Tag: football betting

United Need to Find Another Gear

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Much has been said of Manchester United’s supposed recent good form. The reality is that they have been far from convincing. Despite reaching the last eight of the Europa League and winning the EFL Cup, they are still some way off reaching the top four in the Premier League. Their main problem has been in finding the net and a second striker that will deliver enough goals. They haven’t found anybody to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic who can share the workload in terms of scoring.

United are a team that dominate possession in most games but don’t find the net often enough. This has been a repeating pattern all season. Wayne Rooney has fallen out of favour with manager Jose Mourinho. To make matters worse, Anthony Martial has been misfiring and still doesn’t appear to be true United quality.

No Top Class Striking Options

Too much has been asked of young Marcus Rashford. This young lad is still learning his trade and hasn’t really kicked on this season. Too much has rested on the broad shoulders of Ibrahimovic. His recent suspension has come at a bad time for United. It was no surprise on Saturday to see them labour to yet another draw at home to West Brom.

The pattern is all too obvious. United dominate the game in terms of possession but don’t score. They badly need to find a long term striking option for next season. At 35 years of age then it is clear that Ibrahimovic simply cannot go on for much longer. Even if United were to go on and lift the Europa League, that will still only paper over what is really needed at Old Trafford.

Will United beat the Blue half of Liverpool?

United face Everton on Wednesday in what is a vital game for them. They are in a serious fight to finish in the top four. This wasn’t something that the United fans expected when Mourinho took charge. Everton under Ronald Koeman has been a much tougher nut to crack this season.

They will surely want to bounce back after their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. The question is will they? This match represents an interesting betting proposition. Clearly United are struggling to score goals at the moment. Everton, on the other hand, is somewhat resolute in defence. So the draw at 16-5 with BetVictor appeals to us.

BetVictor also go 20-21 on their under 2.5 goals market. This is yet another bet that we feel may be value. Anything less than a win for United on Wednesday will really turn the pressure on them in terms of a top four finish this season.

Wenger To Have Another Tough Afternoon

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

IT’S tough times at the Emirates at the moment and it looks like it’s going to get a lot worse at the weekend when Arsenal host Man City.

The Arsene Wenger “out” brigade will be in full voice on Sunday and another defeat will see the pressure mount even more on the Premier League’s longest-serving boss, and the removable object that is Wenger looks set to be in for a very difficult afternoon both on and off the pitch.

Arsenal and, for the first time in his long tenure, Wenger looks to have finally lost the respect of the majority of the fans, and more importantly certain sections of the dressing room.

Star man Alexis Sanchez has already come out publicly with his plea to leave the club and play with a side of “winners” joining Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlaide Chamberlin, who have also expressed their desire to leave at the end of the season; that is hardly the ideal preparation ahead of one of their biggest tests of the season.

The Gunners’ have won just three times in their last 10, but alarming they’ve had SEVEN defeats in that period. The way they performed last time out in the 3-1 defeat at West Brom, with a lack of desire, heart or team spirit, and how they are as short as 2.87 with William Hill for the win at the weekend has really got me scratching my head.

City has looked good since they were dumped out of the Champions League by Monaco at the last 16 stage, which was the worst performance in Pep Guardiola’s managerial career.

They played a very big part in an entertaining 1-1 draw with Liverpool last time out, which stretched their unbeaten domestic run to 11 matches and I can’t see anything other than a City win in this one, which is a very tempting 2.36 with Paddy Power.

Embarrassment Likely for the Gunners!

I fear, with the anti-Wenger chanting, that if the home side falls behind early on, this could be a long afternoon for the Frenchman. Unlike previous times, when the Arsenal manager has had his back against the wall, he won’t get out of jail this time around, and Man City -1 at 3.20 with most bookies looks tempting as well.

For goals punters, this certainly looks one that will feature a few and over 2.5 goals and both teams to score “yes” will probably be winning bets, but have been priced up accordingly by the layers; instead, I am going to have a small wager on City to heap my misery on the Gunners’ with a 3-1 win which is 18.00 at Paddy Power.

 

Napoli v Real Madrid: Partenopei Face Uphill Battle To Progress

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

European football’s premier club competition, the Champions League, returns on Tuesday evening with 11-times champions Real Madrid travelling to Naples aiming to secure their place in the quarter-final draw.

