Pacquiao, Cotto headline weekend betting action

There’s lots to choose from in your sportsbook this weekend, led by a huge boxing match featuring the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter, while two of the NFL’s best go head to head.

Pacquiao Cotto Odds

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is a huge sportsbook favorite on Saturday night (11:00 PM ET) against Miguel Cotto. This is for Cotto’s WBO welterweight title, and “Pac-Man” is aiming to be the fifth man in history to win belts at five different weight classes. This is also at a 145-pound catchweight, and it’ll be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

UFC 105 Odds

UFC 105 airs on Spike as a free-TV event on Saturday (8:00 PM ET), and the main event pits legend Randy Couture against up-and-comer Brandon Vera, who is the sportsbook underdog, but not by much as UFC betting lines have him at -105.

NFL Odds

Bengals vs Steelers odds (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET): The Steelers are seven-point favorites at home, and they’re out to avenge a Week 3 loss to Cincinnati, who came back late from an 11-point deficit and are currently unbeaten in the AFC North.

Patriots vs Colts odds (Sunday, 8:20 PM ET): The undefeated Colts are favored by 2.5 points at home, and all eyes will be on the quarterbacks as New England’s Tom Brady tries to get the better of Indianapolis counterpart Peyton Manning.

NCAA Football Odds

Iowa vs Ohio State (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET): The No.11 Buckeyes are 16.5-point sportsbook favorites at home against the No.10 Hawkeyes, who lost for the first time all season last week, and they lost starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi. This is essentially for the Big Ten title.

Utah vs TCU odds (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET): The No.4 Horned Frogs are 20-point favorites against the No.16 Utes, who look to cost their fellow mid-major team a shot at a BCS bowl. Both were NCAA football picks to be BCS busters, and this will be an entertaining battle.

NBA Odds

Rockets vs Lakers odds (Sunday, 10:30 PM ET): The Lakers should be favored at home, and this will be Trevor Ariza’s return to Los Angeles after signing with Houston. The Lakers beat the Rockets 103-102 in overtime in Houston on November 4^th behind 41 points from Kobe Bryant.

NASCAR Odds

Jimmie Johnson is the sportsbook favorite for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix (Sunday, 3:15 PM ET), and he won three straight here before teammate Mark Martin dominated in the spring. Martin trails Johnson by just 73 points in the standings, and these two have the best finishing average among active drivers at Phoenix.

NHL Odds

Division leaders clash in the West on Sunday night (7:00 PM ET), as Pacific leaders San Jose head to Chicago for a meeting with Chicago, who are trying to hold off Detroit in the Central. This will also be Chicago’s last game before a six-game Western road swing, so they’ll be aiming for an online betting win to get their momentum up.

Portugal - Bosnia and Herzegowina

Bosnia were big underdogs in their qualifying group but they, nevertheless, managed to win the second place. they are again seen as underdogs in the duel with Portugal but I beg to differ. A team that boast some of the top Bundesliga players simply cannot be underestimated. Portugal have had major problems during the qualifying campaign and they were lucky to make it to the play-offs. Ronaldo was forced to withdraw through injury and that only adds to the worries.

Portugal did improve in the final qualifying battles but they will have to be on top of their game in order to beat the Bosnians. There were no real surprises in Carlos Queiroz’s squad, while he is unlikely to make any changes to team’s style of play. We expect to see attacking 4-3-3 formation with Liedson, Nani, Almeida and Simao vying for three places in attack, while Deco will be in charge of the creative department. Ronaldo will be sorely missed but this team boast plenty of very good wingers that could act as a worthy replacement.
However, defence can be a problem. They did play very well lately but face a difficult task against Bosnia strikers. The adventurous style of play will make their job even harder but the only way to go against Bosnia is attack. The visitors’ defence is among the weakest looking at all the teams that entered the play-offs and that is a chance for the hosts.

The visitors have nothing to lose and they will be under no pressure. The team are led by experienced Ciro Blazevic, who led Croatia to third place in World Cup 1998. The boss managed to channel pretty intense atmosphere around the national team in the right way and that is one of the reasons for the good results. Can you imagine a team that boast players like Dzeko, Ibisevic, Misimovic and Pjanic. Who needs an extra attention? They are all capable of both scoring and setting up goals. The atmosphere in the team is excellent and the players are completely prepared for the games of their lives. I believe this national team will continue with great results in the future but this remains a great chance for all the players and they will not miss it without putting in a fight. Defence will be the problem as the back line doesn’t have the quality to match other parts of the team. Some pundits believe that the poor defensive record is the result of attacking style of play but I simply don’t think they have enough quality players at the back. All things considered, the visitors are aware they need to score some goals if they are to avoid defeat.
They will have plenty of space for swift counterattacks and try to take every chance they get. The good start could be crucial and they have a coach who knows how to motivate and prepare his players for such a tense affair.

