Sports Betting Preview – November 20-22

It’s another busy sports betting weekend for players of all types, as there is action on the professional and college gridiron, likewise on the hardcourt. There is also action on the ice rink and the racetrack, where history is likely to be made.

NFL Odds

Colts vs Ravens odds (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET): The Ravens are a 1.5-point favorite to end the Colts’ winning streak at 18 games, and Indianapolis have won their last three games by a combined eight points.

Saints vs Buccaneers odds (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET): The Saints are the other unbeaten team left in the NFL, and they’re 11-point sports betting favorites against the lowly Bucs, who have been showing signs of life.

Chargers vs Broncos odds (Sunday, 4:15 PM ET): There are no lines out for this game that is for the lead in the AFC West, due to an injury to Denver pivot Kyle Orton, which means Chris Simms may have to start for the Broncos.

NCAA Football Odds

Ohio State vs Michigan odds (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET): The Buckeyes are 12-point road favorites in your sportsbook to win their sixth straight over their bitter Big Ten rivals, and they’ve already clinched their spot in the Rose Bowl, which means they could be ripe for the Wolverines.

LSU vs Ole Miss odds (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET): The Rebels are 4.5-point home favorites to end their SEC rivals’ BCS hopes, but last year’s 31-13 win was only their third in 10 games against LSU.

California vs Stanford odds (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET): The Cardinal, who may be the hottest team in the nation, are 7.5-point home sports betting favorites against the Golden Bears, who have won six of their last seven against Stanford.

NBA Odds

Magic vs Celtics odds (Friday, 8:00 PM ET): This is the Magic’s first trip back to Boston since eliminating the Celtics in Game 7 of their playoff series last year, so the revenge factor, combined with a missing Jameer Nelson for Orlando, have made Boston 6.5-point sports betting favorites.

NCAA Basketball Odds

Syracuse vs North Carolina odds (Friday, 7:00 PM ET): This final game in the 2K Sports Classic is a pick’em between two very good teams that haven’t met since November 21, 1987, which was a 96-93 overtime win for UNC. The Tar Heels have also won nine in a row on neutral courts, so take that into account when making your sports picks.

Oklahoma vs VCU odds (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET): The Sooners should be road favorites after beating the Rams 81-70 at home last year, but VCU has been a Tournament team recently.

NASCAR Odds

Jimmie Johnson is the favorite in the season-ending Ford 400 (Sunday, 3:15 PM ET), but he needs only a 25^th-place finish to win his record fourth straight title. He’s never won at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he won’t push it, which is why he won’t be in many internet betting picks this week.

Grenoble - Lyon

Now when we know all the participants of the World Cup in South Africa, we can go back to our usual pace. Domestic championships are again in focus and I chose the match from France that seems very interesting. According to Ligue 1 odds the hot relegation favourite and the main title contenders meet.

Already after the first quarter of the season were labeled as Ligue 2 designators and nothing has changed since. The only difference is that they finally picked up their first point, which won’t help much. They lost the first 11 matches, thus proving that they don’t belong in this league. Only in 12th match did they manage to snatch a point, after they avoided defeat in Monaco. Even that was a miracle, as it was the first time they managed to keep a clean sheet and no one even expects the attack to score anymore. They scored only five goals in 12 matches and with the weakest defense in the league their rock-bottom position is no surprise.
They have injury problems too, so it might serve them as an excuse. Many players are out for this match and the weak team don't have adequate replacements, so it is clear that they have nothing to hope for against. Boya and Ljuboja, regular strikers are out and another five or six regular starters will also miss the match. Even with the strongest squad, they wouldn't stand a chance, but this way the situation is hopeless.

Lyon too have injury problems, but they have a much better and deeper bench than the hosts, so there is no difference on the pitch when few players are out. Planic and Boumsong are doubtful, but the biggest problems lie in defense, where Reveiller and Clerc won't play; fortunately, the home side are not able to score even against much weaker teams. The visitors have secured their place in the Champions League next stage, so the upcoming match against Fiorentina won’t be of much significance.
Lyon are far ahead of Grenoble, quality and form wise, so anything but an away win will be a huge surprise. Lyon confirmed their quality in the Champions League matches, especially against Liverpool. They drew a spectacular game against Marseille 5:5 and defense sometimes happens to fail completely. Still, I believe that home side attack is too week and having in mind the strength of Lyon's strikers, the visitors will undoubtedly record a convincing win.

Tradition absolutely favours Lyon. Few seasons ago these two teams met in the cup and last season in the league. Lyon won all matches easily, without even conceding a goal. And I should also mention that Lyon weren’t impressive in the league. I again expect a clean sheet from Lyon. That is why I think Asian handicap is a good option. My choice is -1 Asian handicap but if you are apt for a higher risk, try a bigger handicap. Visiting attack should easily score two or three goals.
Bet 7 on Lyon to beat -1 Asian handicap at 1.88 at Bet365

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Napoli - Lazio

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

This is a make it or break it match for Lazio Manager Davide Ballardini as his time at Lazio is on borrowed time. Lazio’s last five games resulted in 3 defeats and 2 draws, this is certainly not the way how Lazio fans wanted their team to continue if they don’t mind getting relegated. Napoli are mid table and they are progressing better than their opponent.