They will take a two-goal advantage into the match in southern Italy after recording a 3-1 victory in the first leg at the Bernabeu three weeks ago. However, Lorenzo Insigne’s opening goal for the visitors that night gives the passionate Partenopei supporters real hope that their heroes can overturn their two-goal deficit and progress at the expense of their more illustrious opponents.

Madrid Looking for ‘La Dos Décima’

Reigning European champions Real, who defeated cross-city rivals Atlético on penalties in last May’s final in Milan to win their 11th title, overcame that early goal from Insigne thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and a stunning Casemiro volley to put themselves in the driving seat for a place in the tournament’s last eight.

And despite a concerning run of form of late for Zinedine Zidane’s men, a run including defeat on the road at Valencia and dropped points at home to Las Palmas, leading some dramatists to declare it a crisis, Los Merengues will head into Tuesday’s match in the intimidating atmosphere of the Stadio San Paolo as the overwhelming favourites to emerge as aggregate victors. BetVictor are currently quoting them as low as 1/12 to progress and 9/2 to become the first club since Arrigo Sacchi’s dominant AC Milan of the late 1980s and early 1990s to retain the much-coveted trophy.

Napoli, under the guidance of Maurizio Sarri, finished top of their group in the pool stages and will be hoping Real suffer from stage fright as the club strive to move a giant step closer towards winning the ultimate prize in club football, adding to their sole previous European triumph when the legendary Diego Maradona inspired them to UEFA Cup glory in 1991.

Napoli Out to Overcome Long Odds

Currently sitting third in the Serie A table behind dominant leaders Juventus and second-placed Roma, Napoli is a huge but tempting 6/1 with Ladbrokes to overcome the odds and the doubters to eliminate the current holders.

They do however possess the necessary firepower to achieve the impossible with the likes of Insigne, Belgian forward Dries Mertens, former Madridista José María Callejón and goalscoring captain Marek Hamšík within their ranks. Mertens, Napoli’s top scorer in the competition with four to date and an impressive 16 goals in Serie A this season is a tempting 5/1 with Sky Bet to open the scoring, while Callejón is a tasty 13/2 to net first against his former employers.

However, if the Italian giants are to progress in the competition, they will need to shut out Real’s own trio of superstars, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Welshman Gareth Bale who has extra motivation to reach a third final in four seasons with his home city of Cardiff set to host this year’s showpiece event.

Ronaldo to Renew Rivalry with Reina

Ronaldo, Real’s leading marksmen once again this term with 18 league goals, has yet to hit the heights in Europe during this campaign, netting just twice to date. He is nevertheless the favourite with Sky Bet to silence the home fans with the game’s first goal at 7/2, while he is 9/1 with the same bookmaker to claim a sixth career Champions League hat-trick.

The man tasked with the responsibility of stopping his former Manchester United rival Ronaldo and his fellow superstars will be Spanish international goalkeeper Pepe Reina, born in Madrid and son of Miguel who donned the gloves for Real’s arch-rivals Barcelona and Atlético Madrid during his own distinguished career. Reina Jr, a beaten finalist with Liverpool in 2007, is 4/1 to keep a clean sheet with Paddy Power. If he can achieve such an impressive feat and his teammates can find two goals from somewhere, Napoli will progress on away goals at Real’s expense.

Anything can happen in football of course and I may find a spare fiver from somewhere to wager on Napoli achieving a major shock. But I wouldn’t bet my mortgage on it!

More Travel Sickness for Chelsea

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Under Antonio Conte, today’s Chelsea squad is enriched with an abundance of talent and leadership that is the envy of all.

Meanwhile, West Ham’s future in the Premier League remains uncertain but not necessarily bleak. A strong January transfer window, which saw the arrival of dead ball specialist Robert Snodgrass, appears to have given the team a massive boost.

The ninth-placed Hammers are now in a good position to finish in the top half and build from there. Sadly, a European finish is seemingly out of the question.

Unsurprisingly, just one bookmaker is now offering odds for West Ham to achieve a top-six berth. The certifiably insane can back the Hammers to pull this off at 250/1 with Bet 365.

