THURSDAY ROUND UP ...

Very disappointing display by Oxford, it will be a long time before they are selected by me again, time for a managerial change at the Kassam Stadium !

Excellent ideas in the UEFA Cup though, in addition to the two winners posted earlier on the blog, two further email selections also obliged, for a clean sweep in europe's lesser competition .....

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR - ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA

This is a massive game for Spurs and especially Martin Jol. Last season they used the UEFA Cup as a launching pad to reignite their season and following 4 league defeats already, are looking for the same this time round. It is not that they are playing poorly, they are not, in the 3-3 draw with Fulham, they had enough chances to win 4 matches and were desperately unlucky to lose at Manchester United and could have scored 10( no exaggeration ) against Derby. They are making the odd mistake and getting punished for it.
Expect them to be very motivated tonight, put out a strong team and show no mercy ! Visitors are not helped by being without their starting goal keeper.

6 points Tottenham -2 goals 1.75 asian line. won 6-1

ABERDEEN - DNIPRO

I have no doubt that the visitors are the better side and certainly have more european experience, with the Dons making their first appearance in five seasons. Aberdeen have won just once in the SPL and have a massive game at Rangers at the weekend. They have openly said that the most important thing this evening is to keep a clean sheet.

Dnipro also have a huge game coming up, with a trip to league leaders Donetsk, who they currently trail by 3 points. They will surely have one eye on that fixture. Very tight defensively, keeping 4 clean sheets in 5 starts, they will also be very happy to keep things low key and scoreless. All things considered I see the draw as easily the best value in the game, with a small stake saver on the visitors.

4 points draw 3.25 general quote. result 0-0
2.5 Dnipro 2.60 general quote.

You can join the email subscription service using this link.

NON LEAGUE FOOTBALL ....

BLUE SQUARE PREMIERSHIP ... HISTON - OXFORD UNITED

Histon are part timers and this is their 3rd start in 5 days, they hosted Torquay on Tuesday in a nine goal thriller. They were 3-0 down at the break and fought back well, but at the end of the day, had nothing to show for it.We discussed earlier this week, how tough it is to play so much and hold down an outside job, there will be some very heavy legs on the pitch, they will be without a suspended key defender and do not have huge squad options available to them.

Oxford are 9 points off the top already and cannot afford to drop any more points, they have not played since saturday and have promised to field an adventurous line up, with an attacking midfielder sitting directly behind the front two. They are probably happier on the road, where the level of expectation on them is greatly reduced. This is a team with Championship potential and to be stuck in the BSP is a crying shame, patience in the boardroom must be wearing thin and manager Jim Smith needs the win this evening.

They lost at home to Aldershot at the weekend , conceding 3 very sloppy goals, otherwise dominating the game and generally playing well.

I have seen that only 12% of Histon's goals have come in the first half and given that they were 3 down at the break just two days ago, there might be some value in the visitors leading at ht/ft.

5.5 points Oxford -1/4 ball 1.80 asian line
1.5 points Oxford-Oxford double result 3.70 Expekt/ Betfair ... 3.60 general.


Good Luck.

UEFA CUP ...

ZENIT ST PETERSBURG - STANDARD LIEGE

Zenit are joint leaders in the Russian league and are looking for their 6th successive win, they have had 18 days to prepare for this match and are sure to be hungry for some action.
Standard are top in Belgium, but dropped their first points of the season at the weekend, several of the players have been involved in a gruelling recent schedule, including a daunting trip to Kazakhstan, with the national team and are looking jaded. They are a youngish team, lacking in european experience and missing their top striker.

5 points Zenit -3/4 ball 2.0 asian line..... now 1.92


SARAJEVO FK - BASLE

Huge gap in class here and I expect the visitors to win. Hosts are languishing in 13th spot in the Bosnian league, with just one win in 5, they have been creating very few chances, even against some of the leagues weakest teams ,have a couple of key doubts and are looking tired and lacklustre. Basle are very keen to progress, have travelled with a full squad and will field their strongest eleven.

