Osimhen set for Galatasaray departure?  Victor Osimhen has enjoyed an incredible season in the Turkish Super Lig, helping Galatasaray defend their league title, which also confirmed our Super Lig prediction. He has won the Golden Boot for the 2024-25 season, netting 25 goals and providing five assists in 29 league games.  The Nigerian international is expected to return to Naples in the coming weeks, but will almost certainly be sold this summer after falling out of favour with Antonio Conte, which led to him moving to Istanbul at the start of this season.  While a permanent move to Okan Buruk’s side remains an option, a recent interview with the Super Eagles forward suggested that he may not be intending to extend his spell at the club despite enjoying his time in Turkey since arriving. He said:  “This is the club where I’ve felt the most love, the most support. It’s the most enjoyable chapter of my career. They gave me the opportunity. I gave them everything. There’s love and respect on both sides. That means everything to me.” While his remarks may be construed either way, it felt as though his statements were more of a farewell message rather than a call to remain at the club, and given his reputation, he will likely be looking to take his career to the next level, especially given the interest in his services of late.  Chelsea frontrunners for Osimhen’s signature? A couple of weeks ago, reports emerged that Manchester United had opened discussions to sign Osimhen in the upcoming transfer window in an attempt to bolster their attack after a shockingly poor Premier League season. However, it seems that the Red Devils have now put Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap and Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha at the top of their shortlist, with the latter believed to have already agreed personal terms to move to Old Trafford.  As a result, Chelsea are now believed to be the favourites to sign the Nigerian star this offseason. The Blues made an offer for Osimhen at the start of the 2024-25 campaign but were unable to strike a deal with Napoli before the transfer deadline.  The major hurdle in getting a deal done for Chelsea is that Osimhen has retained his value due to his performance in the Super Lig this season, meaning that agreeing on a suitable transfer fee with Napoli and a wage with Osimhen may still pose a few problems.  Given they have played almost the entire season without a recognised number nine, Arsenal are considered outsiders to snap up the 26-year-old attacker, but they are believed to have placed Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon at the top of their transfer wishlist. Check out our football predictions

Dodum makes dream come true at SAFF U-19 Championship India successfully defended their SAFF U-19 Championship title on Sunday, by showing nerves of steel to beat Bangladesh 4-3 on penalties after the final ended 1-1 in regulation time at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia.  The Blue Colts made a stunning start to the match, taking the lead inside the first two minutes thanks to a strike by their skipper Singamayun Shami, but the visitors refused to throw in the towel and managed to level proceedings just after the hour mark through Md Joy Ahamed.  However, Team India, who were flawless throughout the competition, could have been two up in the first half had Omang Dodum tucked away his sensational solo effort after slicing through the opposition defence with ease before forcing Hossain Mahin into a crucial save.  Dodum was one of the breakout stars for India at the SAFF U-19 Championship and grabbed the attention of onlookers in the team’s very first game, scoring his first goal for his country in a competitive match during their 8-0 thumping of Sri Lanka in front of his family, who were present in the home crowd. Speaking after the match, he said:  « It was a dream to score in my home ground in front of my family. Many of my relatives and friends came from all over Arunachal just for this game. When I learned that the SAFF U19 Championship would be held in Arunachal Pradesh, my first thought was that my family would watch me play for the national team. I’ll play in front of the home crowd. I never expected this. This is everyone’s dream. » However, the 17-year-old attacker was not done there, as he doubled his tournament tally with a stunning strike in their final group-stage match against Nepal and bagged a third for his country in their 3-0 semi-final victory over the Maldives on May 16, which we lived every minute of via our football livescore tool. Dodum ended the SAFF U19 Championship as the joint-second-highest goal-scorer alongside Bangladesh forward Nazmul Huda Faysal and teammate Prashant Jajo, only behind Danny Meitei, who finished with five goals.  Dodum’s journey to India team selection Dodum began his footballing journey at the age of just 11, when his father enrolled him in the Kolkata Football Academy, where he got his first taste of competitive football and was given the opportunity to attend his first trials at the Chandigarh Football Academy the following year. There, he was selected by Punjab FC’s U-15 team and went on to help them win the RFDL and participate in the Next Gen Cup, which earned him a call-up to the first team, and from there, his rise began to gain momentum.  The 17-year-old was first called up to the national team in 2023 for a tour of Germany and Spain before featuring in the AFC U-17 Cup in Thailand, where he racked up two caps, against Vietnam and Uzbekistan.  Ongoing improvement earned Dodum a spot in ...

