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Thursday, August 30, 2012

2012-13 Champions League Group Stage Draw

Premier League holders Manchester City have received the toughest draw, facing Real Madrid, Ajax, and Borussia Dortmund.

Defending Champions Chelsea have some work to do as well, as the Blues will play Juventus, with Shaktar Donetesk a tough task as well, and little FC Nordsjaelland completing the group.

Barcelona have drawn Iberian neighbours Benfica, as well as having to travel across Europe to face Spartak Moscow, and Scottish side Celtic.

Arsenal will play German side Schalke, French Champions Montpellier, and Greek team Olympiakos.

Finally, Manchester United appear to have receive a favourable draw with two of their opponents being sides that had to go through qualification, with Portoguese side Braga, Turkish team Galatasaray and Romanians CFR Cluj.

Champions League groups:

Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris St Germain, Dinamo Zagreb

Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiakos, Montpellier

Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga

Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund

Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, FC Nordsjaelland

Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov

Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic

Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, CFR Cluj


The first Chmapions League group games will be played on September 19-20th.

BETONLINE : 50% Sportsbook Free Play Bonus up to $900

Bet NFL at BetOnline

From now till September 6th - Offshore Sportsbook BetOnline are offering all players who deposit a 50% free play bonus up to $900 instead of the normal 25% up to $900.


This bonus is valid for all new and existing sports betting players who have not deposited at BetOnline in the last 30 days.

This great new limited offer bonus is a great way to start the NFL and NCAA football betting season.

Get your 50% Sportsbook Free Play Bonus up to $900 at BetOnline

Sunday, August 19, 2012

LADBROKES : Hat Trick Hero Bet and Get Freebie offer

Top UK bookmaker Ladbrokes are offering a tempting little bonus to the Top Premier League Goalscorer bet.
 
If you place a £10+ bet on the "Top Premier League Goalscorer" market then you will receive a free bet from Ladbrokes to the same stake each time your selected player scores a Premier League hat-trick during the 2012/13 season.
 
Featured on our Sports Betting cash backs page on the main site :
 

Terms and Conditions

  • Maximum free bet available is £50 per player.
  • Open to all new and existing online and mobile Ladbrokes

Saturday, August 18, 2012

NCAAF : USC Trojans take #1 spot in pre-season poll

The USC Trojans are #1 in the AP Top 25, tossing off the weight of NCAA sanctions and returning to a familiar place in the rankings.

USC earned the top spot in The Associated Press' preseason college football poll for the seventh time in school history and the first time in five seasons, edging out #2 Alabama and #3 LSU.

The Trojans, who were banned from postseason play the past two seasons, received 25 of a possible 60 first-place votes from a media panel in a close vote. USC received 1,445 points.

Defending national champion Alabama had 17 first-place votes and 1,411 points while LSU, the Crimson Tide's SEC rival, got 16 first-place votes and 1,402 points.

Oklahoma was fourth with a single first-place vote and Oregon was fifth. Michigan, at No. 8, received the only other first-place vote.

Full AP Top 25 Rankings

1 USC
2 Alabama
3 LSU
4 Oklahoma
5 Oregon
6 Georgia
7 Florida State
8 Michigan
9 South Carolina
10 Arkansas
11 West Virginia
12 Wisconsin
13 Michigan State
14 Clemson
15 Texas
16 Virginia Tech
17 Nebraska
18 Ohio State
19 Oklahoma State
20 TCU
21 Stanford
22 Kansas State
23 Florida
24 Boise State
25 Louisville

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

BOVADA.LV : 50% Sports Betting Welcome Bonus

Bovada.lv sportsbook has updated their sports betting welcome bonus in preparation for the upcoming NFL and NCAA football season!

Starting today, August 15th, new signups to Bovada.lv will benefit from a 50% Free Bet up to $250 in the sportsbook on their initial deposit.

To receive your sign up bonus all you have to do is register an account, and deposit into your Bovada account and instantly receive a 50% Free Bet bonus up to $250. Once your deposit is processed, your bonus will be available for wagering within 30 minutes.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

- This Free Bet bonus is based on your FIRST DEPOSIT only; you cannot make multiple initial deposits.