We rarely see two teams that play for that extra goal in football today, thus this is a must-see encounter. The bookies have offered decent odds on over 2.5 and I see that as the best choice this weekend. I dare not predict the final outcome. My advice is to place a small bet on Bosnia since the odds are simply too high. However, the pick for this match will be over 2.5 goals because it involves no risk. Attacks are better part of the teams, both side tend to play attacking football and it would be a big surprise if we see just one or two goals.
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World Cup Qualifiers and English League action

It really is a big weekend for France and the Republic of Ireland. They face each other in a World Cup play off – the winner of which over the two legs will take one of the last four European spots at next summers tournament. The first leg takes place in Ireland on November 14, the second in France on the 18th. There are real problems in the French camp with boss Raymond Domenech under immense pressure to success, while in Ireland the mood is bright and they believe they have a good chance to make it next summer.

The French have a much stronger squad, of that there is little doubt, but they are without star man Franck Ribery due to injury. In their qialifying campaign the Irish were unbeaten and were within a whisker of beating Italy before a last gasp equaliser ensured a point for the Italians in Ireland. This is a big call, but I think the Irish might just nick it at home. I’m not sure they’ll come out on top over two legs but with their fans behind them and some real belief they can do it at home, at 3.3 (9/4) they definitely seem worth a nibble to me.

Russia and Slovenia meet in their own World Cup play-off (same dates as the Ireland V France ties) and in a slightly less ambitious call I reckon the Russian’s will easily win at home on Saturday. Slovenia impressed in their qualification campaign and were just beaten to the top-spot in the group by Slovakia but I can’t see them getting anything in Russia. At 1.39 (2/5) you won’t see a massive return on your investment but it looks a pretty safe bet to me.

My final pick comes from the English League One where high-flying Colchester take on Exeter. The game is at Colchester and I reckon the home side will take this one with ease. Colchester have won six of their seven games at home and have lost just once, while Exeter have picked up just four points on their travels this season. You would expect Colchester to be heavy favourites but I actually think the odds on the Colchester win of 1.65 (4/6) are pretty good and they’re definitely worth some consideration.

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer promoting horse racing tips and the Grand National 2010 for Betfair.

Wales vs. Scotland

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

This is one of the oldest international footballing rivals in the world as both Scotland and Wales have a long history of playing each other dating all the way back to 25 March 1876 in Glasgow. Scotland was victorious that day with 4-0 and since then Scotland have beaten Wales 60 times out of 103 outings. Wales won 20 times while 23 resulted in a draw. The 104 meeting between Wales and Scotland will be played in the Cardiff City Stadium.

Wales Coach John Toshack has to re-adjust his squad after Manchester City striker Bellamy, Aston Villa defender Collins, West Ham's Collison, Blackpool's David Vaughan and Fulham's Davies have all withdrawn with injuries. Toshack has called up Earnshaw, Joe Allen and Darcy Blake while Cardiff City right-back Adam Matthews and St Mirren midfielder Andy Dorman could deputize against Scotland. Rookie Swansea City Under-19 goalkeeper David Cornell was surprised to be called up to replace injured Hull City keeper Boaz Myhill. Wales looks likely to put forward a team of second string but Toshack will certainly make sure his players are geared up for the challenge.

Scotland, under George Burley, have improved and slowly finding their stride in the European stages despite missing out of the qualification to the World Cup finals. Burley knows that Scotland have the potential as the selection of Scottish players have become more competitive and fiercest over the past year. Scotland will travel to Cardiff City Stadium without Rangers duo Kevin Thomson and Steven Whittaker and Burley has replaced them with Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam and Birmingham’s James McFadden.

On paper it might just look like a friendly match but once these two teams get on the field, there will be no love lost between them. Last time these two teams met Rob Earnshaw’s hat trick provide Wales rumbling Scotland 4-0 in the Millennium Stadium in February 2004. Scotland are weak favorites as they have been playing well under George Burley and they could revenge for their defeat incurred to them 5 years ago.

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Brazil vs. England

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

A friendly might be the last thing on some of the players who are guaranteed to go to the World Cup next summer in South Africa. Both Brazilian Coach Dunga and England Coach Capello wanted to test a few more players out before the summer tournament starts. Both teams have already qualified so it will be an anxious wait for the World Cup draws in the beginning of next month. Apart from that, there is this international friendly to get past first.

Brazil Head Coach Dunga will not be taking this match lightly as he named a strong 24-man party to face England. He has taken a number of Brazil’s English-based players like Manchester City Robinho, Liverpool’s duo Fabio Aurelio and Luca while the several star players like Kaka, Daniel Alves, Luis Fabiano, Lucio, Diego and Hulk. Dunga has given a call up to Palermo Fabio Simplicio to replace thigh injury Benfica Rameries. Brazil is also contesting with Roma to release injured pair Doni and Juan.

Coach Fabio Capello has taken the opportunity to call up Sunderland striker, Darren Bent, Stephen Warnock and Tom Huddlestone to replace injured players to Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Aaron Lennon and Carlton Cole. Another name missing from the English squad is David Beckham as he will miss the friendly after his team, LA Galaxy, reached the Major League Soccer Western Conference Final. Surprisingly, Capello have decided not to include former Liverpool players, Michael Owen and David James for the trip to Doha.