Napoli have improved their situation after the departure of Robert Donadoni in early October. Their current manager, Mazzarri, has reformed the squad now full of confidence and motivation after being undefeated. Napoli are a strong home team so they will be looking to get that three points and get themselves into the top half of the Serie A. Mazzarri will be without Fabinao Santacroce as he is ruled out while Salvatore Aronica is suspended.

Lazio went from good to worse over night and maybe it is too late for Davide Ballardini to save his job at Lazio. However, if he could get a victory at Napoli, then the team might just pick up themselves up again and give it a good run. He will have to travel to Napoli without Sebastiano Siviglia, Ousmane Dabo, Albano Bizzarri and Riccardo Perpetuini. This could be a tough tie for Lazio but if Tommaso Tocchi could repeat his double goal win against Napoli last season, then there is still hope. Napoli are favourites to beat Lazio. If this happens, then Lazio could slump further side in the Serie A and Davide Ballardini departure could be announce even after the match. Napoli are currently on a high and they have set a target to get Champions League spot. It will be tough to break the Napoli spirit while Lazio will find it tough to shrug off pressure off the pitch.

Read the report on Bettingexpert.com called “A betting report for the 2008/2009 season“ and the tipsters might be able to help you decide where you want to bet.
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Premier League & English Football betting tips

The Premier League and Championship return this weekend after a break last week for the World Cup play-offs and international fixtures. It will probably have been a very long two weeks for Hull City boss Phil Brown. Many expected the Tigers to be beaten last time out but their victory over Stoke gifted him a stay of execution. Hull welcome fellow strugglers West Ham to the KC Stadium and I think the visitors will come out on top in this one. Hull didn’t play particularly well against Stoke but managed to come away with a win, while West Ham have perhaps played better through the course of the season than their position in the league suggests. At 2.62 (13/8) the odds on the Hammers taking all three points look pretty attractive and well worth a nibble from my point of view.

In the Championship Leicester face Plymouth at the Walkers stadium and the home win looks the best bet in my opinion. Leicester have a decent home record and are among the chasing pack at the top of the table, while Plymouth just can’t seem to get it together on their travels (though they did pull off an upset with victory at Middlesbrough a few weeks ago). At 1.75 (8/11) they’re not the best odds in the world but it should be a fairly safe bet.

I’m going to stay in the Championship for the final one of my betting tips as I think I’ve picked out a decent fixture. High-flyers QPR have a better record on their travels than they do at Loftus Road and they travel to Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium. Donny are draw specialists at home and have only been beaten once but I still think QPR have the quality to take all three points. The London club are on a bit of a roll at the moment having won four of their last six and their quality should show when they travel to Doncaster on Saturday. The visitors are available at 2.42 (7/5), which looks a decent price to me.


Written by Gareth Freeman, promoting horse racing Ireland for Betfair.

Livorno - Genoa

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

A tale of two cities between Livorno and Genoa, both teams started out well this season but only Genoa have maintain the good form. Livorno are finding Serie A a bit tough but the much needed International break could give them the time to prepare for tie against Genoa. Livorno needs points and they need it quick.

Livorno manager Serse Cosmi can be either the great or a failure and his days are numbered if he does not get his team out of the relegation zone. They are 3rd last in the Serie A with 9 points, tied with Atalanta, and 2 points away from Lazio. Livorno President Aldo Spinelli is planning to sell striker Cristiano Lucarelli to raise funds when the January transfer window opens. Nelson Rivas, Mirko Pieri and Romano Perticone and Francesco Tavano are all ruled out for this tie while Cristian Raimondi is suspended.

Genoa cannot complain much about their season so far. They are currently 6th in the Serie A and still involved in Europe. Although, they know they can do better and a surging charge after the International break is on manager Gian Piero Gasperini. He will be happy to know that most of his key first team squad members are fit to travel to Livorno this Sunday. However, he will be without Bosko Jankovic, Ivan Juric and Houssine Kharja who are ruled out with long term injury while Omar Milanetto is suspended. The man everyone will be watching on the Genoa team is Raffaele Palladino who was called up for the Italian national squad during the break.
Genoa have a good track record at Livorno as they have taken a point from Livorno for the past three seasons. A point for Genoa is already given and a win will depend on the team’s strength when attacking. Livorno player, Antonio Candreva, made a full debut last week for Italy and his confidence boost could give that extra energy and leadership Livorno are looking for. At the end of the day, Genoa are still favourites to take three points and at least a point for starter.

