WEDNESDAY..............

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

GLASGOW CELTIC- DINAMO MOSCOW

Celtic really impressed in the weekend tournament at Wembley and look to have hit form at just the right time. Although their domestic campaign has not yet started, this is arguably, the most important game new home boss Tony Mowbray will face this season. This massive, but cash strapped club, really HAVE to progress at the very least, to the next stage, anything less will be seen as something of a disaster.

They are very tough to beat at Celtic Park, where many of Europe's finest teams have been found wanting in recent seasons.

Dinamo finished third in the Russian league last season, their highest finish in a decade and they are fully match fit, 15 games into their season. However, they lack experience at this level, are finding goals hard to come by and are without suspended skipper Dmitry Khokhkov. I feel that this is too vital for Celtic and they will be ultra keen to take a lead to Moscow.

6.5 points Celtic -1/2 ball 1.83 general quote.

VENTSPILS - BATE

BATE are far and away the beat team in Belarus, where such is their lead at the top of the table, that they can concentrate 100% on the Champions League.

Ventspils look an inferior side and are busy fighting a tense three way battle for their domestic title. They have qualified three times recently for the Champions League and on each occasion have been eliminated at this stage, with victories only over Welsh (twice) and Luxembourg opponents, losing as soon as they face a stronger rival.

BATE will be desperate to emulate last years performance when they reached the group stage and impressed many with their showing in the "group of death", where they competed with Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit. They fully realise what riches are possible from progression and will be looking to put this match to bed with a big first leg performance.

5.5 points BATE -1/2 ball 2.20 general quote.

Good Luck.

TUESDAY .....

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

ANDERLECHT- SIVASSPOR

Visitors had a strong season last campaign and finished ahead of a number of big name teams. However, the squad has broken up in the off season withTum, Herve, Bilica, Balili and Sylla all leaving. Significant new signings are non existent and missing tonight are Mehmet Yildiz, Badur and Omotoyossi and of whom would have started . Pre season form has been dire and they look a long way from the team of last season.

Anderlecht lost out on the Championship in a playoff and to a Champions League group place with a shock defeat to BATE , although given their exploits in the group stage, perhaps that was not such a terrible loss, as it appeared at the time.They are very determined to get past this stage and have performed well in build up games. They have kept their squad intact and strengthened in the break and will not want to go to Turkey without a lead. Home win.

7.5 points Anderlecht -1/2 ball 1.67 general quote.

SPARTA PRAGUE - PANATHINAIKOS

Greek teams have traditionally struggled on the road, but Panathinaikos are doing their best to put that reputation to bed. Last year they won not only here 2-1, at a similar stage, but away at both Inter Milan and Bremen, qualifying through a terribly tough group and then earning a fine draw at Villarreal in the last 16. They love it in Prague and are 100% from three visits this decade in european competition. They have added Djibril Cisse, Gilberto Silva, Sebastian Leto and Kostas Katsouranis to an already strong squad in the last year and look very capable of a repeat win. Czech football looks to have regressed and Sparta seem weaker than when the two last met, their midfield is very inexperienced and this is where I think we will see the Greeks take charge and dominate. Only South African Bryce Moon is missing for the visitors and they should win this.

7 points Panathinaikos -1/2 ball 2.40 general quote.

Good Luck.

SUNDAY ....

Very poor week or so on the blog, it happens, this is gambling ! I had a reasonable day yesterday giving subscribers an easy winner at odds of circa 3.60 and am hopeful of building on that today. I am posting three mini previews below and let's hope for the best.

NORWAY TIPPELIGAEN

SANDEFJORD- MOLDE

We have discussed Molde recently and especially how well they have adapted to life back in Tippeligaen following promotion in 2007, re-establishing themselves as a major player. They are currently in second place eight points clear of the third placed team, this means that they can play without fear and look at closing down Rosenborg's four point advantage at the top of the table. They have won their last five league starts, scoring for fun recently, with 13 goals in their last three matches alone. A draw will not help them much and given their position and boosted by the return of Holm and Tomaz Junior, I expect them to go out hunting the three points. They are ideally suited by playing away from home, where they break very quickly and already have six wins to their name.

Hosts are newly promoted and survival is the extenGood Luck.t of their ambition this season, I feel they will accomplish that, but expect them to struggle today. They are coming off a vital win last week, where they played well, but that is the one recent highlight in a dismal run.

6.5 points Molde -3/4 ball 1.94 asian line.

DENMARK SUPER LIGAEN

ESBJERG- BRONDBY

I am keen on the home side getting a handicap start. All is not well at Brondby, there are rumours of boardroom strife, they are missing several players today and they have looked defensively fragile in the 2-2 opening home draw with OB and even in two starts against poor Estonian opposition in the Europa League. Esberg are keen to avoid last year's relegation struggles and started with a useful point at Midtylland, they tend to perform well against the top teams here and have only lost this fixture to Brondby twice in nine meetings.

6.5 points Esbjerg +1/4 ball 1.93 asian line.

FRIENDLY

SUNDERLAND - ATLETICO MADRID

Going to try the "over" again here, I know that Sunderland let us down in the Benfica game, but how there was not at least one more goal in that game will remain one of life's great mysteries ! The Black Cats played well and had any number of chances to get on the scoresheet. These things have a habit of evening out and surely against free scoring ( and conceding) Atletico, there will be chances at both ends. The Spanish side are treating this as a serious warm up for the Champions League and most of their star names were in action in the opener with Ajax, when six goals were shared. That was an open high tempo game and I feel we will see more of the same today.

5.5 points "over" 2.75 goals 2.21 asian line.

Good Luck.

PEACE CUP IN SPAIN............

LDU QUITO- AL-ITTIHAD

LDU were one of my teams last year, but that was a very long season for the Ecuadorian side the Copa Libertadores winners, who then had to play the World Club Championship and cashed in on their fame with a number of other games and tournaments around the world. as you might expect, their players were in demand also and the core of the winning squad has broken up. They are much stronger at home and whilst they will enjoy plenty of support in Spain, they will be without two key players in captain Patricio Urrutia and defender Norberto Araujo and i do not think we will see them at their best this evening.

