Football Betting Previews

Champions League Quarter Finals Betting Preview by Matthew Chapple (8-9 April 2009) (Monday, April 06, 2009)

Champions League - Quarter-Finals April 8th - 9th Manchester United v FC Porto - Tuesday 19:45 ITV1 Two old foes meet again in the Champions League as United host the first of a two legged tie against Portuguese giants, FC Porto. The last time these two met was back in May 2004 when Porto scored a last gasp equaliser at Old Trafford to send the Portuguese side through to the next round and leave United pondering on what could of been. That result was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's worst in his 17 year reign at the club and he will be desperate to avenge that surprise defeat by emphatically knocking Porto out of the Champions League. Playing in Portugal is always tough and none more so then in the Estádio do Dragão stadium, the home of FC Porto. Ferguson will have that in mind so he will pick a side that can potentially end this tie as a contest at Old Trafford. However, United have been stuttering at home of late in the league but The Red Devil's did knock the current runaway leaders of Serie A in Inter Milan out of the competition with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the previous round. Inter are a much better side then their quarter-final opponents and United will have every confidence of progressing into the Semi's. United left it late to see off an out-of-form Aston Villa side at the weekend but that win did end a run of two consecutive defeats in the league and that will only boost the spirit in the United dressing room. That was just the result they needed going into this Champions League tie and we fancy United to be far too strong for Porto, especially at Old Trafford. A stadium where United have been prolific this season winning thirtenn of their fifth-teen home fixtures in the league and are undefeated at home in this competition, drawing twice in the group stages to Aalborg and Villarreal, but they did notch up two comfortable wins against Inter Milan (2-0) and Celtic (3-0). Aalborg are also the only side this season to have scored at Old Trafford in this competition so Porto have it all to do if they are to break through the United rearguard although Ferguson will have to field a side without influential defender Rio Ferdinand, as he is suffering from a groin injury. John O'Shea could form a make shift centre back partnership with Nemanja Vidic with Gary Neville occupying the right full back position. Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney are available for United though after they missed the weekend clash with Aston Villa through suspensions. Portugal was left red faced after Sporting Lisbon were emphatically knocked out at the last sixteen stage by Bayern Munich by an aggregate score of 12-1. FC Porto will now be playing for Portuguese pride and we don't expect them to go out of this years competition in such a convincing fashion then their Portuguese counter parts but they certainly have their work cut out against the current English Champions. Porto are the Champions of Portugal though so they will undoubtedly feel they are in with every chance of springing a surprise and knocking the favourites out at the Quart-Final stage. Porto do head the table in Portugal and go into this game off the back of three comfortable victory's in the league. Wins over Leixoes, Naval and Guimaraes has seen them regain their place at the top of the pile with two those of those wins coming away from home which will only boost their confidence when they head to Old Trafford tomorrow night. They have also notched up nine goals in their last three league games and haven't lost in the league for sixteen straight games so United cannot underestimate their Portuguese opponents despite the apparent gulf in class between the two sides. Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira will be boosted by the news that star striker Lisandro Lopez is available after returning from injury while Freddy Guarin is also fit for selection. Despite Porto being in a rich vein form in front of goal, Lopez has been missed as the pressure of scoring has been solely put onto the shoulders of Porto's club captain Lucho Gonzalez, who has scored eight goals in the league and is Porto's top goalscorer. He will be their biggest danger man as everything goes through him and he will be key to Porto's slim chances of going through to the Semi's. Match Odds: Manchester United 2/5 Bet365 Draw 7/2 Centrebet FC Porto 9/1 Boylesports Prediction: Manchester United Villarreal V Arsenal - Tuesday 19:45 ITV4 Yet another tie which sees two sides go at it for the second time in as many years as Arsenal take on Spanish side Villarreal for a place in the Semi-Final where the reward will be a two legged tie with Manchester United of FC Porto. The Gunners are the favourites to progress but Villarreal have