Andrew McDermott 
Four sports will make their respective debuts at the Tokyo Games and here we assess the odds for the new Olympic events. Baseball is back at the Summer Olympics for the first time since 2008 but we’re focusing on debuts for karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.
Mexico head into the quarter-finals as the 6/4 favourites in the CONCACAF Gold Cup winner odds and will hope to prove why when they face 22/1 outsiders Honduras. Mexico have won the Gold Cup a record 11 times including three of the last five editions so there is plenty of reason to think they are the team to beat.
Qatar are playing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup as part of their preparations for hosting next year’s World Cup and it has been so far so good. They qualified for the quarter-finals as winners of Group D with seven points from their three matches and are favourites to reach the last four.
Great Britain are one of the leading medal contenders in the women’s Olympic football and will hope to show why when they begin their campaign against Chile. England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals two years ago suggests a squad with three players from Scotland and Wales to strengthen it should be capable of reaching the latter stages.
Great Britain will hope to have an athlete on the podium as we check out the Olympic women’s 100m odds for the Tokyo Games. Dina Asher-Smith is one of the Team GB squad’s biggest medal hopes on the track in Tokyo in the 100m and 200m but faces fierce competition from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in both events.
The men’s Olympic football tournament gets under way on Thursday and we have analysed the chances of the leading teams. No European country has won the competition since Spain in 1992 but they are the favourites as we make our Olympic men’s football predictions.
The women’s football at the Olympics has more prestige than the equivalent for men and we have taken a look at the leading contenders to win gold. With no age restrictions in place, many of the top players in the world will be on show at the Tokyo Games so here is our assessment of the best Olympic women’s football predictions.
With Euro 2020 now over, attention is shifting to the upcoming domestic football season but the competition’s impact may be felt here as well. Until the first ball of a new campaign is kicked, the attention of fans tends to be fixated on the transfer market, where the Euro 2020 stars will have drawn the attention of the game’s big spenders.
The British and Irish Lions are expected to get back to winning ways in their final warm-up game before their Test series with South Africa begins next weekend. Warren Gatland’s men fell to the first defeat of their tour on Wednesday as South Africa ‘A’ landed a psychological blow by registering a 17-13 victory at Cape Town Stadium.
The British and Irish Lions face their toughest test of the tour so far when they collide with South Africa A on Wednesday. The hosts have named a strong team and elevated the Cape Town clash into an unofficial fourth Test.
When the International Olympic Committee decided to push Tokyo 2020 back a year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it disrupted the carefully-laid plans of many established athletes who were aiming to peak at the Games. For some British competitors who have yet to reach their full potential though, the delay has provided additional time for them to prepare.
Denmark are playing all their group matches on home soil and have a wonderful opportunity to make a winning start when they host Finland in Copenhagen. The Danes will be keen to seize on any nerves from their Nordic neighbours, who are making their debut at a major finals.
Newport are back at Wembley and looking to go one better than two years ago when they conceded in the last minute of extra time against Tranmere. This time Morecambe are their opponents in the League Two play-off final, with the Exiles appearing here for the fifth time in under a decade.
Burnley went a long way to securing Premier League survival with last weekend’s thrashing of Wolves and that could work in West Ham’s favour here. That stunning result at Molineux eased the pressure on the Clarets as they climbed to 14th in the table but West Ham must make the most of a favourable run-in if they are to claim a Champions League place.