Al-Ittihad are a massive club in Saudi and they have prepared meticulously for this tournament, as you might expect, money is no problem and they have been based in Spain for ages. New coach Eric Gerets has been working hard with his players and they are gaining experience on a bigger scale, already having qualified for the quarter finals of the Asian Champions League. He has a number of talented players at his disposal including star midfielder Mohammed Noor who has been compared to Patrick Viera, if you see him play you will understand why. I like them with this handicap start.

6 points Al-Ittihad +3/4 ball 1.93 asian line.

Good Luck.

CELTIC HAVE BIGGER GAMES AHEAD ..........

CELTIC- AL AHLY

Celtic are undergoing a mini rebuilding process under new boss Tony Mowbray, who is keen to get the squad playing his way. They showed some nice touches in a friendly with Cardiff in midweek, but goals were again a problem and the match ended 0-0. They will have to be ultra cautious tonight, with a massive Champions League qualifier with Dinamo Moscow on Wednesday, that they dare not lose.

Al Ahly have no such worries, they are arguably Africa's biggest club side and will be treating this tournament with the upmost respect. It is sure to receive massive coverage in Egypt, they are a strong side and we have already seen many with the national team on a regular basis, some 13 members of the squad are full internationals and I think six have 60+ caps, a very experienced and close knit team. I think that they will really be up for this opportunity to impress on a big stage and take them getting a big start.

6 points Al Ahly +3/4 ball 1.86 asian line.

Good Luck.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS AT WEMBLEY ..........

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR- BARCELONA

Tottenham have some big problems ahead of this game, with Pavlyuchenko and Keane doubtful, Boateng out along with all three recognised central defenders Woodgate, King and Dawson.

Barcelona have travelled to London, the game will be played at Wembley, with the following 28 man squad: 17 from the senior squad (Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera, Martín Cáceres, Víctor Sánchez, Henrique, Maxwell, Márquez, Abidal, Keita, Touré, Gudjohnsen, Hleb, Bojan, Henry, Messi and Pedro) plus 11 from the reserve and youth squads (Oriol, Dalmau, Montoya, Fontàs, Muniesa, Espasandín, Rueda, Santos, Jeffren, Rochina and Gai).

So no, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Alves, Milito, Eto'o, Busquets or Pique ! However, still the core of a strong enough squad, not sure about Hleb's participation as he is said to form part of the Ibrahimovic-Eto'o deal. Barce are training in Marlow about four miles from where I live, a contact went to watch them yesterday, he is used to watching Premiership players in training and was impressed, they spent a lot of time working on the small things and were very thorough.

I suspect that this is more a game to watch, but the wide open spaces of Wembley should suit Barce and they were very impressive through pre season last year. Real have upped the ante with their huge spending, so I am sure that Guardiola will want to get his team buzzing as soon as possible. Goals look again the best option and I would not be surprised to see these two clubs produce four or more, hard to see this makeshift Spurs backline, keeping them out for too long.

5 points "over" 3 goals 2.05 asian line.

Good Luck.

FRIDAY ....

Today sees the start of the "big" pre season tournaments and I am looking at four of those matches.....

SUNDERLAND-BENFICA

In the Amsterdam tournament there are points available for every goal scored, so a 3-3 draw has the same value as a 1-0 win, therefore there seems little point in sitting back too much and I could see these two well matched teams providing plenty of entertainment.They seem just about on a par in terms of fitness, although the Portugese side have a couple more games under their belt. Both have new coach's in charge and we can expect the players to be out to impress, Steve Bruce likes to build up some momentum through pre season and we all saw the value of that with his Wigan side last season. There is more competition for starting places at the Stadium of Light this year and I would just favour them here, but prefer the "over" .

5 points "over" 2.5 goals 2.12 asian line.

Good Luck.

TWO GAMES IN TWO DAYS FOR TOWN ......

GRIMSBY TOWN - LEEDS UNITED

United are playing two games tonight, a couple of big names are going to the other fixture, but by far the stronger squad is travelling north, including Fabian Delph, Robinson, Snodgrass, Howson, Marques and Becchio, all of whom are expected to get extended playing time, alongside a couple of trialists anxious to get a contract with one of the biggest clubs outside the top flight.

United have a number of pre season games under their belts now and they remain very ambitious, having turned down a number of big money offers for star players, including Delph (pictured). They are keen to build up some momentum and hit the ground running this season, where they simply HAVE to get promotion. There is great competition for places in this squad and we can expect to see a fairly committed performance from the visitors.

Town played last night, losing 3-0 at home to Scunthorpe, in a local cup tie. However, before we get too carried away by that, they did field a mixture of first and reserve team players, having said that, it will obviously restrict their line up options tonight. Away win.

6.5 points Leeds United -1/2 ball 1.80 general quote.

Good Luck.

TUESDAY .....

Very grim day on Sunday, where I got the final round of the golf completely wrong. I felt a little sorry for Ross Fisher who did his best to regroup after two disaster holes, which saw an eight shot swing in his round. But Jim Furyk should have been shame faced after his performance.

The playoff was painful to watch, when 72 very tough holes and almost 60 long years took it's toll on Tom Watson, who "only" needed a par at the last in regulation play to win the Open, twenty six years after his last win in the tournament. That would have been regarded by many as the greatest sporting achievement in history !

I have previewed a couple of pre seaon games for subscribers today and will post at least one of them on here a little later in the day.

Back later.

ON THE FOOTBALL FRONT .............