already shown us that they are no pushovers after they held United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in the group stages and were slightly unfortunate not to win that game. Arsene Wenger will have done his homework though and we give Arsenal the nod to pip Villarreal in what should be a very close tie over two legs. Arsenal will feel the Gods are looking down on them after they scraped past Roma in the previous round via a nervy penalty shoot-out. Over the two legs, Roma should have won as Arsenal were very poor, especially in Italy. Their big players were very disappointing and making it through was the only positive to take from the two games with Roma. If this was solely based on the two sides performances in the Champions League then i think Villarreal would get the tentative vote but Arsenal have shown improved form back in the league and that is why we have sided with Arsene's kids. After drawing five matches in a row, Arsenal were starting to look at the possibility of actually finishing the season out of the top four. Four wins on the bounce has changed all that with The Gunners now going six points clear of their nearest pursuer in fourth position. Those wins were over some average sides though in West Brom, Blackburn, Newcastle United and Man City but you can only beat what is put in front of you as Arsenal have learnt in recent weeks. It was crucial that Arsenal won at the weekend over Man City in order to keep up the momentum ahead of their trip to Spain. Their 2-0 win over a poor travelling Mn City was just what the doctored orderer and Arsenal have now scored 12 goals in their last four league games. Arsene Wenger's side are also undefeated in eight away games in the league and he will have every confidence in his players to get a positive result against Villarreal tomorrow night. They will have to do without one of their key players in Robin Van Persie, who has been ruled out with a groin injury but spirits will be high with Adebayor returning from injury and scoring two at the weekend. Samir Nasri and pacey winger Theo Walcott have also been passed fit so Wenger does have enough quality in his squad to pick a side capable of winning in Spain. Villarreal warmed up for this tough game in unconvincing fashion when they were thumped 3-0 by an average Almeria side on Saturday. That was their second away defeat on the bounce and luckily for them, their best form has come at home at the El Madrigal stadium. The ever improving Spanish side have only lost twice at home all season and have yet to suffer defeat at home in 2009. They have also won their previous four home fixtures in the league, conceding just two goals in the process. Defending is Villarreal's biggest asset and if they are to win tomorrow night, you can only see it being a 1-0 scoreline. Just two of Villarreal's nine home wins have been by a two goal margin so we wouldn't recommended lumping on a Villarreal rout. While we're speaking about their defence it is also worth noting that former Arsenal centre-back Pascal Cygan will feature for Villarreal against Arsenal tomorrow night along with former fan favourite Robert Pires. The latter enjoyed a successful spell at Arsenal while the same couldn't be said for Cygan who was often slated for his unorthodox style of defending at times. Villarreal will need to win the first leg at home if they are to have a realistic chance of qualifying. We really can't see them outscoring the Gunners back at The Emirates so all the hard work will need to come at El Madrigal tomorrow evening. They have no fresh injury problems so will field their strongest possible side. Robert Pires will be a constant threat down the wing while former Manchester United forward Giuseppe Rossi will be a danger in the Arsenal penalty area. Should be a close encounter and we can't see this producing many goals. Possibly 1-0 to either side although a 0-0 draw has the most appeal. Arsenal will be content with keeping a clean sheet so the pressure will be on Villarreal to ask all the questions. Match Odds: Villarreal 19/10 VCBet Draw 11/5 Bet365 Arsenal 7/4 Ladbrokes Prediction: Draw Barcelona V Bayern Munich - Wednesday 19:45 Sky Sports Arguably the two best teams in their country's go head-to-head for a place in the Semi-Final's of the Champions League where an English opponents lye's in waiting. Both teams are crammed full of quality and this tie does look the most attractive on paper. We hope it lives up to all the hype with the first leg live on SkySports at the famous Nou Camp stadium in Spain. Barcelona head into this game fresh off a 1-0 away victory against Valladolid at the weekend. They did it by the skin of their teeth though with Valladolid having several decent chances to level the game but some last gasp tackles from substitute Dani Alves and a few fine saves from Victor Valdes ensured that the points would leave with Barcelona. It wasn't one of