MBSG blocked from new player registrations  The 2024-25 Indian Super League campaign was a memorable one, especially for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who claimed a stunning domestic double, winning the ISL Shield for a second consecutive season before beating Bengaluru FC to lift the ISL Cup, which confirmed our football prediction for the tournament.  However, the Indian football champions now face a significant setback for next season, having received a transfer ban from FIFA, owing to a ‘technical error’ surrounding the signing of Australian forward Jason Cummings, who was brought in at the start of the 2023-24 campaign.  The announcement came from FIFA’s Director of Judicial Bodies to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), though the issue does not relate to any financial misconduct or regulatory breach, but is administrative in nature.  Reports over the last week explain that the problem revolves around FIFA’s Clearing House system during the processing of a training compensation fee linked to the Australian striker’s move to MBSG from A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners a couple of years ago.  It is understood that while the transfer fee was paid in full by the Mariners, the Solidarity Contribution (SC) – a mechanism FIFA introduced as part of the international transfer system – was not received by the player’s former club.  The SC dictates that when a player confirms an international transfer, a small percentage of the transfer fee is allocated to the club or academy that participated in training and developing the player in question between the ages of 12 and 23 years of age.  What does this mean for Mohun Bagan? Due to the ‘technical error’ in processing the Solidarity Contribution, Mohun Bagan have been handed a temporary ban on registering any new players until the issue is resolved – similar to the situation Mumbai City faced at the start of last season. FIFA’s correspondence to MBSG read:  « The (FIFA) communication states to impose a ban on Club Mohun Bagan Super Giant (FIFA ID-14AKC2C) from registering new players at a national level immediately. For your reference, please find enclosed the correspondence from Director of the FIFA Judicial Bodies with regards to Notification of the grounds of the Decision Ref. FDD-23868. This is for your information and necessary action.” However, despite the setback, Mohun Bagan officials are fairly relaxed about the issue and are confident that the ban will not stick, given that they had taken all the necessary steps and followed all rules during Cummings’ transfer from the A-League. An MBSG official wrote in a statement:  « It is not connected to any financial irregularities, and the problem is administrative in nature. We have reached out to FIFA, and will get this sorted in a week. » Notably, the ban imposed by FIFA on the Mariners is limited only to national registrations, meaning that the ISL champions are only restricted from signing new players from within India, while foreign players can still be permitted, though it will require the club to request a separate clearance.  More football ...

Defending champions KKR among teams eliminated  While the race for Playoff qualification is still red-hot, what we do know about this season’s IPL is that we will have a new champion, after the Kolkata Knight Riders’ must-win fixture against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru was washed out on Saturday afternoon.  The Rajasthan Royals put in a valiant effort against the Punjab Kings in the first match of Sunday’s double header, but they came up 10 runs short of the 219/5 target PBKS set. This result also confirmed our IPL prediction for this match.  Joining KKR and RR on the way out of the competition at the end of the group stage are the Chennai Super Kings, who have endured one of the worst IPL seasons ever, having only won three of their 12 games to date, while only managing a net run rate of -0.992. The Sunrisers Hyderabad are the final team that will play no part in the competition beyond the group stage. They have three games to play, but only seven points, making it mathematically impossible to finish in the top four. The Sunrisers are in action against LSG on Monday, so be sure to check out our Lucknow Super Giants vs Sunrisers Hyderabad prediction ahead of the toss.  GT, RCB and PBKS Playoff-bound  After a stunning chase against the Delhi Capitals in Sunday’s second match, led by the opening pair of Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, the Gujarat Titans became the first team to book their place in the Playoffs, now on 18 points and with two games still to play.  The Titans’ victory over the Capitals also helped the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who moved to 17 points in 12 games after their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out. DC can finish on a maximum of 16 points, meaning RCB are through to the Playoffs.  Following their victory over the Rajasthan Royals, the Punjab Kings are now in an identical position to the Royal Challengers with 17 points after 12 games. As a result, the Punjab Kings are the third team guaranteed to be in the Playoffs this season.  MI, DC, LSG set to battle for final Playoff spot With three Playoff spots now locked in, only one remains, and there are three teams still in the running – the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants.  As it stands, Mumbai have the advantage with 14 points, and if they win their final two games, they will be the fourth team entering the Playoffs. If Mumbai lose one of their final two games, they can still qualify, provided the Delhi Capitals do not win both their games. The outsiders in this battle are the Lucknow Super Giants on 10 points – they need to win all three of their remaining matches to get to 16 points, but they need both Mumbai and Delhi to drop a game each. In that instance, it will come down to the net run rate between themselves and the ...