- You may use your Free Bet on any sport, wager type and odds.

- The rollover* is 3X Sports on both the initial deposit and Free Bet amount.

- The Free Bet will expire after 30 days from initial deposit.

- Free Bet winnings only (not risk amount) are issued as a bonus.

NOTES

* RollOver means that your total online sports betting action must meet the amount deposited, including the bonus. So a $500 deposit gets a $250 bonus bet - and this means that you must bet 3 x $750 = $2250 in sports betting actioin before requesting a withdrawal.

If you redeem the bonus and lose with it, the bonus amount will still be deducted before requesting a payout unless the rollover requirements have been met - so taking the bonus means playing the bankroll a few times.

If a withdrawal is made before the bonus terms are met, all bonus funds AS WELL as any money earned by wagering the bonus will be forfeited.


BOVADA.LV accepts US players for Sports Betting, Online Casino and Poker play

Sunday, August 12, 2012

FOOTBALL : Man City beat Chelsea 3-2 to lift Community Shield

Manchester City held off a late surge from 10-man Chelsea to lift the Community Shield with a 3-2 win at Villa Park.

Three goals in 12 minutes early in the second half from Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri ensured the Premier League champions came from a goal down to lead 3-1 and eventually win the season's traditional curtain-raiser in a quality game.

Fernando Torres had given Chelsea the lead shortly before half-time only for Roberto Di Matteo's side to lose the initiative when Branislav Ivanovic was sent off for a rash tackle on Aleksandar Kolarov moments later.

Ryan Bertand gave Chelsea hope with 10 minutes remaining but City clung on to lift their second trophy of 2012.

COMMUNITY SHIELD FINAL SCORE :
Chelsea 2 (Torres 40, Bertrand 80)
Man City 3 (Toure Yaya 53, Tevez 59, Nasri 65)

Saturday, August 11, 2012

OLYMPICS : Mexico shock Brazil to win football gold medal

Mexico stunned favourites Brazil 2-1 to win the men's Olympic football gold medal at Wembley Stadium.

Oribe Peralta opened the scoring for Mexico after just 32 seconds, scoring from the edge of the 18-yard box, and midway through the second half Fabian Marco hit the Brazil crossbar to come close before a completely unmarked Peralta headed his second goal from a free-kick with just 15 minutes left.

Brazil who were aiming to win the football gold medal for the first time, pulled a goal back through Hulk in injury-time, before Oscar headed wide when well positioned.

Friday, August 10, 2012

FOOTBALL : BetVictor offer free EPL treble bet

BetVictor are prepared to get your English Premier League football betting season off to a good start by offering a free treble bet on the SECOND weekend of the season.

To qualify for the free treble bet at BetVictor all you have to do is place a Treble on the OPENING Weekend of the Premier League and get a FREE treble on the following week's Premier League matches.

Terms and Conditions

1. Offer applies to your first Treble only in the Match Odds market (1x2) across the opening set of fixtures in the Barclays Premier League, Aug 18-Aug 20, inclusive.

2. Max Free Bet stake is £/€50 per person or household.

3. Pre-event bets only will count. Bets placed on the Live (IR) part of the website will not be counted.

4. Offer is open to new and existing customers.


Check the FREE Premier League Treble Bet offer at BetVictor now.

OLYMPICS : Germany beat Brazil to win mens Volleyball GOLD medal

Germany stunned world champions Brazil to take gold in the men's Beach Volleyball as they became the first European team to win the Olympic Games title.

Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann won by two sets to one, 23-21 16-21 16-14, but it took them five match points to settle the contest.

It meant there was no fairytale for Brazil's Emanuel Rego - the 39-year-old who won gold at Athens 2004 and bronze at Beijing 2008 and was competing in his fifth Olympic Games - and Alison Cerutti.

Latvia's Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins took bronze - their country's first medal of London 2012 - in a surprise 2-1 victory over Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands.