Barca's finest performances but that won't bother manager Josep Guardiola who has now seen his side go six points clear at the top of La Liga. Since the date of the draw for the Quarter-Finals, Barcelona have won two successive league games including a 6-0 mauling of Malaga at the Nou Camp. Their narrow 1-0 win away at Valladolid may not have set the world a lite but when you take into consideration that the likes of Dani Alves and Lionel Messi only arrived back in Spain a day or so earlier after a hefty travel back from South America, then that result does merit a lot of respect as it showed us that Barcelona have what it takes to grind out a positive result, even without some of their more influential players. Bayern Munich on the other don't boast a respectable win at the weekend. In fact, it's far from it as they were thumped 5-1 by new league leaders Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena last Saturday. A game we had tipped Bayern to come a cropper in on our other website - http://www.online-betting.me.uk, and they certainly did that in fine fashion. The two sides went in on level terms at half-time at 1-1 but the second half saw Bayern capitulate and concede four goals in the remaining 30 minutes of the game. Bayern Munich manager and former German great; Jurgen Klinsman, will now be looking for answers to their 5-1 mauling and he will need to work fast in order to get his side in the right shape of mind to make a match of this as Barcelona could run rings around them were they put in a similar display on Wednesday night. Their defence simply disappeared in that game and conceding four second half goals will seriously dent their confidence. That was their heaviest defeat of the season and it will be interesting to see how Bayern respond against Spanish giants Barcelona. The pressure will firmly be on Bayern now to bring a positive result back to Germany ahead of the second leg at the Olympic stadium. They have already shown us that they can't defend on the road so we expect them to play for the away goal. This has all the makings of an open game which should produce several goals. If Bayern Munich do open themselves up in a bid to get an away goal then Barca should profit as they are lethal on the counter attack. Let's hope both give us a match to remember at The Nou Camp this Wednesday. Match Odds: Barcelona 4/9 Coral Draw 7/2 SkyBet Bayern Munich 15/2 Bet365 Prediction: Barcelona Liverpool V Chelsea - Wednesday 19:45 Sky Sports This is certainly one of the more eye catching ties but possibly a fixture which many are getting tired off as Liverpool take on Chelsea for the fifth time in succession in the Champions League in what looks a very hard tie to predict. Both are getting the right results in the league so it really is anyone's guess as to who holds their nerve and goes through to the Semi's. Liverpool will be fully aware that the last time these two met in the competition was last season where Chelsea got the better of the reds to book a place in the final at Moscow. A result which dashed Liverpool's bid of making a third Champions League final in four years. However, Chelsea may have got the better of the two in the Champions League last season but it is Liverpool who completed a league double over the blues this season with wins home and away, so you would feel Liverpool have the edge going into the first leg at Anfield. For the first time in a long while, Liverpool do not have any huge injury concerns ahead of a Champions League tie. Both Gerrard and Torres were major doubts against Real Madrid in the previous round but both are fit for first leg match against Chelsea. Steven Gerrard did come off late on against Fulham on Saturday after he complained about a tight groin but Benitez has stated that the talisman should start on Wednesday along with Spanish forward Fernando Torres. Javier Mascherano was left on the bench against Fulham at the weekend after returning from South America but he is expected to start in the centre of Midfield to form a partnership with Xabi Alonso. That will allow Gerrard to take up his free role in midfield and that is a big concern for Chelsea as the English International has been lethal in that position throughout the season. Chelsea manager Guss Hiddink has already commented on his sides chances against Liverpool and stated that Liverpool have no secrets ahead of their trip to Anfield on Wednesday. He feels he has the perfect formula to end Liverpool's Champions League hopes but their recent performances in the league would indicate that it is Chelsea who have their work cut out and not the other way around. Their 2-0 win over Newcastle at St. James Park was hardly a glittering performance from the blues but the result was all that mattered as they bid to keep their slim title chances alive. Goals from Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda were enough to see off a hapless Newcastle