MONDAY MORNING ROUND UP ..........

We made another profit last week, keeping us well ahead of the game.

Only Parma let us down yesterday and that was just a half stake loser, they made the mistake of trying to sit on their lead and let Chievo dictate the game.

Spoilt for choice this midweek, in what is often a quiet period leading up to Christmas, we have full rounds in Spain and Italy and Cup fixtures in both England and Germany.

I am looking at three selections today and will be back later this morning.

Good Luck.

WEST HAM UNITED-MANCHESTER UNITED

It will be hard for Alan Curbishley to have too much effect on his West Ham side, after just three days in charge.

However, the team and the crowd, are bound to be fired up and are capable of holding their own in the early exchanges, they will certainly be aided by the return of Anton Ferdinand . The Hammers have gone in level at half time, in 3 of their last 4 starts.

Man U have a wonderful away record of 7-1-0, but have only lead at the break, in two of those victories. You can see where I am going with this.

Obviously my selection is going to be the half time draw, which is competitively priced around the 2.50 mark. Chelsea are currently trailing 1-0 to Everton, should they fail to turn this around, there will be even less reason for Sir Alex's side to come out with all guns blazing.

3 points West Ham- Manchester United half time draw 2.50 general quote, a little higher on the exchanges.

Back later.

Good Luck.

REAL SOCIEDAD-GIMNASTIC

The Basque hosts are drinking in the last chance saloon. Anything less than 3 points today, will leave them adrift at the foot of the table and some 8 points from safety.

They have put in three, greatly improved performances in their most recent outings and only some heroics from the Barcelona goalkeeper, kept the European Champions in the game last week, when Real looked the better side for long periods and were unlucky 1-0 losers.

During training this week, they have looked very good and positive and I have emphasized before, how important these sessions can be. Think that they have rediscovered some self belief.

Both sides are missing players today, but on paper, they look to be more important to the visitors.

Gimnastic have conceded the most goals in La Liga and are many people's idea of the weakest team in the division, Real will be looking to prove them right.

4 points Real Sociedad -1/2 ball asian line 1.86.

Lee Westwood produced the goods in our golf bet, eventually beating Cabrera by 4 strokes. Of course nothing is ever easy and he gave us a few scares along the way, having been at least 4 ahead since Thursday, the gap closed to one (!) for a hole .

Back later.

Good Luck.

PARMA-CHIEVO

If ever there was a six pointer, this is it !

With some very classy outfits directly above these two in the league, due to the "points deduction". It is hard to see too many sides being dragged into the relegation dogfight, as these two protagonists trail the main pack, by 6 points or more.

Starting today, Parma have a run of fixtures, which are as easy as it gets in Serie A and which will determine their future. They chose to ignore Thurday's UEFA Cup tie and have trained all week, solely with this match in mind.

Chievo will come for the single point, of that I am sure, they have two key players suspended in Mandelli and Obinna, the latter named has scored 4 of their last 5 goals.

Do not see Parma losing and make them must bet material on the current asian line.

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

Good Luck.

SUNDAY REVIEW .........

The Dallas Cowboys won by 10 points last night/ this morning/ this afternoon, depending on where you are based and comfortably covered the spread.

This took us into profit for the day and that is the sole aim of the blog, to lead you towards winners. However, I just wanted to point out that it is important to read the content and not just look at the recommendations.

Here are several items lifted from recent posts ........

Yesterday WBA
I think they will close this gap in the coming weeks and will start with maximum points today. They have a very interesting run of fixtures coming up, with 3 of the next 4 and 5 of the next 7, at their Hawthorns home. Their current odds of 10.5 on Betfair to win the Championship, could offer some juicy hedging potential in a few weeks time.
Already down to 8.60

Yesterday
Boston fans have found the funds from their own pocket's, to enable their team to travel down to Torquay a day early and stay overnight.

This is a fantastic gesture, it will mean they do not have to face a VERY long coach trip on the morning of the match.