5 points Basle -1/4 ball 1.83 asian line.... now -1/2 ball 1.77 !

ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP ....

CARDIFF - WATFORD

Visitors are looking for at least a point, which will take them back to the top of the table. Coach Aidy Boothroyd has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal, with Henderson, Ellington and King , all in contention for a starting place. All three will be chomping at the bit to play against a team with severe problems in central defence and that has not scored a home goal.

5.5 points Watford level ball asian line 2.0...... now 1.92

SOUTHAMPTON - COLCHESTER

Saints create chance after chance and showed their potential yet again in a unlucky loss to Watford at the weekend. Sometime soon they are going to really hammer someone. The visitors are without the suspended Matthew Connolly and are likely to have to finally rest Teddy Sherringham. They have conceded at least two goals in 4 of their last 5 starts and will surprise me if they keep the hosts to fewer this evening.

5 points Southampton -1/2 ball 1.80 asian line..... now 1.72

Good Luck.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ...

FENERBACHE - INTER MILAN

Huge defensive problems for Inter and they could easily start with the entire back 4 playing out of position, they have 4 suspended and several others, including Materazzi and Viera injured. However, they will be no less of an attacking threat and are facing a home defence that also looks fragile.

Coming into this season Fenerbache's last 8 european home ties have been "over" with 5 of those producing 4 or more goals.

6.5 points "over" 2.25 goals 1.81 asian line.

PSV- CSKA MOSKOW

This is hardly likely to be a goal fest, PSV look overall, a little weaker than last year, but have yet to concede a goal domestically. Eindhoven is not the easiest place to go and get a result, especially missing your two key players, as CSKA are, the Russians are FAR happier at home and I think this will be a narrow home win and am taking a couple of small correct scores.

2 points 1-0 7.0 general.
1 points 2-0 8.0 general.

Good Luck.

UEFA CUP ....

RACING LENS - FC COPENHAGEN

Since taking charge at Lens, JP Papin has won both home games, including a 5-1 win over Young Boys in the previous round. This is far more talented side than their league position would suggest and they should be able to beat the Danish champions, who look to have gone backwards and offer little attacking threat. Lens will look upon a decent run in this competition as a welcome distraction in what, league wise, is likely to be a season of transition domestically.

5 points Lens -1/2 ball 1.78 asian line..... NOW 1.72.

Good Luck.

TUESDAY ROUND UP .......

Really misread the Sheffield Wednesday game, they are off the list until finding some confidence. Still, the other two blog selections won easily enough, as did the two email exclusives , which made it 4 from 5 for subscibers today. Those two make it 10 from 12 for selections given exclusively on the email service since saturday alone, in addition to the winners also posted on the blog.....

BLUE SQUARE PREMIERSHIP ... KIDDERMINSTER - DROYLESDEN

The home side's strong run came to an end with a 5-4 defeat at Ebbsfleet. I will not read too much into that as they were stuck in traffic and had to take the field, as soon as they arrived at the stadium, which was after the scheduled kick off. Within 12 mins they were two down and went in at the break trailing by 3.

Despite those exceptional circumstances, their coach still read them the riot act and has promised a fired up team this evening.

The visitors are part timers and playing sat-tues and holding down another job is not easy. They have real problems with suspended and injured players, but do not have the depth to make changes, on a dire run, they have conceded 11 in their last 3 away and already look on their way back out of the BSP.

6.5 points Kidderminster -1 ball 1.86 WON 3-1

ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS - HULL CITY

I like the visitors, they have shown their ambition with the signings of Caleb Folan and Jay-Jay Okocha, who is capable of dominating at this level. Wolves are not playing well and creating few real chances, 22 fewer than this evening's opponents, they are a young side and may need a little longer to gel.

5 points Hull City +3/4 ball 1.88 asian line. WON 1-0

Good Luck.

ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP ....

Just a few lines about my final selection on the blog for today, long time readers will know that I hold the Wednesday coach,Brian Laws, in very high regard and he is too good, not to put things right very soon.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY - BURNLEY

One more chance for Wednesday, who are certainly not a bottom of the table side and who are due a change of luck in front of goal. They have a couple of players back tonight and are meeting in Burnley, a team that is not creating much, but making the most of any chances that do come their way.

5 points Sheffield Wednesday -1/4 ball 2.175 asian line.

Good Luck.

GOOD AFTERNOON !

I have five ideas for today, two of which are for the Champions league, which you can read in the post below, the others are for the english domestic football. Where there is one bet in particular that I am very keen on, not certain that it will be possible to post that one on the blog, but I will definitely cover at least one more game, so please check back for that.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE .... GROUP STAGE

SHAKHTAR DONETSK - CELTIC

OK their record on the road has improved a little, but Celtic at home and Celtic away in Europe, are two very different teams. Now they make the long trip to the Ukraine to face a Donetsk side that spent a fortune in the summer, including 40m euros on Iisinho, Lucarelli and Castillo. Strong at home and unbeaten domestically, with a 8-1-0 record this season, Celtic will have some idea of what to expect having lost 3-0 here in 2004. The home side are much better now,

6.5 points Shakhtar -1/4 ball 1.75 asian line

PORTO - LIVERPOOL

Porto are very strong at home and have lost just 3 times in some 40 starts, they also boast an excellent record against English sides . This is likely to be very tight and Liverpool would no doubt, settle for a point right here and now. They will be without Sissoko and Riise and given the international break and the Portsmouth game, have had very little preparation time for this game. Porto are 100% this season and should be capable of taking a point.

5 points Porto +1/2 ball 1.70 asian line

Back later.

AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD ......

..... the only other two selections on the email service both won this evening .....

FRANCE LIGUE 2

NANTES- SEDAN

Hosts can go back to the top of the table with a win and are certainly in better form than their opponents, the two met recently in the cup with Nantes winning 1-0.

The home team have a potent attacking duo in Dussevi and Bagayokota, who could have a very pleasant evening against a Sedan team missing 3 starters, including two key defensive players. Following this, Nantes have two consecutive away games, actually, 3 of their next 4 are on the road, so will be dismayed with anything less than maximum points today.

5 points Nantes -1/2 ball 1.82 asian line.

SWEDEN SUPERETTAN

JONKOPINGS SODRA - BK HACKEN

Hosts are really struggling at home, where they have won just 2 of 11 starts, conceding 17 goals. Hacken have a UEFA Cup tie in Moscow on Thursday, but will surely give priority to this fixture, where they desperately need a win to keep in touch with the promotion hunting pack. They have won 7 from 10 scoring 21, including the last 3, with a very healthy 10 goals.
They won the reverse match 2-0, but that could easily have been 5, away win.

5 points Hacken -1/4 ball 1.85 asian line.

MONDAY PLANS AND WEEKEND REVIEW .....

There was a small profit on the football bets over the weekend, despite giving most of the saturday profits back yesterday. It was a similar story on the other sports, both golf bets won, which paid for the small losses on the NFL.

Email subscribers fared much better, with the 8 additional selections producing six winners.....

6 points Blackburn +1.25 goals 1.77 asian line WON

5 points Arbroath -1/4 ball 1.83 asian line WON

5 points Bayern Munich -3/4 ball 1.76 asian line. LOST

5 points Doncaster -1/2 ball 1.95 asian line WON

Watford - Southampton 5 points "over" 2.5 goals 1.90 general quote WON

5 points PSG +1/4 ball 1.98 asian line. WON

6 points Santander -1/4 ball 1.73 asian line WON

6.5 points Atletico Madrid -1/4 ball 1.93 asian line 1/2 STAKE LOSER

That's very nearly an additional 20 points profit. Infact, it could easily have been a clean sweep, as Bayern missed many opportunities to score a second and Atletico led for 67 minutes.