India maintain top spot in white-ball format India maintained their stranglehold on the number spot in both the ICC Men’s ODI and T20I rankings, as revealed by the International Cricket Council last week. The ranking encapsulates all matches played since May 2024 at 100% and those of the previous 24 months at 50%. The Men in Blue won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai earlier this year, which saw them extend their lead atop the table to 15 points from 12, while their overall rating points now stand at a staggering 124. India are set to face England next month, and our cricket predictions will be available prior to the series commencing.  Thanks to a very impressive run at the Champions Trophy, where they finished as runners-up to India, New Zealand made a notable jump in the standings, now placed second, ahead of Australia, while Sri Lanka also moved up two places to fourth.   The Lions surged past both South Africa and Pakistan in the leaderboard, while arguably the most impressive improvement came from Afghanistan, who leapfrogged England. The West Indies and Bangladesh rounded out the top 10.  Despite losing a point to the Baggy Greens, India also holds top rank in the shortest format of the game after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, while England, the Kiwis, the West Indies and South Africa remained unchanced in third through sixth.  Other notable moves included Canada increasing by nine points to surpass Oman, while two emerging cricketing nations, the Bahamas and Estonia, moved up eight and seven places, to 51st and 61st place, respectively.  In the Test area, Australia reign supreme following their 3-1 win at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, now on 126 rating points, two points lower than previous. England climbed into second after downing the Black Caps, meaning India and South Africa have both shed one spot to third and fourth, respectively.  India, England close gap in Women’s ODI ranking Two days after releasing the men’s standings, the ICC released the updated Women’s ODI rankings, and Australia maintained their spot at the summit with 167 rating points, four fewer than their last annual rating. England are currently second with 127 points to their names, while India sit third but are up eight rating points, now just six behind the Three Lions. Like in the men’s section, the latest ratings take into account all matches from May 2024 and a 50% weighting for the previous two years.  New Zealand (96), South Africa (90) and Sri Lanka (82) follow in fourth through sixth, respectively, while the biggest drop came from the West Indies, who shed 10 points, falling from seventh to ninth place, now behind Bangladesh and Pakistan.  More cricket news

"Always been a fan of cricket" – Former England manager Gareth Southgate In Attendance at IPL