It is appreciated by the players, who will surely be very motivated to repay the supporters faith, with a positive result.
Won 1-0 odds 3.20

December 5th Bristol City
Promotion is a real possibility this season and after tonight, they have six matches in a row against sides in the bottom eight. They could put a lot of pressure on Forest at the top in the coming weeks, have seen them as big as 7.4 to win Division 1, that could get a lot shorter, very quickly.
Now 5.20

July 10th
This is going to be one VERY long season, would love to be wrong, but Brentford are a team to oppose and given their recent record , bookmakers are sure to over estimate the Bees. Already seen that Ladbrokes and VC Bet have them at 12-1 to win the league, which is laughable. Look to the relegation market, Bet 365 have done some homework, they are just 6-1, Bet Fred are 10's, that looks a fair price, you may find bigger.
Stan James are 1.28 for the Bees to be relegated !

These were in addition to suggested bets and are rarely put online, so there are extra profits available for avid readers.

I will have my first selection online in an hour or so.

Quick golf update, Lee Westwood (played 6 holes) leads Angel Cabrera (played 10) by 7 strokes.

Good Luck.

DALLAS COWBOYS .....

Guess Bill Parcells read the riot act to his Cowboys, following last week's desperate display against New Orleans, that would have scared me into an improved performance, hope it has the same effect on his players.

That took them from coasting towards the play-offs into a situation where, were they to lose tonight, a divisional title could be out of their own hands. They would trail their rivals on all tie breaker scenarios.

So, must win situation for the trip to the banged up Atlanta Falcons, who will be forced to switch the team around and have to "go for it" theirselves, knowing that a loss will leave them all but out of the wild card hunt.

I expect Dallas to get back on track and cover the spread.

Back in the morning, where hopefully Lee Westwood will have completed the job, he currently leads Cabrera by 5 strokes, with just the one round to play.

4 points Dallas Cowboys -3.5 points 1.92 general, 1.96 pinnacle.

Good Luck.

SAINTS AND GILLS .........

Two more selections for this afternoons action and I will deal with them as briefly as possible. We have 90 minutes to kick off, on this very busy pre Christmas saturday.

One further bet online later, which I will post after the UK football has finished.

Going to give Southampton another chance, after they let us down last week. Their squad is a little stronger today and not many teams leave St. Mary's with much to show for their efforts.

Norwich have some major problems in central defence and may also be without their most potent offensive weapon, in Robert Earnshaw. The Canaries ship goals on the road, at an avarage of two per game and will struggle to contain a very motivated Saints outfit this afternoon.

Next I am siding with Gillingham to see off Bournemouth in Division 1.

The Gills are tough to beat at home, where they have won 7 of their 10 starts. The visitors are in freefall, are without an away win all season, have failed to score in 3 of their last 4 and have won just once in 10 starts. They are real relegation candidates and it is only the dire form of a couple of other teams, namely Brentford, that is keeping them off the bottom.

4 points Southampton -3/4 ball asian line 1.92
3 points Gillingham -1/2 ball asian line 1.94

Back later.

Good Luck.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION .....

Regular readers will know that this is a squad of players and coach ( Tony Mowbray), that I hold in high regard.

They have not had the rub of the green this season, they create an enormous amount of chances and have hit the woodwork more times than a lumberjack.

Today they host a Midlands derby when Coventry are the visitors, this is the type of fixture WBA should be winning comfortably. City are not a bad side and coach Micky Adams has them heading in the right direction, but they are, at least in quality terms, half a division behind the Baggies. They are hardly prolific scorers away from home, only two sides having managed fewer goals.

Albion are 3 points adrift of a playoff place and 7 off an automatic promotion spot.

I think they will close this gap in the coming weeks and will start with maximum points today. They have a very interesting run of fixtures coming up, with 3 of the next 4 and 5 of the next 7, at their Hawthorns home. Their current odds of 10.5 on Betfair to win the Championship, could offer some juicy hedging potential in a few weeks time.

Diomansy Kamara and Chris Perry return today to aid the cause.

