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It could be said that David Beckham has inspired AC Milan since his arrival back at the San Siro on loan from LA Galaxy. Since Becks rejoined the Rossoneri, they have romped to three very convincing victories, their last one being a cool 3-0 win over Juventus. Now Sunday looks forward to a massive Milan derby at the San Siro, which could have a major impact on the outcome of the league. The “Special One” Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan have been leading the way at the top of Serie A for most of the season, but are now starting to feel a little bit of heat under their collar.

After a poor, sluggish start to the season, AC Milan have turned their season around under manager Leonardo’s guidance. Now they sit just six points behind their fierce rivals, but have a game in hand over the leaders. This places enormous importance on the Milan derby on Sunday, as a win for AC would make Inter sweat even more. A win would really tie things up closely at the top, but they can ill afford to let Inter draw nine points clear again. That would be a major points difference to overhaul in the run in. AC Milan do seem to have the form on their side at the moment, and Inter’s selection problems have seen them have to dig very deep to avoid defeats in their last couple of matches. Both times they have come back from behind, but if they fall behind to AC Milan, then it could be a seriously different story.

Catch the action with Bet365’s live streaming service. You will be able to enjoy some Live In-Play betting as you watch one of the most passionate derby matches around. Can Beckham play a major part? Bet365 offer 4/1 on Beckham as Anytime scorer.

David Beckham will be hoping that he gets the chance to do all he can to influence matters on Sunday, where he will probably start from the bench. It is the midfield where this battle will be won or lost. Mourinho has selection problems after losing most of his midfield, to the point where has had to get very inventive with his formations. Mourinho is also without the services of striker Samuel Eto’o, who is away in the African Cup of Nations. AC Milan boss Leonardo does have a lot of injury worries too, so neither side may be at completely full strength for this match. That could lead to Beckham playing an extended role, but they need to be steadfast at the back as well, where they could have a major hole if Nesta isn’t fit enough to take to the pitch.

That doesn’t mean that there won’t still be an embarrassment of riches on display though. AC’s Ronaldinho is in some seriously hot form, and netted himself a hat-trick just last week. He will be the key figure of AC Milan, who are technically the away team, and Inter will need to make sure that they close him down as much as possible. The Brazilian has scored seven of AC Milan’s last dozen goals. With the Italians already being extremely passionate about their football, the fans of AC will be hoping that things go better than the last time they met. Earlier in the season, Inter stamped their authority of AC by hammering them 4-0. AC can’t afford such a disaster again, and they are a team far removed from the poor confidence and form from the start of the season.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
AC Milan 0, Inter Milan 4
Inter Milan 2, AC Milan 1
AC Milan 1, Inter Milan 0
AC Milan 2, Inter Milan 1
Inter Milan 2, AC Milan 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Inter Milan – 9 For, 6 Against
AC Milan – 15 For, 4 Against

Last 10 Form
Inter Milan – W6, D3, L1
AC Milan – W8, D1, L1

Match Prices
Inter Milan to win: 13/8 at BetFred
Draw: 11/5 at Coral
AC Milan to win: 2/1 at SkyBet

Betting Advice: Very tough call on this one. Draw’s aren’t particularly common in the Milan derby, and if you really had to pick a winner, you would probably, cautiously lean towards AC Milan. Perfect for chance for:
AC Milan Draw No Bet – 11/10 at William Hill

With the draws having been made for the World Cup 2010, the Champions League and the Europa League, we highlight some of the most enticing bets from a European football perspective.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League Top Scorer: 6/5 at Stan James.
Manchester United fans are probably tired of hearing about the Portuguese winger, but the undeniable truth is they miss him. It is worth getting some money down on him to be top scorer in the Champions League, simply because of who he is, and the fact that he is out in front at the moment. The extra bonus is that he players for Real Madrid, and they could go far in the competition. Even if you can pick this up as an each way bet, it is a good one to get behind. The chasing pack as it stands is pretty much the Chelsea duo of Drogba and Anelka.

