Do you want to head into the World Cup break top of your fantasy league? Well, you re running out of time!

This weekend will be the penultimate round of games before a Premier League hiatus for Qatar 2022, with real-life teams aiming to get themselves in as strong a position as possible ahead of the Boxing Day resumption.

On the fantasy football front, given how tricky and unpredictable everything is likely to be after the World Cup, this is arguably a vital couple of weeks.

That s where Stats Perform hopes to help. They have delved into the Opta numbers to identify four players who appear smart choices beyond your obvious picks such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

Danny Ward (Everton v Leicester City)

This might sound like a rogue choice g…

Carlo Ancelotti has lauded France as a complete team and backed Didier Deschamps men for Euro 2016 glory ahead of Spain and world champions Germany.

The Italian, who coached for a year-and-a-half in France with Paris Saint-Germain until June 2013, is adamant that the current crop of players available to Deschamps leaves few weaknesses.

Ancelotti was particularly glowing of three players he has worked with before, highlighting the importance of PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi and Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane. 

And although Ancelotti acknowledged that the likes of Spain and Germany will likely provide stern tests, he believes having home advantage could swing things in France s favour. 

I think that the France can win the Euros, he told…

Vinicius Junior marked his 200th Real Madrid appearance in style with the second goal in a 2-0 win against Valencia.

The Brazilian burst into space from inside his own half to double Los Blancos lead, just 90 seconds after Marco Asensio s stunning strike opened the scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid, having failed to score on Sunday against Real Sociedad, encountered similar frustration in the first half and saw an Antonio Rudiger header disallowed juts before half-time.

That did not deter Carlo Ancelotti s side, who responded in style in a second period where Valencia finished with 10 men after Gabriel Paulista s dismissal.

200 is making his 200th appearance with in all competitions tonight. The Brazilian striker has been involved in 86 goals wit…

Roberto Martinez took Cristiano Ronaldo off just after the hour mark against Poland but assured he was only managing the 39-year-old s minutes.

Ronaldo was on target for Portugal in their 3-1 win over Poland, doubling their tally after Bernardo Silva s opener.

Piotr Zielinski provided the Selecao with a late scare, but Jan Bednarek s own goal ensured Portugal kept their 100% record, and they are the only team to win all three games so far in League A.

The Portugal captain was replaced by Diogo Jota, who had a hand in their third goal, in the 63rd minute, having had three shots and accumulating 1.43 expected goals (xG).

And Martinez insisted Ronaldo would have a part to play against Scotland as he praised the team s resilience to get the win over the line.…

Liverpool once again put Porto to the sword as they made it back-to-back wins at the start of a new Champions League campaign, coasting to a 5-1 victory at the Estadio do Dragao.  

The Reds had come out on top in a five-goal thriller in their Group B opener against Milan at Anfield, yet there were no such nerves on Tuesday against opponents they have made a habit of beating through the years.  

Jurgen Klopp was in charge for 5-0 and 4-1 wins on Portuguese soil when steering Liverpool to successive final appearances in the competition in 2018 and 2019, and this year s squad appear on course to make the knockout stages once more.  

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino scored twice, the latter after coming on as a substitute, while Sadio Mane was al…

Carlo Ancelotti sees no need to assess the impact Diego Simeone has had at Atletico Madrid and can only hope to replicate the Argentine s longevity.

Ancelotti returned to Madrid for his second spell as coach in June, after leaving Everton.

He has overseen something of a resurgence after a disappointing campaign last season, with Los Blancos sitting pretty at the top of LaLiga with 39 points from their 16 games.

Reigning champions Atleti visit Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday for the first Madrid derby of the season. Simeone s men sit 10 points behind Ancelotti s side in fourth place, albeit with a game in hand.

Ancelotti and Simeone have met 15 times previously across all competitions. The Italian has managed five wins to Simeone s four, while six of the encou…

Declan Rice wants to take inspiration from the Lionesses European Championships success when England face Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday.

England s women won their first major trophy at Euro 2022, dramatically beating Germany 2-1 in extra time to earn the country s first title since the men won the 1966 World Cup.

The Three Lions had come close to ending the trophy drought themselves the year before but lost on penalties to Italy in the delayed Euro 2020 final.

Having reached the final for the second consecutive Euros, Rice is aiming to build on the legacy created by the Lionesses.

Yeah, it would mean everything I think to win something for your country,” Rice said.

We saw when the women s team won it, what it meant to them and what it…

Prediction: Club Brugge KV to win 2-1

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KRC Genk and Club Brugge KV will lock horns with each other in the  Belgian Pro League this coming weekend. The match between Thorsten Fink’s side and Nicky Hayen’s team will be held at the Cegeka Arena and is scheduled to kick off at 12:30 pm UK time on Sunday.

KRC Genk

KRC Genk are one of the biggest clubs in Belgium and have been successful as well. They have won the title in Belgium as many as four times and have played in the UEFA Champions League group stage thrice.

Racing finished fifth in the Belgian Pro League table last season and will be determined to do better this time around. Thorsten Fink’s side are as low as 14th in the league table at the moment with a point fr…

Manchester United put one foot into the EFL Cup final with an assured 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.

Goals for Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst – his first for the club – and Bruno Fernandes secured victory for the visitors at the City Ground.

After dropping points in back-to-back Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Arsenal, it marked a return to winning ways for Erik ten Hag s men.

For Steve Cooper s hosts though, it marks a bitterly disappointing result, with any chance of a comeback at Old Trafford now likely scotched.

United needed just six minutes to carve Forest open, with Rashford afforded space to scamper down the left wing and squeeze between two defenders before beating Wayne Henne…

Paris Saint-Germain have made sure they remain at the top of the Ligue 1 table after 13 rounds with a 5-2 victory over AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes on Friday.

Goncalo Ramos broke the deadlock after 18 minutes, and Takumi Minamino restored parity four minutes later. Kylian Mbappe converted from the spot to take his team ahead again in the 39th, and between minutes 70 and 72, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha settled the outcome. The visitors responded briefly with a 75th minute goal from Folarin Balogun, but it proved insufficient for Monaco to get anything from the game, and it was Randal Kolo Muani who set the final score in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

The game

PSG mostly dominated what was a very lively contest, with greater possession overall (55%) and chances…