IRELAND DIVISION 1

MONAGHAN -WATERFORD UNITED

Big game for Waterford, who are in fourth spot, four points off second place, but with two games in hand. They are a very ambitious club and determined to earn promotion this year, they strengthened the squad in the summer break, with the latest signing Paul Walsh, set to make his debut today. Aside from the suspended John Kearney they have a fully fit squad to choose from and arrrive in good form, scoring eleven goals in winning their last three starts. Hosts did show signs of a rival after a poor start to their season, but all their shortcomings were there to see in 4-0 thumping against Sporting Fingal in their last outing and a season of lower mid table mediocrity looks firmly on the cards. A very motivated Waterford to collect the spoils and earn their seventh away win in nine road starts.

7 points Waterford -1/2 ball 2.08 asian line.

Good Luck.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF ....

FINAL DAY MATCH UPS AND OUTRIGHT

JIM FURYK- RETIEF GOOSEN

ROSS FISHER - LEE WESTWOOD

Furyk and Goosen will both be eyeing up a big run at the Claret Jug, sitting as they do, three and two strokes respectively off the pace. I have recently pinpointed Furyk as a winner about to happen and it could be today, in a tournament where he has several big finishes and has performed incredibly solidly on the final day, with eight consecutives Sunday rounds at par or better. With conditions set to be tough, the wind is already blowing and rain forecast later in the day , that toughness and mental fortitude will serve him well today. Retief is a player I admire and he looked at ease in the wind yesterday, but I cannot get last week's final round collapse out of my mind and he has had a couple of final day howlers in the event to his name and it is quite some time since he scored well on a Open final day. Slim Jim for me, he has a low ball strike and is a proven winner in the wind.

5.6 points Furyk -112 to beat Goosen Pinnacle Sports.

The two great British hopes meet in my other match and I will side with the younger Fisher, who is very unlucky not to be coming here as US Open champion. He was the best player that week, but could not buy a putt, eventually coming up frustratingly short. However, that gave him an enormous amout of confidence and he looks and feels that he is now ready to win on the world stage. Fisher is the real deal and could win today. Westwood has played as well as anyone this week, but the odd wayward shot is costing him dear, which has been the sory for him in recent years. Lee has never been a links player and only has one high Open finish to his name in an illustrious career. Now people are saying that he is "due" an Open which seems very odd to me and I certainly do not think that he has as strong a game for Turnberry as Fisher, who was oozing confidence in his post match interview and is seemingly untroubled by prevailing conditions. To succeed at golf , which is lalyed 90% between the ears, you need to be mentally tough and Fisher seems very strong in this aspect and I expect him to handle the conditions better than most today.

5.5 points Fisher to beat Westwood 2.08 Pinnacle Sports.

Tom Watson leads the way on four under par and despite my bets, I would love to see him win, but I do not expect him at 59 years of age to perform for a fourth straight day in such tough conditions. It would be a tough ask for Goggin one stroke off the pace to win at this stage of his career and so we are left with Fisher, Westwood, Goosen, Cink and Furyk the only other players under par. I think the winner is likely to come from these, we could see a low score posted from one of the others and conditions deteriorate, but this is a classy group and one is bound to shoot low today.

I feel that Furyk will handle the wind as well as anyone and although he has a little ground to make up on the rest at -1, that makes the price and I simply do not see him outside the top 4, a spot he has filled on three previous occasions, alongside a 5th place finish last year. He has made the fewest errors of anyone this week, just five bogeys and that will be a key stat today, when keeping errors to a minimum will take you an awfully long way up the leaderboard.

3 points each way Jim Furyk 10.0 1/5 odds 1234 general quote.

A few words about Henrik Stenson for subscribers, he played really well yesterday and looked set to start today in the top ten, before dropping two strokes at the 18th. He is in a tie for 14th spot with about a million other golfers, but looks good for a top 20 finish to land our original bet and a steady start today to shake off the disappointment of the final hole yesterday, is likely to see him force his way into the top ten, which would land our "pressing" bet and be the icing on the cake.

Good Luck.

SATURDAY UPDATE .....

I have sent most of you in the data base a free copy of today's newsletter so there seems little point in reproducing any of it here, especially as a couple of notes refer to teams with long term problems.

The email included one golf bet, where we look in good shape and four football selections, one of which has already won. I am in very good form at present and subscribers that took advantage of the "free summer "offer can feel well pleased with theirselves.

I will definitely post two, maybe three bets on here tomorrow and will also look at the final day of the Open Championship, so please check in.

Good Luck with all your bets today.

FRIDAY UPDATE .......

The wind at Turnberry is playing havoc this morning, especially on the front nine, where just one player is under par for his round, there are going to be some major changes on the leaderboard today, players are coming up 60 yards short on a Par 3 !

I have not got overly involved today and have just sent subscribers news about two pre season friendlies (one bet) and a golf bet for round two. The weekend looks very promising and busy, so no need to get overly involved on a quiet day.

At the WSOP they played down to a final table of nine, all of whom will return in November to complete the tournament. They will compete for a first prize of over $8.5m and with sponsorship, a "good" winner could probably double that in the next year or so. Television moguls and sponsors will be delighted that Phil Ivey is one of the nine, the "best player in the world" is amongst seven US players, alongside two Europeans, including the British shortstack James Akenhead. Darvin Moon leads the way with a huge stack of over 58 million, but he still has a lot of work to do and four months to worry about it !

1. Darvin Moon - 58,930,000
2. Eric Buchman - 34,800,000
3. Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000
4. Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000
5. Joseph Cada - 13,215,000
6. Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000
7. Phil Ivey - 9,765,000
8. Antoine Saout - 9,500,000
9. James Akenhead - 6,800,000

Good Luck.

WHEN MC PUTS THE HAMMER DOWN ........... THEY CAN'T TOUCH HIM !

SENT TO SUBSCRIBERS EARLY THIS MORNING ....

WEDNESDAY JULY 15TH

FRIENDLY

BRAY WANDERERS- CHARLTON ATHLETIC

Bray are in a lot of trouble at the foot of the Premier League, three points adrift and four behind Drogheda, whom they travel to meet on Friday, in just 48 hours time. That is obviously a vital game in terms of their survival prospects and they will not take any chances in a meaningless friendly game. Charlton are on a mini tour of Ireland, all available first team squad members have travelled and they posted an easy 3-0 win in Wexford at the weekend, with some 19 players eventually taking some part.