Current Champions League Goal-scoring chart is:
Cristiano Ronaldo – 6 (Out in front and can easily stay there)
Michael Owen – 4 (Man Utd. Flattering, as he scored a hat trick in one game, and not a starting choice)
Milos Krasik – 4 (CSKA Moscow probably won’t get too deep in the competition)
Edin Dzeko – 4 (Wolfsburg – out)
Didier Drogba – 3 (the one most likely to catch Ronaldo)
Adrien Mutu – 3 (Fiorentina, could have a long way back from injury)
Grafite (Wolfsburg – out)
Nicolas Anelka – 3 (not as prolific as Drobga)

2) Bordeaux To Qualify against Olympiacos: 8/15 at Coral
Laurent Blanc’s French outfit have caused somewhat of a surprise in the Champions League this season, winning their group against more established competition in Juventus and Bayern Munich. They are cruising at the top of the French league, and have pieced together some nice football to get them into the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition. They have even gotten themselves a nice draw, being paired up against Greek side Olympiacos in the first Knock-out Stage. There is more than a fair chance they will progress, and there is a decent price on them to get through. Very unlikely to win it, but a kind draw and a semi final appearance is not beyond their realms.

3) Valencia to win Europa League: 12/1 at 888Sport.
The Spaniards are in the Europa League, and are a good outside tip to play their way to success. The Spanish league is stronger than most people will give it credit for, and are not really languishing far behind the English top flight. With the big clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona setting the pace at the top of Primera Division, Valencia are sitting fourth in the league, and are looking steady and efficient, with only two defeats so far on the domestic scene. They cruised unbeaten through their qualifying group in the Europa League, winning three and drawing three, netting twelve times along the way. Being drawn against Club Brugge, they should more than fancy their chances of progressing and will be a real threat in the tournament. They have Spain’s star striker David Villa in their ranks too, and he’s already one of the favourites to finish top scorer at the World Cup, so they are definitely worth an each way bet.

4) Lyon to beat Real Madrid: 2/1 at SkyBet.
If you are looking for an upset in the first knockout-stage of the Champions League, then Lyon could be your team. They are guilty of blowing a bit hot and cold, but is there a French revolution on the horizon, with Bordeaux going so well? They are sitting fourth in the French top flight league, but they have a lot of history on their side when it comes to playing against the Spanish giants. With all the fire power that Real Madrid have at their disposal, you would think that Lyon may not have much of chance, but check out the stats between the two. Madrid have not managed to beat Lyon when they have come head to head in Europe, ever. Lyon have knocked Real Madrid out of two Champions League campaigns, in 2005/06 and then again in 2006/07. The tie could all be won at home for Lyon in the first leg (which is what the above bet relates to only), which is where they overturned Madrid on the previous two encounters. They then managed to hold on to that advantage when heading back to Real for the second leg. Real Madrid’s Benzema will face up against his old club when the two meat, and while Lyon will have a tough time on their hands containing Kaka, Ronaldo and the wealth of fire power that Madrid have, they will have good hopes about the tie.

5) Italy To Reach World Cup Final: 5/1 at BetFred.
One team of note from the European perspective at the 2010 World Cup, is Italy. The Italians are what they are, efficient without flair, and it has worked for them in the past, so why not now? They have good experienced players, along with a lot of new faces on the world stage, and efficiency was exactly the name of the game when it came to qualifying top of their group to reach the World Cup 2010 Finals. They did so with one game to spare, and on the previous two occasions when Italy won the World Cup, they qualified both times with one game to spare. So, can they win the tournament twice in succession, for the second time in their illustrious history? It would be some achievement.

Following the Champions League Draw on Friday, the names were pulled out of the hat for the last 32 of the Europa League. With British interest remaining with Liverpool, Fulham and Everton, there looks to a be a lot of work for all three of them to do. The eight teams which finished third in their groups in the Champions League Group Stage, all joined up with the 24 teams who had already progressed through the early rounds of the Europa League. With the dominance of the Champions League, UEFA have been struggling to find a format which draws a lot of interest to the competition, and this is its latest incarnation. By introducing some big names, such as Juventus and Russian Champions Rubin Kazan as leftovers from the Champions League, it has been hoped that it will add a bit of fire to the competition.

