While some get a slightly longer break, the Premier League returns this week for the majority.
Champions Liverpool get going against Marcelo Bielsa s Leeds United, back in the big time for the first time since 2004, while plenty of eyes will be on Frank Lampard s lavish new Chelsea side.
With the Manchester clubs, Aston Villa and Burnley not involved, this is an opening matchweek where you can afford to be a little more selective as you look for names to get you up and running.
If you need a little advice, then look no further this Opta-powered selection is sure to get you off to a flying start.
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The countdown to the 2020/21 season is on
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A FIFA task force has recommended that the 2022 Qatar World Cup be held in November and December.
The 2022 Qatar World Cup is set to be held in November and December following a recommendation from a FIFA task force.
Fears had been raised over the risks of playing the tournament in the country s summer months, when temperatures reach around 40 degrees centigrade.
But, following a six-month consultation process, the last two months of the year have been put forward as the proposed dates.
Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the head of the task force, said: We are very pleased that, after careful consideration of the various opinions and detailed discussions with all stakeholders, we have identified what we believe to be the best solution for the 2…
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has indicated that he will deploy three forwards from the start of Sunday s Euro 2012 final against Italy.
The 61-year-old has shown variety in his selections during the tournament, utilising Cesc Fabregas as a false nine on several occasions and also opting for Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Torres as more traditional centre forwards.
And though the Barcelona midfielder made the starting XI for the group match against Italy, Del Bosque has now given a strong indication that the 25-year-old may start the final on the bench.
We will play with three strikers, but all the team have to help them, he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday.
These three players will have the obligation to attack and to try to score a go…
Liverpool are ready to listen to offers for Lucas Leiva,.
The midfielder has been at Anfield for the past eight years, and has racked up two hundred and seventy-five appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals.
He was part of the squad that won the League Cup in 2012, and was named the club’s Player of the Year a season earlier.
However, he was left out of the Reds’ opening day victory at Stoke City and could be set for a move as he sits behind captain Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho and new signing James Milner in the Liverpool pecking order.
Lucas has been capped twenty-four times for Brazil, and was part of their squad for the 2011 Copa America in Argentina.
Liverpool finished in sixth place last season, and can be backed …
Benjamin Mendy has praised the upturn in fortunes of Monaco talisman Radamel Falcao, hailing the striker for not playing nice in front of goal .
Colombia international Falcao initially failed to settle at Monaco following his big-money move from Atletico Madrid in 2013, and a knee injury suffered in January 2014 prevented him from playing in the World Cup that year.
Unsuccessful loan spells at Manchester United and Chelsea followed, with Falcao returning to the Ligue 1 club after the end of his stint at Stamford Bridge last season.
But he has been rejuvenated under Leonardo Jardim this term, his 14 league goals helping give Monaco a three-point lead over defending champions Paris Saint-Germain at the top.
And Mendy, who joined from Marseille in June, has…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Manchester United are not as strong as former club Paris Saint-Germain, but the Sweden great says the lure of reuniting with Jose Mourinho made the decision to sign an easy one.
The superstar striker moved to Old Trafford on a free transfer after four trophy-laden years in the French capital with PSG and etched his name in the club s folklore by becoming their all-time record goalscorer.
United have not won the Premier League since the legendary Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012-13 season and last season s FA Cup victory is their only major trophy since the Scot s departure.
Ibrahimovic, though, says the challenge of helping to restore United to their past glories, coupled with working alongside his former Inter boss Mourinh…
Chelsea fans, if you thought losing Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois was bad, it could get worse.
Courtois swapped Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2018 and Hazard followed his Belgian compatriot in the recent off-season.
Now, reports suggest a Chelsea midfielder could move to the Spanish capital if Madrid s former Blues duo get their way.
TOP STORY – HAZARD COURTOIS WANT TO RENITE WITH KANE
Real Madrid pair Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are pushing the LaLiga giants to sign Chelsea midfielder N Golo Kante, according to The Athletic.
Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane wanted to reinforce his midfield amid links to Manchester United star Paul Pogba, Tottenham s Christian Eriksen and Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.
After alrea…
Kenedy scored twice and Jonjo Shelvey played a starring role as Newcastle United piled the pressure on Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino by going five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a 3-0 win.
Newcastle had missed a chance to put breathing room between themselves and the drop two weeks ago when they let a 2-0 lead slip in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth before suffering a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
They started the day 16th and only a point and a place above Southampton in a crowded fight against the drop but needed only 63 seconds to take the lead at St James Park with Kenedy s first goal since joining on loan from Chelsea.
He made it 2-0 in the 29th minute and the result was never in doubt as Southampton produced a miserable per…
Verdict: Brazil win and under 3.5 goals
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Enjoying a bright start to their Group A campaign, Brazil will welcome Venezuela to the Arena Fonte Nova in the early hours of Wednesday.
Brazil
Starting with the hosts, picking up an empathic 3-0 win over Bolivia to open their Copa America campaign, the mood in Brazil s camp is certainly on a high. Continuing to show improvements since their quarter-final finish out in Russia last summer, Tite s men are unbeaten in their 11 post-World Cup matchups, winning 10 of those contest. Along with Barcelona winger Philippe Coutinho bagging a brace and showing why the South American giants are so feared in the final third, they have been applauded by their newfound defensive stability. Now going o…
Having broken the world transfer record with the acquisition of Neymar from Barcelona in 2017, Paris Saint-Germain are in advanced talks with the Catalan club over the possibility of sending the Brazilian star back, according to .
Neymar himself is apparently very keen on ending his troubled two-year stint at the Parc Des Princes, with neither him nor the Ligue 1 champions happy with what they got from the deal. Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi recently said that he would not tolerate star behaviour in the future.
Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho has had a similarly torrid time at Camp Nou since his €160 million transfer from Liverpool in January 2018, and it appears a swap deal seeing the two Brazilians go in the opposite directions may be on the cards. Coutinho has tho…