Can Bilic restore the faith?

West Ham has not made a particularly impressive start to life at the London Stadium. Yet, aside from two league defeats at home (to both Manchester clubs), 2017 has begun reasonably well for the East End club.

Neutrals will also do well to remember that the Hammers have already beaten Chelsea at home this season. That victory came in the EFL Cup fourth round on 26 October.

Tellingly, Bilic’s battlers have also scored twice against Chelsea in three of the last four encounters. That noted, Chelsea has seldom conceded against West Ham without response. Ultimately, this means that the Anytime Goalscorer Double market is a potential goldmine ahead of Monday evening.

Adventurous bettors may be willing to explore less obvious options, but at 11/2 (William Hill), the inclusion of Diego Costa and Andy Carroll on the scoresheet is a tempting proposition to back.

Awayday Blues

The EFL Cup exit was, in many ways, the best thing that could have happened to Chelsea. With no other distractions, Conte’s side became unplayable over the autumn of 2016. Though Chelsea is seemingly invincible at home, away games have occasionally disrupted the flow of West London’s finest.

One notable case in hand is Chelsea’s recent trip to Turf Moor. Drawing 1-1 in a flurry of East Lancashire sleet and hostility, the Blues badly under-performed against a spirited Burnley side. Not long before that came a 2-0 defeat at White Hart Lane. The latter match was comfortably Chelsea’s worst performance of this season to date.

Those matches are just two examples of Chelsea’s fallibility on the road, making Monday night’s London derby very difficult to predict. Therefore, we delve into the HT/FT market for potential gems.

West Ham owe it to the oft-suffering home faithful to make a strong start, and Bet Victor is currently offering generous odds of 19/1 for Chelsea to gain a draw after trailing at halftime.

Our Prediction

For away sides, Sky’s Monday Night Football represents the ultimate experience in crowd hostility and subjective scrutiny. It was a psychological test which Liverpool failed with flailing colours in the most recent edition – the heavy favourites went down 3-1 at relegation-battling Leicester.

The context of a local rivalry multiplies any impending psychological hardships many fold. For all its self-evident skill, the Chelsea starting XI will have to fight its way through hell for three points.

The official Betcirca prediction is West Ham 2-2 Chelsea. This exact scoreline can be backed at a market-high of 18/1 with Bet365.

Watford Look for Redemption in Mid-Table Clash

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Southampton, fresh from their EFL final loss to Man United last Sunday, travel to Watford for this mid-table clash.

Watford

After a turbulent run of form over the festive period, leading some to ask whether they might be dragged into the relegation dogfight, Watford are looking all but safe with 31 points, 9 points clear of the zone. Walter Mazzarri will be looking to capitalise on a light February schedule of only 3 games, and a run of fixtures against Southampton, Palace and Sunderland in March to pick up the points needed to put any question of relegation to bed for the season. The Italian will also want to make amends for last Saturday’s somewhat disappointing result against West Ham, having led from 3 minutes in and against ten men, they went on to concede a goal and the win in the last quarter of the match.

The big news for Watford is new signing Mauro Zarate picking up a cruciate ligament injury, putting him out of action until August. They will also be without first choice keeper Costel Pantilimon, Nordin Amrabat, Roberto Pereyra. Daryl Janmaat and Christian Kabasele are both in doubt.

Southampton

A terrific performance against United in the EFL final last weekend saw the Saints come within 5 minutes of extra time, having brought the game back from 2:0 down, with a goal unfairly ruled out, Southampton will be justifiably devastated with the outcome. They will have to put the result out of their heads and concentrate on recreating some of their great play from the final for the game against Watford.

Sitting a point behind Watford, Southampton are 8 points above the relegation zone in 13th place, but having dropped out of every other competition they will be able to focus everything they have on their league finish; 14 points is an all but impossible gap between them and Everton in the Europa League spots. The EFL fixture brought some confusion to the scheduling, but they will likely have to play Arsenal, Tottenham and United again in the next month or so. Picking up 3 points in this game would be important insulation going into a tough run.

Claude Puel has a few long term injuries to contend with, Matthew Targett, Charlie Austin and Virgil Van Dijk all scheduled to return next month. Jeremy Pied and Alex McCarthy are both lacking match fitness after long absences.