4 points West Bromwich Albion -1/2 ball asian line 2.0.

Back shortly.

Good Luck.

WIGAN - SHEFFIELD UNITED

I thought that Wigan played well, in the narrow midweek loss to Arsenal, with a little luck, they could have got something from the game, maybe even all 3 points.

Their squad will be stronger today, with the addition of Arjen de Zeeuw, who has missed the last 4 and Paul Scharner, the former ever present, who returns following a one match ban.

Think this will turn today's match in their favour, Sheffield United are a very industrious, but somewhat limited side, who are going to have to fight all the way to preserve their Premiership status.

Wigan have a little more class throughout their team and with Chelsea and Manchester United up next, will have pinpointed today as a must win fixture.With some fortune in front of goal, they should collect a very welcome victory.

3 points Wigan -1/2 ball asian line 1.94.

Good Luck.

Something to think about ..........

A little bit of news to ponder on and one extra (tiny) bet.

Boston fans have found the funds from their own pocket's, to enable their team to travel down to Torquay a day early and stay overnight.

This is a fantastic gesture, it will mean they do not have to face a VERY long coach trip on the morning of the match.

It is appreciated by the players, who will surely be very motivated to repay the supporters faith, with a positive result.

Hudderfield Town are in a poor run of form, they have not scored in 3 and only twice in 6, collecting just 2 points. Today they are without six regulars.

Visitors Northampton Town, this is not a "Town" derby by the way, are not in much better shape, but have been facing some of the division's better teams in recent outings.

They are strong on the road, with 4 wins and just one defeat, in 10 starts.At the odds on offer we can chance a little on them making it 5 wins.

1.5 points Northampton to win 3.50 general quote.

Good Luck.

SATURDAY .......

Good Morning !

Just to let you know, there will be 4 selections online today, the first will be posted by 12.30 cet.

Doncaster-Yeovil has been postponed in Division 1, the weather, particularly in the North, has been terrible overnight, so other's may follow.

Please check back.

POKER MILLION UPDATE

I have found two bets that look good value.

In the outright market, chip leader Mel Judah, will be tough to catch, he has as much "live" experience as the rest of the field put together.

Mel will be the most relaxed and the least likely to make a mistake.With such a big chip lead he can afford to take his time and wait for the cards, the two short stacks
will be forced to get busy, sooner rather than later. He looks a fair price on the exchanges.

Stan James have come up with a couple of match bets and one stands out like a sore thumb.Andreas Hoivold has a small chip advantage over Rajesh Modham, but on everything I have seen, he is the by far the superior player.

Modham has looked out of his depth and I am pretty sure that unless he gets VERY lucky tonight, he will struggle.

2 points Judah to win outright 2.86 betfair.
3 points Hoivoid to beat Modha 1.72 stan james.

Details of chip stacks can be found in my earlier post below.

Good Luck.

VFL BOCHUM - BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH

Absolutely crunch game at the bottom of the Bundesliga, these two will be straining every muscle to collect the points.

Defeat for either will leave them in the relegation zone through the Winter Break and facing a mountain to climb.

Bochum have found a little form, at just the right time and recorded two vital, back to back wins, over Hamburg and Frankfurt. They have no injury concerns and are secure in the knowledge that history strongly favours them. Last 8 meetings here have produced 5 wins and three draws for the hosts, home and away, BMG have not beaten Bochum since 1997.

Borussia are 0-3-6 in their last 9, scoring just 4 goals, away from home they are even worse, just 2 points and 5 goals in 8 starts. They arrive without several injured players.

Everthing points to Bochum and I do not see them losing, so am very happy with the asian handicap.

4 points Bochum -1/4 ball asian line 1.91.

Good Luck.

LUTON TOWN- SOUTHEND UNITED

Town received a massive boost this week when, just six weeks after suffering a stroke, Sol Davis returned to action in a reserve match.

The incident happened on the team bus at Ipswich, which marked the start of Luton's dismal run, with a 5-0 hammering that day. Maybe his comeback will have the reverse effect this time.