Should any of you be interested in joining the subscription service, you can do so via this link or,by emailing me here where I can give you details of a special offer.

On to today, I wrote reviews of 4 matches this evening and all have been gambled upon, going to put two on the blog in the next hour or so, please check back. They will appear below this post, which will remain at the top of the page, for the rest of the day only.

Good Luck.

ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP .... LIVE ON SKY ...

DERBY COUNTY- NEWCASTLE UNITED

A win for Newcastle will take them above Chelsea and Manchester United and into 4th spot in the Premiership, a huge incentive. They have had an easy run of fixtures to start the season, but are unbeaten and have scored 5 in two away starts at Boro and Bolton.

County desperately need a win to kick start their season, they have taken a couple of frightful hammerings recently, conceding 12 in 3, including a 6-0 loss at Liverpool and a 4-0 defeat to Spurs, a scoreline which REALLY flattered County, it is no exaggeration to say, that it could have been double. Infact, in those two games they conceded over 46 chances, that is an attempt on their goal every 4 minutes !

They are likely to have Kenny Miller, their signing from Celtic available this evening, which will give them another option up front. To be honest, they look a little short of quality, but can be expected to really go for it this evening ( Arsenal away next) , all things considered, I think we will have two teams both looking for 3 points and I like the "over".

6 points "over" 2.25 goals 1.77 asian line.

Good Luck.

NORWAY .... ELITESERIEN ...

AALESUND - STROMSGODSET

Aalesund are the archetypal yo-yo team, bouncing between the top two divisions, almost on a yearly basis. They are determined to put that right this year and have given themselves a realistic chance of staying up, by defeating a trio of relegation rivals in recent weeks, winning 3 straight home games, scoring 9 goals. Actually, they have won 4 in a row at the Color Line Stadion, they seem to have the visitor's number and have won 5 of their last 6 meetings, scoring at least 3 in each.

Stromsgodset were promoted along with their hosts last year, but their season seems to be heading in the opposite direction, they have had , admittedly, a tough run of fixtures, but collected just 2 points from a possible 15. Which has made this a real 6 pointer.

5 points Aalesund -1/4 ball 1.83 asian line.

Good Luck.

NFL WEEK 2 ..............

5 points DENVER BRONCOS -10 2.05

6 points CLEVELAND BROWNS +7 1.98

6 points NEW ORLEANS -4 1.91

I only have time to write a few lines about this evening's NFL action.

Broncos host the Raiders, who are in a mess both on and off the field, they are 0-7 against the spread and Denver coach, Mike Shanahan loves to beat up on Oakland and is 19-5 lifetime against them.

Bengals are on a short week and the Browns running game matches up well against their defence.

Saints have had 10 days to prepare for this one and are looking to bounce back from the hammering they took from the Colts. Tampa have travelled 3000 miles after a late sunday game and have a poor record after a heavy loss. New Orleans won this by an easy 17 points last year.

Good Luck.

ITALY SERIE A ...

PARMA- CAGLIARI

I like the hosts given the quote. Cagliari have put in two impressive performances so far, but have conceded a lot of chances and look a little error prone at the back, where they are missing two key defenders today. They can only travel in expectation rather than hope, as just two points in 12 visits to Parma, makes dismal reading.

5.5 points Parma -1/4 ball 1.98 asian line

NAPOLI- SAMPDORIA

These two always draw and to be honest, that is a result I feel both could live with today. Samp are tough to beat and are protecting an unbeaten record, they had a steady, if unspectacular start, last season also, drawing 4 of their first 6. Napoli had an amazing 5-0 win at Udinese last week, but having lost their home opener, will not want to lose again in front of their passionate fans.