It will probably be little consolation for those teams who have dropped out of the Champions League, but there is still some pride to play for, and at the end of the day, it is a piece of silverware. Liverpool, who fell behind Lyon and Fiorentina in their Champions League group, weren’t even seeded for the Europa League draw, and find themselves in a very interesting match up against Romanians Unirea Urziceni. Ex-Chelsea star Dan Petrescu’s men almost qualified for the knock-out stage, missing out by just one point to German side Stuttgart. Unirea Urziceni put in some good performances, most notably a great win against strong Spanish side Sevilla, and will test Liverpool’s resolve.

SkyBet are currently offering special bets on the market for the stage of Liverpool’s elimination from the competition. Shortest odds are on them going out in the last 16, at a price of 11/4 and you can get 6/1 on them making a final appearance, whether they win or lose. Check out SkyBet for more details, and new account holders can earn themselves a Free £10 Match Bet.

Fellow Merseysider’s Everton were drawn against Sporting Club Portugal (or more commonly, yet incorrectly known as Sporting Lisbon), who won their Europa League group by one point, without facing too much difficulty. Everton boss David Moyes has literally been plagued by injuries this season, and it is a testament to the man that Everton have even progressed to the last 32 of the European competition. Perhaps though, one of the main highlights of the draw involves Fulham. Yes, really. They were drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukraine, who are one of the favourites to pick up the trophy. Fulham, who were at one point in the season performing much better in the Europa League than the Premier League, but the vast experience of boss Roy Hodgson has seen them challenge on two fronts.

The biggest fixture though of the Europa League draw involves Italian giants Juventus, who have been paired up against Dutch side Ajax. If Fulham can progress, they will face the winner of the Ajax vs Juventus match up. The two-legged ties will be played on February 18th and 25th (with a couple of exceptions, including Everton’s first leg which is on February 16th).

Europa League Draw (Match Prices in brackets)
FC Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Athletic Club v RSC Anderlecht
FC Copenhagen v Marseille
Panathinaikos v Roma
Atlético Madrid v Galatasaray
Ajax (7/4) v Juventus (5/4) at SkyBet
Club Brugge v Valencia
Fulham (6/4) v Shakhtar Donetsk (6/4) at Blue Square
Liverpool (2/7) v Unirea Urziceni (15/2) at 888Sport
Hamburg v PSV Eindhoven
Villarreal v Wolfsburg
R. Standard Liège v FC Salzburg
FC Twente v Werder Bremen
Lille v Fenerbahçe
Everton (6/5) v Sporting Club Portugal (15/8) at BetFred
Hertha Berlin v Benfica

Top Six Europa League Outright Winner Prices
Liverpool – 13/2 at Totesport
Valencia – 12/1 at Blue Square
Juventus – 14/1 at Victor Chandler
Benfica – 14/1 at Bet365
Shakhtar Donetsk – 14/1 at Sporting Bet
Roma – 16/1 at BetFed

….other notable prices:
Everton – 25/1 at Bet365
Fulham – 66/1 at SkyBet
Rubin Kazan – 33/1 at Ladbrokes

Stamford Bridge
Tuesday 15 Sept
Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Group D: Chelsea, APOEL, FC Porto, Atlético Madrid

The dawn of the new Champions League has arrived, and over the bustling Stamford Bridge ptich, the lights will bedeck the famous blue of Chelsea as they take on FC Porto. Chelsea have a 100% record at the start of the new Premier League season, but they have been pushed all the way in a couple of the games, having had to rely on injury time winners to collect all three points. Those wins sees them top the table. Maybe the positive to be taken from this is that they have shown a new edge of mettle which has kept them pressuring opponents to the final whistle, until they get what they want. That’s exactly how Champions win, scrapping for late winners as well as turning on the style.

They are now under the guidance of Italian manager, Carlo Ancelotti, who is insistent that his new team get to the Champions League final. Chelsea, have been so near, yet so far on so many occasions, reaching the semi final stage in five of the last six attempts. Supporters will now hope that Ancelotti’s experience will be the missing X-Factor that will get them that missing piece of Abramovich’s silverware. Chelsea have only reached the final once, where they were defeated in a penalty shoot out by English rivals Manchester United. Ancelotti has the experience of winning the Champions League twice with AC Milan, and is now looking to add a third title with the London club.

