Antonio Conte knows Tottenham must tighten up at the back if they are to remain in the upper reaches of the Premier League table.

Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hjobjerg scored in the space of six second-half minutes to seal a 2-2 draw against Brentford on Monday after they had fallen behind to goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney.

Janelt s goal meant Spurs have conceded the opening strike in each of their past six Premier League matches – their longest run of conceding first in the competition since April 2014 under Tim Sherwood (also six).

Indeed, they have conceded two or more goals in six consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May 2003.

The result left them in fourth, four points clear of Manchester United, and Conte accepted they…

Best Odds: 4/11

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Desperate to find a route back into the top-four this weekend, Inter Milan will welcome Lazio to the San Siro on Sunday lunchtime.

Inter Milan

Starting with the hosts, managing to claim a Coppa Italia first-leg advantage against Juventus earlier in the week, Inter Milan will be looking to build on that momentum here. Eventually picking up a 1-0 victory at the San Siro, Simone Inzaghi’s side have managed to find a welcomed boost since returning from March’s international break. While the Nerazzurri might have slumped to a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Monza on April 15th, that is the only defeat that Inter have suffered from their previous seven appearances across all competitions. Last seen in Serie A action storming their way to…

Bruno Fernandes credited Cristiano Ronaldo s hunger after his fellow Portugal international scored his 700th club goal in Manchester United s 2-1 win at Everton on Sunday.

Ronaldo was introduced as a first-half substitute for Anthony Martial, who suffered a back injury, and brought up the landmark by firing under Jordan Pickford after racing onto Casemiro s pass.

Alex Iwobi s long-range strike had initially handed Everton an early lead, but Antony became the first player to score in his first three Premier League games for United to level the scores.

Ronaldo s 700th goal in club football arrived 20 years and two days after his first (for Sporting CP against Moreirense on October 7 2002), and saw him get off the mark for the Premier League season.

The five…

Cristiano Ronaldo is available for Saturday s Premier League meeting with Tottenham, but Ralf Rangnick is unsure if the forward is happy at Manchester United.

The Portugal international was left out of United s squad for last weekend s 4-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City after sustaining a hip injury in training.

However, United great Roy Keane questioned if that was really the reason why Ronaldo was absent at the Etihad Stadium amid reports he had been dropped by Ralf Rangnick.

Ronaldo flew to Portugal to work on his fitness and Rangnick confirmed on Friday that the 37-year-old is now back in training and is expected to play a part against Spurs.

He resumed for training yesterday, Rangnick said at his pre-match news conference. He trained the whole tra…

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean has decided against offering three-time trophy winner David Wotherspoon a new contract as he begins a ruthless squad overhaul.

The 33-year-old midfielder has spent 10 years with his hometown club and helped them to Scottish Cup glory in both 2014 and 2021 as well as the 2021 League Cup.

However, Wotherspoon is one of 14 players who will be leaving Saints this summer as MacLean, who was appointed permanent boss last weekend following an encouraging stint as interim manager, prepares to rebuild the squad following two consecutive seasons of battling relegation.

The Canada international will be given a testimonial year by the club, with details to be announced in due course.

Michael O’Halloran, Eetu Vertainen, Jamie Murp…

Best Odds: 7/4

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Getting the new Premier League campaign underway on Friday night, Manchester United will welcome Fulham to Old Trafford.

Manchester United

Starting with the hosts, while Manchester United might have sprung a major FA Cup upset at Wembley on May 25th as they secured a famous 2-1 victory against bitter local rivals Manchester City, the Red Devils endured a public Premier League struggle last season. Breaking a string of unwanted records and coming under a huge amount of scrutiny, Erik ten Hag once again has a real battle on his hands at Old Trafford. Making the decision to stick with the former Ajax boss this summer, United will know the importance of finding some much-needed stability this time around. Winning just a trio of their final…

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg declared England dream opponents for Germany in Sunday s Women s Euro 2022 final – and she believes all the pressure is on the Lionesses.

An eye-catching Wembley showpiece will pit hosts England against eight-time European champions Germany.

These have been the two standout sides throughout the tournament, and there is plenty of history behind this fixture.

When England last reached the Women s Euros final in 2009, they were beaten by Germany – one of 21 defeats in the teams 27 meetings.

But Germany coach Voss-Tecklenburg was looking beyond the confines of the women s game as she considered what this match means, with the men s rivalry reaching back to England s 1966 World Cup final success. That remains the sole major title f…

FIFA has received four expressions of interest in hosting the 2027 Women s World Cup, including a joint bid from the United States and Mexico.

Brazil and South Africa have also submitted expressions of interest alongside another joint bid from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, with the hosts set to be appointed next May.

USA hosted the Women s World Cup in 1999 and 2003 – winning the former edition – while Germany are the only other potential host to have previously staged the competition, doing so in 2011.

The US and Mexico – alongside Canada – are already set to host the next edition of the men s World Cup in 2026.

Federations hoping to host the tournament now have until May 19 to confirm their involvement in the bidding process.

FI…

FC Cincinnati defender DeAndre Yedlin is hoping his team-mates can rediscover their competitive edge as they travel to the Red Bull Arena to face New York Red Bulls this weekend.

The Orange and Blue were forced to relinquish top spot in the Eastern Conference table as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Chicago Fire courtesy of Brian Gutierrez’s second half winner.

Cincinnati are now two points behind Inter Miami, who overcame their 6-1 defeat to Pat Noonan’s side last week with a convincing triumph over Toronto FC in midweek.

With Columbus Crew breathing down their necks and going to within five points of them with two games in hand, Yedlin insisted that his squad must rally together to rekindle that winning formula.

We expect to win every game. It do…

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch said he felt like someone has ripped my heart out after watching his side implode in Saturday s 4-3 loss at Tottenham.

The visitors took the lead three times in north London and were ahead with nine minutes of normal time remaining, only for Rodrigo Bentancur to score a late double.

Leeds have shipped 26 goals in 14 Premier League games this season at a rate of 1.86 per 90 minutes – only Nottingham Forest (2) and Bournemouth (2.13) have fared worse.

Marsch, who had seen the pressure on him ease following back-to-back league wins prior to the Spurs loss, admits it has been a familiar theme for his side this campaign.

I m gutted, I feel like someone has ripped my heart out, he told BBC Sport. I thought we had control …