Archive for the ‘Soccer’ Category
EPL Preview – Week 29
Author: TheDoctor11 Mar
Only ten matches remain for Premier League clubs. That means only ten more chances to win the title, and only ten more chances to evade the relegation zone. For some, it’s going to be an uphill battle; while for others, certain results will be expected.
Sportsbook.com has placed odds on every match over the weekend, so head on over and make a tip on your favorite club.
Birmingham City: +175
Draw: +225
Everton: +145
Birmingham City vs. Everton: Birmingham City have shown English football that they intend to stay in the Premier League for some time to come. With one of the best first season’s back in the EPL, Alex McLeish’s men are within striking distance of a Europa League spot. Their home form has been good all season – having only lost twice – and they are coming off the back of two consecutive victories, so expect the boys in blue to be playing for a win.
The Toffees are flying high at the moment, and while their away form hasn’t been as flawless and their recent matches at Goodison, they will still feel that they can come away with a win at St. Andrews. With Landon Donovan set to depart England on Monday, this will be the last chance for the American to make an impact on the Premier League this season. Expect a close affair.
Burnley: +120
Draw: +220
Wolves: +220
Burnley vs. Wolves: Burnley will make up one half of this relegation battle, and they will feel that they should be the team to come away with the points. Having only picked up a single point on the road, their matches at home are the only thing that can keep them in the top tier of English football. Brian Laws hasn’t had an easy time since taking over the Clarets, but he’ll certainly be looking for a strong victory come Saturday.
Wolves are currently safe from relegation, but only on goal difference. Defeat at Turf Moor would send them right back into the bottom three, with the possibility of 19th position if Hull manage to take points against Arsenal. With some of the lowest scoring in the league coming from both clubs, we shouldn’t expect too much in the way of goals.
Chelsea: -500
Draw: +500
West Ham: +1100
Chelsea vs. West Ham: The Pensioners can go right back to the top of the table – for a day, at the very least – with a win over struggling West Ham. In anticipation of a second leg meeting with Inter, Carlos Ancelotti may choose to rest some of his key players. However, it’s doubtful that Chelsea fans will have forgotten their most recent loss against Manchester City. The home side are strong favorites to take this one out, and it’s hard to see any other outcome.
West Ham may be three points clear of the bottom three, but they are by no means safe from relegation. With no points from their last two matches, and some horrific away form, Gianfranco Zola will surely be happy with a single point; anything to draw themselves away from the bottom of the table.
Manchester United: -400
Draw: +425
Fulham: +1000
Manchester United vs. Fulham: After a stunning 4-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League, it’s hard to see any team stopping Manchester United – especially at home. They have won their last six matches at Old Trafford, and with Wayne Rooney fresh from injury and scoring even more goals with his head, Fulham have a very tough task ahead of them.
Roy Hodgson certainly knows that. The Fulham manager has kept his team lingering around the middle of the table all season, but they have produced their fair share of upsets already. In their last meeting, Fulham pulled off a miraculous 3-0 victory over United, and I’m sure that Hodgson will be ecstatic if his men can pull off a similar beating. They may be stark underdogs, but don’t write off the Cottagers just yet.
Be sure to keep an eye on Sportsbook.com over the coming days as Premier League odds are updated.
EPL Wrap – Week 28
Author: TheDoctor7 Mar
With games spread out over the next few days, we’ve only been witness to four matches over the weekend. With four more on the way, including tonight’s Wigan Athletic vs. Liverpool fixture, there is plenty to get excited about.
Sportsbook.com has odds on every upcoming game, so head on over to make a wager on your favorite club. For now, here are the odds for tonight’s game:
Wigan Athletic: +475
Draw: +250
Liverpool: -166
There is plenty of action to talk about, including some interesting movement at the top of the leaderboard, so let’s get stuck into recapping the best of Week 28 so far.
Arsenal (3) vs. Burnley (1): The scoreline may tell a different story, but it was certainly not a thrashing at the hands of Arsenal.
With Aaron Ramsey out for the season with a broken leg, more than a few Gunners personnel made declarations about winning the title for him. Despite this, however, Arsenal failed to get into the game during the opening half hour. While they managed to keep the majority of possession, Nicklas Bendtner simply couldn’t find the finishing touch on a number of opportunities. So it was left up to the captain to make the breakthrough, and Cesc Fabregas willingly obliged on 34 minutes with a nice one-two goal.
1-0 at the break, Burnley fans wouldn’t have been too upset by the deficit, and they even had something to cheer about 5 minutes into the second half when David Nugent grabbed the equalizer. It was clear that Wenger’s men weren’t going to sit back and watch two points go begging, though, and on the 60th minute Theo Walcott showed the England naysayers just how clinical he can be when within firing range; after a poor showing against Egypt, this was just what Walcott needed. A worrisome half hour followed, with plenty of chances to seal the game going begging, but just before the final whistle it was all wrapped up when Andrei Arshavin belted in the Gunners’ third.