---

Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won gold in the all-American final of the women's Beach Volleyball at Horse Guards Parade.

The duo claimed their third consecutive Olympic Games title after they defeated number six seeds Jennifer Kessy and April Ross in straight sets.

SPACE : Paddy Power offers bets on Martian Life

As NASA's Curiosity Rover begins it’s trip on the Martian surface, Irish betting firm Paddy Power are taking bets on whether the $2.5-billion science probe will find conclusive evidence of past life on the Red Planet.

Paddy Power are offering short odds of 5/6 (1.83) that Curiosity will indeed be successful in finding evidence of past life on Mars before the end of 2020. However, proof of intelligent life being found is considered a far less likely 20/1 shot according to their odds.

Will NASA's Curiosity Rover prove past life on Mars?

>> 5/6 Yes
>> 5/6 No

(Applies to proof of any organism existing on Mars. Must be confirmed by NASA by the end of 2020)

--------------------


Click picture for full sized version

Will NASA's Curiosity Rover prove past intelligent life on Mars?

>> 20/1 Yes
>> 1/80 No

(Applies to proof of any extra-terrestrial intelligent life on Mars. Must be confirmed by NASA by the end of 2020)

Note - that the picture to the right is not proof - it's fake :-)

-------------------
In other extra-terrestrial betting news, USA remains the 4/1 favourite, ahead of both Russia and China, to be the first country to establish direct ‘first contact’ with an intelligent alien civilisation.

Which country will have first contact?

4/1 USA
5/1 Russia
5/1 China
7/1 Finland
8/1 Sweden
14/1 Canada
14/1 UK
16/1 France
20/1 Brazil
20/1 Spain
20/1 Australia
20/1 Germany
25/1 Ireland
25/1 South Africa

A spokesperson from Paddy Power said “We’ve been inundated with requests over the past 48-hours for betting on whether the Curiosity Rover proves past life on Mars. It may be just wishful thinking but 100% of all bets placed so far have been on a positive outcome.”

Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker and a leading provider of gaming services in the UK, Australia, France, Canada, Italy and Ireland. Founded in 1988 Paddy Power is a publicly quoted company and is listed on both the Irish and London Stock Exchanges

Saturday, August 04, 2012

FRIENDLY ROUND-UP : Chelsea, Villa, West Ham struggle to get pre-season started.

Chelsea's pre-season continued with a 3-1 defeat to Brighton.

Frank Lampard gave Chelsea the lead in the first half after he finished a Ramires cross before the hosts struck back after 36 minutes through Vicente.

An error from Raul Meireles let in Will Buckley and although Petr Cech saved his effort, Giles Barnes was on hand to put the south-coast side 2-1 up, before Andrew Crofts sealed the victory late in the second half as the Blues slipped to their third defeat of pre-season.

---
Championship side Nottingham Forest recorded a 3-1 win over Premier League club Aston Villa at the City Ground.

After a goalless first half, Lewis McGugan netted from the edge of the area after 71 minutes to put the home side in front before captain for the day Barry Bannan equalised for Villa with a free-kick two minutes later.

Marcus Tudgay was on target after 77 minutes to put Forest back in front before McGugan rounded off the scoring with five minutes left.

---
West Ham travelled to Ipswich and suffered another defeat, their 4th of the pre-season.

West Ham fell behind after 15 minutes when Michael Chopra netted from the spot for Ipswich Town. Summer signing from Nottingham Forest Luke Chambers put the hosts two goals up four minutes later with a header.

Matt Taylor pulled one back for the visitors after 73 minutes with a long range effort, but Jason Scotland sealed a 3-1 win for the Suffolk side seven minutes from time.

---
West Brom needed a late equaliser from Peter Odemwingie to salvage a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday.

The hosts took the lead through Nejc Pecnik after 34 minutes with a cross-cum-shot which looped over Ben Foster before the Nigerian international scored in the 88th minute.
---
Premier League newcomers Reading drew 2-2 at Bournemouth.