side but they will need to show a lot more endeavour if they are to beat Liverpool over two legs. That was Chelsea's eleventh away win of the season but before that win was a poor 1-0 loss to local rivals Tottenham, so they hardly go into this game with superb form. They will also know that they lost 2-0 at Anfield at the beginning of February this year and that was one of Chelsea's poorest performances for some time. They showed very little in terms of goal scoring chances and they allowed Liverpool to dictate the game. They are doomed if they allow the same to happen this time around as Liverpool are more then capable of punishing them. Games betweens these two have always been tight affairs whether it has been in the Champions League or back in the Premiership but Liverpool have got the better of Chelsea twice this season and they are certainly our favourites to go through although a big positive for Chelsea is the fact that the second leg will be played at Stamford Bridge. That is a good omen for the blues after they beat Liverpool 4-2 in the second leg at the Bridge last season in the Champions League, after extra-time. This could very well go into extra-time once more as it has done in the previous two seasons. Match Odds: Liverpool 38/29 CanBet Draw 11/5 Boylesports Chelsea 11/4 Boylesports Prediction: Liverpool Labels: Champions League, champions league betting, champions league preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 8:08 PM

Champions League Preview by Matthew Chapple (4-5 November) (Monday, November 03, 2008)

Champions League Tuesday 4th / Wednesday 5th Group Stages AS Roma V Chelsea Tuesday 19:45 ITV4 Phil Scolari takes his Chelsea boy's to Italy this Tuesday knowing that a win would secure progression to the knock-out stages of the competition. Roma on the other hand know that a defeat at the hands of Chelsea at the Stadio Olimpico would leave them in a tricky position, where qualification from the group is concerned. Roma go into this massive match off the back of a disappointing away defeat in the league to rivals Juventus. A result which now leaves Roma in the bottom four in Seria A. Just two points off the bottom. A defeat on Tuesday night could pile a tonne of pressure on manager Luciano Spalletti. The Roma players will have the words 'must win game' stamped into the head and we expect them to play an open, attacking game. Chelsea need only a win to secure a birth into the next round of the Champions League. Whereas Roma go into the game off the back off a defeat. Chelsea go into the game full of confidence after thrashing Sunderland 5-0 at the weekend. Didier Drogba is still out and Phil Scolari will be looking towards Nicolas Anelka for goals. Chelsea are playing the best football in the premiership right now and it is hard to look beyond an away win for Chelsea this Tuesday. Match odds - Roma 11/4 Bet365 Draw 23/10 Paddypower Chelsea 6/5 Ladbrokes Prediction - Draw Liverpool V Atletico Madrid 19:45 Tuesday ITV1 Rafael Benitez will prepare his side for the clash with Athletico Madrid this Tuesday in the knowledge of knowing a win will secure progression the next round of the competition. Liverpool dominated the previous encounter and were rather unfortunate not to take all three points. Another performance of that quality should see Liverpool take all three points this time around. Fernando Torres looks set to be named in the squad to face his old club but might after settle for a place on the bench after recovering from a thigh injury. That will be a massive boost for Liverpool whether he plays or not. Liverpool do however go into the game on a bit of a downer after succumbing to a 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Harry Redknapp's Spurs side. With the absence of Torres, Liverpool do look light upfront and despite creating several chances in several of their previous games, they fail to put the majority away. Robbie Keane has yet to get his goalscoring boots with Liverpool getting most of their goals from the unlikely of sources in Dirk Kuyt. We fancy Liverpool to be the better team on the night but if they fail to put the chances away then they could get punished by a promising Athletico side. Athletico Madrid go into this game knowing that a win for them would also secure progression to the next round and we expect nothing less then a free flowing attacking display from Madrid. They do posses some talented players with the likes of Simao, Diego Forlan and the striker everyone is talking about in Spain in Sergio Aguero. They will be a problem for Liverpool when they attack but their defence didn't look too strong when the two sides met at home a fortnight ago and we fancy Liverpool to expose their defensive fragilities. Match odds - Liverpool 31/50 Paddypower Draw 11/4 Coral Athletico Madrid 6/1 Bet365 Prediction - Liverpool Celtic V Manchester United Wednesday 19:45 Sky Sports 1 Gordon Strachan