Wolves (0) vs. Manchester United (1): In a match where several big names were sitting out, it was a classy finish from an old pro that sealed United’s victory.
With Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen both sidelined through injury – Owen out for the remainder of the season – it was up to lone striker Dimitar Berbatov to spearhead United’s attack. The absence of Rooney was obvious from kickoff, and Berbatov had a hard time breaking down Wolves defence, with Antonio Valencia failing to find an unmarked attacker on more than one occasion.
With no goals at half time, it was clear that Alex Ferguson wasn’t enjoying his trip to Molyneux. Two early changes allowed for a shift in formation, with Mame Biram Diouf backing up Berbatov, but it was Paul Scholes that grabbed the winner after 72 minutes, taking his Premier League tally to 100.
Everton (5) vs. Hull City (1): It was another bad day for Hull City as the Toffees moved into 8th position with a four-goal thrashing.
Mikel Arteta continued his return to form after several months injured by grabbing a first half brace. His initial goal was cut out by a magnificent Tom Cairney strike; the youngster earning his first ever Premier League goal.
2-1 down after 45 minutes, Phil Brown would have been confident that his side could grind out a draw if they managed to convert more chances. Instead, an embarrassing own goal sealed Hull’s fate, and two more goals from Landon Donovan and Jack Rodwell only served to increase the scoreline.
Be sure to keep an eye on Sportsbook.com all week as there are several Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League fixtures on offer.
EPL Preview – Week 28
Author: TheDoctor4 Mar
England played host to Egypt during the week, and managed to pull off a decent come-from-behind victory. With the World Cup just around the corner, it’s time that players stepped up their game in order to be selected for the prestigious tournament.
The only way they’ll be able to do that is with consistent results in their respective leagues. The Premier League is a breeding ground for the England national team, and since Ashley Cole is injured, and there is no secure position for the number one jersey, plenty of players have the chance to prove their worth.
This weekend is no more different than any other, except for the fact that Fabio Capello will be eagerly watching every prospective England player with keen eyes. Sportsbook.com has odds on every game over the next five days, so let’s take a look at some of the best fixtures coming up.
Arsenal: -666
Draw: +550
Burnley: +1600
Arsenal vs. Burnley: Vowing to “win it for Ramsey” is one thing, but putting those words into action is an entirely different task. The Gunners may be spurred on by the horrific injury that Welshman Aaron Ramsey sustained last weekend, but they still have a bit of catching up to do in order to lift the trophy. A win a Burnley would put them on level terms with Chelsea, at least for a few days, so if the drive is there to win, they should claim victory comfortably.
Burnley’s away form is the major reason behind their battle against relegation. With only a single point taken from a possible 42, the Clarets simply can’t seem to produce when on the road. Their opponents this weekend are fighting for the title, and it’s hard to see any situation where Burnley come away with points.
Wolves: +900
Draw: +375
Manchester United: -333
Wolves vs. Manchester United: Wolves are another team facing the possibility of relegation this season. They are on equal points with Hull City, only sitting above the top three on goal difference. Their home form has been fairly poor so far, having only taken four wins from 14, and their opponents aren’t known for going easy on any club. Even a point will be seen as a victory this weekend.
Chelsea may have very well handed United their third consecutive Premiership title when they failed to beat Man City at home last week. United are well known for their brilliant form in the second half of the season, and have already shown that they are ready to fight to the bitter end for silverware. They’ve already claimed the Carling Cup, so a win at Wolverhampton shouldn’t be a difficult task.
Everton: -285
Draw: +350
Hull City: +750
Everton vs. Hull City: David Moyes has been buoyed by the fact that the majority of his team has returned to full fitness. Mikel Arteta and Phil Neville have returned to the Premier League with a bang, and while Marouane Fellaini is out for the season, Tim Cahill will make his return against Hull on Monday. The Toffees are currently sitting in 10th, but are fighting for a higher finish that would see them in the Europa League.
Hull are another victim of poor away form. They have yet to win on the road, and as the season draws to a close, their negative goal difference may yet again prove a hindrance in their attempts to avoid relegation. The Tigers may draw some inspiration knowing that they managed to knock over Everton 3-2 in their last meeting, but that was a much different team to the one that will be walking out on Monday. Any points are good points for Phil Brown’s squad.
Sportsbook.com has all the latest odds for this week’s Premier League and FA Cup fixtures, so head over to place a wager on your favorite club.
- New blog post: EPL Preview - Week 29 http://www.onlinegambling.com/blog/2010/03/11/epl-preview-week-29/ 1 day ago