New signing from Leeds Frazer Richardson will make his debut tonight, Athletic will once again start with a strong line up and with Dickson, Burton and Mcleod upfront they surely have far too much firepower for a weakened Wanderers line up.

6 points Charlton -1/2 ball 1.83 general quote. NOW -3/4 BALL 1.74

TOUR DE FRANCE

STAGE 11 OUTRIGHT.... VATAN-SAINT-FARGEAU

I have left the tour alone since Stage 2, when we were firmly with Mark Cavendish (reproduced below), who was about as easy a winner as you will ever see. He is so strong over the final 200m that if his team deliver him there, in my book, the British rider is 1.10 to win.

He won again yesterday, his third win of the year , despite in his own words not riding at 100%, by which he meant making a few mistakes. I really think that he is overpriced today, for a very similar stage, which contains no major climbs and is fairly flat. The reason that his odds are so much bigger probably have something to do with the final 400m being slightly uphill. I really do not see this as a problem, the previous km is slightly downhill which should enable the Columbia team to bring him to the fore, no one is going to even notice this minor gradient at the finishing line.

Of course, there can always be a breakaway winner, but it looks unlikely today, a sprint finish is on the cards and if that happens, we want to be on MC !

5.5 points Mark Cavendish to win 3.20 exchanges........ plenty of liquidity at 3.15+ as I type . WON !

STAGE 2 OUTRIGHT

MARK CAVENDISH

The tour starts in earnest today, with the stage from Monaco to Brignoles, the 187km leg seems almost certain to end in a sprint finish and baring accidents, i can only see one winner. If the finish were a tiny bit straighter I would say he was something of a banker, a term I rarely use.

The 24 yo won four stages last year, has stepped up on that form this year, winning the Milan-Sanremo, three stages of the Giro d'iItalia when he then decided to rest and prepare for the main event, then collecting another two wins in the Tour de Suisse. He is simply the fastest thing on two wheels, certainly since I put my bike away and he is head and shoulders above the other sprinters, almost literally, as he sits far further forward on his machine, than any other racer. This allied to the fact that his upper body doesn't move at all, he is totally fearless and has a natural speed that others only dream of, mean that over the final 200m no one can live with him. If his team deliver him there, he will win.

9 points Cavendish to win 2.10 general quote (Hills/exchanges).... 2.25 Corals.

Good Luck.

PREDICTUWIN DAILY NEWSLETTER WWW.PREDICTUWIN.COM

WEDNESDAY NEWS ...

Oxford United lost control of the game after taking an early lead over their city rivals last night. They missed a golden opportunity to score a second whilst leading 1-0 and that proved to be key, at half time they made a number of changes and lost their way.

At the WSOP just 27 players remain, three tables will play down to just one today and those nine will return in November, to battle for the bracelet and $8.5m first prize. Each will be guaranteed at least a $1m payday and all will add to that with sponsorship deals in the interim.

Darvin Moon leads the way with over 20m in chips, but all eyes are on Phil Ivey in fourth spot with over 11m, television executives will be desperate for him to make the final table, with the increased interest and viewers his appearance will bring.

Next nine players to depart will all earn $352,832 so we can surely expect the extreme low stacks, four players have under 2m in chips, to be much busier than they were late last night, when no one wanting to be eliminated on the day 8 "bubble", which cost the unlucky player $100k. It took two hours to find the 28th place finisher, Joe Ward earned that honour when his AK failed to hold up against AQ, with all the money in pre flop, see, it happens in live poker too !

Good Luck.

OXFORD DERBY .............

OXFORD CITY- OXFORD UNITED

This is the pre season curtain raiser for these two neighbours. Regular readers will know that I hold United in high regard and they were very unlucky not to do better last season, when from Christmas onwards, they were the best team in the BSP.

Boss Chris Wilder did a terrific job and he has really strengthened the squad in the off season, adding Mark Creighton, Dannie Bulman, Jack Midson, Ryan Clarke, Marcus Kelly, Alfie Potter and Alex Rhodes all of whom will be part of a full-strength squad this evening. Which will also include key midfielder Adam Murray, who is set to return to action after a long termfoot injury.

Pre season training has gone very well, all the newbies have bonded with the rest of the squad, which looks head and shoulders above what almost all the rest of the BSP has to offer. Clear difference in class here and I would rate United three divisions (ok, at least two and a bit) above City in terms of ability. They are also vastly more experienced and should know too much for the home team's young (Dave Savage aside !) squad, with half of the starting line up likely to be sub 21 years of age.

Oxford City: from Clarke, Baird, Ballard, Gunn, Caton, Perpetuini, Lyon, Bell, Davis, Savage, Malone, Pond, Alexis, Greaves, Faulconbridge, Fisher, Steele, Carbon, Rendell, Foster, Drakes.

Oxford Utd: from Turley, Batt, Sandwith, Bulman, Foster, Creighton, Chapman, Murray, Constable, Midson, Clist, Kelly, Potter, Rhodes, Killock, Deering, Clarke, Carruthers, Green, Groves, Sampson, Benjamin.

6.5 points Oxford United -1.25 goals 2.13 + asian line.

Good Luck.

TUESDAY .....

I have sent subscribers three selections today, including two football bets, one UK friendly match and another from the Champions League qualification games. In addition, I have put up an early selection for the Open Championship golf which gets underway on Thursday at Turnberry. This is in one of the speciality markets and is a working man's price at 20-1 +.

Almost certain that I will post a preview on the blog later in the day, so please check back.

WSOP UPDATE ....

It was a long Day 6 at the WSOP, players were falling like flies early, one every 90 seconds or so, before things tightened up a little. At the end of the day, we were left with 64 and the leaderboard has clearly lost a little of it's international flavour, with ten of the top twelve, including the top four all being US based, oddly enough, the other two in the leading dozen are both French nationals.

