourites; but Financial Fair Play will be crucial step to get it done.

The next weeks will be important. We just have one guarantee, huge news now: it's over between Messi and PSG.