Adrian Mariappa headed home a Nicky Shorey free-kick before the Cherries equalised through Wes Thomas, who converted a Matt Tubbs cross.

Hal Robson-Kanu put the visitors in front from the penalty spot but Miles Addison rescued a draw for the home side.
---
Meanwhile the other Premier League new boys, Southampton, beat last season's top flight basement boys Wolves 2-0 at St Mary's.

Saints took a first half lead when Billy Sharp converted an Adam Lallana cross for his fourth goal of pre-season, before Jason Puncheon doubled the lead midway through the second half when he drove into the net from the edge of the area.

---
Sunderland followed up a 1-0 pre-season defeat to Hartlepool with a 0-2 loss against Helsingborg in Sweden.

After a goalless first half the hosts took the lead after Alfreo Finnbogason's strike hit the post then rebounded off goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and into the net.

The Helsignborg lead was doubled after 73 minutes when a low strike eight yards out by May Mahlangu went under the Belgian.

COMMUNITY SHIELD : Chelsea v Man City at Villa Park

The traditional opener to the English football season kicks off next Sunday at Villa Park with the big money clubs Manchester City taking on Chelsea in the FA Community Shield.

The traditional curtain raiser for the new English football season will take place in Birmingham as the Olympic football final is being played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.


TRANSFER ACTION

Manchester City have been basking in the glow of their first Premier League title it seems, with no names coming in, and only Wayne Bridge and Owen Hargraves departing. The expected lead stories at Eastlands about Carlos Tevez, Mario Ballotelli and of course the potential capture of Robin Van Persie's signature have failed to occur.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have signed Eden Hazard (and his little brother), Marki Martin and Brazilian Oscar while releasing Jose Bosingawa, Salomon Kalu and seeing Didier Drogba leave on a free.


RECENT FORM

Pre-season form is a complete waste of time as both clubs have trapsed around the world playing exhibition matches using a wide variety of players with most of the international players involved in Euro2012 taking an extended break.

Both sides played friendly games on Saturday 4th of August, with Manchester City beating Wolfsburg 2-0 with goals from Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, while Chelsea were beaten 1-3 by Brighton - Frank Lampard getting Chelsea's goal.


Meanwhile a look at recent league matches between these two clubs shows that the results have been evenly split in the last two seasons, with both teams using home advantage to win their home fixtures.

2011-12 Head to Head Results
Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City

2010-11 Head to Head Results
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea.


WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN ?
Chelsea were a little off the pace last season domestically, finishing 5th in the league with much of that put down to the inability of young manager Andre Villa-Boas to control a dressing room full of stars with big paypackets and even bigger egos.

The Blues did win the Champions League of course, with new manager Roberto Di Matteo coming in and creating a solid defensive platform that relied a lot on counter attacks and Didier Drogba upfont.

But it seemed to me that Manchester City looked at stronger side over the course of the season, and a when I look over the two squads, I feel that City have youth and talent in depth.

Those prices of 2.30+ for a Manchester City win in 90 minutes look good to me.

Best Betting Prices :
Chelsea to win at 3.28 at Pinnacle, 3.20 at BetVictor, and 3.10 at Bet365
Draw at 90 minutes at 3.50 at Pinnacle, and 3.40 at BetFred
Man City to win at 2.34 at Pinnacle, 2.30 at BetVictor, and 2.30 at Bet365

Friday, August 03, 2012

FOOTBALL : Liverpool and Inter Milan win Europa League first-leg matches

Liverpool and Inter Milan had winning starts in qualifying action in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Stewart Downing scored the only goal of the goame for Liverpool as the Premier League team struggled to beat Gomel of Belarus 1-0 in Brendan Rodgers' first competitive match as Reds manager.

Inter Milan was a 3-0 winner at Hajduk Split in the first leg of the third qualifying round. Wesley Sneijder opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and Yuto Nagatomo and Philippe Coutinho added goals.

FC Twente (2-0), Hannover 96 (3-0) and SC Heerenveen (4-0) all established good leads. The second legs take place on 9 August.

UEFA.com has all 29 third round results here.