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Jack Wilshere is back training with Arsenal

Jack Wilshere is back training with Arsenal.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is back training with the club as Arsenal support him with his uncertain future in the sport.

Wilshere made his senior Arsenal debut at the age of 16 back in 2008, where he spent 10 years before leaving the club to join West Ham United for two years.

He has suffered from injuries throughout his career, with his last stint being a short term training effort with Serie B outfit Como last month.

The now 29-year-old has been a free agent since his contract with Bournemouth expired at the end of last season.

When asked about Wilshere’s current predicament and rather or not Arsenal would welcome the player back, stating; ”the door is always open”.

After that statement, Wilshere is currently training with the under-23s at the club’s London Colney training centre.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the club’s official website;

“What you should believe is that we want to help Jack prepare for his next stage, physically, mentally,”.

“He wants to do his coaching badges again and we are prepared to fulfil all the needs that he wants. That is basically the idea and it is no further than that.

“I am very happy to have him back.

“We had a conversation with Jack and understand the needs that he has, the period that he is going through and I think everyone at the club agreed it was the right moment to help him.

“We sat down with him and we listened to what he wanted to do and what stage he is and we are prepared to do anything we can to help him.

“He is going to be training sometimes with us. He is going to be around the place. He is going to be continuing his coaching badges that he is very interested in.

“(We will) try to get him fit, try to get his experiences across to our players, our young players, our academy and I think it is a great influence to have around.”

However, when asked rather or not the club would be interested in re-signing the player, Arteta played down any chances.

Jack Wilshere is back training with Arsenal

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Herring set to make 200th appearance for Ulster against Benetton

Rob Herring will become the seventh player to reach the 200-appearance milestone for Ulster when they face Benetton at Kingspan Stadium on Friday evening (7.35 pm kick-off).

Herring has been named alongside Andrew Warwick and Tom O’Toole in the front row for the match against the Rainbow Cup champions.

Sam Carter comes into the side to partner Alan O’Connor, and Carter will also skipper the side.

Matty Rea is named at blindside flanker, with Nick Timoney at openside, and David McCann completing the base of the pack at Number Eight.

The backline that started last Saturday against Zebre at the Stade Sergio Lanfranchi has been retained.

Will Addison is selected at full-back with Ethan McIlroy and Craig Gilroy alongside him on the wings.

Stewart Moore and James Hume will form the centre partnership, and Nathan Doak and Billy Burns are named at scrum-half and out-half.

The forward replacements will be Brad Roberts, Callum Reid, Ross Kane, Mick Kearney and Sean Reidy, and the backline options are David Shanahan, Mike Lowry and Ben Moxham.

Ulster Team v Benetton

(15-9) Will Addison, Craig Gilroy, James Hume, Stewart Moore, Ethan McIlroy, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak;

(1-8) Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Sam Carter (Capt.), Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, David McCann.

Replacements: Brad Roberts, Callum Reid, Ross Kane, Mick Kearney, Sean Reidy, David Shanahan, Mike Lowry, Ben Moxham.

Players not considered due to injury or unavailability:

Jack McGrath, Marty Moore, Eric O’Sullivan, Iain Henderson, Kieran Treadwell, Cormac Izuchukwu, Dave O’Connor, Jordi Murphy, John Cooney, Stuart McCloskey, Luke Marshall, Rob Baloucoune, Jacob Stockdale, Rob Lyttle.

Belgium v France – Preview, Betting, Probable Starting Teams

The second UEFA Nations League semi-final takes place tonight with an aging Belgium team taking on an undetermined France side

Belgium v France will kick-off at 19:45 tonight, Thursday 7th October in the Allianz Arena in Torino, Italy. German referee Daniel Siebert will take charge of the game.

The match will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.

Belgium once again finds themselves ranked number one in the world but with no silverware to prove it. They have shown their quality, winning eight of their last nine games only losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 quarterfinal.

Most of their team has reached and past their peak but they will want youngster Jeremy Doku to provide flair and energy on the week tonight.

This looks like one of the greatest France squads that the country has produced but their mentality looks shaken. After five straight draws in 90 minutes, they finally beat Finland 2-0 in their last World Cup qualifier.

The French players’ ego will still be bruised since losing to Switzerland in Euro 2020 and they will need a victory to boost them.