Tylon Smith fires Amajita to victory over Flying Eagles Nigeria were denied the opportunity of winning a record eighth U-20 Africa Cup of Nations title on Thursday, when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to South Africa, who will now face Morocco U-20 in the final on Sunday, May 18.  The Flying Eagles will contest the third-place match against tournament hosts Egypt earlier the same day, and our football predictions will be available ahead of kick-off, so be sure to check them out for our experts’ thoughts on how the match could pan out.  In the semi-final, the match started nervily as expected, with neither team wanting to take any early risks, but the first real opportunity of the match fell to Nigeria’s Tahir Maigana, though he was unable to beat  Fletcher Lowe in the South African goal.  At the interval, the Flying Eagles dominated in most statistical categories and began the second half in the same vein, but the breakthrough came in the 66th minute by Amajita attacker Tylon Smith, who rose highest to power home what turned out to be the winning goal.  That marked Smith’s first goal of the competition and arguably the team’s most important to date. It also extended their unbeaten run to five matches at the 2025 U-20 AFCON and earned them their first final appearance since 1997 when they ended as runners-up.  The Flying Eagles were made to rue their missed opportunities, with the likes of Rickson Mendos, Israel Ayuma and Bidemi Amole failing to convert very presentable chances late in the game, though Lowe deserves plenty of credit, as he pulled off a string of saves to keep his side in the lead.  For Nigeria, this marks the third consecutive edition of the U-20 AFCON in which they bowed out in the semi-final, having done so in 2023 to Gambia and in 2019 against Mali. However, the major positive is that the Flying Eagles’ semi-final run has earned them a spot at the U-20 World Cup later this year.  Aliyu Zubairu’s reaction to Flying Eagles’ defeat Following the Flying Eagles’ loss on Thursday, Nigeria U-20 head coach Aliyu Zubairu revealed in his press conference that he takes full responsibility for his side’s defeat to Amajita, and plans to reassess their tactics ahead of the U-20 FIFA World Cup. He said:  “I take full responsibility for our failure to reach the final. As head coach, the blame rests on me. “This tournament has helped us identify the players capable of stepping up to the next level and those who are not. After our WAFU B success, we dropped many players because their quality wasn’t sufficient for the continental stage. A similar review will happen again. It’s clear that some of the current squad members aren’t ready for the demands of a World Cup.” The 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be hosted in Chile between September 27 and October 19, and joining the Flying Eagles at the competition from the CAF region are South ...

PSL to resume after week-long postponement The Pakistan Super League is set to resume this weekend, Saturday, May 17, following its postponement owing to the tensions between India and Pakistan and the announcement of a ceasefire between Pakistan and India earlier this week.  The league was expected to relocate to the United Arab Emirates before the stoppage on May 9, but reports suggest that the Emirates Cricket Board were unwilling to host the tournament due to safety concerns and affecting their relationship with the BCCI. Notably, the PSL will resume on the same day as the Indian Premier League gets back underway this weekend, with Peshawar Zalmi taking on the Karachi Kings at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and all our cricket predictions will be available ahead of the weekend’s fixtures. Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, made the announcement official on X, where he wrote:  « HBL PSL X picks up from where it left off. 6 teams, 0 fear. Let the aura take over as we unite and celebrate the spirit of cricket. Get ready for 8 thrilling matches starting 17th May, leading up to the Grand Final on 25th May. Best of luck to all the teams! » However, there are also several personnel changes expected for the remainder of the tournament, with several international players believed to be hesitant to return to the country following the issues faced over the last couple of weeks.  It is understood that of the 37 international players who began the competition, only a handful, including David Warner, are expected to feature for the remainder of the tournament, while all eight New Zealanders involved in the 10th edition have confirmed that they are unwilling to return.  PSL revised schedule for remainder of the competition As it stands, the Quetta Gladiators are the only team to have booked their place in the Playoffs, with 13 points from their nine games, while the Karachi Kings and Islamabad United are locked on 10 points apiece, though the Kings have a game in hand.  The Lahore Qalanders and Peshawar Zalmi are still in contention on nine and eight points, respectively, with the latter having a game in hand, while the Multan Sultans are the only team out of qualification contention, having managed just two points from nine games.  Fixtures:  May 17: Peshawar Zalmi vs. Karachi Kings May 18: Multan Sultans vs. Quetta Gladiators & Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalanders May 19: Islamabad United vs. Karachi Kings May 21: Qualifier May 22: Eliminator 1 May 23: Eliminator 2 May 25: Grand Final  The resumption of the tournament also brings hosting changes, with the four remaining group-stage games now set to take place in Rawalpindi, while the Playoffs and the Grand final will be staged in Lahore between May 21 – 25.  Check out our IPL predictions 

