Germany captain Michael Ballack is not expected to play football again in 2010 after it was revealed on Wednesday his knee injury is worse than first thought.

The 34-year-old fractured the tibia just below his left knee in a Bundesliga match against Hanover last month, but a further examination has revealed more bad news.

The defensive midfielder now needs to wear a protective cast for the next four to six weeks to allow the injury to heal.

The injury is more serious than thought and as a result Michael will be unavailable until the end of the year, said his club Bayer Leverkusen in a statement.

Ballack picked up the injury on only his third game back after damaging ligaments in his right ankle last May which kept him out of the World Cup finals.

<…

Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again lit up an empty Wembley Stadium as his brace ensured FA Cup final victory over 10-man Chelsea on this day three years ago.

The striker, who downed Manchester City with two goals in the semi-final, equalised with a penalty he had won himself to cancel out Christian Pulisic’s early opener.

Chelsea then lost Cesar Azpilicueta and Pulisic to injury before Aubameyang brilliantly added his second to secure a 2-1 victory and then lifted a record 14th FA Cup for the Gunners.

His only false move of the day was dropping the trophy in front of his team-mates before eventually raising it above his head.

For head coach Mikel Arteta, this was a first piece of silverware just eight months after taking charge of the …

Chicago Bears fans have been waiting their entire lives for this moment: The prodigal QB, face of the future, and savior of the franchise Justin Fields finally makes his first career NFL start!

OK, OK, yes it’s only been two weeks and Fields is in because veteran Andy Dalton is out with a knee injury, but that tells you where the Bears are at heading into Week 3 as they visit the Cleveland Browns.

NFL betting odds have Fields and Da Bears as a touchdown underdog, but is there reason to believe that’s giving too much respect to the Dawg Pound?

Find out in our Bears vs. Browns picks and predictions for Sunday, September 26, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.

…

Both the Rams and Buccaneers head into Sunday’s game full of confidence after being on the right side of demolition jobs in the Wild Card Round. Can Sean McVay get one over Tom Brady, or will history repeat itself with TB12 coming out on top like he did at Super Bowl LIII?

Two of the NFL’s best offenses and toughest defenses meet on Sunday, but where can we find the best value in the prop bet markets? Don’t miss out on our Divisional Round prop bet picks and same-game parlay for the Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

…

The first game of this year’s Divisional Round is on Saturday and it’s a tasty clash between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. For a while last weekend it looked like we’d see the Chargers playing this Saturday, but a Trevor Lawrence-inspired squad bounced back to cause a huge shock.

Last week we saw the best and worst of Jacksonville’s young quarterback, but could he take his team one step further and really make a statement? Don’t miss our NFL prop picks for the Jaguars vs. Chiefs, and be sure to check out Rohit Ponnaiya’s full betting preview before the action gets underway.

…

Before you click “bet” on any of the NFL Week 7 odds, look to the skies.

Weather around the country is getting more volatile as we inch closer to winter and that mix of warm fall temperatures and chilly northern air is stirring up plenty of winds and rains over the next month.

I dive into the NFL Weather Report for Week 7’s outdoor games, giving you the extended forecast and how the elements could impact your NFL picks as well as which NFL odds are seeing the biggest adjustments due to the weather.

…

The Seattle Seahawks are looking for some Week 18 magic on Sunday to sneak into the playoffs, and it starts with taking care of business against the Arizona Cardinals.

A 30-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend was a hammer blow to Seattle’s postseason chances, and the Seahawks need a win here and a Green Bay Packers loss to the Bears to grab the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

Seattle enters as a road favorite in the latest NFL odds, but the 4-12 Cardinals are coming off their best win of the year — a 35-31 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles sparked by Kyler Murray’s three touchdown passes.

Check out our free NFL picks and predictions for Seahawks vs. Cardinals for a closer look at this Sunday, January 7 regular-season finale.

…

It’s an AFC East showdown on Thursday Night Football between the New England Patriots and New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

I’ve dug into the Aaron Rodgers odds to find my favorite NFL picks to target for the four-time MVP in Thursday’s divisional clash.

…

Liverpool could still end up with a record-shattering 107 points this season, though whether they will continue to carry everything before them after winning the title so early remains to be seen. Their game against Manchester City on Thursday should offer a fairly large clue about how the champions intend to approach their remaining fixtures, though by virtue of wrapping up the title with seven matches to play, Liverpool have already managed one of the most impressive Premier League campaigns.

Whether it will be deemed the best probably depends on the final points tally. If it falls below the 100 mark set by City two years ago it will look less arresting in the record books, which tend not to reflect the fact the title was won so comprehens…

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s fixation on rectifying their near-miss in the Premier League last season is the difference for his players this time around.

After battling to a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last Sunday, the Gunners booked their place in the EFL Cup fourth round with an emphatic win over Bolton Wanderers, with several of their emerging talents starring at the Emirates.

Ethan Nwaneri and Jack Porter stole the limelight in midweek, with the former grabbing two goals on his senior Arsenal start, with Arteta also giving four more teenagers the chance to shine against the League One outfit.

But speaking ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Leicester, the Arsenal head coach believes his squad’s hunger to achieve this season is the difference…