They have lost 8/10, but played well in their last two starts, a 2-0 win over promotion chasing Preston and a narrow 2-1 loss to resurgent, Sunderland.

Luton are tough to beat at home where, despite the poor run, they are 5-3-3 and are averaging almost 2 goals per game.

Southend's recent form is even worse, with only one win in ten. They are 0-2-8 away and are conceding exactly two goals per game. Very dependent on Freddie Eastwood, who has scored 40% of their goals this season, he is sure to be well shackled this evening.

I have no doubt that Luton are the stronger team and they are my choice to collect 3 vital points.

4 points Luton Town -1/2 ball asian line 1.86.

Good Luck.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW ........

PORTO v CHELSEA
CELTIC v AC MILAN
PSV EINDHOVEN v ARSENAL
LILLE v MANCHESTER UNITED
ROMA v LYON
BARCELONA v LIVERPOOL
REAL MADRID v BAYERN MUNICH
INTER MILAN v VALENCIA


(Ties to be played on 21/22 February and 6/7 March)

Some mouth watering ties there.

POKER MILLION

We have not covered any poker for a while, so time to address that.

The Ladbrokes Poker Million is down to a final table of six and will be shown live on Sky Sports tonight.

All players are guaranteed a minimum $100k, with a first prize of $1.2m, so a few sleepless nights last night, nice work if you can get it though.

Chip counts and the sponsor's odds are as follow .........

MEL JUDAH 391k 2.50
ANDREAS HOIVOLD 220k 4.50
RAJESH MODHA 212k 5.50
CLAUS MARCUSSEN 168k 6.00
MARTIN SMYTH 113k 8.00
MATS JUNGSAND 96k 12.00

Those odds are very skinny, but I am sure we can find bigger by shopping around, will return to this tournament later.

Back this afternoon with my first football selection.

Good Luck.

ASIAN GAMES FINAL- DOHA

I strongly favour Qatar to take the gold medal and send the nation into ecstasy, with victory over Iraq in today's final.

They did us a big favour in the semi final and it was my intention to bet them today, but the odds are lower than expected and I have to pass.

Think that they hold every advantage, as outlined in my earlier post http://ubet2win.blogspot.com/2006/12/asian-games-doha.html

Iraq stumbled through their semi, beating the Republic of Korea 1-0 ,despite their opponents enjoying 65% possession and having 22-5 attempts on goal !

If you MUST bet, do not oppose the hosts, back shortly.

Good Morning !

Luck should level out over time, although the "bad beats" always seem to linger longer in the mind, however, finally a couple of late goals went our way last night, so, hooray!

Once again the golf has started well and Lee Westwood leads Angel Cabrera by 4 strokes at the half way stage.

I will be back shortly with some information for today's events.

Check back.

PARMA-OSASUNA

OK, we have pretty much managed to stay clear of the anti Parma gambles in the UEFA Cup, so I can oppose them tonight without hearing the groans of blog readers echoing in my ears.

The Italian side have managed to foil any number of massive plunges in the last two seasons and are, without doubt, every bookmakers favourite team.

However, tonight they have little motivation and will (once again) put out a much weakened side. The difference is that they have two, absolutely vital, Serie A fixtures in the next 6 days, after Chievo at the weekend, they face Messina next midweek. These are two fellow relegation candidates and the matches are real "six pointers".

Osasuna need a point and arrive in good form, on the back of 4 straight wins and are finally showing their true ability. Do not see them losing, so we must get involved giving up a 1/4 ball.

4 points Osasuna -1/4 ball asian line 1.95.

Good Luck.

LEVERKUSEN- BESIKTAS

The German hosts need a win to progress, for the visitors, a draw is enough.

Leverkusen will be forced forward and their home games normally produce goals, 3.25 on average in the Bundesliga.They received a lot of critcism for their performance in the last group home game against Tottenham and they will be keen to put on a better show this evening.