Bose edges Chhetri, Fernandes to claim top honour  India international and skipper of the league winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Subhasish Bose, capped off a sensational season both personally and for his club by earning the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year award following the conclusion of the Kalinga Super Cup.  Bose played a key role in MBSG’s domestic double, contributing six goals from left back, a tally bettered only by Bengaluru stalwart Sunil Chhetri (12) and FC Goa midfielder Brison Fernandes (7), both of whom he edged for the coveted award.  The 29-year-old led Mohun Bagan to become only the second Indian team to win the domestic double, while he became just the second defender to win the Men’s Player of the Year award after Sandesh Jhingan’s victory back in the 2020-21 campaign. Speaking after winning the award, Bose said:  « I have been playing professional football for 10-12 years, and from then on I knew that someday I would win this award. Today, I am here, and winning the award makes me feel very happy. I hope that in the future, I can win more of India’s Best Player awards. I am proud of my team, and for me, it was a great season. I scored six goals, and it was one of the best seasons for me.” While the AIFF’s Men’s Player of the Year award has typically been dominated by attacking players, as is the case in most top leagues around the globe, Bose’s win highlighted the role that defensive players had on the Indian Super League this season.  Mohun Bagan kept an astounding 15 clean sheets en route to the winners’ Shield and confirming our ISL prediction, while the team conceded just 16 goals in their 24 regular-season matches, 11 fewer than any other side in the division.  Jamil, Kaith, Guguloth, among AIFF award winners The AIFF also handed out awards in several other categories at the annual awards, and Jamshedpur FC boss Khalid Jamil went home with the Men’s Coach of the Year award for the second consecutive season after leading the Men of Steel to the Super Cup final against FC Goa. The Gaurs’ attacking midfielder, Brison Fernandes, produced his best-ever season in the Indian Super League, netting seven goals, which earned him his maiden call-up to the national team, and he received the Men’s Promising Player of the Year accolade.  Unsurprisingly, joining Bose on the winners list was Mohun Bagan’s shot-stopper, Vishal Kaith, who kept 15 clean sheets and only allowed 19 goals in 26 games across all competitions. He received the Golden Glove at the end of the season and was awarded Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year by the AIFF. In the Indian Women’s League, the AIFF Women’s Player of the Year went to East Bengal striker Soumya Guguloth, who ended the campaign as the highest goal scorer with nine goals and led the team to the league title.  Guguloth’s teammate Panthoi Chanu picked up the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year honour ...

IPL revised schedule creates issues for international players The 2025 Indian Premier League was halted for a week due to the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, and as a result, the Board of Control for Cricket in India have had to scramble to make adjustments to the tournament schedule for the remainder of the competition.  The first match back will see the high-flying Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday afternoon, and our IPL predictions for that clash will be available ahead of the toss.  Originally, the IPL was scheduled to be completed on May 26, but the new timetable sees the tournament now set to run until June 3 for finalists, which creates issues for players from the likes of South Africa, England, Australia and the West Indies, due to fixture clashes.  The Proteas and Australia are set to face off in the World Test Championship on June 11, but were expected to begin preparations from the end of May, while the Three Lions and the Windies ODI series gets underway on May 29, six days before the end of the IPL.  Potential absentees for Playoff contenders  The Gujarat Titans currently lead the league standings with 16 points and are certain to feature in the Playoffs. At the time of writing, England captain Jos Buttler and South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee have confirmed they will return to the squad this week, as they were the only two to leave the country when the league was halted.  For second-placed RCB, who are joint-favourites according to the best online betting sites, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone have been excluded from England’s upcoming series against the West Indies and should rejoin the franchise. However, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd and Lungi Ngidi’s attendance for the rest of the competition is still uncertain.  Xavier Bartlett, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mitchell Owen have all confirmed that they will return to the Punjab Kings in the coming days, but the same cannot be said for Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis. Jansen and Inglis have been selected for the WTC Final by their countries.  The Mumbai Indians are expected to have a full contingent up to the Playoffs, but DC will have to make do without Mitchell Starc and Jake Fraser-McGurk, who have opted out, which has forced the team to sign Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the remainder of the tournament.  Fewer changes anticipated for the bottom half  The Kolkata Knight Riders’ title defence has not gone well so far, as they are seventh in the standings. However, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Rovman Powell are in Dubai and will be joined by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is in Kabul, before returning to Kolkata for the final stages of the competition.  Despite SRH being out of Playoff contention, all of their international stars, including Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Wiaan Mulder, and Travis Head, have confirmed they will be back for ...