Chelsea will kick off their Champions League quest without the domineering presence of striker Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast star received a ban after mouthing at the referee at the culmination of Chelsea’s exit against Barcelona in the semi final of last year’s competition. Chelsea had had numerous penalty appeals turned down, and eventually lost to a late goal. This enraged the passionate Drogba to the point where he could no longer control himself. His is a presence which will be missed, as he has found the net four times already in the Premier League.

To add more problems, Chelsea were recently hit with a transfer ban, after allegations of wrong doing involving the transfer of Gael Kakuta. FIFA hit them with a ban that sees them face an embargo on signing new players in the next two transfer windows. Ancelotti however, is determined that it will not play too much of a factor in their challenge for both domestic and European glory. The Italian has been insistent that he has the squad capable of winning already. Other absentee’s from the Blue’s line up on Tuesday evening will be Joe Cole, Alex, Yuri Zhirkov, Jose Bosingwa, Paulo Ferreira and Deco, who will miss the chance to face his old team. Even without Drogba, Chelsea still have a lot of power going forward, and Nicolas Anelka, who found an amazing new leash of life last season, will share responsibility up front with Salomon Kalou. They still of course have Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack running the show from midfield.

Porto are also undefeated in their respective league, having only dropped two points out of 12. Chelsea will have to watch out for Colombian striker Radamel Falcao Garcia as he averages a goal a game for his new club. Chelsea have shown that they have the mentality and staying power to reach the latter stages of the competition time and time again. They just need to now show that they can go one step further and join Manchester United and Liverpool as English Champions League winners.

Match Odds
Chelsea to win – 2/5 at Victor Chandler
Draw – 15/4 at Bet365
Porto to win – 9/1 at BetFred

Betting tip: Chelsea at home should be a banker in the Champions League. Porto have shown in the past they can be a pain in the neck, but Chelsea should still have the class to play their way through their opponents. The missing Drogba may take one dimension out of their game, especially if they need to scrap again for a late winner, but they have enough creativity and tactical know-how to not let any points escape them in this home fixture.
A comfortable 2-0 win for Chelsea will bring 11/2 at BlueSquare

Is it just me or is the Champions League becoming oh so predictable nowadays? I mean, let’s face it, you can probably count on one hand the teams with a realistic chance of actually winning the thing come next May. Clubs like Inter, Bayern Munich and Juventus may have a European pedigree but money talks, and most of it is being spent in England and Spain nowadays. Let’s start on home soil. Manchester United, losing finalists last season and winners in 2008. Okay, so they’ve lost Ronaldo and Tevez but the rest of their formidable squad remains and when you have ‘fringe’ players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville to fall back on, the outlook’s still pretty rosey. Apart from a blip against a fired-up Burnley, they’ re already looking formidable in the Premier League and Wayne Rooney has taken on the added responsibility of being their chief goal-getter with an unexpected maturity. Given luck with the draw in the knockout stages, I would have thought United will be thereabouts come the final reckoning so the 9-1 currently available on betfair and betdaq looks good value. Then there’s Chelsea. Time is running out for several of the Blues’ squad if they are to achieve the ultimate prize in club football so they’ll be doubly-determined to make their mark this season. It certainly appears that Carlo Ancelotti has been brought in with the specific aim of winning a Champions League. Chelsea were, of course, just seconds away from reaching the final last season having lost out on penalties to Manchester United in Moscow 12 months earlier. Lampard, Drogba, Essien, Terry and Ballack are among a plethora of world-class players, – but will they still have the legs to produce their best after another busy season? A general 6-1 says there may be a doubt. Liverpool are the other English team that will be popular but they are just so reliant on Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres for inspiration that I’d be prepared to lay the available 12-1. So that’s three of the quintet taken care of and it will come as no surprise that the other two of the famous five play in Spain’s Primera Liga. Real Madrid (a general 5-1) were the first winners of the original European Cup but they’ve lived in the shadow of great rivals Barcelona in recent times, both home and abroad. However, a list of signings that includes Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, Alonso and Negredo suggests they won’t settle for second-best anymore. The whole doesn’t always match the sum of its parts, however, and Manuel Pellegrini has some massive egos to massage this season – therefore, I still prefer Barca. Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry may grab all the headlines but it’s the influence of Iniesta and Xavi in midfield which provides the ammunition and, with Zlatan Ibrahimovich already looking a good swap for Samuel E’too, the Catalans may again be the team to beat. Skybet and Betfred go 9-2 – there are worse bets around!