will know his side have the massive task of fending of a Manchester United in form. Celtic will also be under no illusion when they know a defeat against Manchester United would leave them with a mountain to climb in the group and make their chances of progression very slim. A win for Manchester United though would see them qualify for the knock-out stages with two games to spare. Celtic were beaten comprehensively at Old Trafford a fortnight ago and will know that they need to up their performance dramatically if they are to cause Manchester United any problems and get the result they are desperate for. Even if the games was to finish in a draw, it probably wouldn't be enough for Celtic to qualify. With this in mind we reckon Celtic will go all out for the win and play with an attacking mentality. This will leave them exposed on the break and could cause them all sorts of problems with the pace Man United posses in their squad. Sir Alex Ferguson will be aware that victory tonight over Celtic would see them safely qualify for the next round with a couple of games still left to play. He certainly won't be playing for the draw and he will fully expect his side to come away with the win. The pace of Ronaldo caused Celtic loads of problems in the game at Old Trafford and we would be very surprised if Celtic managed to out score and maintain the likes of Ronaldo, Berbatov and Wayne Rooney. Should be an open game with plenty of goals. Match odds - Celtic 9/2 Bet365 Draw 13/6 Bet365 Manchester United 27/37 Boylesports Prediction - Manchester United Arsenal V Fenerbache Wednesday 19:45 Sky Sports Arsene Wenger will need to pick his players up after a disappointing weekend for the match with Turkish giants Fenerbache at The Emirates. They outplayed their opponents in the match In Turkey two weeks ago and another performance like that would see Arsenal cruise to victory at home. Arsenal were poor on Saturday away to Stoke and fully deserved to go away from Stoke empty handed. The strength and height of the Stoke side caused them problems and will be sighing with relief in the fact that Fenerbache aren't known for their strength. Theo Walcott won't feature after suffering a distressing injury to his arm so Aaron Ramsey may get his second successive Champions league game. If Arsenal get the ball down and play the attractive football we have come to love then they shouldn't have too many problems. Fenerbache will go into this tough match in London knowing a defeat would almost certainly mean they won't qualify for the next stage of the competition. The are currently at the foot of the group with just a single point. Their league form is also below par and are currently 9th in the league. FC Porto cruised to victory when the two sides met in Portugal and they have lost 3 of their opening five away games in the league. This really should be a home banker. Match odds - Arsenal 3/10 Partybets Draw 9/2 Bet365 Fenerbache 12/1 Bet365 Prediction - Arsenal Labels: Champions League, champions league betting, champions league preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 1:33 PM

Champions League final preview by Pinnacle Sports (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)

Champions League - Milan Seek Revenge Over Rafa's Reds AC Milan and Liverpool meet in Wednesday night's Champions League showdown for a re-run of the 2005 final. The encounter in Athens will struggle to live up to its predecessor, which saw Liverpool amaze Milan by overturning a 3-0 halftime deficit, eventually winning on penalties. The desire for retribution spurred the Rossoneri to knock out premiership Champions Man Utd in their semi-final second leg with a master class of soccer at the San Siro led by Brazilian, Kaka, dashing hopes of a first ever all Premiership final. Milan are now favourites with PinnacleSports.com to lift the trophy priced 1.658, but can Liverpool at 2.420 repeat the Italian job? Both managers know what it takes to lift the European Cup. Rafa Benitez was of course in charge of Liverpool on that fateful night in Istanbul in 2005, when his opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti, watched in amazement as his side relinquished a three goal half-time lead to a Steven Gerrard inspired Liverpool come-back. Ancelotti will have better memories of Old Trafford in 2003 when Milan won an all-Italian Champions League final against Juventus, also on spot-kicks, and of 1990 when he was part of the winning Rossoneri side that beat Benfica 1-0 in Vienna. Were Milan to succeed in the final it would mark an amazing turnaround in fortunes for the Italian giants. The original judgements of last summer's Italian match-fixing scandal handed AC a 15 point Serie A deduction and banned them from participation in this competition. After an appeal the points handicap was reduced to eight and their Champions League exclusion was lifted, opening the road to the final. Despite