No doubt Besiktas will be cheered on by a huge number of supporters, which is always the case when Turkish clubs play in Germany. Should be an electric atmosphere and I really think that an earlyish goal, will open this game up,which is why I am siding with the "over".

3 points Leverkusen-Besiktas over 2.5 goals asian line 1.74.

Good Luck.

SPORTING BRAGA- GRASSHOPPERS

The handicap is a little steep, but Braga look too strong for their weak Swiss opponents.

Grasshoppers have conceded at least 4 goals in every group game so far and are keen to get off on their holidays, as their domestic season has already entered the Winter break.

Sporting have to win to progress, are in good form and are just outside the Champions League places in the Portugese league. They are strong at home, averaging two goals per game and only the big two, Porto and Benfica have scored more.

Think they will win comfortably and cover the handicap.

4 points Sporting Braga -1.75 goals asian line 1.84.

Good Luck.

FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP

The second semi final takes place this morning in Japan and features CONCACAF champions, Club America from Mexico,against European giants Barcelona.

This will have to be brief. Club America look the better prepared, they have already played one game here, a narrow win over Jeonbuk the Korean champions. Having been in Japan for several days longer, they have been able to adapt to the time difference and conditions.

They are a good side with a couple of star names, in playmaker Blanco and former Valencia striker Claudio Lopez, who scored 12 goals against Barcelona during his time in Spain.

These two met in a pre season friendly in August, which took place in Texas, CA were leading 4-1 with 5 minutes to play, but could not hold on, the match ending 4-4 ! Most of the Spanish club's star names took part that day, Ronaldinho's skills turning the game on it's head.

The last time a Mexican side competed in this tournament, they drew with Manchester United and Real Madrid, so they are certainly not no hopers. Barcelona have even been claiming in the media that they are not favourites for this match, tell that to some of the european bookmakers, who have priced them at sub 1.30 !

Think there is a little value in the outsiders +1.5 goals on the asian line, the time difference can be a killer !

3 points Club America +1.5 goals asian line 1.84.

Good Luck.

THURSDAY ..........

VERY disappointing late goal for Blackburn robbed us of a big payout yesterday.

When I say late, I mean in the 92nd minute, following the kick off, they played on for about 8 seconds !

A goal never looked like coming, unlucky, but just one of those "bad beats" we have to live with.

The final 8 UEFA Cup ties take place today, after which we will have the 32 qualifiers for the knock out stage.I will have two selections for these games on the blog later this afternoon.

However, going to put my first post online in 30 minutes or so, for the late morning kick off in Japan.

Back shortly.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS OPEN GOLF

Rather than going for an outright selection this week, in what, quite frankly looks a bit of a minefield, I am going to suggest a 72 hole match bet.

Several bookmakers have paired together Lee Westwood, with the big hitting Argentine, Angel Cabrera and we have to side with the Engishman.

Lee has been working on his fitness, lost a little weight and looks in good shape. After a poor opening 9 holes last week, which was understandable after a long lay off, he played superbly for 3 rounds, just coming up a little short.

He will now be fully acclimatized to the conditions in South Africa and looks primed to give a good account of himself.

Cabrera has had something of a gruelling schedule, he played in Buenos Aires two weeks ago, Barbados last week, where his putting was absolutely terrible and is now in Port Elizabeth. That is a lot of travelling and he looks one to oppose to me.

First a word of warning, some bookmakers include the tie in their odds, so you lose if they finish level after 72 holes, believe me, it does happen !

Obviously, it is better to play with tie no bet, Pinnacle and some others offer this option.

4 points Lee Westwood to beat Angel Cabrera 72 hole match bet 1.893.

Good Luck.

WIGAN - ARSENAL

The Gunners travel to the JJB on the back of, arguably, their two best performances of the season against Tottenham and Chelsea, knowing that victory will take them up to 3rd in the Premiership.

They will once again be without Henry, Rosicky and Gallas, but will be buoyed by the return of Kolo Toure after suspension. To be honest, something has not quite been right with TH this season, maybe the new contract he signed has distracted him, such a worry about what to do with all that money ! Of course he is a wonderful talent, but at present, Arsenal seem happier without him.