Darvin Moon leads with 9.745m in chips, although all eyes are on Phil Ivey in 3rd and Antonio Esfandiari in sixth, two massive names in poker both of whom are within touching distance of the lead.

We said goodbye to defending champion Peter Eastgate, but last year's 3rd placed finisher Dennis Phillips, who took home $4.5m is still going strong with 2.3m in chips. His performance last year was viewed as something of a fluke, but there is clearly much more to his game and he is guaranteed, like everyone else left in the field, at least a $90k payday. Prize money takes a hike shortly, with a top 18 finish worth $500k and a first prize of over $8.5 m.

Back later with some football news.

MONDAY .......

Herr Kaymer eased home in the Barclays Scottish Open and landed a very nice bet in the process, this is a young man with the golfing world at his feet and I am certain that there is more money to be won by following him in the future.

185 players remain after the 5th day of the WSOP, South African Warren Zackay leads an international field with 4.87 m in chips. Their are four european players in the top ten, alongside just three home based players.

Phil Ivey pretty much ended where he started chip wise and is in 45th place with 1.38m in chips. Defending champion Peter Eastgate is still battling away with just under a million, european veteran Chris Bjorin has 639k and is proving that there is no substitute for experience !

Back later.

SUNDAY UPDATE ..........

Martin Kaymer is off to a flyer and has opened up a two stroke lead after nine holes of the final round, hopefully, he can hold on !

I sent subscribers two strong football bets today and might post one on here later in the afternoon.

Please keep in touch over the coming week, the football looks very interesting, there will be a host of friendly games in the UK and a bunch of key european fixtures. To say nothing of the Open Championship golf, where I have a 25-1 "winner"in one of the speciality markets.

Good Luck.

WSOP MAIN EVENT QUICK UPDATE ....

I have not discussed the WSOP this year, but will be following play down to the final table this week. Day 4 has just ended and we lost approx half of the field, still waiting for confirmed totals, but it looks like just over 400 players will return for a 5th day's play, with each guaranteed at least $27,469.

Final nine will all become millionaires and battle for a winner's cheque of over $8.5 m . Amongst the leaders are big name players Phil Ivey and Bertrand ELkY Grospellier, sponsors and television companies and probably the sport in general, will be drooling at the prospect of a "November Nine" table containing Ivey, which they could milk to death in the intervening months.

Back later.

SUNDAY .........

THE BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN GOLF OUTRIGHT

MARTIN KAYMER

Just a few lines about the golf and I will send a follow up email shortly looking at the day's other events.

Martin Kaymer is looking for back to back wins on tour after winning last week's Open de France from a select field, following a playoff. Consecutive wins are rare and normally only achieved by the best of the best. The 24yo Kaymer has the potential to fall into this category and already has a number of professional titles to his name. There are no limits on what the "new" Bernhard Langer might achieve in golf and right now, he is clearly at the top of his game.

Kaymer has not dropped a shot in 31 holes, is hitting the ball further and reaching more fairways and greens in regulation ,than any other leading contender. He is tied for second with Retief Goosen, who is exceptionally gifted, but not the platyer he was and one stroke behind Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who has got a bit of seconditis this season, developing a frustrating habit of just falling short. He also has other things on his mind, with his wife shortly due to give birth to their first child and losing his dog a couple of days ago, which he said he would rather find than win the tournament.

Confidence levels for Kaymer are sky high at present and I expect him to go very close today.

5 points Kaymer to win outright 3.75 + ... up to 4.20 available on the exchanges.

Good Luck.

SATURDAY UPDATE .....

There were only two "friendly" match bets on the email for subscribers in the end (reproduced below), with no odds being offered for the third selection, both won, by a combined 7-0 scoreline. Newcastle were the subject of a massive gamble today, when the news, which I had to hand yesterday, became public knowledge during the morning. Once the asian lines stabilised, QPR were available at a very attractive 2.04.

That's five winners in a row since Thursday and hopefully, San Jose will make it six tonight.

In addition, I hope that everyone avoided Leicester City, infact, Tamworth (+3/4 ball) came in for considerable support and landed that mini gamble, by drawing 1-1. (see previous post)

ALDERSHOT TOWN - QPR

Not getting overly involved here but Town are a side I will not be backing this season unless there are major changes at the club. I am surprised that Gary Waddock has remained in charge, he was badly let down by the board, who made promises to him that they did not keep and results nosedived alarmingly after that.

The big spending at QPR never quite materialised, at least to the level expected and their season fizzled out. Another series of managerial merry go round's has left former Ipswich boss Jim Magilton in charge and he will be looking to impress right from the start, especially with the knowledge that the billionaire owners might have plenty of money, but far less patience.

He is boosted by the return to fitness of Buzsaky, Agyemong and Vine, all of whom missed most of last season and all will play some part today. Rangers did have very bad luck with injuries last season and if they can stay healthy and get off to a good start, a playoff spot is on the cards. For Town it could be a long season and I think the difference in class will be apparent today.

5 points QPR -1/2 ball 1.80 general quote. WON 4-0

SHAMROCK ROVERS - NEWCASTLE UNITED

This is my strongest news of the day. Rovers did us a big favour last night, but in the words of their coach need another match today like another hole in the head and not a single player involved last night will take part today. The squad will consist of "b" players and a couple of trialists. They have another massive league game, plus the visit of Real Madrid in the coming week and this match has been given low priority.

Obviously they have a fitness advantage over United, but that is all. Newcastle have been training in Ireland for one week and have no injury problems apart from Obafemi Martins and all the star names are expected to play some part. United have worked really hard for ten days and are apparently ahead of where they would normally expect to be at this stage of pre season. Away win.

8.5 points Newcastle United -1/2 ball 1.80 general quote.... 1.70 + is good. WON 3-0

Good Luck.

UK FRIENDLY GAMES ............