3.5 points draw 3.0 general

PALERMO - TORINO

I think this will be an open encounter. the hosts have conceded two in each so far and the visitors really look to have goals in them , with Rosina and Recoba up front. They have started with two 2-2 draws and a third would not surprise me, you can try the standard "over" bet, I am being a little more adventurous and we have done well in Italy with these type of bets in the past. The very brave could try a 2-2 scoreline!!

3.5 points "over" 3.5 goals 3.20 exchanges.

Good Luck.

YOU GOTTA BE BRAVE IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA ....

USPGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP .... EAST LAKE G.C. , ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Well, once again Mr T has run away from the field and he simply does not lose with a lead, going into Sunday, so we will have to look elsewhere for our golfing fix.

I like the look of Furyk and Singh to win their match ups with Pinnacle. They are both very solid in round 4 scoring, as you might expect, have excellent course form and neither is the type to "step off the gas", because the outright victory is beyond them.

Over the last 4 years, they are ranked 17-4-12-2 and 32-41-8-6 respectively, for final round scoring.

Cannot believe that Justin Rose has been made favourite to beat slim Jim, not much body fat on show with these two, the British player has had a fantastic year, but by his standards, he has played a lot recently and may be feeling the effects. Both are struggling a little with the putter, but Furyk is one of the fiercest competitors on tour and should never be odds against in this match.

VJ meets Padraig Harrington, who is really struggling with his driving accuracy and sometimes lacks motivation, when out of contention. Our selection is ranked number one for greens in regulation this week, which is a key stat here, he beat the Irishman by two strokes yesterday and, I see no reason why he should not be a good favourite to do so again this evening.

5 points Furyk to beat Rose 2.02 Pinnacle Sports.... NOW 1.952

5 points Singh to beat Harrington 2.0 Pinnacle Sports.

Good Luck.

AZ PLAYING "CATCH UP " .....

NETHERLANDS EREDIVISIE .... SPARTA ROTTERDAM - AZ ALKMAAR

AZ have to win to keep within touching distance of the "big 2 (3)". Sparta have conceded 7 in 3 starts and have been forced to make defensive changes this afternoon. H2h wise, the visitors have won the last 7 meetings, 6 by 2 or more goals and 5 by 3 +. 0-3, 0-4 possibly.

5.5 points AZ -1 ball 1.78 asian line.

Back shortly.

SUNDAY MORNING ...........

Just a quick run through of what to expect today, where I will be covering three sports.

Email subscibers were sent reviews of eight football matches and several of these are likely to be carried on the blog, along with US golf and a look at week 2 in the NFL. I will start shortly with one football review and follow that with the golf, where good old Tiger is heading for yet another win, his bank manager will be pleased !

Back shortly.

SATURDAY ROUND UP ....

I am sorry that the selections for this afternoon's matches, were posted quite late, but am sure that you will appreciate, that I have to ensure that the email service subscribers, have first chance to "get on". So time is always going to be a problem, at the weekends.

I did give the "heads up"this morning, that it would probably be worthwhile checking back and hope that plenty of you did.

Should any of you wish to join the email service, full details can be found at http://www.bestbets4free.blogspot.com/ . It still costs less per day than a sunday newspaper, at least one that is worthwhile reading !

There are no evening selections on the blog, but I will be back tomorrow morning.

Good Luck.

CHAMPIONSHIP ....

COLCHESTER UNITED - CHARLTON

Very different resources for these two clubs, money bags Charlton and breadline U's. That does not always win football matches, but they is also a huge discrepancy in the number of chances each has been creating. The visitors lead that count 64-28 and have been denied a handful of times by the woodwork, they are going to hammer someone one day soon.

5.5 points Charlton level ball 1.70 asian line

WEST BROMWICH ALBION - IPSWICH TOWN

The visitors have started the season well, but are short of players today, with two key suspensions and two very big doubts. WBA are starting to come good, have a bunch of new signings all desperate to get into the team and a lot of competition for places. They have won their last two without conceding and kept 4 clean sheets in 5.

