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However, one of the stars of the team, midfielder Jackson Singh, feels that the team is prepared to take on any side the draw churns out. Sandesh Jhingan becomes India’s highest-paid defender Speaking to the media ahead of the draw, the youngster said, “I am a bit nervous before the draw, naturally. I respect all the teams but we are ready to face anyone who comes against us.” The team, coached by Luis Norton de Matos, has been on an extensive preparatory tour in Europe and have returned encouraging results of late....

It’s also time for a bunch of wild speculation. Here are 17 bold(ish) prognostications that are just as valid as any other predictions you’ll read during the season because baseball is weird and none of us knows what’s really going to happen. (Note: This column was originally published in February. Updates are noted throughout when necessary.) MORE: Every MLB team’s worst regular-season memory, revisited Spring training games will bring joy for two innings, then everyone will get bored — just like we always do....

2017-18 was just the initial spark waiting to fire up the enthusiasm of the English Premier League fans. Be it the kind of attacking football Manchester City and Liverpool displayed, the defensive and effective Burnley finishing just below Arsenal, or the newly promoted clubs retaining their Premier League status at the expense of the regulars, there was no shortage of entertainment. The end of the Arsene Wenger era was one sad moment and yet it provides the excitement of the advent of a new era at Arsenal....

As the group stages came to a conclusion on August 28, the eight remaining clubs learned who they would face in the quarterfinals on September 3. The draw was held at CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, seeding the four first-place clubs against the four second-place clubs. As it turns out, Al-Ahly, who won group A with 13 points, will now be taking on Horoya who finished second in group C....

Regardless of where you play (ESPN, Yahoo, CBS) or your league settings, the information found in the links below will help you get the top players and dominate your league. Week 1 kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 6, and we’ll be cranking out the updates until then. Any time we publish something new this preseason, you can expect a new link on this cheat sheet, so feel free to bookmark and check back often!...

We are going to talk about the 7 standout players. This list is not all-inclusive by any means — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Grayson Allen, and Trae Young would get an honorable mention here — nor is it just a list of the best players I have seen. Instead, this is a list of players that turned my head. 7. Jonathan Issac (Orlando Magic): Orlando Magic had taken a risk by drafting Issac at #6 in the 2017 draft....

Be it the Bears giving up a king’s ransom to move up one spot in the draft to select Mitchell Trubisky or the Vikings botching their 7th overall pick as they could not submit it within the time period of 15 minutes. Here are 5 of the most surprising moments from the 1st round of the 2018 NFL draft: 5. Rashaad Penny is the 2nd Running Back off the board Seattle Seahawks sprung one of the surprises of the draft when they drafted San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny with the 19th overall pick....

AFC (Playoff Teams in Bold) # North WLT Div MVP Fantasy Sleeper 2 Steelers 13-3 6-0 Antonio Brown James Washington 11 Browns 5-11 3-3 Myles Garrett Nick Chubb 13 Ravens 5-11 2-4 CJ Mosley Hayden Hurst 14 Bengals 5-11 1-5 AJ Green John Ross The AFC North is where the Pittsburgh Steelers are built to win it all; they have the complete team in this division. The surprise of the division will see the Cleveland Browns win more than zero games....

Despite the departures of Nate Solder, Malcolm Butler, Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks, the Patriots remain heavy favourites around the league and are on the verge of a 10th consecutive division title. Still, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills are revamping their rosters as they anticipate the inevitable post-Tom Brady era as the 41-year-old quarterback nears retirement and enters his final few years on the football field....

The decade will be best remembered for the dominant display by the Big 4 for a large part, but that is not to say that new talent ceased to emerge. Late into the 2010s, the ATP Tour saw a sleuth of next-gen stars take the spotlight. While a Grand Slam Champion outside of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Roger Federer was a rare occurrence, these younger players found their own way of announcing their arrival....

Athletes, ambassadors and even NanjingLELE, the official mascot of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, have taken up the challenge to generate awareness and raise money for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients. The online challenge dares participants to dump a bucket of iced water on their heads and then nominate others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated people have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable donation to the ALS Association....

Here’s the summary from the games on Sunday night: (3) Toronto Raptors vs (6) Brooklyn Nets (Brooklyn won 104-103, win series 4-3, advance to Conference semis) The Raptors had two chances to break their 13-year Playoff series win drought after winning Game 5 at home, but failed to grab their chances in both Game 6 on the road, and Game 7 at home. In a season where the Raptors broke multiple franchise records en route to claiming the third seed for the post-season, being eliminated in the first round is definitely not what they would have expected or wanted....

Johnny Manziel likely will be a first-round pick on May 8. Murray is in the middle-tier mix with Alabama's AJ McCarron and LSU's Zach Mettenberger. His size (6-0, 207 pounds at the Combine) and recovery from a torn ACL are challenges, but Murray also is experienced in a pro-style offense. If Murray can provide a strong pro day on April 16, his stock will grow as an intriguing Day 2 option....

Here’s a look back on a frenetic first evening: MORE: Signings tracker | Where will Revis land? Winners Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They got out of the gate early with a deal for the top defensive end Michael Johnson, and then backed him up in coverage late with the top cornerback, Alterraun Verner. Add those two to Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David, Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron: Think Lovie Smith is glad he took over this defense?...

The 2014 NFL season is upon us. It won’t be long until we are all completely consumed by results, stats, injuries, criticism, analysis and speculation. There is no possible way to take in all that the NFL provides, but in 2014, it is possible to get close. MORE: NFL GM rankings | Power rankings | History of the Madden curse In order to maximize you pro football intake, the Sporting News has put together a list of 250 NFL-related Twitter accounts that run the gamut - from beat reporters to salary cap experts, broadcaster to draft gurus....

Offensive Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee — 150 carries, 700 yards, 5 TDs; 25 catches, 150 yards, 1 TD Running backs generally have the best chance to win rookie of the year thanks to the volume of touches feature backs receive. And with the Titans offense boasting Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster as competition for Sankey, it looks, at least on its face, that Sankey is the lead guy. However, he’s not a dynamic talent that demands touches every week, and Ken Whisenhunt is known for valuing rotations at the position everywhere he’s been....

From the traditional midweek kickoff on Sept. 4 through Week 17's all-intradivision action on Dec. 28, here are the most pressing questions about the most anticipated slate in sports: MORE: Preseason schedule | Banged up, sidelined for offseason | Aldon Smith Who’ll face the Seahawks in the opener? Russell Wilson and Seattle, as reigning Super Bowl champions, will host the first game of the season. They’ll do it at home on a Thursday, after the Baltimore Ravens, because of a presidential speech and Orioles conflict, weren’t able to do either in 2013....

Grabner had two goals and an assist and Mathias Lange made 34 saves as Austria held off Norway 3-1 on Sunday for its first victory in the Sochi Games. Michael Raffl scored in the first period for Austria, which finished third in its group at 1-2. Austria and Norway both lost to powerful Canada and Finland, who met later in the day to decide the group winner. Grabner, the New York Islanders forward, has five goals in his first three Olympic matches after scoring early and late against Norway....