the reprieve, the 2003 winners began both their domestic and European campaigns poorly, but have improved immeasurably since the turn of the year. The form of Kaka has been integral, the Brazilian leads the Champions League scoring charts with 10 goals, while Ancelotti's deployment of Dutch midfielder, Clarence Seedorf, in a much more advanced position has been paying real dividends. Milan have lost just once in 13 games are now exuding the kind of confidence that has taken the club to ten previous European Cup finals. Liverpool's challenge is to match Milan's desire for revenge with their own conviction to repeat the success in Istanbul. Their travelling fans played a huge role that night and will again inspire their heroes to greater efforts. Benitez will have paid close attention to the speed with which Milan attacked United at the San Siro, and guard against a similar onslaught. One common criticism of the Reds is that at times their build-up play can be deliberate, particularly if Gerrard is muted. The Liverpool captain will have to shake of the attention of the bearded Gennaro Gattuso who will be his shadow for 90 minutes, just one element of what promises to be a fascinating final. *(Please note that all odds are subject to change) 60% better Champions League odds at PinnacleSports.com! 1.96/1.96 style pricing (c.102%) on the major European Football Leagues gives gamblers up to 60% better Champions League odds. PinnacleSports.com offers commission-free fixed odds betting with exchange style pricing, as well as the web's highest guaranteed liquidity and fastest payouts. Get a 10% sign-up bonus, 7% cash back on US horse bets and the best odds on all major sports. Find a Smarter Way To Bet at PinnacleSports.com Labels: Betting, Champions League, Pinnacle Sports Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 2:49 PM

Paddy Power's Champions League Final Money-Back Special ()

Too Close To Call Paddy Power have a very good Money-Back Special for the Champions League Final between Milan and Liverpool. AC Milan v Liverpool Champions League Final - Wed 7.45pm ITV1/RTE2/SS1 Money-Back Special If you back a team to win in 90 minutes and they fail to win in normal time but lose on a penalty shootout, then Paddy Power will refund all win-draw-win bets on that team only. Labels: Betting, Champions League, Paddy Power Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 2:34 PM

Champions League final preview by Bet365 (Sunday, May 20, 2007)

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL - LIVERPOOL TO BE GREEK HEROES? Two years on from the drama of Istanbul, AC Milan and Liverpool meet again in the Champions League final in Athens, with revenge very much on Milanese minds. Carlo Ancetti's side are favourites with bet365 to lift the trophy at 8/11, with Liverpool at 11/10 to repeat their 2005 victory. If anyone needed reminding of that amazing meeting in Istanbul, Milan surrendered a 3-0 half time lead as Liverpool fought back to claim a 3-3 draw before winning on penalties. While this game promises to be keenly contested, we are unlikely to see such an open affair (bet365 make a repeat scoreline an 80/1 shot!). The Italians are a durable defensive unit, while Liverpool, under Rafael Benitez, have made a reputation for denying their opponents room to breathe. With chances likely to be limited, the draw at 15/8 is sure to be popular, although Liverpool at 11/5 also makes plenty of appeal given their record in this competition (won five of their previous six finals!). Milan can be backed at 13/10 with bet365 to win in 90 minutes. As top scorer in the competition with 10 goals, Kaka will be a popular choice in bet365's first goalscorer market at 13/2, although he is unlikely to be afforded anything like the space he enjoyed in the semi final meeting with Man United. With the suspicion that Milan are vulnerable at the back, there could be plenty of opportunities for Steven Gerrard to star (as he did two years ago!), especially as he's likely to be utilised in a more offensive role for this game. He's our hot each way pick to score first at 9/1 and, remember, bet365 are offering unlimited places (at 1/3 odds) on this market, so you'll get paid out if he scores at anytime in the game! Of course, we'll also be having a few bets after kick off (7.45pm), and that's never a problem with bet365, who will have up to 30 In-Play markets available at the click of a mouse (the In-Play Console link on their homepage). Our Predictions: Liverpool to win in 90 minutes @ 11/5 Liverpool to win 1-0 @ 7/1 Steven Gerrard to score first @ 9/1 (each way at 1/3 odds, unlimited places available!) Steven Gerrard to score first and Liverpool to win 1-0 at 50/1 - money back if he scores first but the correct score is a loser! Enjoy the game with bet365! Labels: Bet365, Betting, Champions League, Final, Football, Soccer Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 2:16 PM