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Bosnia and Herzegowina - Portugal

We saw a very interesting and a combative affair when these teams met few days ago. Even though my pick over 2.5 goals was wrong, you could see the game didn’t lack chances. The Bosnians deserved at least a draw but were very unlucky in the final third. They have hit the woodwork on no less than three occasions and can be satisfied not to have conceded more considering the chances the hosts created. Even though my pick was not the winning one last weekend, I still believe this is one of the better football picks in midweek.

Bosnian players, fans and journalists were not blaming just luck for the defeat but also the hosts. They claim the players have been harassed when crossing the border, while the organizers were rude to visiting fans and journalists. Some players even claim to have been racially abused by stewards on the pitch. If we know that the return leg is played in Zenica, then the Portuguese will have the chance to feel what it’s like when all hell break loose. The fans in Zenica are famous for their fanaticism and for creating a hot atmosphere, even when their team do not play an important match. I expect them to be especially hostile when hosting Portugal and Bosnia can profit from this.
Even though they were unlucky not to come away with something from the first leg, I have to say they were far from impressive. Portugal took control of the match and could have easily won the game by a bigger margin. It was evident Bosnia defence struggled to contain wingers Nani and Simao, especially when full-backs Ibricic and Salihovic failed to close them down. The good thing is Bosnia are a big threat at set-pieces. They created most of their chances by hooking long balls at Dzeko and Ibisevic, and I expect them to adopt similar approach, while the midfield players should help more in attack. We could all see that Bosnia had no problems getting to the opponent’s box when they attack.
Boss Ciro Blazevic is missing defensive players Spahic, Rahimic and Muratovic but it is attack that needs to win thus match. Bosnia are bound to concede but the question is if they can score enough.

Portugal were also far from impressive and it turned out I was right when suggesting that Bosnia stood a chance of winning this tie. Carlos Queiroz has to find a way for his team to improve or their luck could change and Bosnia could compensate for all those missed chances in the first leg. The visitors are in for a difficult task and they should expect a lot of provocations from the home players as well as fans. They are probably used to it by now since they are practicing it themselves, and I don’t think that will be a problem. Queiroz will probably instruct his side to put the ball to the ground and slow the tempo as much as possible. The visitors won’t risk anything but rather try to hurt the hosts on the break. Even without Ronaldo, Portugal showed they had wingers capable of causing Bosnia all sorts of troubles. Unlike the hosts, they have absolutely no problems regarding team selection and I expect to see the same line-up that started the first leg. Even though the Portuguese were far from their best in the first leg, they still have big chance to go through. They can now allow the opponents to take the control while waiting for their chance to hurt Bosnia’s shaky defence. I am sure they will know how to use it to their advantage.

We didn’t see a lot of goals in the first leg but this looks likely to change. I believe the visitors will score, thus over 2.5 goals is a very good choice. Nevertheless, I will opt for away win this time. Portugal are set to have more than enough space up front and there’s no way Bosnia will play another low-scoring game. You can try with online betting on away win or over 2.5 goals as a back-up. Both sets of odds are over 2.00 and at least one of them is a wining one, if not both.
Bet 8 on away win at 2.40 at Bet365

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Online Betting Preview – November 16-19

Sports betting players are being swarmed by NFL odds as the second Thursday nighter of the season takes place this weekend, and as usual, there is an assortment of NBA odds, NHL odds, as well as college action in football and basketball.

NFL Odds

Ravens vs Browns odds (Monday, 8:30 PM ET): Baltimore is a massive 11-point sports betting favorite against the lowly Browns, who are in complete disarray on and off the field.
Dolphins vs Panthers odds (Thursday, 8:20 PM ET): The Panthers are a 3-point sports betting favorite at home against the Dolphins, who may be without Ronnie Brown, the star of their Wildcat formation.

NCAA Football Odds

Colorado vs Oklahoma State odds (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET): The No.12 Cowboys will be favored by 15.5 points in your online betting book while facing the Buffaloes, who are 0-5 away from home so far this year.

NBA Odds

Heat vs Hawks odds (Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET): Atlanta should be favored at home in your sports betting book in this rematch of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series from last year which went seven games.

NCAA Basketball Odds

Syracuse vs California odds (Thursday, 7:00 PM ET): The No.24 Orangemen kick off the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden against the No.12 Golden Bears. Cal is ranked higher, but Syracuse may have home-court advantage given the proximity to New York City.
North Carolina vs Ohio State odds (Thursday, 9:00 PM ET): In the late-game action at MSG, the No.4 Tar Heels will go up against the No.15 Buckeyes, who should be the sports betting underdogs in your book.

NHL Odds

Flyers vs Kings odds (Wednesday, 10:30 PM ET): The Kings have been one of the surprises of the early NHL season, and Anze Kopitar is at the top of the NHL fantasy picks as he paces the league in scoring. The Kings should be favored at home against the Flyers, who had a five –game winning streak snapped Saturday in a home loss to Buffalo. Both of these teams are in the top 10 in terms of goals scored this year, so check your sportsbook for the posted total.

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.