Team news is vital for these games, for example, Leicester City are playing two matches today, one at noon, the second at 15.00, a couple of big name players, including Tunchev and Fryatt are not playing at all. The remainder of the first team squad are being split between the two games and several players have been named in both !

They will leave immediately after the first match has finished and probably play some part in the second. Odds are available on the second match, away to Tamworth and I would advise caution in backing City at big odds on.

No bet there for me, but I do have three friendly match selections for today, including one very big stake bet..............

Good Luck with all your bets today .

USA ....MLS

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES- TORONTO

Toronto home and away are two very different teams, in their own stadium, on a artificial surface that many opponents have problems with and in front of their extremely passionate fans, they are a difficult side to beat. On the road they concede far too freely and do not battle hard enough, they are five without a win away from home and have conceded three or more goals in four of those starts. In the last three seasons they have won just 5 of 36 matches outside of Canada.

The visitors will be without two key players in O'Brian White and Sam Cronin tonight and meet an improving San Jose team who have lost just one in five, scoring two or more in three. The Earthquakes are making a real effort to get off the foot off the Western Conference and will fancy their chances facing a Toronto side who have lost 5 from 7 starts against teams from the West this season. SJ dominated the series last year, the only times the two have ever met, taking four points without conceding from the two games.

6 points San Jose -1/4 ball 2.02 asian line.

Good Luck.

FRIDAY UPDATE ..........

Brendan Evans just beat Genepri in straight sets, I hope that some of you took advantage of the lower odds available today, the 2.62 on offer yesterday was way too big, tomorrow looks like being a very exciting day!

Good Luck.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR ...............

We are now entering one of my favourite betting periods of the year, the pre-season friendlies !

When a little research (and I do lots), can give you a massive advantage over the bookmakers. Sometimes, teams have two or even three matches arranged over a weekend, even on the same day on occasion and bookmakers are only guessing about what line up they will field and where.

The odds makers are at a massive disadvantage during this period and I am certain that we will make good money. I rememeber 3-4 years ago having 25 winners from 27 selections in July and whilst we cannot hope to repeat that (but you never know !), we have a few weeks to get some holiday funds together.

I already know about one match this weekend, where there is a massive difference in class between the two teams, even if both were at full strength and taking things seriously, but the lower league team are set to select only from their reserve/youth squad, backed up by a couple of trialists !

Forget that extra pint down the pub, spend the time looking for team news and give yourself an edge, or sign up for the daily newsletter www.predictuwin.com and I will do the work for you, it is cheaper than a glass of beer and better value for money !

Good Luck.

FRIDAY MORNING .......

I sent subscribers two non football selections yesterday, both of which are listed below, Perry won fairly easily, but the tennis match has yet to start, although Evans is now trading at sub 2.30.

THURSDAY JULY 9TH

US PGA TOUR GOLF

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

FIRST ROUND MATCH UP

KENNY PERRY- DAVID TOMS

Perry is defending champion here and is also in great form having won last time out and fresh, coming off a rest week. He ticks all the boxes and is a golfer who can hold his form across several weeks. He is looking or a hat-trick of wins in 2009, something he did in both 03 and 08.

He has been paired by Pinnacle with David Toms in the first round who has no real recent form on this course, however, Toms is a golfer that I feel will win again soon, as regular readers will know. Having said that, tournaments are not won on Thursday and my angle for the match up, is the "pre cut "form of Perry, which is about as good as it gets. He is ranked number three in this category this year, recording an average score of 69.23, last year he was number one, again with a sub 70 average, that's some 114 rounds before the cut with a circa 69.5 average.... incredible. Perry shot very low in the first round here last year and i am almost certain that he will do so again.

6.5 points Perry to beat Toms 1.80 Pinnacle Sports.

ATP TOUR TENNIS

CAMPBELLS HALL OF FAME.... NEWPORT USA

BRENDAN EVANS - ROBBY GINEPRI

Evans was going to be the saviour of US tennis, the new Roddick or maybe even McEnroe, but his career stalled and like so many before him, he appeared to be about to join the massed ranks of "nearly men". However, now, even at 23 years of age, there is a little chink of light and maybe he can still come good. Evans has won two fast court Challenger events this season, including one on grass at Nottingham recently, that has helped him compile a 7-1 record on the surface in 2009, his only loss coming 16-14 in the third set of Wimbledon qualification.

In the first round here, he recorded a fine three set win over Benjamin Becker who was fresh from a win on the surface at Hertogenbosch, so very nice grass formlines.

Ginepri is very talented on occasions, but those periods tend to last for games and not matches nowadays, he is 4-12 for the year and 9-15 on grass in the last five years. H etook three long sets to get past Santiago Ventura (0-6 on grass) in his first round and is not someone you would want to touch at big odds on here, he gives the feeling that he is no longer in love with the game and I give Evans a real chance to record another upset.

5.5 points Evans to beat Ginepri 2.50 + general quote ..... up to 2.62 available.

Good Luck.

VERON AS GOOD AS HIS WORD ..... SO FAR !

COPA LIBERTADORES FINAL FIRST LEG

ESTUDIANTES - CRUZEIRO

Juan Sebastian Veron's return to his hometown club has coincided with their return to form, he vowed to once again make them a force on the international stage and collect a major trophy. Now he and they are just 180 minutes away from realising that dream.

When Estudiantes won the Copa in 1968-69-70 few would have thought that it would be another four decades before they collected the next. This means so much to them, that I do not think they will fall short, especially in the home leg, where they have not even conceded in seven home starts in the competition. That run included a 4-0 defeat of Cruzeiro in La Plata at the group stage, when they took an early lead courtesy of Veron and were never troubled.

As a result of that thumping, I expect the visitors to try and shut up shop tonight, fielding a defensive line up and IMO handing the initiative to the home team. There is little love between Argentine and Brazilian clubs at the best of time, but Cruzeiro has upset not only the home fans, but the entire population of Argentina, by initially refusing to fly to BA due to concerns over swine flu. They made some very strong comments about this and could hardly have done more to fire up Estudiantes, if that were needed. Home win and a a return to the glory days for Estudiantes.