Wigan have injury doubts about Valencia, Teale and De Zeeuw, however, the suspended Paul Scharner may be the biggest loss. Amazingly in this day and age, he has played all 90 minutes, of every Latics league and cup this campaign.

Many moons ago, when I was a lad, it was common for teams to have several "ever presents" through the course of a season and some clubs, would use only 15 players or so during the course of a season.How times change ! That concludes the history lesson for today.

Back to Wigan, they have not scored in their last two home games and will struggle to contain Arsenal's pace, which is something of an achilles heel for the hosts, Liverpool tore them apart recently, with the speedy Bellamy having a field day.

4 points Arsenal -1/2 ball asian line 1.84.

I will return later tonight with some golf news.

Good Luck.

BLACKBURN ROVERS-NANCY

These two have already booked the top two spots in their UEFA Cup group.

It only remains to be decided, who will advance as section winners, the French side will take that honour with a point tonight.

Mark Hughes' Blackburn will be without two key players in Emerton and Henchoz and they may be joined by one or two others.

Given their precarious league position, they are just one place and two points above the relegation zone, they would love to rest some players, but due to the size of their small squad, their options are limited.

They have some very difficult fixtures coming up, away trips to Reading and Arsenal, followed by Liverpool at Ewood Park. Hughes knows that they can ill afford any further injuries and that will be his first concern this evening .

Goals have been a real problem, they are 1-1-7 in their last 9 domestic matches and have failed to scored in 6 of those.

Nancy will come for the point, tight at the back, only Lyon have conceded fewer away goals in Ligue 1, they are handily placed in France, just 4 points shy of a Champions League place.

The Feyenoord coach was very impressed with them and that was BEFORE they hammered his side, a classy outfit they are meeting Blackburn at the ideal time.

Think we should back the draw,which I like a lot, with a small "saver" on the away win.

3 points Blackburn-Nancy draw 3.15 betfair
1.5 points Nancy 3.95 betfair.

Good Luck.

WEDNESDAY ..........

Good morning !

Some interesting matches today, two Premiership games, 8 UEFA Cup ties and several other fixtures from around the world.

Also looking at this week's golf tournaments, where we have gone so very close, with the last two bets.

I will be back with the first football selection at, or before, 13.00 cet.

Please check back.

FINAL SCORE ..... DOHA

The celebrations have no doubt begun ..............

QATAR 2 IRAN 0

Nice start to the day.

Good Luck.

DONCASTER ROVERS-MANSFIELD TOWN

Just time for a couple of lines.

Massive incentive for resurgent Rovers to win tonight. In addition to this being the last ever night game, at the soon to close, Belle Vue stadium.There is the huge bonus of a 3rd round home tie with Bolton Wanderers. This is scheduled for January 6 and would be the first Saturday home game at Rovers', new ground which opens on New Years Day. What a way to celebrate in style !

Sean O'Driscoll's side are in excellent form and have only lost once, in 9 league starts.

They are closing in on a play off place and should be too strong for The Stags , who are being dragged into the Division 2 relegation dogfight.

3 points Doncaster Rovers -1/2 ball 1.55 general quote.

Good Luck.

SCORE UPDATE .......

Several of you have contacted me regarding the score in the Asian Games semi final.

At half time it is ........... Qatar 1 Iran 0

I will update the final score.

MILLWALL-BRADFORD

Two old "friends" meet for the 3rd time in just 10 days.

Obviously the original cup tie finished all square and The Lions took all 3 points in the league meeting at the New den, just 3 days ago.

Portugese winger Filipe Morais, was the star of the show, scoring a goal and making the other, in a 2-0 win, which could have been even more emphatic.

New boss Willie Donachie, has turned them around in double quick time, they are unbeaten in 4 and have not conceded in 3 starts.