For two neighbors that share languages, they do not face each other very often competitively. Since 2011, they have played four times, ending twice in draws and each team claiming a victory.

The last crossed blades in the 2018 World Cup semi-final which the French won 1-0 on their way to winning the competition.

Belgium v France Probable Starting Teams

Belgium

Formation

3-4-3

Probable Starting 11

Courtois (GK), Vertonghen, Denayer, Alderweireld, Hazard, Tielemans, Witsel, Castagne, Doku, Lukaku, De Bruyne.

Injuries / Suspensions

Meunier (Knee injury)

 

France

Formation

4-3-1-2

Probable Starting 11

Lloris (GK), Hernåndez, Kimpembe, Varane, Pavard, Pogba, Tchouméni, Rabiot, Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappé.

Injuries / Suspensions

Martial (Knock)

Betting

Belgium 15/8

Draw 2/1

France 6/4

 

Score Prediction

Both teams are made up of sturdy defenses and world-class attacks. The opposing managers will be trying to cancel each other out but from a neutrals perspective, let’s hope that it is full of goals.

Expect this game to end 3-2 to France.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date club and international football news, click here.

Who is in line to be next Republic of Ireland manager

Stephen Kenny’s reign as Republic of Ireland boss has been tumultuous to say the least. He was bought in as Mick McCarthy’s replacement to reshape Irish football and turn them into a side that plays possession-based attacking football while bringing through fresh young talent. Sadly, it hasn’t worked out that way for them in the slightest. In his 16 games in charge, he has won just one game, drawn eight and lost seven. Atrocious results like an embarrassing 1-0 home loss to Luxembourg and a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan have highlighted an awful World Cup qualifying campaign leading to many calling for Kenny’s head. His potential replacement has been touted as multiple different options, and according to odds presented by www.topratedcasinos.ie, here are the current favourites to take the job:

 

Neil Lennon

 

The former Celtic and Hibernian manager left his role at the Bhoys for a second time in February 2021 after it became clear that he would not be able to lead them to their 10th consecutive Scottish Premier League title. The Northern Irishman may not be the most popular choice for Boys in Green fans, but at 6/4, he is the current favourite to take the job. His record at Celtic in his first stint was stellar, winning five league titles and five domestic cup trophies, but his recent time in charge left a little to be desired. Since he left Celtic in February, Lennon has been outspoken about his intention to return to the dugout, and the bookies have him in pole position to replace Kenny.

 

Roy Keane

 

The Former Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest assistant manager hasn’t led his own side since being sacked by Ipswich in January of 2011. He has since carved out a career as a divisive pundit for Sky Sports, garnering a lot of attention for his no nonsense analysis and his comical back and forth with Micah Richards. Keane loved representing his country and may see leading his nation as a job that’s too good to turn down, which is why he is second favourite to take the job behind Lennon at odds of 11/2. It may be that he is enjoying his role at Sky Sports too much to take the job, and with it being 10 year ars since he was last in the management hot seat, he would present a serious risk for the Football Association of Ireland decision makers.

 

Keith Andrews

 

Andrews currently features in third place in the betting odds at 13/2. The former Bolton, Blackburn and Milton Keynes Dons midfielder worked with Kenny at the U21 level and has plenty of experience working with this current crop of players and the current assistant manager to Kenny played 35 times for the Republic of Ireland. However, he has never had a senior management role in his young coaching career, meaning he too would be an incredible risk to turn things around for Ireland. 

 

Robbie Keane

 

The legendary striker is one of Ireland’s greatest ever players and is the country’s highest scorer and most capped player, with 68 goals in 146 appearances. Like Andrews, he is still very new to the management game having led Indian side ATK as a player-manager for three games and being an assistant manager under Mick McCarthy for Republic of Ireland from 2018-2020 and under Jonathan Woodgate at Middlesborough from 2019-2020. In March of this year, former Ireland international Stephen Elliott backed him as Kenny’s replacement were the current manager relieved of his duties, tweeting that he “could potentially inspire young players” and that Keane “would surely have to be in the mix”. He is currently 7/1 to be the next permanent manager of Ireland.

 

Sam Allardyce

 

While he would certainly present a different style of football to what was promised when Kenny was hired, there’s no doubting ‘Big Sam’ when it comes to getting results. The Journeyman manager has been out of work since leaving West Brom at the end of last season and his credentials undoubtedly outweigh the other names on this list. His last stint in international management famously ended in acrimonious circumstances, lasting just 67 days and one match after he left due to mutual consent following allegations of malpractice. At 9/1, he is a bit of an outside bet to replace Kenny, but Allardyce, who also managed Everton, Crystal Palace, Sunderland, West Ham, Blackburn Newcastle and Bolton has years of experience to lean on were he to take the job and has shown everywhere he’s been that he has a knack of getting teams to perform beyond their means, something that could put him in good stead were he to get the Ireland job.

 

Chris Hughton

 

Also coming in at odds of 9/1, Hughton, who played 53 times for the Republic of Ireland, is another outside bet with years of managerial experience behind him. His time at Brighton was mostly successful, guiding them to an automatic promotion from the Championship in 2017 and keeping them in the Premier League in the 2017/18 season. However, he was recently sacked by Nottingham Forest following a dire start to the Championship season, in which his side gained just one point from their opening seven games. 

 

Eddie Howe

 

Howe is a true outside bet at 25/1, as he may be looking for a slightly more high-profile job. He was rightly lauded for his excellent work he did at Bournemouth, famously taking them from the bottom of League 2 to the Premier League. If Ireland were able to coax him into taking the job, he would be seen as a real coup, as his reputation is still very good despite a poor finish to his tenure on the south coast of England.

 

Others

 

Other options that have been listed by the bookies are Damien Duff at 8/1, former Northern Ireland manager and current Stoke boss Michael O’ Neil at 14/1, current Ireland U21 boss Jim Crawford at 22/1, Inter Miami and former England women’s manager Phil Neville at 25/1 and former Ireland Goalkeeper Shay Given at 25/1.

 

Dillian Whyte ordered to face the winner of Fury-Wilder 3 by WBC

Dillian Whyte ordered to face the winner of Fury-Wilder 3 by WBC.

Dillian Whyte has been confirmed as the front-runner to face the winner of the Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder trilogy bout this Saturday.

Fury will defend his WBC title against Wilder in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, with Whyte lined up by the WBC governing body after almost two years of waiting.

The WBC has noted that whoever wins on Saturday between Fury and Wilder, the eventual winner may seek an undisputed clash as their next match-up.

However, with Anthony Joshua seemingly nailed on to take up his contractual rematch for all the remaining belts against champion Oleksandr Usyk, it should mean Whyte receives his long-awaited WBC title fight.

A WBC statement read;

“The WBC Board of Governors has reviewed the recent history in the Heavyweight Division.

“Considering the long inactivity in the division due to the pandemic, ongoing legal processes, and Covid-19 infections, the WBC has ruled that the winner of this fight will have 30 days to secure a contract to unify the Heavyweight Division against WBO-IBF-WBA champion Oleksandr Usyk in search of an undisputed champion in the division.

“If no unification bout is secured within that time, the winner of Fury v. Wilder 3 must then fight next against the then reigning WBC Interim Heavyweight Champion.”

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will face off in their trilogy bout this Saturday, October 9th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Dillian Whyte ordered to face the winner of Fury-Wilder 3 by WBC

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Clayton & Noppert star to reach Boylesports WGP QFs

Jonny Clayton and Danny Noppert strengthened their BoyleSports World Grand Prix title credentials with sparkling displays as they progressed to the quarter-finals in Leicester on Wednesday.

Premier League champion Clayton came from a set down to defeat seventh seed Jose de Sousa 3-1, averaging 95 as he continued his challenge to claim a maiden televised ranking triumph.

Noppert, meanwhile, followed up Monday’s impressive win over Michael van Gerwen by seeing off another Dutchman, Vincent van der Voort, in straight sets.

Clayton now plays Krzysztof Ratajski in the last eight on Thursday, after the Polish ace’s 3-1 defeat of Rob Cross, while Ian White’s brilliant comeback from two sets down to defeat Darius Labanauskas moves him through to a tie with Noppert.

Welshman Clayton had found himself behind in his tie with Grand Slam of Darts winner De Sousa, who came from 2-1 down to win the first set in a deciding leg.