5 points WBA -1/2 ball 1.83 general quote

Good Luck.

LEAGUE 1 ...

HARTLEPOOL - SWINDON

Going to give the visitors another chance, they have been extremely wasteful in front of goal, but that has to correct itself soon. They have created a league high 72 attempts, hitting the woodwork 3 times. Their manager Paul Sturrock is wanted for almost every lower league job that becomes available and Swindon have shown their ambition by repeatedly turning down approaches for him.

5 points Swindon +1/2 ball 2.04 asian line


PORT VALE - NOTTM FOREST

Time for Forest to come good, Tyson, Cohen, Agogo and Holt all return today and with more luck in front of goal, they have hit the woodwork in almost every start, they should comfortably take the spoils, against a Vale team weaker in every department. The hosts signed several players that were unable to command regular starting spots in League 2 sides and obviously have budget restraints.

6.5 points Nottm Forest level ball 1.78 asian line

Good Luck.

LEAGUE DIVISION 2

BRENTFORD - MK DONS

Oh dear, I have to oppose the Bees today, something that we have done with 100% success this season. They are without Moore today, who is suspended, they were very unlucky to lose at Wycombe last week, but created very little and had no chances to actually win that game. That is the story of their season really, they have played ok, but have an extremely young, inexperienced team and create far less, almost 4 chances per game than their opponents.They are a little lightweight if you like.

Dons are far more experienced and in Leon Knight , who ALWAYS scores at Griffin Park and Kevin Gallen, who as a former QPR player, will be fired up today, they have two very lively strikers, who could run a couple of slowish defenders ragged.

5 points MK Dons to win 2.75 general quote.

BRADFORD - PETERBOROUGH

These two create more chances, 65 and 75 respectively, than anyother League 2 teams and have also hit the woodwork 6 times between them. Both will attack and we must see goals.

5 points "over" 2.5 goals 1.85 general quote

Good Luck.

SATURDAY ....... WHAT'S HAPPENING !

Loads to pass on today, the email covered 10 (!) matches, from which subscribers will have to make their selections . I feel that some of my ideas from the UK lower leagues are particulary strong and just hope to get the run of the ball this afternoon !

Will put what I can on the blog, so please check back.

Good Luck.

FRENCH LIGUE 2 ......................

Here are this evening's email service football bets, all have been gambled a little through the day.

NIORT - ANGERS
6 points Niort -1/4 ball 1.75 asian line..... now 1.69
GUEUGNON- CLERMONT
6 points "over" 2 goals 1.83 asian line..... now 1.77
LIBOURNE - BASTIA
6 points "over" 2.25 goals 1.93 asian line..... now 1.85
GRENOBLE - BREST
5 points Grenoble -1/2 ball 1.88 asian line..... now 1.82

Niort are really playing well and have three consecutive wins, the very likely return of vital striker Benoit Leroy, will be a massive boost.Hosts are very strong at home, just two defeats in 42 starts and meeting a team weakened in midfield by the missing Djellabi and Brunel.

I have to take the "over" in Gueugnon, where both teams have defensive problems this evening. Hosts will be boosted by the return of their best striker and Clermont have scored and conceded in both away starts.

Hard not to see goals in Libourne, where both look unsteady at the back and whose games are both producing at the rate of over 2.5 per game. Their two meetings last season averaged 5.5 strikes.

Grenoble are an ambitious club and are building a new stadium, ready for Ligue 1. They are very tight at the back and following a first defeat of the season to Le Havre, in their last home start, will be keen to put things right. That game aside, they have conceded just once in 5 matches. Brest are missing both regular central defenders.

Good Luck.

FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP ....

JAPAN - ARGENTINA

Two very big handicaps to cover this morning, but I feel my selections are up to the job. Argentina were hammered 11-0 by Germany, in an (obviously) terrible performance, they will be keen to bounce back, but looked out of condition and this was not a new experience for them. In 2003 they lost all 3 group matches, conceding an average of 5 goals per game, including a 6-0 defeat to Japan, at this same stage.