The value

Looking at the head to head stats, there doesn’t seem to be much between the two. The corresponding fixture in August at St Mary’s ended 1:1. Last season saw them draw 0:0 and Southampton win 2:0 at home. You would have to go back to 2008 to see Watford beat Southampton.

Overall, I would be somewhat wary of picking a winner in this game and am instead looking to the goal markets. The last 5 Southampton games have seen over 2.5 goals, and 4/5 of Watford’s last premier league home games have seen both teams score. Bet 365 have BTTS at 19/20, and Bet Victor have Over 2.5 at 13/10, both of which seem to be good value.

Liverpool v Arsenal: Fans Yearn for Return of Past Glories

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It is a huge match historically with the two teams involved having contested some truly memorable games over the years, not least on the opening day of this season when Liverpool shocked the Gunners with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Emirates Stadium.

Who could forget Michael Thomas’ incredible last gasp winner for Arsenal at Anfield to clinch the title on goal difference from Liverpool back in 1989? Or Michael Owen’s late double to win the FA Cup for the Reds back in 2001? How about Andrey Arshavin’s stunning individual four goal salvo in a thrilling 4-4 draw at Anfield back in 2009?

The teams have certainly created some wonderful memories for the fans in recent times, but this coming Saturday’s clash isn’t a battle for the title as it was on that breathtaking night back in May 1989. It is instead a battle for a top four finish, and even that isn’t guaranteed with both clubs facing stern competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester’s City and United, not to mention title shoe-ins, Chelsea. Arsenal is currently as short as 8/11 with BetVictor to finish in the Champions League qualifying places, while Liverpool is longer odds at 11/10 to secure that all-important lucrative top four finish.

Title Dreams Must Wait Another Year At Least

It’s now 27 long years since Liverpool were last crowned champions of England. Reds supporters have had to watch in anguish as Sir Alex Ferguson’s United overhauled their English record of 18 titles before his retirement in 2013. Arsenal too has been suffering something of a title drought of late. Just ask their increasingly disgruntled fans, whose patience with long-serving manager Arsène Wenger is starting to wear thin.

While Liverpool supporters have had to get used to no longer being the kings of England and Europe they once were in the 70s and 80s and are undoubtedly concerned with their club’s tepid start to 2017, they are willing to give manager Jürgen Klopp time to build a squad to implement his ideas and tactics.

Arsenal’s last title triumph came back in 2004, courtesy of The Invincibles vintage. It has been an agonising wait for another title for the club’s supporters and one which shows little sign of ending soon. They have become used to hearing lines about paying off the stadium as excuses for not spending the big bucks and have grown tired of being labelled as happy with a top four finish and Champions League qualification.

Top Four The Only Target

Arsenal currently lies fourth in the table, 14 points adrift of leaders Chelsea, while Liverpool is a further place and point behind following their capitulation to reigning champions Leicester on Monday evening. Having played a match more than their North London opponents too, Saturday evening’s clash at Anfield is a must win for Klopp’s men and Boyle Sports price them at 23/20 to do just that. Arsenal meanwhile, who are almost certainly out of the Champions League following their crushing 5-1 first leg defeat at Bayern Munich, have only the FA Cup and a top-four position to play for. Bet365 among others quote them as long as 13/5 to inflict only a second home league defeat upon their hosts.

In the last eight league meetings between the two teams, 30 goals have been plundered while this season alone they have conceded 61 goals between them whilst burying 109 goals at the right end of the park. With both defences looking leaky, to say the least with an emphasis seemingly more on a ‘we’ll score more goals than you‘ philosophy, goals look assured this weekend and you can get a tempting 2/1 on there being over 3.5 match goals with William Hill.

The first goalscorer markets as always provide great profit possibilities with Sadio Mané, top goalscorer for the Reds with 11 and his Arsenal counterpart Alexis Sánchez, who has 17 goals to his name thus far, both a massive 6/1 with bookmakers including Ladbrokes and Coral to notch that all-important first goal.

Saturday evening’s match should provide great entertainment based on previous encounters between the two teams. It will also give a strong indication as to which of the two giants of English football will achieve a Champions League qualifying berth next season.