Thursday, September 3rd
Kick Off 3pm (CET)

While we are waiting for the England men to hopefully wrap up their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, 9th, it is a good chance to get behind the national women’s team, as they are battling their way through Euro 2009. While the competition may have fallen under the radar, the women have experienced some ups and downs, but have qualified by the skin of their teeth, to play Finland in the Quarter Finals.

England finished third in their group but progressed thanks to finishing as one of the best runners up. Out of the three groups, the top two of each progressed along with the two best third placed teams. England, having won one, lost one and drawn one, amassed four points from their three group games, finishing behind leaders Sweden and second placed Italy. A win in their second group game against bottom placed Russia, saw them on the brink of entering the quarter finals, a position which was looking precarious at one stage in the game after being behind 2-1.

It was a 1-1 tie against Sweden which got England the point they needed to remain in the competition. England’s opponents on Thursday, 3rd, Finland, won their respective group with two wins and a loss. If any comfort can be taken from England’s finishing position, then it will be in the fact that they avoided old rivals Germany, who won all three of their group matches.

England captain, Faye White will be hoping that her team can find a little more edge against the Finnish. They will need to step up their game a little, but holding Sweden to a draw will have given them a little boost in confidence. Manager Hope Powell will know that the strength in the competition lies with Germany and Sweden, but Finland too will prove a tough nut to crack, but by no means mission impossible.

The two sides should be evenly matched, but the Finnish women will have the advantage of complete home territory, with the tournament being held in Finland. However, one interesting statistic that will give home to England, is that Finland have never beaten England in a senior international game (men or women’s). The women have met nine times, resulting in 5 wins for England and 4 draws.

Euro 2009 Outright Winners
Germany 8/13 at Ladbrokes
Sweden 3/1 at Ladbrokes
Finland 10/1 at Ladbrokes
England 11/1 at William Hill

Euro 2009 Quarter Final Fixtures
Finland v England
Netherlands v France
Germany v Italy
Sweden v Norway

Match Odds
Finland to win 2/1 at 888Sport
Draw 23/10 at BlueSquare
England to win 6/5 at Boylesports

It appears the little matter of a few million euros isn’t going to stand in the way of Florentino Perez and the Real Madrid board and what they view as their rightful place at the summit of La Liga and in the latter stages of the Champions League. Barcelona’s historic Champions League-La Liga-Copa del Rey treble last season was too much to bear for fans of Los Blancos and they have a history of making their feelings known. Real’s response has been to splash the cash on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema, with more set to follow before the new season kicks off. Skybet are offering 40-1 that Madrid emulate Barca’s feat in 2010 (Barcelona are only 14-1 on betfair for an encore) and go 10-1 that they achieve the La Liga-Champions League double. A more significant signing for Real than all of the big-name front players, however, may be Raul Albiol. Anyone who saw Madrid’s defensive frailties exposed at Anfield last season, or by Barcelona in the Bernebeu, knows they need a new back four and the acquisition of Spanish international centre-back Albiol from Valencia is a big step in the right direction. Barca, meanwhile, have been very quiet in the transfer market with president Joan Laporta refusing to get into a bidding war for any of the club’s alleged summer targets. David Villa is known to be keen on a move to the Camp Nou, but Valencia certainly won’t let him go on the cheap and the Catalan giants may reluctantly have to let Samuel Eto’o leave for Manchester City to fund any deal for Villa. Barcelona, however, remain solid 10-11 favourites (general) to retain their La Liga Primera title next season with Real a best 5-4 with Coral and Skybet. Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are next best at 33-1 with boylesports and Stan James.

Bet on this Week’s Football

European football returns this week with seven British clubs in action across the Champions League and UEFA Cup. Manchester United and Celtic meet each other again in the Champions League in what has been dubbed the "Battle of Britain", as the English Champions meet their Scottish counterparts. Arsenal face a tricky trip to Fenerbache on Tuesday, while on Wednesday Chelsea welcome Roma to Stamford Bridge, and UEFA have decided that Liverpool will now face Atletico in the Vicente Calderon. As the UEFA Cup reaches the group stages, Tottenham will be looking to forget their poor league form as they face Udinese, while Aston Villa face Ajax at Villa Park in one of the bigger ties of the UEFA Cup this week.