Japan were fortunate to get something from the match with England, but are deadly with free kicks around the area and their fitness levels were on a different plane to the south americans and that is not something that Argentina can sort out in a couple of days. Germany are next for Japan so a win today and by as many goals as possible, is their only chance to progress.

4.5 points Japan -2 balls 2.23 asian line

KOREA - NIGERIA

Nigeria got a deserved point against Sweden, but got confidence from their opponents inabilty to put away the many chances that they created early in the encounter and the woodwork helped them too.

I feel that they will be bombarded by the Korean's, who beat them 3-0 in the last WC and have developed a shoot on sight policy. They have a fine short passing game, but work on shooting from distance, something that they have perfected and which was the key to winning the U20 World Championship in Moscow. This is based on their body shape, it is better explained by their coach Kim ... who sees the ability to generate ferocious power in their shots as a function of body type and a matter of adding another dimension to the side's well-known ball movement. "Although short passing is our strong suit and something we take great pride in, shooting well from distance is a tremendous weapon," he said. "Certain cultures and body types are suited to different strengths in football. We Koreans are short and stocky, but with powerful, compact muscles in our legs. For this reason we can generate a lot of power. We will never be the best at heading but this is something we can do very well."

Anyone who watched the game against USA where they had an enormous amount of attempts on goal and time after time troubled them from distance, will understand what I mean. The Nigerian goalkeeper is in for a torrid time.

6.5 points Korea -1.5 goals 1.84 asian line

Good Luck.

USA ... MLS ... Cd CHIVAS - LA GALAXY

These two share a stadium, so no home advantage, other than more supporters cheering for the "hosts". Galaxy really need the win if they are to harbour any hopes of a play off spot. H2h wise they hold a big advantage (7-2-2) and have not lost in the last 5 "away" fixtures, winning 3. They finally broke their duck with a 3-1 win over Colorado and will be boosted by the return of Landon Donovan from International duty. Chivas are in good form, but are playing "big brother".

5 points LA Galaxy +3/4 ball 1.82 asian line.

Good Luck.

THURSDAY PLANS ....

Belgium's failure to hold on to a 2-0 lead, which included twice hitting the woodwork, when holding the two goal advantage, prevented a clean sweep on the blog yesterday.

I have put 4 football selections on the email service today and will try to cover a couple of these on the site. However, I have to go out for a couple of hours, so exactly what, will be determined by time and how the market holds up. To save you keep checking back, it is unlikely that anything will be posted before 17.00 cet.

Good Luck.

TURKEY - HUNGARY ....

Hungary are a very young side and improving, but lack experience and struggle on the road, losing at Norway, Greece and Malta, with a 8-1 goal difference. They might easliy freeze in what is sure to be a red hot atmosphere in Istanbul.

Turkey looked to be coasting to qualification, when they won 4-1 in Greece. However, since then, just 2 points from home games with Norway and Bosnia, plus an away trip to Malta, have left them in shock and in desperate need of a convincing performance this evening. Goals are not a problem, they are averaging 2.57 per game, but a leaky defence, is a concern. This attack minded team should have no problem taking the lead and their young opponents head's might then drop, as they did in a heavy defeat in Oslo, where Turkey have still to go.

This is a huge game for Turkey , which they have to win.

6 points Turkey -1.25 goals 1.72 asian line.

Good Luck.

EURO 2008 QUALIFIER .....

KAZAKHSTAN-BELGIUM

Not quite sure what to expect from the host nation, who are international new boys, will the team that beat Serbia turn up, or the one that collected just one point in home starts with Azerbaijan and Armenia. To be honest, think that the last two are more of an indication of their ability. the Serbian coach admitted to making poor decisions in their loss. They are weakened today with the loss of several injured players and two key suspensions.