No matter what the outcome of this match, it will be one of those games that will give us a flavor of what will be coming this summer. England could find themselves trying out a few new players in Doha but expect a strong Brazilian team as Dunga does not like losing. Last time it ended 1-1 in Wembley stadium and a draw this time won’t suit the occasion.

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Real Madrid - Alcorcon

Even though the best teams in Spain don’t care too much about Copa del Rey, not only will Real Madrid try to win the game but to humiliate the opponents if possible. They simply need to show a response after the 4:0 defeat in the first leg. To concede four goals to a third division side is an embarrassment for any Primera team let alone Real Madrid that boast some of the best players in the world.

One of the biggest clubs in the world were humiliated two weeks ago and they now need to make amends. It seems as though Kaka and Van Nilsterooy will start and possibly Higuain. Even though Pellegrini doesn’t count on several players from one reason or another, he’s got more than enough quality players at his disposal. Guti’s been on the fringes for a while, whereas Benzema, Casillas, Alonso, Drenthe and Metzelder are also out. Ronaldo remains sidelined, while Ramos is suspended after picking up a red card against Atletico. Almost entire team will be watching the game from the stands but if Real cannot overturn the deficit against the third division side even with their second string side, then Copa del Rey is the least of their problems.
Real players looked completely indifferent in the first leg, which was something the hosts knew how to exploit and record a memorable win. It seems that the defeat acted as a wake-up call and the team haven’t lost since. Los Merengues defeated bitter rivals Atletico last weekend in what was a very tensed affair. They almost squandered the three-goal lead after Sergio Ramos was sent off and had to settle for a 3:2 win.

What can I say about a side from Spanish third division? To be honest, I hadn’t even heard of them before they were paired with Real in Copa del Rey. That would have probably not changed if it hadn’t been for the now famous match from two weeks ago. They are sitting six points clear of Real B in the third division but are far from the top of the standings. The win over Real was definitely the most important event in their history but we are yet to see if they can remain under the spotlight for a bit longer. We have no doubts they will give their best in this match and try to extend the Copa del Rey run, and the first match showed they weren’t afraid of all Real stars.

The bookies are offering pretty big margins for Asian handicap. Real remain the favourites to go through but they will be under a heavy pressure and missing plenty of first team players. The visitors will be looking to score at least one goal on the break and they look likely to succeed. I believe Real will go through and score at least five goals but it is much safer betting on over 4.5 goals than backing the hosts to beat a high handicap. The pitch at Santiago Bernabeu is much bigger than the one at Alcorcon and that will help the hosts a great deal.
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Hoffenheim - Wolfsburg highlight

1-0 Ibisevic 23'


1-1 Misimovic 52'


1-2 Grafite 57'

Sportsbook Betting Preview – November 9-12

After a busy sportsbook weekend, online betting players really don’t have much time to catch their breath as the action kicks off this week with some Monday night football betting, and there’s always action on the ice and the hardwood to get you by until the weekend.

Monday Night Football Betting

Steelers vs Broncos odds (Monday, 8:30 PM ET) are backing Pittsburgh on the road by 2.5 points, and the Steelers are coming off a bye week while Denver lost their first game of the year to Pittsburgh’s AFC North rivals, Baltimore. Then, the Thursday action begins this week as Bears vs 49ers odds (Thursday, 8:20 PM ET) favor San Francisco at home by a field goal, and both are coming off losses. The way these teams have looked of late, the NFL odds of neither team looks that promising for the rest of the year.

NBA Betting

Nuggets vs Bulls odds (Tuesday, 8:00 PM ET) will see Denver trying to halt a two-game skid as they continue a lengthy road trip, while the young Bulls have won three in a row and should be sportsbook favorites at home.

Cavaliers vs Magic odds (Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET) features a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, and the Magic should be favored at home as Cleveland is off to a slow start to their campaign as online betting favorites in the East.

For Thursday’s televised doubleheader, there is no shortage of stars when it comes to Cavaliers vs Heat odds (8:00 PM ET) or Suns vs Lakers odds (10:30 PM ET). In the first game, Cleveland’s LeBron James and Miami’s Dwyane Wade will have the spotlight on them, but remember: Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal helped Wade and the Heat to the title in 2006. In the late game, the top two teams in the Pacific conference will take the court, with the focus on Phoenix’s Steve Nash and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, both former MVP winners.

NHL Betting

Thursday is a big night for sportsbook players on the ice, particularly in the Atlantic Division as Thrashers vs Rangers odds (7:00 PM ET) get it started in New York. Philadelphia are trying to keep pace in the division, and Senators vs Flyers odds (7:00 PM ET) should back them at home. Finally, the division leaders from New Jersey and Pittsburgh wrap up the action, and Devils vs Penguins odds (7:30 PM ET) should favor Sidney Crosby and company at home as you go to make your betting picks.