data-mm-id=”_arogqg0kq”>The Philadelphia 76ers are in trouble. Ben Simmons is out for an "extended" period of time. He will be reevaluated in two weeks, but no one expects him to be anywhere near ready to play in two weeks. Joel Embiid sprained his shoulder on Wednesday night and is still being evaluated. The good news and the bad news are the same thing. The Sixers are currently the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Miami Heat. The Celtics and Raptors are too far ahead for a healthy, cohesive version of the Sixers to catch up and the Nets and Magic are too far behind for Philadelphia to end up in a bottom seed in the darkest of timelines.Philadelphia has the third-easiest strength of schedule remaining. The Heat and Pacers have slightly tougher remaining schedules. No matter what happens, Philadelphia will end up in a winnable first round series if Embiid is healthy. It will be tough against Toronto or Boston, but still possible. If Simmons comes back, the Sixers will have the talent to lose to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. And that is their ceiling in perpetuity unless they make a change or Giannis Antetokounmpo goes to Golden State. Time and time again, it looks like the Sixers are going to have to choose between Embiid and Simmons. It seems impossible to build around both of them and they increasingly sound like a team without a plan. In an interview with Basketball Insiders, Glenn Robinson made it sound like his expected role still hasn't been explained to him three weeks after he was acquired: ““All those things play a role, and then when you come here and your role’s not really explained or you don’t know what’s going on with the trade — it’s not like it was a trade where you come in and immediately have an impact. It’s a little different, so… this team is full of wings, full of guys who can play. So really, I don’t really understand it. But it’s a business, you’ve got to make it happen and go out and try to do your best every night.””The Sixers were a high-functioning mess for the last couple seasons, but things aren't going as well now. They'll make the playoffs, but any title expectations from the start of the season are long gone. After two straight 50+ win seasons, they're headed in the wrong direction. Blame the front office. Blame Brett Brown. Blame the guy who can't stay on the court or the guy who refuses to shoot threes. The end result remains the same.
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Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone hopes to cause Manchester United vertigo when his team travel to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday.
The first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano three weeks ago ended 1-1 after a late equaliser from substitute Anthony Elanga cancelled out Joao Felix s first-half header.
Atletico have lost their last two away trips to face English sides in the Champions League, losing at Chelsea in 2020-21 and Liverpool this season without scoring a goal in either.
They have also not kept a clean sheet in any of their eight away games against English teams in the competition, conceding 14 goals overall, but Simeone believes United could struggle as the home team.
We will press high…
Best Odds: 2/3
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Looking to gain some perfect momentum heading into the summer, Switzerland will welcome the USA to St. Gallen on Sunday night for a friendly showdown.
Switzerland
Starting with the hosts, while Switzerland might have endured a nightmare two-month run of form between October and November of last year, The Reds have bounced back in some style. Looking to keep the mood in their camp at a real high before they open this summer s European Championships against Wales on June 12th, Rossocrociati will fancy their chances of potentially causing an upset on foreign soil. Only continuing to build off of that deserved 1-1 draw against former world champions Spain last year, Vladimir Petković s side have won each of their last four matchups across…
Ashley Young was Inter s inspiration with a goal and an assist as Antonio Conte s men concluded their 2019-20 Serie A campaign by beating Atalanta 2-0 on the road, in turn securing a second-place finish.
Any one of Inter, their hosts and Lazio could have clinched the runner-up spot behind champions Juventus on Saturday, but the Nerazzurri – who were second going into the final round of fixtures – produced a professional and clinical display away to an Atalanta side that were nowhere near their exhilarating best.
Just 50 seconds had elapsed before Danilo D Ambrosio gave Inter the lead from a pinpoint Young delivery, before the former Manchester United captain scored a gorgeous goal to put Inter in complete control.
Atalanta – reportedly missing star man Josi…
Ronald Koeman plans to adopt a more attacking style of play with the Netherlands than the one established by his predecessor Louis van Gaal.
The Oranje reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar under Van Gaal, but criticisms were directed to a style of football that was perceived to be negative.
A five-man defensive line proved to be miserly, conceding just twice in the first four matches of the tournament, but fans wanted more creative output from a side that boasted the likes of Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo.