7 points Estudiantes -1/2 ball 2.06 asian line.... now trading @1.93

Good Luck.

TUESDAY ...........

I did not post yesterday, Sunday was very busy and I needed a day to recover from Roddick -Federer . The match was not up to the standard of last year's classic, not sure that any future final will ever be, but it certainly provided plenty of drama and excitement and in it's own way, was no less thrilling.

Both blog previews on Sunday produced a profit, as did all five of the events I covered on the email service, with over 33 points profit of the day. The nine point selection I mentioned in the morning, was about as easy a winner as you will ever see. Infact, the only losing selection was the first set tie break bet in the Wimbledon final, which was frustrating, as effectively, we had 2.75 Federer to hold serve in the 12th game, which was probably trading at circa 1.03 ! Never mind !

I have only previewed one event today, a strong 8 point selection and I am undecided yet, whether or not to post this on the blog, but please check back later and take a look.

Everyone registered on the website www.predictuwin.com was sent an offer allowing them to join the service and not be charged any days until the EPL starts on August 15th. This means that all "summer" selections are free and early sign ups are already circa 50 points up ! Thank you to everyone who took advantage of the offer.

Registering on the site is free and takes only two minutes at most, it means that you will receive any future offers for the newsletter service and even the occasional freebie.

Good Luck.

"LIGHTWEIGHT" RODDICK TO KEEP THINGS CLOSE ............

WIMBLEDON MEN'S SINGLES FINAL

ANDY RODDICK- ROGER FEDERER

Two bets here, in the semi-finals Roddick played just about as well as I have seen him play since winning the US Open. Coach Larry Stefanki has done a great job with Roddick and got him very fit, some seven kilos lighter, which is a huge amount for a top sportsman.

Having said all that, he has to beat, arguably, the greatest player of all time to win his first Wimbledon title and that is not going to be easy. This is their third meeting in a Wimbledon final and their fourth here in total, the other came in a semi-final, so all massive, high profile matches. RF has won all three and leads the set count 9-1, however, all contained a tie break and we seem sure to see at least one more today.

Roddick has already played eight here this year, winning seven and the one he lost actually went to 22 points. Fed-ex played at least one in each of his last four matches and actually lost one to Kohlschreiber. I am sure that we will see one set decided in this fashion and give Roddick a fighting chance to take it, therefore I am going "over" in games, which has been pitched at 38.5. We need a fourth set to collect realistically, but three tie breaks is not totally out of the question.

At present, it is raining where I live, which is probably 15-20 miles from the All England club, so there is a chance that the roof could be closed, that would be the unknown factor and you have to feel, make the match even closer. Anyway, "over" for me and I will also bet the first set to go the distance.

7 points "over" 38.5 games 1.99 Pinnacle Sports.

3 points first set tie break 2.60 + general quote ..... 2.75 Bet 365.

Good Luck.

US PGA GOLF ...........

AT&T NATIONAL

SUNDAY TWO BALL

MARK WILSON- CHARLEY HOFFMAN

Wilson is pretty much a journeyman golfer, who would probably have spent a career backwards and forwards between the USPGA and Nationwide tours, before he learned to love his game and stopped trying to change what was not really wrong. This all came about when he consulted a leading sports psychologist in 2006, since when, he has won twice and earned some $6m + . In 2009 he has already won in Cancun and given himself a chance of victory in the very prestigeous Memorial Tournament. At 34 yo the diminutive Wilson is never going to be a superstar, but he is now a proven winner on tour and with that comes a lot of confidence.

He is earning a paycheck almost everytime he tees up and is performing very strongly at the business end of tournaments. Wilson is ranked 15th for 4th round scoring on tour this year, that is 109 places ahead of Hoffman, whom Pinnacle sports have paired him with today. That equates to virtually two strokes per round less a MASSIVE difference, last year it was a similar story with the two ranked 35th and 103rd respectively. Hoffman is talented, but far too often seems more concerned with hitting the ball as far as possible, rather than getting it into the cup.

Wilson is putting really well this week, ranked number one in that category and if he can hit a few more greens in regulation, he should win this match up in a canter and he really should be a decent favourite to do so, at "pick-em" he looks a solid bet.

6.5 points Wilson to beat Hoffman 1.95 Pinnacle Sports.

Good Luck.

SUBSCRIBERS ..........

Would any subscribers reading the blog please check their inbox, as I have just sent an additional and unplanned second email.

Good Luck .

WIMBLEDON LADIES SINGLES FINAL ......

SERENA WILLIAMS - VENUS WILLIAMS

Having landed the Williams sisters in the final bet and also the place part of our each way wager on Venus, we can enjoy the final a little, despite having an extra 21 points + profit riding on the older sibling. However,I do think that once again bookmakers have over reacted to the semis and have made Venus a little too short for today, she would be my favourite, but looking at the odds and our position on the event, I have to suggest a little wager on Serena, but I must stress, this is only for you that have already backed Venus at the suggested circa 4.33.

4.5 points Serena Williams 2.50 to win the final.

That has freed up some additional funds that we can invest in some "special" bets on the final, markets that we have done well in this week.

Whether the match lasts two or three sets, it will surely be close, as matches between the two invarible are. Four of the last five sets they have played in the final here have gone to at least ten games, with three being decided by the exact 6-4 scoreline. When these two meet, you can almost forget the events of the previous week, it is a very strange situation for two such close sisters to face each other on tour, let alone in a grand slam final. Therefore , I see little chance in Venus running away at the start of the first set as she has done in almost every match this past fortnight, if for no other reason than she has as much trouble handling Serena's serve as anyone else.