De Sousa also led in the second and then responded to a stunning ten-darter from Clayton with a 98 finish to force a deciding leg – only to see the world number 14 square the contest by taking out 70 in two darts.

Clayton then raced through set three with finishes of 60, 110 and 100, and took out 116 on his way to a two-leg lead in the fourth set.

De Sousa hit back with a 13-darter, but Clayton clinically wrapped up the win by completing a 12-dart leg with a 112 checkout – ending the tie with four ton-plus finishes and 11 doubles from just 17 attempts.

“I’m happy with that,” said Clayton. “I lost the first set to a class player so I had to dig deep.

“I broke him back in the second set and I did my job. It was good darts by both of us, I kept my nerve and got over the finishing line so I’m happy.

“I’m chasing a ranked event, and hopefully this is it so let’s see what happens. I’m going to try my best to get to the final and try and win it.

“Krzysztof is a class act and I’ve got to have my A-game. Nobody’s afraid of anybody anymore, so if we go out and do our job well, we’re hard to beat.”

Noppert opened with one in two of his starting doubles, and in a clinical finishing display had a checkout ratio almost double that of Van der Voort to progress to a tie with Ian White.

Van der Voort started the brighter with legs of 15 and 13 darts, only to see Noppert win the next three to claim the first set.

Noppert then took out 130 and 101 to lead 2-0 in set two and responded to Van der Voort’s 87 checkout with a 12-darter to wrap up the set and double his advantage.

He opened set three with a 100 checkout as the pair shared the opening four legs, and when Van der Voort was unable to check out 134 in the decider, Noppert returned on double 11 to seal the victory.

“I’m really happy with this performance,” said Noppert. “In the beginning, I was a little bit nervous, but I got myself back and I played brilliant I think.

“I’ve won against two players who I watched when I was a kid, so I’m really happy. It was a tough game, and I didn’t expect it would be 3-0, but I took my chances.

“Ian White is a good player and I’m looking forward to every match. I’m enjoying it here and I’m confident.”

White got through to his third BoyleSports World Grand Prix quarter-final, completing a remarkable comeback from two sets down against Darius Labanauskas with victory in a sudden-death leg.

Lithuania’s Labanauskas had looked on course to claim a landmark win in his career after claiming the first six legs without reply to secure a two-set lead.

White, though, ignited his challenge with winning legs of 14, 15 and 12 darts as he took the third set 3-1, and also claimed the fourth by the same scoreline to level the tie.

Labanauskas’ break of throw with a 90 finish in the opening leg of the deciding set was cancelled out by a match-high 136 checkout for a 12-darter from White, who then moved 2-1 up.

Double ten saw the Lithuanian take the game all the way to a one-leg shoot-out, but White was first to a double and landed double eight at the first time of asking to complete a gutsy fightback.

“It’s unbelievable,” admitted White. “I couldn’t get going, and when I was two sets down and hadn’t won a leg, it was going to be a nightmare.

“I had to do something – I don’t know what happened, I think I hit a double and the crowd got on my side. I was dead and buried and the crowd helped me out.

“I’d love to win the tournament, that’s what we’re all here for, so fingers crossed.”

Krzysztof Ratajski won through to his first World Grand Prix quarter-final with a 3-1 success against Rob Cross, continuing his fine form in televised events this year.

Ratajski was a quarter-finalist in the World Championship and UK Open before reaching July’s World Matchplay semi-finals, and will now compete in the last eight in Leicester on Thursday.

The Polish star claimed the opening set without reply, breaking throw twice in a strong start to the contest, only for Cross to finish 87 and 106 as he took set two in the same manner.

Ratajski then won set three by a 3-1 scoreline and landed three 14-darters in four legs in the next as he wrapped up the win.

“I feel great, really good,” said Ratajski, who also overcame Nathan Aspinall in round one. Today I was a little nervous but I’m happy that I won.

“Rob is a great player and I knew it would be a very hard match, but we were both a little nervous. I expected more from Rob, it was a crazy game.

“This match showed me I must be more concentrated. In the last two years, I lost my first match, but now I’ve won two and I hope I will win another.”

The quarter-finals will also feature reigning champion Gerwyn Price’s tantalising tie with Dave Chisnall and Stephen Bunting’s meeting with Ryan Searle.

