Hours after collapsing to the Camp Nou pitch in noticeable pain, Lionel Messi has avoided long-term injury, with Barcelona confirming late Saturday that the Argentine attacker is set to miss “approximately three weeks” with a broken radial bone in his right arm.
The injury rules Messi out of next weekend’s El Clasico in the Catalan capital against rival Real Madrid. Barcelona’s top scorer will also miss Wednesday’s Champions League visit from Inter and, in all likelihood, the return fixture at the San Siro on Nov. 6.
Messi, 31, was injured when he and Sevilla’s Franco Vazquez were entangled during the first half of Saturday’s league clash, falling awkwardly on his right arm just five minutes after doubling the host’s lead. He was subbed for Ousmane Dembele shortly after and Barcelona went on to a 4-2 victory, which sees them vault Los Rojiblancos for top spot in La Liga.
Ernesto Valverde’s charges enter the midweek continental clash sitting first in Group B on six points, level with Inter but boasting a superior goal differential.
Where does the betting value lie in Week 7? Our handicappers give best bets on all of Sunday’s games.
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This week, the trends point to a couple of home underdogs — the Chicago Bears and New York Jets — continuing their success in this spot. The trends also call for a Dallas Cowboys upset win in Washington.
Here are the rest of the trends that should help you in betting the NFL this weekend.
All lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers (-7, 45.5) — 9:30 a.m. ET (London)
The Titans are 4-1 ATS with three outright wins in their past five games as an underdog of more than a field goal.
The Chargers are 6-16-1 ATS in their past 23 games as a favorite of more than a field goal.
New England Patriots (-3, 49) at Chicago Bears — 1 p.m. ET
The Bears are 8-2-1 ATS with five outright wins in their past 11 games as a home underdog.
The Bears are 4-1 ATS and 4-1 SU in their past five games against AFC teams.
The under is 15-5 in the Patriots’ past 20 road games.
Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5, 50) — 1 p.m. ET
Jameis Winston is 3-9 ATS with seven outright losses in 12 career starts as a favorite.
The Browns are 4-1 ATS in their past five games as an underdog.
The over is 6-0 in the Buccaneers’ past six games.
Detroit Lions (-3, 46.5) at Miami Dolphins — 1 p.m. ET
The over is 12-3 in the Dolphins’ past 15 home games played in Miami.
The Dolphins are 7-3-1 ATS with seven outright wins in their past 11 games as a home underdog in Miami.
Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5, 45) — 1 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5, 42.5) — 1 p.m. ET
This will mark the first time the Colts are favored by at least 7 points since 2014. Andrew Luck is 6-2 ATS in eight career starts when favored by at least a touchdown, including five straight covers.
Minnesota Vikings (-3.5, 46) at New York Jets — 1 p.m. ET
The Jets are 8-1-1 ATS with six outright wins in their past 10 games as a home underdog.
Kirk Cousins is 0-3 ATS with two outright losses and a tie in his three starts as a road favorite over the past two seasons.
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-4.5, 41.5) — 1 p.m. ET
New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5, 49.5) — 4:05 p.m. ET
The Ravens are 3-0-1 ATS and 4-0 SU in their past four home games as a favorite of 3 points or less. Baltimore has an average margin of victory of 18.3 PPG in those four wins.
The over is 7-2 ATS in the Saints’ past nine games as an underdog.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (-1.5, 41.5) — 4:25 p.m. ET
The Cowboys are 12-3 ATS with 11 outright wins in their past 15 games as an underdog against the Redskins.
The underdog is 12-4 ATS in the past 16 meetings between these NFC East rivals.
Dak Prescott is 3-1 ATS and 4-0 SU in four career starts against the Redskins.
The over is 5-0 ATS in the past five meetings between these rivals.
UEFA fined Manchester United €15,000 on Friday for their late team arrival and kickoff during Valencia’s Champions League visit on Oct. 2.
Jose Mourinho initially blamed Greater Manchester Police for his squad turning up at Old Trafford 45 minutes late, but the local constabulary fired back by saying its risk assessment found the team bus to be under no significant threat of harm. That meant the bus wasn’t granted a police escort for the three-mile trip between Salford’s Lowry Hotel and Old Trafford.
UEFA details United’s punishment as €5,000 for a late arrival and €10,000 for a late kickoff, and also reveals a warning was submitted to Mourinho for the kickoff infraction. Valencia were warned for the late kickoff and a kit infringement and had to pay €1,000 for the setting off of fireworks.
The pair played out an uninspiring 0-0 draw in Stretford and will lock horns again to conclude Group H on Dec. 12.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Thursday night was supposed to be different for the Arizona Cardinals.
The plan was to speed up the offense, use more no-huddle.
Nothing changed. Nothing worked.
The Cardinals fell to 1-6 after an embarrassing 45-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in prime time.
Mike McCoy’s offense has not produced more than 300 yards in a game this season. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
And, the offense isn’t just bad. It’s abysmal. The Cardinals had just 83 yards at halftime, and finished a sixth straight game with less than 300 yards (223).
That said, Mike McCoy’s time as Cardinals offensive coordinator should come to an end.
The run game was almost nonexistent, in part because the Cardinals trailed 14-0 early. But also because McCoy’s playcalling has consistently showed a lack of creativity. Heading into Thursday, 48.7 percent of the Cardinals’ runs were up the middle.
The Cardinals are averaging 220.9 total yards per game this season, the fewest by any team through seven games since the 2009 Raiders, who also averaged 220.9 with JaMarcus Russell at quarterback.
At one point Sunday, the Cardinals were 0-for-7 on third down, extending their streak of third-down failures to 18 straight, which dated back to the end of Arizona’s Week 5 win over the 49ers.
Mike McCoy, who was fired by the Broncos as offensive coordinator after Week 11 last season, has not endeared himself to Cardinals fans. Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
Firing McCoy has as much to do with the future as it does with the Cardinals’ offensive ineptitude in the past.
The Cardinals have their quarterback of the future, but if he continues to be coached by McCoy, his future is murky at best.
Heading into Week 7, the offense was ranked last in yards per game, first downs per game, third-down conversions, third-down conversion percentage, red zone dives and time of possession.
McCoy, who was fired by the Broncos as offensive coordinator after Week 11 last season, had the 31st-ranked offensive efficiency last season and 31st this season, heading into Thursday night. In 2016, the Chargers were ranked 17th in offensive efficiency. McCoy was the head coach while Ken Whisenhunt called plays.
Everything you need this week:
