Chelsea, United battle for England's top spot
Soccer Betting Lines
11/24/2006 -
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The biggest fixture of the year to
date in the Premiership will take place on Sunday at Old Trafford, as
Manchester United entertains Chelsea in a matchup of the top two teams
in England.
The home side currently holds a three-point advantage over the two-time
defending champions, with both teams coming off 1-0 defeats in the Champions
League during the week.
Despite the setbacks both clubs have been in good form in league play, with
United winning its last seven Premiership contests, and Chelsea taking home
the maximum points in seven of its last eight games.
The Blues enter the game with a pair of big injury concerns, although both
players are expected to be fit for the match. Striker Didier Drogba and
midfielder Michael Ballack both left the club's Champions League match with
Werder Bremen on Wednesday due to injuries, but manager Jose Mourinho is
confident that both players will be in the starting 11.
United has no such injury woes as Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to roll out
virtually the same lineup he put on the pitch on Tuesday against Celtic
midweek.
The contest promises to be a high-flying affair featuring two of England's top
goalscorers in Chelsea's Drogba and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The
Ivory Coast international has been an absolute force for the Blues this
season, leading the Premiership with eight goals and tallying five more in
Champions League play. The enigmatic Rooney has found the back of the net
seven times for United this season, and is playing his best soccer all season
after a sluggish start.
Carlo Cudicini will be between the posts for Chelsea, which has recorded
four clean sheets in its last five league matches, providing evidence that
its usually stout defense is playing up to par.
The game provides United with a huge opportunity to put some distance between
themselves and Chelsea, and would be a big step towards their first league
title since the 2002-03 campaign.
In Saturday's Premiership action, Charlton tries to climb out of the basement
with a home win against Everton, Aston Villa can close the gap on one of the
top teams with a win over Middlesbrough, Reading got a much-needed win last
week and looks to build on that success when it travels to Craven Cottage to
meet up with Fulham. Also on Saturday, a reeling Liverpool side is in
desperate need of three points and will look to claim them at Anfield against
Manchester City, West Ham hosts Sheffield United in a fixture that is
important in the relegation battle and Arsenal tries to keep pace with the
leaders when they travel to the Reebok Stadium to tussle with Bolton.
In addition to Sunday's titanic clash at Old Trafford, a surprising Portsmouth
club visits Newcastle and Tottenham hosts Wigan.
SATURDAY'S FIXTURES
Charlton Athletic - Everton
Aston Villa - Middlesbrough
Fulham - Reading
Liverpool - Manchester City
Watford - Blackburn Rovers
West Ham United - Sheffield United
Bolton Wanderers - Arsenal
SUNDAY'S FIXTURES
Newcastle United - Portsmouth
Manchester United - Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur - Wigan Athletic
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Jack Ferrante passed away on Thursday at the age of 90.
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Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Mark Parrish, Pascal Dupuis and Branko Radivojevic
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
New York Giants betting lines
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Dallas Cowboys betting lines
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
Oakland Raiders betting lines
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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