The tournament is being broadcast live on Sky Sports, as well as through the PDC’s international broadcast partners including DAZN and RTL7, and through PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.

2021 BoyleSports World Grand Prix

Wednesday, October 6

4x Second Round

Ian White 3-2 Darius Labanauskas (0-3, 0-3, 3-1, 3-1, 3-2)

Krzysztof Ratajski 3-1 Rob Cross (3-0, 0-3, 3-1, 3-1)

Danny Noppert 3-0 Vincent van der Voort (3-2, 3-1, 3-2)

Jonny Clayton 3-1 Jose de Sousa (2-3, 3-2, 3-0, 3-1)

Thursday, October 7 (7 pm BST)

Quarter-Finals

Danny Noppert v Ian White

Krzysztof Ratajski v Jonny Clayton

Gerwyn Price v Dave Chisnall

Stephen Bunting v Ryan Searle

Format

Quarter-Finals – Best of five sets, best of five legs per set.

All legs will be double start and double finish, meaning players must first hit a double before they can begin scoring in each leg. The bullseye will count as double 25.

There will be no tie-break in any match; the deciding set would end 3-2, with the fifth leg being the deciding leg.

PwC All-Stars hurling nominations 2021

All-Ireland champions Limerick have a full set of 15 players included as nine different counties are represented in the hurling nominations for the 2021 PwC All-Stars announced today (Thursday).

After a summer that saw the Treaty County sweep all before them to retain the Liam MacCarthy Cup, John Kiely’s outstanding champions bring that dominance to the final list of 45 nominations.

Also announced today are the players who have been shortlisted for the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year Award with Limerick again setting the standard.

SeĂĄn Finn, Kyle Hayes and Cian Lynch will be voted on by their peers for the overall award.

The vote for the PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year Award will be contested between Kilkenny’s Eoin Cody, Cork’s Shane Barrett and Clare’s Aidan McCarthy.

Nickie Quaid, Eoin Murphy and Patrick Collins form a high calibre trio contesting the goalkeeping award.

In defence, the 18 nominees are from Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Clare.

The six midfield nominees include the high scoring Laois player Paddy Purcell. Dublin wing forward and captain Danny Sutcliffe and Wexford captain Lee Chin are their counties sole representatives in a star-studded list of 18 attackers who will be cut to six for the final 15. 

The full county breakdown for the hurling nominations is Limerick 15, Cork nine, Waterford seven, Kilkenny five, three each for Clare and Tipperary and one each for Dublin, Laois and Wexford.

Congratulating the nominees, Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy said: “I want to congratulate all of those who have been chosen among this distinguished list of nominees for the PwC All-Stars.

“To be recognised and shortlisted as being among the cream of the crop from what was yet another thrilling hurling summer is a significant achievement for all the players, and is shared by their families, clubs and the communities they represent.

“I also congratulate the contenders announced for the PwC Hurler of the Year and the PwC Young Hurler of the Year. 

“Since 1971 the All-Stars has been synonymous with excellence. Our thanks to PwC for their continuing support of this wonderful scheme.”

Feargal O’Rourke, Managing Partner, PwC, said: “For the last 50 years the All-Star Awards have marked competitiveness and success on the pitch, but also preparation, bravery and sacrifice away from it.

“On behalf of everyone at PwC, sincere congratulations to each of the 45 hurlers nominated for the 2021 PwC All-Stars.

“Despite the ongoing challenges in 2021, their outstanding individual performances throughout the season have entertained and captivated us all.

“These nominations recognise their outstanding dedication and are hugely deserved.”

Tom Parsons, Chief Executive of the GPA, said: “To be nominated for a PwC All-Star is special and congratulations to the 45 players who have had their individual performances recognised by the selection committee to whom I also want to say thanks. 

“Heartiest congratulations too, to the nominees for the PwC Hurler of the Year and the PwC Young Hurler of the Year. 

“To be on those shortlists given the many outstanding performances in 2021 is a great achievement in itself. 

“I also want to take the time to recognise all inter-county players, male and female, who provided us with much-needed entertainment against the backdrop of the pandemic this year. 

“What you have done for the morale of the country should not be underestimated.  Thank you.”

The nominations were chosen by a panel of Gaelic Games correspondents from across, print, radio, TV and digital media, chaired by UachtarĂĄn CLG Larry McCarthy.

The PwC All-Star nominations in football will be released tomorrow.  The presentation of the PwC All-Star awards will take place on December 10 in a televised ceremony that will be in line with Covid-19 restrictions and will be confirmed in due course.

PwC All-Stars Hurling Nominations 2021

Goalkeepers

Patrick Collins (Cork)

Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny)

Nickie Quaid (Limerick)

Defenders

SeĂĄn Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash, Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes, Declan Hannon (all Limerick)

Tim O’Mahony, Seán O’Donoghue, Mark Coleman, Robert Downey (all Cork)

Calum Lyons, Kieran Bennett, Conor Prunty (all Waterford)

Huw Lalor, Paddy Deegan (all Kilkenny)

Cathal Barrett, Ronan Maher (all Tipperary)

Rory Hayes (Clare)

Midfielders

Will O’Donoghue, Darragh O’Donovan (all Limerick)

Cathal Malone, Tony Kelly (all Clare)

Jamie Barron (Waterford)

Paddy Purcell (Laois)

Forwards

GearĂłid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey, Peter Casey, Seamus Flanagan, Aaron Gillane (all Limerick)

Seamus Harnedy, Patrick Horgan, Shane Kingston, Jack O’Connor (all Cork)

Stephen Bennett, Austin Gleeson, Dessie Hutchinson (all Waterford)

Eoin Cody, TJ Reid (Kilkenny) 

Danny Sutcliffe (Dublin)

Jason Forde (Tipperary)

Lee Chin (Wexford)

PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year nominees

SeĂĄn Finn, Kyle Hayes, Cian Lynch (all Limerick)

PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year nominees

Eoin Cody (Kilkenny), Shane Barrett (Cork), Aidan McCarthy (Clare)

Sinead Kavanagh to get featherweight title shot at Bellator 271

Sinead Kavanagh will get a shot at Cris Cyborg’s featherweight title in the main event of Bellator 271 next month.

The event will take place on November 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida and will be available to watch on Virgin Media Two.

Bellator President Scott Coker announced the news on Wednesday’s edition of ‘The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani’ along with the news that Peter Queally and Patricky Pitbull’s rematch in Dublin has been upgraded to a title bout.

It will be Cyborg’s third title defence since her win over Julia Budd in January 2020 to earn the title in her debut for the promotion.

The 36-year-old has not lost since making the move to Bellator after a seven-fight run in the UFC.

Cyborg most recently defeated Leslie Smith via TKO in the fifth round at Bellator 259 in May.

Kavanagh will enter the fight on a winning streak of two after victories over Olga Rubin and Katharina Lehner.

The SBG Ireland athlete will fight for the first time in 13 months when she enters the ring in search of Bellator gold.

Her most recent loss comes against Smith in July 2019 – Kavanagh has also lost to Arlene Blencowe, who was Cyborg’s opponent for her first title defence.

The news follows Fight Academy Ireland prospect Paul Hughes’ win over Morgan Charriere to claim the interim featherweight championship at Cage Warriors 128.

Peter Queally to fight for vacant lightweight title at Bellator 270

Peter Queally’s Bellator 270 main event fight against Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire at the 3 Arena in Dublin has been upgraded to a title fight after Patricky’s brother, Patricio, vacated the lightweight belt.

The news was announced by Bellator CEO Scott Coker on ‘The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani’, which was live-streamed on YouTube on Wednesday.

The event takes place on Friday, November 5 with tickets currently available for the card – the full card will be aired live on Virgin Media Two.

Patricio, who is also nicknamed Pitbull, made the decision so that his brother could fight for the belt.

His recent loss to AJ McKee in Bellator’s Featherweight Grand Prix final, in which he lost the belt at 145 lbs was also a factor in his decision.

“If I lost at 145 pounds, I can’t be the champion at 155,” Patricio stated on The MMA Hour.

“The other side, I have my brother as No. 1 contender. If he keeps winning, he’s gonna fight for the belt and I’m not gonna fight my brother.”

Queally and Patricky will fight for the second time when they step into the circular cage in search of the lightweight belt.

Queally won their first fight in May at Bellator 258 via a doctor’s stoppage in the second round.

