Bayern hopes to start new run against Wolfsburg
Soccer Betting Lines
01/27/2012 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich opened the second half of the Bundesliga season the way it opened the first half, with a loss. But after the setback to Monchengladbach in August, Bayern became invincible.
Well, at least for a stretch of 13 matches.
Bayern turned its season-opening 1-0 loss to Gladbach into the spark for a big streak of 12 successive shutouts in all competitions, including a 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League.
At the time, Bayern entered the conversation with Barcelona as one of the best club's in Europe. But since the unbeaten streak was snapped, Bayern has proven it is still mortal.
After its latest loss to Gladbach, 3-1, last weekend, the pressure is on for a second streak, and coach Jupp Heynckes admitted it was time for a new approach with its lead atop the standings only goal differential.
"I've told my team in no uncertain terms," Heynckes stated, "that I expect a very different approach, not just on Saturday, but right through to the end of the season."
Bayern hosts Wolfsburg at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, but while suspended winger Franck Ribery returns ("When Franck's in the team, our quality goes up another notch," Heynckes said.), injured center back Daniel van Buyten starts his spell on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Regardless, Bayern has no choice but to move on with the options it has at its disposal, even if those include Brazilian defender Breno, who has gone through a turbulent first half of the season off the field.
"We're wide awake now," said Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger about the loss to Gladbach, "I'm very confident."
Wolfsburg has allowed 34 goals this season, third-worst in the league, and may play right into the hands of Bayern, which will look to get back on track this week to maintain its lead and build momentum for the Champions League last 16.
Defending champion Borussia Dortmund sits level on 37 points withe Bayern, and hosts Hoffenheim on Saturday. Third-place Schalke also has 37 points, and will visit Cologne on Saturday.
Gladbach has also remained in the race, as it's just one point off the pace in fourth ahead of its visit to Stuttgart on Sunday.
In Saturday's other games, Augsburg hosts Kaiserslautern, Hertha Berlin hosts Hamburg, and Werder Bremen hosts Bayer Leverkusen in a match-up of the fifth- and sixth-place teams, respectively. Also Sunday, Mainz hosts Freiburg in a clash of bottom-four sides.
Hannover hosts Nurnberg on Friday to open the week's matches.
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin has owned the Breakaway Challenge since the event's inception a few years ago, but with the Washington Capitals star pulling out of the league's All-Star Game, some new faces will get a chance at the
<< Rays sign Keppinger to minor league deal
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays signed veteran
infielder Jeff Keppinger to a one-year deal on Friday.
The 31-year-old hit .277 with six home runs and 35 runs batted in over
99 games as he split time w
<< Manning and Irsay say no hard feelings
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton
Manning and team owner Jim Irsay issued a joint statement Friday to dispel any
notion that the two are at odds.
Manning and Irsay both made comments through
<< Rangers hope to close the gap on Celtic
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers welcome Hibernian to Ibrox in
Scottish Premier League play on Saturday with an opportunity to place some
additional pressure on first-place Celtic.
The Hoops lead the league with 59 point
<< Former Bengals QB Cook dies
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg
Cook, whose brief career was cut short by injury, died on Thursday night from
an undisclosed illness. He was 65.
"I've lost a good friend," Bengals president
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan announced Friday that it has signed striker Maxi Lopez from Catania, possibly signaling the end of the Rossoneri's pursuit of Carlos Tevez. Milan appeared to be in the mix to land the want-away Manc
Giants sign infielder Theriot >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants signed infielder
Ryan Theriot to a one-year, non-guaranteed major league contract.
The deal, announced Friday, is pending a physical.
Theriot, 32, played in 132 games for the W
Report: Browns hire Childress as OC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns have hired Brad Childress as offensive
coordinator, according to a report.
Childress will become the first offensive coordinator under Browns head coach
Pat Shurmer, NFL.com reported Friday.
The f
Rays sign Keppinger to major league deal >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays signed veteran
infielder Jeff Keppinger to a one-year deal on Friday.
The 31-year-old hit .277 with six home runs and 35 runs batted in over
99 games as he split time w
Phillies, Pence agree for $10.4 million >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies avoided
arbitration with outfielder Hunter Pence on Friday, signing him to a one-year
deal worth $10.4 million.
Pence, who was acquired from the Houston Astros on July
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
2007 NFL Football Betting Preview
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.