Manchester United v Celtic, Tuesday, ITV 1, 7:45pm

Manchester United meet Celtic in the Champions League for the second time in two years when the two sides face each other on Tuesday. When they last met in the group stages of this competition Celtic earned a famous 1-0 win at Parkhead thanks to a Shunsuke Nakamura free kick and a penalty save from Artur Boruc. That result earned Celtic a place in the next round, and they will need a similarly historic result if they are to reach the next stage this year. Defeat to Villareal and a disappointing draw at home to minnows Aalborg has left the Glasgow giants in trouble, and they will find a United side beginning to hit top gear. United are joint top of Group E, and know that a victory here will more or less guarantee a top two spot, and qualification to the next stage.

United are big favourites at 2/9 with Pagebet to effectively seal qualification, while Celtic are massive 11/1 outsiders with Centrebet.

If Ryan Giggs scores at anytime during Manchester United v Celtic, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Fenerbahce v Arsenal, Tuesday, ITV 4, 7:45pm

Arsenal make the difficult trip to Istanbul on Tuesday in the knowledge that a victory would put them in prime position to win Group G. They were in magnificent form when disposing of Porto 4-0 in their last European game, and will be looking for a similar result against a Fenerbache side that sit bottom of the group. Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor both hit doubles that night, and with impressive new boy Sami Nasri also expected to be involved, Gunners fans can once again look forward to watching some breathtaking stuff from their side. Nasri was the catalyst to Saturday’s 3-1 comeback win over Everton, and Arsene Wenger will again look to him to provide the creativity in the Arsenal midfield.

Fenerbache are the 3/1 underdogs with VCBet, while Arsenal are Evens with BGbet.

If Niklas Bendtner scores at anytime during Fenerbache v Arsenal, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Atletico Madrid v Liverpool, Wednesday, Sky Sports 2, 7:45pm

The top two in Group D meet on Wednesday in Madrid, although only after protests from both sides. UEFA had originally wanted the game to be played at a neutral venue as punishment for Atletico fan’s behaviour in their game against Marseille earlier this month. However, both teams protested against this, including Liverpool who felt it was unfair to their fans, some of whom had already paid for the trip to the Spanish capital. The match will see reunions on both sides, as the Atletico pair of Luis Garcia and Florent Sinama-Pongolle face their ex-team for the first time, while former Atletico hitman Fernando Torres will have to watch from the stands as his new team take on his old one.

Atletico are 11/8 with Pagebet to record their second home win, with Liverpool 7/4 at Centrebet to take control of Group D with a win.

If Xabi Alonso scores at anytime during Atletico Madrid v Liverpool, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

If Atletico Madrid v Liverpool finishes 0-0 BGbetwill refund all losing correct score bets on that game.¹

Chelsea v Roma, Wednesday, Sky Sports Xtra, 7:45pm

Chelsea welcome Roma to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday fresh from their 5-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough on Saturday. That game was perhaps the clearest indication yet of the difference new boss Luis Felipe Scolari has brought to the Blues, as they continued to go forward even after the game was won. This is in contrast to the way former Blues boss Jose Mourinho set out his team, and is more in keeping with the way owner Roman Abromovich wants to see the side play. He is also desperate to win the Champions League, and as such will be looking for a better display than they produced last time against CFR Cluj-Napoca. A 0-0 draw in Romania dented Chelsea’s hopes of winning Group A, and they will be looking to bounce back against a Roma side that were upset by Cluj in their opening game.

Chelsea are the 4/9 favourites at VCBet, while Centrebet make Roma big outsiders at 7/1.

If Florent Malouda scores at anytime during Chelsea v Roma, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Udinese v Totenham, Thursday, Five, 6:10pm

Tottenham’s awful start to the Premiership season continued last Sunday as they were beaten 2-1 by Stoke, in a game which saw Stoke also miss a last minute penalty and Spurs finish with nine men. Boss Juande Ramos is now under tremendous pressure, and once again will welcome the break that the UEFA Cup has given his side this year. Their only victory of the campaign came in this competition a month ago, and Ramos will view this as a springboard for better things. They will not have an easy task when they visit the Stadio Friuli however, as Udinese currently sit second in Seire A, just two points behind Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.