The Netherlands venture in Qatar came to an end against Argentina in a shoot-out defeat, having fought back from a two-goal deficit in a game that marked the final stand of Van Gaal s third spell at the helm.
A similar approach will not b…
Atletico Madrid centre-back Stefan Savic has signed a new deal with the Spanish champions, agreeing to extend his stay with the club until June 2024.
Montenegro international Savic has spent the past six seasons with Atletico and played a big part in last term s LaLiga title triumph.
The defender featured 42 times in all competitions in 2020-21 and started 33 of Atleti s 38 league games as Diego Simeone s squad won the title for the second time in seven years.
Atletico kept a clean sheet in 16 of those matches and won 24 of them for a win rate of 72.7 per cent, compared to 40 per cent in the five games Savic did not play a part in.
Since making his LaLiga debut in August 2015, no defender has helped their side to more clean sheets in the division than t…
Bayern Munich are interested in signing Chelsea central defender Andreas Christensen in the summer transfer window, according to . Christensen is out of contract at defending European champions Chelsea at the end of the season, and German and European giants Bayern are among the clubs interested in securing the services of the 25-year-old Denmark international centre-back on a free transfer.
Julian Nagelsmann, the head coach of Bayern, is reportedly a big fan of Christensen, and believes that the Chelsea central defender would make his team much better and stronger at the back. The defending German champions have already made offers to Christensen, who is now free to agree a pre-contract with any team outside England.
Christensen is one of the best central defenders in …
Ronald Koeman s first squad in his second stint as Netherlands coach included five uncapped players as Georginio Wijnaldum returned to the fold but Ryan Gravenberch was not selected.
Koeman, who was previously Oranje coach between 2018 and 2020, replaced Louis van Gaal following last year s World Cup in Qatar.
The Netherlands face France and Gibraltar in qualifying for Euro 2024 in Koeman s first two matches after returning to the post.
And the returning coach could hand debuts to Sven Botman and Brian Brobbey, who have impressed this season for Newcastle United and Ajax respectively.
Both players were called up previously under Van Gaal without appearing.
Koeman has also drafted in Anderlecht s Bart Verbruggen and Feyenoord pair Lutsharel Geertru…
Robert Lewandowski expressed his desire for Lionel Messi to return to Barcelona ahead of next season.
Club legend Messi left Barcelona in 2020, after financial issues at the club prevented the renewal of his deal, and joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi s contract in the French capital runs out in June and an exit seems increasingly likely, particularly after his name was booed by some fans during the recent Ligue 1 defeat to Lyon – with supporters venting their frustration at the club s policy of signing big-name players without yielding results in the Champions League.
A return to Camp Nou has often been touted and Lewandowski, who joined the club last year from Bayern Munich, wants to play alongside Messi next season.
Messi belongs to Barca and if he …
Aleksandar Mitrovic s double helped Al-Hilal claim a 3-1 victory over rivals Al-Ittihad to move three points clear in the Saudi Pro League.
After just four games, it puts the defending champions in the driving seat while denting the aspirations of Al-Ittihad.
The Serbian striker had put the hosts ahead after just three minutes with a header from the centre of the box, having met Ruben Neves deep cross from the right.
Mitrovic doubled Al-Hilal s lead from the spot just 11 minutes later after Abdulelah Al Amri brought Renan Lodi down in the area.
Al-Hilal increased the deficit to three before half-time as Salem Al Dawsari added to the scoreline in the 36th minute, receiving down the left from Neves once more before driving clear in the box and finishing coo…
Barcelona are interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Jorginho in the summer transfer window, according to . The former Chelsea star is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season and is available on a free transfer. The Italian midfielder has offered himself to Barcelona, who are keen on snapping him up.
Jorginho has been on the books of Arsenal since January 2023 when he joined from London and Premier League rivals Chelsea. The 32-year-old Italian midfielder has made 10 starts and 11 substitute appearances in the Premier League, providing two assists in those games.
Barcelona are second in the La Liga table at the moment. The defending Spanish champions have picked up 67 points from 30 games, while bitter rivals and league leaders Real Madrid have collected 7…