Champion’s League Odds

Known as the beautiful game, soccer has become one of the most intriguing sports betting wagers across the globe. It seems as though everyday, a new soccer league is being created for sports gamblers to wager upon. If you are knew to soccer, here is a bookie software guide on how to bet on soccer.

The most popular soccer events to wager upon are the World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League tournament. World Cup soccer is an international tournament, in which the best players from each nation join forces, to represent their nation to play against the other top players and their nations. On the other hand, the UEFA Champions League is similar to the World Cup, but it’s more or less a tournament to crown the best league teams in the world.

Similar to boxing and the UFC, soccer allows for fans to wager on a draw. In hockey, football, baseball and basketball, there must be a winner, so the draw is not an option on the money line. Here is how a soccer money line appears.

Queens Park Rangers +500

Manchester City – 400

Draw +600

In this example, the Queens Park Rangers are the underdog, as they have odds of 500 to one to win the game. For all intents and purposes, the bettors taking the Rangers have to risk $100 to get back $500 to win the wager. If you take Manchester City, you have to risk $400 to get back $100 because Manchester City is expected to win the game. However, similar to boxing and the UFC, if a draw takes place, fans taking the Rangers and Man City, lose their wagers. You can only win the game on a draw, if you bet on the draw.

Thursday night offers a full plate of action in both the NHL and the NCAAB. Entering tonight’s action, several teams have put together intriguing streaks, worth noting for sports betting enthusiasts of both leagues. Here is a guide to help you out.

The Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the Cleveland Browns in Thursday night action, in a pivotal AFC North matchup. Going into this game, the wild card leading Steelers have been on a roll of late, collecting wins in Cincinnati and Kansas City. In fact, heading into their clash with the Browns, the Steelers have covered the spread in eight of their last nine home games. This should happen again, as the Browns offense is not very good, and the Steelers offense is top three in the league. What’s more, as we noted, the Steelers are rolling this bookie software season, and should be able to do so again tonight.

In the NHL, there are a couple of very interesting streaks on the line tonight. On the one hand, the Minnesota Wild, owners of the best record in the West, has been on a roll of late. Minnesota has won five straight, despite having one of the worst GF/GA ratios. The Wild have scored 39 GF/ given up 32 GA during the aforementioned five game win streak. Minnesota is also on their third goalie, as starter Nicklas Backstrom and backup Josh Harding have sustained injuries. As a result, Matt Hackett will be between the pipes for his second career start. Hackett, looked amazing in his first game as a member of the Wild, and could provide a stable net presence for the team.

On the other hand, despite no longer have Sidney Crosby for the next couple of games, the Pittsburgh Penguins enter their game with Philadelphia, having won the last seven matchups. The Penguins have shown, that without Crosby, they are just as good with him, as they lead the NHL.

The Champions League group stage of sports betting is coming to a close for the 2011 – 12 seasons. Yesterday were the final games prior to the top teams advancing to the next round. As a result, some teams left everything on the field, while others carried over their weak play and were soundly defeated. Here is a bookie software look ahead to the next batch of games scheduled for December 6, 2011.

Olympiacos v Arsenal – In the second round of the Champions League tournament, Olympiacos opens against Arsenal. At first glance, Olympiacos supporters were probably hoping for this matchup, as Arsenal’s defense has struggled greatly over the last couple of seasons. However, over the last month and a half of EPL play, the Gunners offense has basically picked up the slack for the defense. What this means when betting on the game, is that you should take the Gunners, since they have a ton of momentum right now.

Barcelona v Bate – Another game fans and handicappers alike will be watching with a close eye, will be Barcelona v Bate. Barcelona is the defending champion of the tournament, and has lived up to their end of the bargain, by dominating their competition. Barcelona won all four games in the group stage of the tournament and appears to be destined for another shot at the UEFA Champions League Cup. When you have a roster with seven of a possible 11 franchise stars, it is hard to imagine that they could lose to any other team. Look for Barcelona to turn this game into an NFL game, by winning seven to nothing.

Chelsea v Valencia – This game should be the most intriguing one of the December 6, card, as Chelsea is reeling after a loss last night too Bayern Leverkusen on November 23, two to one. Chelsea must put in a better performance, in order to come close to a Championship berth.

On Tuesday November 22, 11 sports betting enthusiast from across the globe will be tuning into their local soccer station, to watch Manchester United take on Benefica in Champions League action. When these two historic franchises faced one another in September, they drew to a one goal tie. For Canadian footy fans, the game was better then anything they had seen in a Toronto FC game this season. Here is a preview of the rematch between Man U and Benefica.