Venus might have the slightly faster serve, but it is not as well placed as Serena's, which is a thing of beauty. The younger sister will definitely serve the more aces and although I very rarely bet at such short odds, as all of you probably know, even the 1.36 offered looks a good price. Not only is it the more effective serve, but she has a better read on her sister's than anyone else and she is such a great athlete that she can get a racquet to almost anything that is thrown at her. What the heck, this should be 1.10 in my book, so at 1.36 we can take something, there is still value in the quote and little fish are sweet !

9 points Serena to serve the most aces 1.36 Ladbrokes/ Bet Fred......... others will quote later in the day.

Looking at the first set, I am confident that there will not be more that a one break advantage to either, so see value in "over" 9.5 games and am also drawn to this 6-4 scoreline mentioned earlier, especially given that it has been widely overpriced in Serena's case, on the exchanges.

1 point Venus to win the first set 6-4 correct score 6.60 exchanges.

1.25 points Serena to win the first set 6-4 correct score 9.20 exchanges.

5 points "over" 9.5 games 1.70 Expekt ......... 1.67 general quote.

Back later.

FRIDAY UPDATE ........

Really big day yesterday, both "special" bets on Venus won, when she demolished Dinara Safina for the loss of only one game. Those two selections ensured almost 14 points profit alone, in addition to which, we landed the "Williams sisters final" bet for another 14 points and are also sitting on an each way bet on Venus, which has already made a profit. She is now trading at odds on and we have a further potential return of 35 points there, heady stuff !

Britain has gone Andy Murray crazy, a pair of premium tickets for sunday's final are already changing hands for five figure sums and he has not even played his semi-final yet ! Wonder how purchasers will feel if they are watching Haas-Roddick on the big day !

I have not forgotten the football, our "bread and butter" sport and have already sent subscribers to the email service my first selection for the 2009-10 season. On June 19th I posted them the following preview :

FOOTBALL LEAGUE UPDATE

DIVISION 1

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

I had no plans to write this today, or any time soon, but my hand has been forced somewhat by some news I have just heard.

Which is that Brighton boss Russell Slade has started his long anticipated move into the transfer market, signing Mark Wright who has been a vital member of the very successful MK Dons side over the last two seasons. The wide midfielder was top scorer in their double winning 07/08 season and one of the first names on the team sheet for the Dons last season.

He is likely to be the first of many, Slade has cleared out a lot of deadwood, releasing 14 players and will be looking to put together a squad capable of taking them into the Championship. This is an ambitious club, with a large catchment area of supporters, when the new ground is complete, 15,000 + crowds will be achievable on a regular basis. We discussed their potential several times earlier this year.

I understand that Gary Dicker, who very quickly became a firm favourite with supporters whilst on loan at the end of last season, is also about to make a permanent move. The Seagulls ended the season very strongly with 13 points from their final five starts, that run saved the South Coast team from relegation and four of those starts came against teams in the top half of the table.

Survival meant the go ahead for gambler and property investor Tony Bloom to take over the club, he has promised to provide some £93m of funding to complete the new stadium and get Brighton into the Championship.

I do not want to say too much about Bloom, or this deal, but I feel sure that there will be a good deal of initial investment in playing staff. Bloom has worked as partner/ advisor whatever you wish to call it, for Victor Chandler the bookmaker, for many seasons and it is worthy of note that whilst other companies are happy to quote circa 16-1, VC have quoted just 12-1 and now, Ladbrokes, who also tend to know what is going on, have gone just 9-1.

Those odds are to win Division 1, all are likely to fall in line at some point and the odds to gain promotion, similarly. At present, Hills offer 6.50 and that cannot last long, there is also a little 6.0 in places.

Brighton start at home to Walsall, which is a good chance to get some early points on board, they then go to Brentford (!) which might not be so easy, but they will enjoy fantastic support there from their very loyal fans, who will snap up their full allocation and any other seats on offer.

I feel sure that this is the kind of bet that you will be able to take a profit from if you so wish, so bet a little extra with that in mind.

8 points Brighton to get promoted 6.50 William Hills .......... 6.0 + is good.

The Seagulls are now 4.50 with Hills and subcribers are in a strong position to make a profit from this selection, some five weeks before the start of the new season .

Good Luck.

Predictuwin newsletter www.predictuwin.com . I will be sending everyone registered on the website a very special offer later this morning.

WIMBLEDON LADIES SINGLES....... SEMI FINALS..... VENUS LOOKING GOOD......

SERENA WILLIAMS- ELENA DEMENTIEVA

VENUS WILLIAMS - DINARA SAFINA

We already have plenty of interest in today's matches, with our earlier outright bets in the Ladies event, details of which are here....ubet2win.blogspot.com/2009/06/sisters-to-continue-sw19-domination.html .

Therefore, there seems little point in any further major involvement, both sisters look at, or near the top of their game and should both make it through to saturday's final, when we can review the situation.

However, I do think that there are a couple of small bets we could make on the Venus-Safina match. The older Williams sister has come flying out of the blocks in every match so far and pretty much tended to stay there, she has only once been taken beyond three games in any set and only lost eight games in total, during her five first sets.

William Hill offer a very interesting quote of 3.25 for her to win the first two games of the match, she will want to impose herself on Safina from the off and given the Russian's propensity to start slowly, this looks an excellent bet.

I am going to pair this with a first set handicap bet on Venus giving up 2.5 games, a bet which would have been a winner in 8 of her 9 completed sets so far at these Championships. Very few of these semi finals tend to be close, Venus likes to win hers with the minimum of effort and on grass, she is head and shoulders above Safina. The two last met in Rome earlier this year, on clay, a surface that Venus is very uncomfortable on, Safina had all the advantages that day, yet still had to battle through in three close sets. Now that they are in the Williams "backyard" it will be a very different story.

Huge number of double faults for Safina in her quarter final and the pressure is going to be even more intense today.

3.5 points Venus to win the first two games 3.25 William Hill.

4 points Venus first set handicap -2.5 games odds 2.50 William Hill.

you should find similar quotes elsewhere later this morning.

Good Luck.