‘The Showstopper’ also beat Ryan Scope at Bellator 227 back in September 2019 and will earn the belt in the division if he wins a third fight in a row – a streak he has only put together once before but never at Bellator.

Scott Coker broke the news on ‘The MMA Hour’: “I think it’s the first time we’ve had a title fight in Ireland for Bellator so I think it’s going to be a big deal and these guys deserve it…we were just asking [Patricio] ‘what do you want to do next?’ and this conversation came into his thoughts and I said ‘ok, well then, we’ll fulfil your wishes and here we are.

“Now we have a great main event and the Gallagher-Mix [fight] will be the semi-main event so we have a great 1-2 punch in Ireland.”

Early tips to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar

When the Republic of Ireland head to Azerbaijan in October, much more than pride will be at stake.

The national team will be seeking its first competitive win since the EURO 2020 qualifier against Gibraltar, back in June 2019. Aside from friendly victories against New Zealand and most recently Andorra, not one single win has been achieved in either the UEFA Nations League or qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

Even if Ireland managed to win all of their three remaining games in Group A, there are still no guarantees of reaching the tournament in Qatar. They would need to finish second and to do that, Serbia would also need to lose all their games and have an inferior goal difference. Not without a small dose of irony, the Irish will host a friendly against Qatar on 12 October in Dublin, at the Aviva Stadium.

The Boys in Green haven’t qualified for a World Cup since Japan and South Korea in 2002, although they did come close twice since then. Nobody will forget the Thierry Henry play-off incident, which robbed the Irish of qualification for the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Then after holding Denmark in Copenhagen in the play-off to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the return leg in Dublin saw Ireland thrashed 5-1 by the Danes.

World Cup Contenders

Fans of Irish football will always cherish fond memories of Italy 1990, when the team led by Jack Charlton reached the quarterfinals, before bowing out against England. Then there was the 1994 World Cup in the USA, when ‘Big Jack’ masterminded a group stage win against eventual finalists Italy, prior to being eliminated in the Round of 16 by the Netherlands. But who are the early favourites to reign supreme at the 2022 World Cup?

Well, according to many of the leading bookmakers, Brazil are fancied to dominate in Qatar, despite having fallen short in their last four World Cup attempts. They reached the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2010, were thrashed 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals of the tournament they hosted, then defeated by Belgium in the quarter-finals at Russia 2018.

As the reigning champions from the 2018 World Cup tournament, France are also being strongly tipped as one of the outright favourites, although they flattered to deceive at EURO 2020 held this year. Despite leading a group that also contained Germany and Portugal, the French were dumped out of the tournament in the Round of 16 by Switzerland. Nevertheless, they are unbeaten in qualification for Qatar 2022, therefore recent form is positive.

Besides the chances of Brazil and France being regarded as the two best contenders, England are also being heavily backed to perform well at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Comfortably top of their qualification group, the Three Lions are as good as there, yet for all the hype surrounding the English, they are prone to falling short at major tournaments. We only need look at the EURO 2020 final defeat against Italy, when they ultimately lost on penalties.

Good Value Outsiders

Any major tournament has the potential for surprises, although the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will present a unique set of circumstances. Rather than being held in the summer months, the tournament will be played through November and December, which could affect participating teams in any number of ways. Temperatures can still top 30ÂșC during the winter, so heat will be an obvious factor.

Interestingly, despite claiming the EURO 2020 title this year, Italy are cautiously being considered as outsiders for the 2022 World Cup. They are not even priced amongst the top four contenders at most of the best football betting sites, which means there could be plenty of competitive odds available. Before choosing where to bet, always check reviews for trust and reputation, along with information covering which sites offer deposit bonuses and free bets.

Another team often tipped for success is undoubtedly Spain, due to the continual production line of talented players at their disposal. However, since winning consecutive European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012, either side of triumphing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Spaniards have largely performed poorly at major tournaments. Nevertheless, bookies believe 2022 will be the year they shine once again.

Argentina and Lionel Messi will undoubtedly be targeting the biggest international football prize, after triumphing at the Copa America this year. But never dismiss the possibilities of Portugal, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line. After smashing the international goals record against Ireland, we know all about him, so it’s hard to back against the 36-year-old setting his sights on what could be his last chance to win the World Cup.

 

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