In their last five games, Man U has won four and dropped one, while Benefica has drawn twice, but finds themselves on a three game winning streak. United lost their last EPL matchup to inter city rivals Man City, by a score of six to one. Benefica, on the contrary, has scored five goals in their three game winning streak.

Looking at the Champions League group stage standings, the two squads are tied atop the standings, having each won two games and drawn two games. The winner of this game will win the division and receive a weaker opponent in the next round. On paper, it seems as though Man United is struggling with its identity. In essence, bookie software enthusiasts have never seen a team this young at Old Trafford.

Meaning to say, when United was destroyed by Man City last weekend, bookies and fans alike weren’t sure if this was a sign of things to come or if it was a fluke. Benefica is also in an interesting position heading into their rematch with United. Riding a three game winning streak, Benefica could see their stock rise dramatically internationally, if they can pull off the victory against the Red Devils. With transfer season only a couple of months away, a victory over Manchester United would intrigue a lot of potential free agents to sign with the club.

Breeders cup betting enthusiasts looking for a different sporting tournament to wager on before the Breeders Cup, should look no further then the soccer field, as UEFA conducts its annual Champions League tournament. Still in the early stages of the bookie software tournament, the UEFA CL has been one of the most exciting tournaments over the last decade. It feels like yesterday, that we were watching the greatest team on the planet, Barcelona make Manchester United look like a house league team. Here is our NHL prediction for the upcoming UEFA matches.

Chelsea FC v Genk – Genk has struggled early and often in the group stage of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League. This week, they welcome the Chelsea Blues, who have been a team on a bounce back campaign, after struggling significantly during the 2010/11 season. With a team that includes Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba, it is hard to imagine that Genk stands a chance in the game. For that reason, look for Chelsea to come out flying and cruise to a five to one victory over Genk.

Barcelona V Pizen – Pizen are the sacrificial lamb being preyed upon by the world’s greatest football team, Barcelona. Comparable to Genk, Pizen finds themselves in a predicament, where simply put, they hope to contain the damage. Similar to Chelsea, we see Barcelona taking this game rather easily, by a score of six or seven to nothing. When you have a midfield that includes Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas, it seems rather unlikely that the opposition will get past midfield all game.

Olympiacos v Borussia Dortmund – This game is actually considered by many of our colleagues to be the game of this week of UEFA action. In essence, both teams have combined to put up only a single point thus far through the first two games of the group stage. If they draw again, the team with more goals entering the game, should advance to the next round.

On Wednesday October 19, 2011 Olympic Marseille takes on Arsenal FC in a UEFA Champions League sports betting affair. For Arsenal, a win against Marseille should keep them in the hunt for the Champions League title, despite a less then stellar start in the EPL. Here is a bookie software preview of the biggest match on Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League card.

Marseille is a heavy favorite in Wednesday’s action, as they enter the game, having already defeated fellow group F members Dortmund and Olympiacos. Meanwhile, also having played the same opponents, Arsenal only has two points, as they tied both Dortmund and Olympiacos. However, with that being said, NFL soccer handicappers are chomping at the bit to see one of England’s most storied franchises, battle French juggernaut Marseille.

For the Arsenal Gunners, they have a lot riding on the game, as not only do they wish to qualify for a future round, but they have also never lost to a French squad on the road. Meaning to say, with the way that Marseille is playing, Arsenal may be better served hoping that Dortmund and Olympiacos tie in their game.

In both UEFA and EPL action, the Gunners Achilles heel, has been their offense. Arsenal has had trouble connecting on brilliant passes, between Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott. As well, the defense, which is slowly getting better, has actually been keeping the Gunners in games this season. Meaning to say, if the offense connects, and the defense holds tight, the Gunners could pull an upset.

For fans counting Marseille out despite early success in the group stage, consider that they are a team that has posed many issues for other powerhouse teams in England. Since the 2009 – 10 season Marseille has a victory over Chelsea and a tie with Manchester United.

With the 2011-12 soccer betting season among us, fans are already anxiously waiting one of the world’s biggest and most important tournament, the Champions League. After watching the way that Barecelona was able to outclass Manchester United in last year’s final there are serious questions about whether or not there is another team in Europe that can match the class and style of the Spanish giants. Once again Barcelona is among the favorites to win it all along with Manchester United, with another English side right there with them among the best in FC Chelsea as the top-three contenders for this years’ tournament.