Belgium have only a small chance of qualification, but that will evaporate to none, unless they collect maximum points today. They showed some fight (finally) in the win over Serbia and surely, will want to extend their campaign with a win.

5 points Belgium -1/2 ball 1.80 asian line.

Back later.

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP .... CHINA - DENMARK

This was today's early email selection ...

Hosts look very well prepared for this event, money has been no object of course and they have a coach who is meticulous in her approach and took Sweden to the final, last time round. She has given priority to keeping the players nice and relaxed, believing that they are good enough for the results to take care of themselves. They finished their warm up games with a 4-0 win over Hungary, which could have been an even bigger victory, previously beating England 1-0. The mood in their camp is VERY good.

They have met the physically stronger Danes on 11 occasions and only lost once, winning 7.

Guess that this could be a draw, but I see little chance of China losing, that would be a disaster for team and country. Therefore see the -1/4 ball handicap, where we only lose half with a stalemate, as a strong selection.

6 points China -1/4 ball 1.79 asian line.



Good Luck.

TUESDAY

I have no selections on the blog today, sorry.


Put just two selections on the email service, the following bet on the Women's World Cup, nearly hit the biggie, with the Koreans leading and then coming VERY close right at the end. It finished 2-2.



5 points North Korea +1.75 goals 1.97 betfair
0.5 point to win 14.5 Betfair.



The other bet is for this evening's action. I will have plenty on the blog tomorrow, so please check back.

IRELAND ... EIRCOM LEAGUE ....

CORK CITY - UCD

Cork are still looking for one of the european spots, despite lying in mid table, if they won their two matches in hand they would be level with Shamrock Rovers in 3rd place. Therefore , they remain motivated to win this evening, however, they will be without between 3-5 starters and are not playing at their best. The h2h meetings have thrown up some amazing stats, 10/11 have been "under", with the last 6 at this venue having one goal or less. I would be surprised if this turned into a goal fest given those totals and the hosts injury situation, so am going "under".

5 points "under" 2.5 goals 1.70 exchanges.
1.5 points 1 goal or less 2.75 Expekt// Boyle etc.

Good Luck.

FINLAND ... JARO - TAMPERE

Both teams are missing several players, but that will be less of a concern to the visitors, who have a far deeper squad. They have lost just once in 10 starts and can go 6 points clear at the top of the table with a win this evening and will arrive with positive expectations. Tampere have won on their last 4 visits here, scoring at least two goals on each occasion. Home and away they are 9-1-0 in ten meetings, again scoring 2+ in all the wins.

Jaro have not scored in their last 2 home starts and have conceded 10 in the last two matches played, infact, this season, only bottom club Oulu, have conceded more.

4.5 points Tampere -1/2 ball 1.87 asian line.

Good Luck.

USPGA TOUR GOLF ...

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF

TIGER WOODS -JUSTIN ROSE

Tiger sits in 3rd place, just one stroke behind the joint leaders, but a huge 4 strokes ahead of his partner Rose. He will be confident of passing them and taking this title, he will be less concerned about Rose, who may be able to slip stream and get towed along by Woods.

Really see massive value in Rose, who in his last 4 outings in contention, has bettered the leaders average score on each occasion, he has really become a big time player. See no reason why he cannot at least close the gap on the best player in the world. The added value is that Tiger might be forced to go for his shots, if things do not go his way early and take chances, Rose is unlikely to be in that position, if he is, then our bet is probably going well !

4.5 points Rose to beat Woods 3.2 Pinnacle.

JONATHAN BYRD - TIM CLARK

Byrd is a very good round 4 player and is ranked 3rd in 2007 and 20th last year, this compares incredibly well with Clark who is a dismal 134-138. That equates to 3.55 strokes per round worse, a massive advantage to Byrd.

4.5 points Byrd to beat Clark 2.15 Pinnacle.

Good Luck.