Category: Football

Man Utd vs Tottenham: What Next for Jose Mourinho?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It is only a few short months ago that Jose Mourinho was being hailed as the “saviour” at Old Trafford. The United fans believed that Mourinho would quickly return the Red Devils to their glory days. Boosted by the arrival of Ibrahimovic, Bailly, Mkhitaryan and world record signing Paul Pogba, surely they would now be top four material once again. The stodgy dreary football played under Louis van Gaal would now be well and truly in the past.

The fact of the matter is that United are certainly playing more attractive football under Mourinho. The problem is in getting the results. United are currently sixth in the table, a massive 9pts behind the top four places.

They also trail leaders Chelsea by a colossal 13pts, and surely their title chances have disappeared. United are going to struggle to even qualify for the Champions League, but how much of this is the fault of the previous manager?

Big Players Haven’t Performed

The fact of the matter is that Mourinho has spent a lot of money this season. His excuses for blaming Louis van Gaal and his much talked about “football philosophy” are wearing a little bit thin. If we factor in pre-season, Mourinho has now had five months with most of these players.

They are doing well in the possession stats but their quality in front of goal has been lacking. They face a Tottenham side that has been buoyed by yet another solid season.

It is how United compare against the top sides in the league that will define their season. So far they have failed to beat a top-six team after four attempts. They have drawn against Liverpool and Arsenal, but have been beaten at home to rivals City and then thrashed at Chelsea.

Tottenham will pose a Lot of Problems

Tottenham will pose yet another big test for Mourinho and his team of misfiring stars. United can be backed with Bet365 at odds of 5-4. William Hill quotes 5-2 for the draw and this looks like a much better bet than United at 5-4, seeing as they have yet to beat a top six side this season.

Tottenham is playing well. They thrashed Swansea City 5-0 and then finished their Champions League group with a 3-1 win against CSKA Moscow. You can get odds of 12-5 for a Tottenham victory at Old Trafford.

If we then add the late strikes against West Ham where they won 3-2, Harry Kane and company are clearly scoring goals again. That will be enough to cause Mourinho a big headache. The last thing he needs is another home defeat. If that happens on Sunday then expect the home fans to be booing at the final whistle. The United faithful didn’t expect another season outside of the Champions League, certainly not when they signed one of the most successful managers in world football.

Chelsea To Continue Their Good Form With An Entertaining Win

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

CHELSEA put a real marker down on their Premier League title aspirations last weekend with a mightily impressive 3-1 win at the Etihad against one of their main title rivals Manchester City.

This weekend they are expected to continue their excellent run of form with what looks a relatively straight forward three points at home to West Brom.

It’s incredible to think that just two months ago Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was the bookies favourite to become the next Premier League manager to lose his job, but eight Premier League wins for the Italian since then has seen the Londoners’ move to the top of table and installed as the 2.25 favourites to be crowned champions again.

Chelsea is very short for another win at just 1.30 with Stan James, and despite the visitors playing their best football under manager Tony Pulis, they should prove too strong against the Baggies.

West Brom is unbeaten in their last four games and was excellent in the 3-1 win last week at home to Watford, but this really is a massive jump in class to recent wins over Leicester and Burnley, and even at the huge 15.0 it’s very hard to find any case for a West Brom win.

Will They Park the Bus?

In recent years when manager at both West Brom and Stoke, Pulis’ has been guilty of parking the bus at the Premier League top sides and putting 10 men behind the ball in an attempt to frustrate his more illustrious opponents; I don’t think that will be the case at the weekend.

This season West Brom have been the entertainers with eight of their last ten matches seeing both teams scoring and 32 goals scored in that period.

Over 2.5 goals looks a nice bet to me at 1.70 with BetVictor, and despite Chelsea having a fantastic recent defensive record, I can see both teams scoring in this one at the general 2.20 that is with most firms.

Chelsea’s recent form has been mainly due to the return of goals from striker Diego Costa and the Spaniard looks a happy player again, currently topping the Premier League goalscoring charts; I like him to add to his impressive goal total by opening the goalscoring in this one at the general 3.75, with another 3-1 Chelsea win looking very tempting at 13.0 with Bet365.

Watford vs Everton: A Close One Tough to Call

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Saturday lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League features Watford against Everton. While this isn’t one of the stellar Premier League fixtures, it does present a very interesting betting opportunity. Both clubs have had a decent start to the season. Watford under new coach Walter Mazzari have done very well and have 18pts from their first 14 games. If they continue that points per game ratio, that should see them safe with several games to spare.

The problem is that the Premier League isn’t as simple as that. Many smaller clubs have done well in the first half of the season and then really struggled after Christmas. Watford was forced into a managerial change that they didn’t really want to make last season. You have to give some serious credit to Walter Mazzari for steadying what appeared to be a very rocky ship.

The Strength to Survive

Watford clearly has the players to perform in the top league. They achieved a creditable 13th place in their first year back in the top flight last season. Everton too has had a turbulent time. Moving from David Moyes to Roberto Martinez and now to Ronald Koeman in such a short space of time has been difficult. You have to give Everton some credit as well because they haven’t been in serious trouble in any of that time. They currently sit in 8th place on 20pts and are looking at yet another solid season.

Everton travels to Watford this weekend with both clubs experiencing recent mixed results. They have only won once in their previous six combined matches. So both teams need a win, and both managers will know that a bad run of results could be waiting for them just around the corner.

Great Value Bets

This is a really tough game to call. Vicarage Road is not an easy place to go to for any visiting team. So it is surprising to see the bookies quoting 2-1 for a Watford victory. Those are the sort of odds that you would see for a match like this played on a neutral ground. There is value in backing Watford at 2-1 with BetFred, but there isn’t any value at backing Everton at odds of 11-8 with Bet365.

The facts are obvious. Everton has shaky recent form and is facing a tough away trip to a team every bit as strong as them. There may be some value in the draw at 12-5 with PaddyPower. Watford is tough to beat at home and only tend to lose to the top teams. They were beaten at home twice in August by Chelsea and Arsenal but that could be attributed to a slow start to the season. Since then they have only been beaten at Vicarage Road by Stoke City in the Premier League, and only by the odd goal.

Madrid To Win A Champions League Classic

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

IT’S a winner takes all clash at the Bernabéu on Wednesday night when Champions league holders Real Madrid host Borussia Dortmund in the Spanish capital.

The winner of this massive clash will top Group F and give themselves a huge advantage in the knock-out stages, and of all the final matches at the group stages, this one looks by some way the best.

Madrid is six points clear at the top of La Liga; the weekend draw with title rivals Barcelona was their 22nd match of the season still yet to taste a defeat, and I can’t see them losing this one.

Zinedine Zidane’s side are 1.91 favourites for the win with a whole host of bookies, and they are proving a very popular selection, but Dortmund arrive in good form and they aren’t to be underestimated.

The Bundesliga side has lost just once in the last 11 matches and they are 4.20 for the win.

In the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture they were much the better side, and with them knowing that a draw will be enough for them to top the group, they may decide to come to Madrid for a point.

The draw is available at 4.00 but I can’t see that happening. If the visitors decide to defend, then it will play to the 11 times champions of Europe’s hands, and there is no better team capable of dealing with that threat than Madrid.

How’s It Going to End Up?

I think 1.91 is a good price on the home side, and even though record signing Gareth Bale is unavailable they still have the main man for the big occasion in Cristiano Ronaldo, plus I like the Portuguese superstar to open the goalscoring at the general 4.20.

If Madrid scores early it means that the game will open up and neutrals will be in for a real treat with two of the best attacking sides in the continent going all out on the attack, and both teams to score”yes” at 1.50 with Betfair Sportsbook does look a good thing.

Goals certainly look on the cards and this really could be one of the best games in the group stages, and at a huge 19.00, I am going to have a very small bet on Madrid to go one better than they did in Germany to win this 3-2 with William Hills.

Will Tottenham Qualify for the Europa League?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Tottenham Hotspur takes on CSKA Moscow on Wednesday in what will be Spurs’ final game in this seasons’ Champions League. A string of mediocre performances means they cannot qualify for the knockout phase. They currently sit in third place in the group on 4pts and a point ahead of CSKA Moscow. So effectively this game has turned into a shootout for third place and a Europa League slot after Christmas.

It is debatable how much effort Tottenham have put into this years’ competition. Playing their home games at Wembley certainly hasn’t helped them. There may have been 80,000+ fans inside Wembley, but that can’t compensate for a home stadium back at White Hart Lane. In fact playing at Wembley seemed to motivate the opposition more than it did Tottenham in their two previous matches there. Given the recent mediocre performances of English teams in the Europa League, it will be interesting to see which team Mauricio Pochettino names for this match.

Will Tottenham go for the Win?

Under normal circumstances then Tottenham would be big favourites to qualify for the Europa League. They only need to avoid defeat at home and the Europa League place is theirs. CSKA Moscow, on the other hand, is a team to be respected. Their recent form hasn’t been good and recent defeats to city rivals Lokomotiv Moscow and Spartak Moscow within six days hasn’t done much for their confidence.

Tottenham won 1-0 in Moscow in their first encounter, but will the Wembley jinx strike again? CSKA currently sit 8pts behind leaders Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League. They do have some Europa League pedigree as they won the competition back in 2005. It’s really difficult to predict this game. Tottenham will likely take the Europa League spot, but you wouldn’t bet against CSKA Moscow getting a win at Wembley.

So Where is the Value

So which is the best bet? This isn’t an easy question to answer. Tottenham is 1-2 with Bet365 to win, but that isn’t a bet that should get you too excited. Now that Tottenham cannot qualify for the Champions League knockout stage, it will be interesting to see how much Spurs really want to be in the Europa League? The draw at 10-3 with Stan James is the preferred option and Bet365 quote 6-1 on a CSKA win.

An interesting side bet could be profitable here too. You can get 10-11 with Bet365 on both teams to score. Given that the Europa League will be a more attractive proposition for CSKA Moscow than for Tottenham, you would expect CSKA to go for goals. Tottenham should have enough quality in attack to score at some stage and this makes for a very interesting bet. As long as you stay clear of the really short odds for a Spurs win then you should be fine.

Porto vs. Leicester City: A Single Goal Could Win It

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Five games, four wins, one draw and no losses: when it comes to Champions League form this season, there’s only one club performing better than the Foxes, and that’s last season’s finalists, Atletico Madrid. Despite being 40/1 outsiders to lift the competition’s trophy with Sun Bets, City looks like a tough team to beat in Europe this season, and they can solidify this reputation further on December 7 when they take on Porto.

By now, Foxes fans and betting experts will know that following the odds is a bad idea when it comes to Leicester City. Last season’s 5,000/1 upset will live in the memories of bookmakers for many years to come, so it’s little surprise that they’re reluctant to go too long on Leicester this season. However, despite kerbing their pessimism and shortening their prices, the odds makers still can’t bring themselves to make City the favourites against Portugal’s finest.

Ranieri’s Men Doing Everything Wrong

Ahead of the match, Porto is the betting favourites with Sky Bet at 4/11. Despite sitting five points behind Leicester in Group G, Porto is the darlings of the betting world. Now, much of the antipathy towards Leicester could be down to their poor performance in the Premier League this season. Although mid-table mediocrity would have been fine for fans a few seasons ago, the title win in 2015/2016 has certainly raised expectations.

Unfortunately, Claudio Ranieri’s men haven’t been able to recreate that magic. In fact, following a shock 2-1 loss to Sunderland, Ranieri told the media that there is “everything wrong” with his side’s current form. Dropping to 15th in the Premier League and boasting the worst title defence stats in history, things aren’t looking good for Leicester at home and the bookies clearly feel this will spill over to the Champions League at some point.

One of the team’s biggest problems so far has been goals or, to put it another way, a lack of goals. When Leicester won the league, Jamie Vardy and his 24 goals made a huge contribution. This season, however, a clean sheet in 16 games has not only led some to brand him a flash in the pan, but it’s left Leicester City floundering. 17 for in the Premier isn’t good enough, despite performing better in the Champions League, they’ve still only scored seven.

Defence Standing Strong Despite Poor Form

Now, all clouds have a silver lining and for Leicester City in the Champions League, it’s been goals conceded. Although they might not be pinging in goals from all angles, Kasper Schmeichel has only had to pick the ball out of the net once. Of course, a wrist injury has kept the Danish player on the sidelines since early November, but the fact remains that City has been as strong as anyone defensively this season.

In fact, it’s because of their ability to shut down teams and stifle “superior” players that has allowed City to reach the top of their group. However, there comes a point when absorbing pressure from elite level teams becomes too much, and Porto could be the team to finally bust open the obvious cracks in Ranieri’s team.

Porto hasn’t lost in eight games and manager Nuno Espírito Santo looks to have found a way to bring the best out in the likes of keeper Iker Casillas and striker Andre Miguel Valente Silva. However, much like City, Porto haven’t exactly been prolific in front of goal. In fact, a 3-0 win over Arouca back in October is the most the team has scored in a single game over their last eight games.

Don’t Expect Goals Galore

On paper, this match looks as though it will be a war of attrition. With neither side prone to leaks at the back, goals will probably be scarce, which is why Sun Bets’ 11/1 on 0-0 looks to have some value. However, while it’s fair to expect a lack of goals, it’s also important to remember that City is on the back foot.

Poor performances in the Premier League sit in contrast to Porto’s recent unbeaten streak, and that could be the difference in this match. Yes, 9/1 on a Leicester win with Ladbrokes looks to be an attractive price given their Champions League form to date, but Porto clearly has the edge in terms of recent wins.

Perhaps the best value bets for this one are the scorecasts in favour of Porto. 1-0 (5/1) or 2/1 (8/1) with Sun Bets certainly look promising. But, if you’re really looking to cover all the bases, Sky Bets’ “Porto to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1” is possibly the pick of the bunch at 11/8.

Whichever way this match goes, the one thing we can be confident about is that there won’t be a glut of goals. Of course, the two teams could surprise us, but given their current strike rates, it’s fair to say that whoever comes away with a result is unlikely to do so by more than a single goal.