The price hasn’t changed on the Spanish sports betting favorites as Barcelona is still listed at 6-to-1, and for good reason. With the talented Lionel Messi leading the charge, this team has proved time and again that it is the class of world football, and it would take a determined and focused challenge from any team to unseat them at the top. The Red Devils have tried and failed in past years, but with Alex Ferguson’s job potentially on the line the oddsmakers recognized them at 8-to-1 to win it all. The one team that could surprise against Barcelona is the veteran squad from Chelsea, which is now led by Andre Villa Boas. With a ton of established stars including Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry, and Salomon Kalou, Chelsea has all of the tools to go all of the way, and listed at 8-to-1 odds they should be able to challenge Barcelona for the title.

The UEFA Champions League finals will return to Germany for the 57^th title match, but at this point soccer betting fans around the world are left to wonder whether or not the favorites Barcelona can repeat as defending champions, or even get that far in the tournament. They will sure be familiar with their surroundings in the group stage as they are joined by Real Madrid and Valencia in the group stages, as at least two other Spanish league teams are guaranteed to compete along with them.

The English Premier League will be well represented as well with champion Manchester United looking to end Barcelona’s run, as well as both Chelsea and Manchester City, which finished tied for second at the end of the sports betting season. Serie A champions Milan will be the favorites to emerge on the Italian side, with Inter Milan and Napoli also clinching spots in the group stages, and Udinese joining the playoff round after finishing fourth. The host team could advance to the group stage if they can get through the playoff round, as the final match will be played in the home of Bayern Munch at Allianz Arena. Bayern finished behind both Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga, and will now have to fight their way in to the tournament. Porto will once again represent Portugal in the group stage with Ajax entered from the Netherlands and Olympiacos from Greece.

There is an interesting twist to the idea that being the host team for a major tournament can provide a huge advantage to a team’s success, and that is something that Argentina will hope to avoid heading into this year’s Copa America on home soil. Expected to be the heavy betting favorites regardless of where the tournament is top be played, Argentina will have to overcome the betting pressure that comes with being the favorite at home with a talented group of teams making their way to South America.

With an incredible wealth of talent up front that is led by arguably the biggest football star in the world in Lionel Messi, there is no shortage of firepower to lead the Argentina attack. Messi is joined by Carlos Tevez up front in the starting lineup, with Sergio Aguero another top scorer that can step up in a heartbeat. This squad is coming off of a disappointing World Cup though, and the pressure will be on Messi and company to perform after many felt that they have not excelled at the highest level. Even despite all the talent that has grown through the program, the host side hasn’t won a major tournament since it won the Copa America back in 1993, and that has led to some big changes heading into this tournament. Sergio Batista is now the man in charge after Diego Maradona didn’t live up to sports betting bonus expectations as the head coach, and the pressure is on him now to deliver at home.

With the English Premier League heading into the offseason earlier this month, soccer betting enthusiasts are wondering what they can expect for next season. This year, the evil empire known as the Manchester United Red Devils, went on a tear for the entire season, ending with another impressive league championship. Meanwhile, sports betting power houses, Arsenal, and Chelsea appeared to take steps back instead of forward. Here are a few predictions heading into next season.

West Ham will be back in the Premier League for 2012 – 13 seasons – This past season, the West Ham United Hammers, experienced one of the worst campaigns in the franchise’s history, as despite new management on the pitch, the team was relegated. As a result of the relegation, Swansea and Norwich were able to move up from the first division. However, with a new coach in former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, West Ham should be back in the Premier League following next season. Allardyce employs a defensive style, Hammer fans may not be thrilled to see, but it will at least allow them to move up to the Premier League.

Queens Park Rangers will finish in the Top 10 next season – Along with Swansea and Norwich, the Queens Park Rangers one of the most well financed clubs in British football, were able to move up to the Premier League for the 2011 – 12 seasons. Queens Park has slowly put together an excellent core of youthful players, in a similar manner to West Bromwich of this past season. Led by Kasper Gorkss and Paddy Kenny, the Rangers could make a lot of noise in their first year in the Premier League.

Arsenal will finally win the Premier League Title – For Gunner fans across the globe, the last few years have been unbearable, as the team has had more peaks and valleys then a College Basketball team. With rumors that Fabregas, Walcott, Van Persie and Nasri want out of Emirates Stadium, look for Arsene Wenger to be fired early in the season, before the Gunners make a huge run in the second half.