Archive for February, 2008
Chelsea and Liverpool have become closely acquainted over recent seasons playing each other 17 times over the last four campaigns, thanks to regular meetings in the Champions League. All games between these sides are hard fought affairs, but Liverpool must overcome Chelsea’s 78 game unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge, stretching back to 2004. The Pool’s recent form at the Bridge doesn’t suggest they are capable of that, failing to score in their last seven visits, starting at the beginning of the Jose Mourinho era. The Reds have been distracted by friction between club owners and manager, Rafa Benitez, which has unsettled players, and seen them win just one league game in 2008, dropping right off the title race.
Chelsea remain in the hunt, but have been struggling under the burden of injuries to John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Andriy Shevchenko, while Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salamon Kalou and Obi Mikel have been playing at the African Cup of Nations. All except Mikel will still be in Ghana over the weekend, so this is a good time for Liverpool to break their bad run away to Chelsea. The Scousers spirits will have been lifted by last weekend’s 2-0 win over Sunderland, but they still seem like a side low on confidence, whereas Chelsea have rediscovered the siege mentality, grinding out results with a second XI. The return of Michael Ballack has been a huge boost while Brazilian defender, Alex, looks like a quality player. PinnacleSports.com make Chelsea marginal favourites 2.110 (-0.5)* with Liverpool 1.826 (+0.5)* – a market priced to less than 102%.
* Prices subject to change so visit PinnacleSports.com for the latest Asian Handicap odds – or compare the best odds at top sportsbooks here at BookieLabRat.com.
February 7th, 2008
It has been a busy week on the international scene with a full midweek schedule of friendly fixtures, while the African Cup of Nations is reaching a climax with the final on Sunday. Premiership bettors should check to see whether players return safely from national duty, then got to PinnacleSports.com for up to 60% better Premiership betting odds.
Sunday Grand Slam Part One – Manchester Derby
Manchester United were this week fined £25,000 by the Football Association after picking up seven bookings in their 1-1 draw with Spurs last Saturday at White Hart Lane. They got out of jail in the 90th minute of a bad tempered game, and there could be plenty more cautions at Old Trafford this Sunday as they face their City rivals, in the first part of a Premiership Grand Slam. The Laser Blues shocked the Red Devils with a 1-0 win at Eastlands earlier in the season, so victory at the Theatre of Dreams would give Sven Goran Eriksson an unlikely double, in his first season in charge.
The odds are stacked against that as United are in much the better form, having won twelve successive Premiership home games, conceding just three times. City have settled into a familiar pattern of struggling on the road, winning just two away games so far this term. Key playmaker Elano – the one individual who could hurt United – has gone off the boil, Of course this isn’t just any game, and both sides will raise their performance levels, but United are at virtually full strength, and last at home in Manchester Derby back in 1974. There is the added intensity of Wednesday’s 50th anniversary of the Munich Air crash which killed eight Man Utd players, which will fire up the home crowd. On the last two meetings Alex Ferguson’s side have run out 3-1 winners, and PinnacleSports.com make them favourites 1.826 (-1.5)* with Man City 2.110 (+1.5)*.
* Odds subject to change – so check out the latest prices on site at PinnacleSports.com or compare best odds live across the top online sportsbooks here at BookieLabRat.com.
February 7th, 2008
Super Bowl betting reached record levels this year after an estimated $10 billion was wagered on the event, which saw the New York Giants beat favourites New England Patriots. News feed Reuters has been advised that a combination of the unbeaten Patriots and the popular Giants had caused the avalanche of interest.
Here’s what top online sportsbook Bodog had to say:
Super Bawl XLII for Brady and Patriots
Patriots Tom Brady gets grilling from coach Bill Belichick at Super Bowl XLII (AP Images)
There’s cocking up and there’s cocking up in style. And it looks like the New England Patriots did exactly that at the weekend. The underdogs New York Giants pasted them good and proper and denied them of a perfect season and their fourth Super Bowl.
Golden Balls Patriots quarterback and football sweetheart Tom Brady must be feeling gutted at the 17-14 result, and despite completing 29 out of 48 passing attempts for 266 yards and a touchdown, he couldn’t pull it out of the bag. The Patriots dominated most of the game and the Giants were trailing 7-3 going into the last quarter, so this should have been a done deal. But Giants quarterback Eli Manning was ready to deliver a touchdown 2:07 in, and that my friends was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Although some may think that the Patriots standard bearer wasn’t on form, Brady reckons: “It’s one thing if I felt we weren’t prepared or we hadn’t worked hard; we did. I’m sure it will be extremely tough to swallow in the coming months.”
Too right, having the rug pulled from under your feet is never a good thing especially when the silverware is within reach! The big man did also add: “We all could have done things better. I could have made better reads and better throws.”
That sentiment will no doubt be echoed by many. Let’s hope girlfriend Gisele has broad shoulders.
>>Check out the latest sportsbook review of Bodog Sports here at BookieLabRat.com.
February 4th, 2008
The latest competition in February at Australian bookie Canbet offers you the chance to win a 42″ High Definition LCD TV valued at £1,000 (€1,500)*
It’s easy to enter and you’ve got to be in to win!
To enter the draw, follow the steps 1-2 below:
1. Register to participate by entering the promotional code: TELLY on the My Account page of the Canbet website between 1 February and 29 February 2008.
2. Automatically earn an entry into the prize draw every time you:
– Bet £50 (€75) at Canbet Casino -or-
– Bet £50 (€75) on Sports or Racing -or-
– Play 50 Poker Raked Hands
The more entries you have during the month, the better your chances of scoring a new LCD TV by early March.
The lucky winner will be announced on Monday 3 March 2008.
Make this prize yours – get to Canbet now! (Sorry, No USA residents can be members at Canbet)
For more information on Canbet (one of the top rating online sportsbooks for Asian Handicap style football betting) check out the latest Canbet Bookmaker Review at BookieLabRat.com.
February 2nd, 2008
Whether they’re your favourite bookie or not, you’ve got to admit that top Irish sportsbook, Paddy Power, is really good at working the media. It seems that anything goes to keep their sportsbetting brand top of mind – whether its ads that are “socially unacceptable” to the PC brigade (like using man breasts to promote bingo), web site ads depicting the Pope (who may well love a flutter!) or just leveraging off the media hype of others…
Here’s the latest from an Irish online news source:
Illusionist Brown Spooks Bookmaker
TV trickster Derren Brown has some bookies running for cover as he is set to reveal what he claims is a 100% system of winning at the races on television tonight.
Irish bookmakers Paddy Power are taking no chances ahead of racing’s busiest festival and have banned the illusionist from all of their London shops in the run up to Cheltenham.
To remind punters of how serious they are about keeping him away, the bookie has erected signs on all of its shop front doors with a clear message to the South London phenomenon: “No Derren Allowed”.
Paddy Power, the bookies’ head of communications, said: “Our London punters have a good track record at winning as it is without the help of Derren Brown. If his ‘system’ really works then we could potentially get cleaned out. All of our shop staff will be on high alert over the next few weeks!”
Brown has previously shown a greyhound track punter how to get bookmakers to pay out on losing tickets using a system of verbal suggestion.
>>Check out the latest bookmaker review on PaddyPower.com
>>Visit Paddy Power online sportsbook
February 1st, 2008
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