Bradford look to be heading in the opposite direction, they have only beaten the division's bottom club in their last 9, losing 6 and failing to score in 4 of the last 5. Manager Colin Todd is coming under a lot of pressure and may not remain in charge too much longer.

On the plus side, Dean Windass and Ben Muirhead are available after suspension, which will help, but I do not see the South Londoners losing the game. Therefore, there seems a lot of value in them giving up just a 1/4 ball.

I will be back a little later with one more selection for this evening's action.

4 points Millwall -1/4 ball asian line 1.92 .

Good Luck.

LEYTON ORIENT-TORQUAY UNITED FA CUP REPLAY

The O's have finally found some form after a dismal run and have now only lost once in their last 6 starts.

After a strong win over Huddersfield at the weekend, they can approach tonight with a confidence, that has been lacking all season.

Torquay are in a dismal run and have only beaten non league Leatherhead, in 15 starts, going back to mid September.

Second from bottom of Division 2, with only Macclesfield below, they face a MASSIVE 6 pointer on Saturday, when Boston, one place above them, visit Plainmoor.

They are without 3 players tonight, including top scorer Jamie Ward and fellow striker Lee Thorpe, who between them, have contributed 11 goals to Torquay's meagre haul this year.

I know that Orient boss Martin Ling, is very keen to keep the run going and is excited by the prospect of a 3rd round tie with Championship side, Southampton.

Football League survival should be the only priority for the visitors.

4 points Leyton Orient -3/4 ball asian line 1.97.

Back later.

Good Luck.

ASIAN GAMES- DOHA

The football semi finals take place today. The second of which will cause enormous excitement in football crazy Qatar, where the hosts entertain two time defending champions, Iran.

Qatar seem to hold all the cards in this match up, they have been strongly favoured by the officials, think South Korea in the 2002 World Cup.

Money is no object, they have spent almost $3 billion in hosting the games and they have fast tracked several foreigners into Qatar citizenship, the most high profile is young playmaker Sebastian Quintana, formerly from Uruguay.

Their domestic league is littered with star names including Batistuta, LeBoeuf, Okocha, Guardiola and Desailly.

Iran are on 15 match unbeaten run at the Asian Games, but have really ridden their luck so far. After meeting 3 of the weaker sides early the tournament, they faced China in the quarter finals and were outplayed for long periods, despite their opponents playing for 57 minutes with only 10 men.Iran eventually progressed 8-7 in a penalty shoot out, today they will be weakened by the missing, suspended Mehrad Oladi.

The hosts to march on and the celebrations to begin in Doha.

4 points Qatar -1/4 ball asian line 1.95.

Good luck.

TUESDAY ..........

Back to square one, both bets yesterday were "void", or stakes returned.

I am still a little bemused by the Bundesliga 2 fixture, where Karlsruher ran out very easy winners, the betting pattern simply made no sense. Sometimes you get too much information and should just go with your gut instinct.

Not too much choice today,where the FA Cup takes centre stage, but amazingly, I am looking at 3 selections. Will have the first one posted by 12.30 cet.

As you will see, they still have the Brentford colours tied securely to the Cup .... maybe next year.

Talking of The Bees, they put in a much improved performance in the 1-1 draw with Tranmere at the weekend, supporters were treated to that rarest of commodities, a goal! Their first in 539 minutes, of what can loosely be termed, football.

Things may be looking up, they played a low key friendly with Wycombe yesterday and won 4-1, the injury situation is clearing up, albeit slowly and the new manager is expected to be announced before the weekend.

Back later.

Good Luck.

FRENCH FOOTBALL

I love the "over" 2 goal option in the Dijon-Grenoble, Ligue 2 televised match tonight.

Just do not know why it has been set so low.

Dijon's recent starts have produced 2+ goals on 5/6 occasions and they are averaging 2.6 per game in the last 10.

Grenoble also have 2+ in 5/6 and an average of 2.3 in their last 10.

History dictates goals, with 4 of the last 5 producing 3 or more.

5 points over 2 goals Dijon-Grenoble asian line 1.92.

Good Luck.