Udinese are Even money with BGbet to continue their impressive form, while Spurs are 5/2 with Pagebet to finally kick start their season.

If Luka Modric scores at anytime during Udinese v Tottenham, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Aston Villa v Ajax, Thursday, Five, 8:15pm

Aston Villa entertain the four times European Cup champions on Thursday in their opening group game. Villa have made a solid start to the Premiership, and currently sit sixth after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Portsmouth. They easily overcome Bulgarian side Litex Lovech 4-2 over two qualifying legs, with the tie effectively over in the first leg after Villa’s 3-1 win. They have a difficult looking group, with Hamburg joining Ajax and Villa in the hunt for top spot in Group F, and Martin O’Neill’s side will be looking to get off to a good start in such a quality group. Ajax also easily came through their qualifying stage 6-1, and will be one of the favourites for the competition, despite the strength of the sides competing for it this year.

Villa are 4/5 with Pagebet to start the group stages with a win, with Ajax rated at 11/4 at VCBet to continue their great European tradition with a win.

If Ashley Young scores at anytime during Aston Villa v Ajax, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Place a correct score bet on any of the above listed matches this week, and if it gets beat by an injury time goal BGbet will refund all losing correct score stakes on that match.¹

The Late, Late Show…

Applies to all Champions League matches Tuesday & Wednesday

If there is a goal scored in INJURY TIME in any Champions League match VCBet will refund all losing in-running bets on that match as a free bet!2

Open an account with any of the following bookmakers and receive a free bet:

Pagebet £25 Free Bet VCBet £100 in Free Bets
Centrebet £20 Free Bet BGbet £100 Free Bet

——————————————————————————–

Odds subject to fluctuation – Odds taken at 10.00am on 21/10/2008

1. Refunds will be in the form of free bets. Maximum Stake £50. Singles Only. Web Customers Only.

2.Maximum free bet £100 per person per match. Applies to internet and telephone bets, singles only.Applies to in-running bets only. Injury time is deemed as any goal scored after 90.00mins.

Folks,

Welcome to my post, I am to deliver previews of the biggest European games each weekend as well as in-depth analysis of how to make you money. I have an accurate strategy which aims to minimize risk and utilise a spread betting systemhealthy return which should still guarantee an .

I am based in the UK but have contacts in Scotland, Spain and Italy meaning an up-to-date insight of European Football. My picks this weekend will focus on teams on the road, therefore better odds on top teams, when teams are playing away they are quite unpredictable, but if you bet across numerous leagues picking big teams then the risk is lessened.

The English Premiership drums up some very interesting fixtures this weekend.

As an avid Liverpool fan, I have to discuss the Merseyside Derby. Liverpool were uninventive against Stoke and lazy against Crewe yet they still remain undefeated in the league. How £40 million pounds worth of strikers haven’t clicked yet, I do not know, it drives me up the walls without being too bias. This match is always fiery and produces goals, it’s maybe Robbie Keanes time to step up to the plate and produce the goods. Im sticking my neck on the line and going for an away win, Everton are scoring goals with Cahill getting back to form but their defence is hardly water tight at the moment.

Back Liverpool, odds (6/5).(Bet Direct/Skybet/Stan James)

Newcastle are on a downward spirral at the moment, the talk of El Tel taking over will also not bear will with the faithful Geordies. The talks with a Nigerian consurtium are also promising, the sooner Mike Ashley moves on the better. They need stability, security, and patience. Whether King Kev returns or not, the new manager should be given sufficient time and money, but this weekend I feel spells more doom and gloom, even Tottenham beat Newcastle this week!! Blackburn to edge this one just.

Back Blackburn, odds (2/1)(Ladbrokes)

My other picks for this weekend in the Premiership are Chelsea (2/5) Bet 365) to easily overturn Stoke, and Man City (7/5) Ladbrokes) (Goal Machines) to overturn Wigan in a game that will produce a lot of drama.

The Scottish divisions are a speciality of mine, I have lived in Edinburgh for three years and the Scottish people are very passionate about their football. I have learnt a lot from uber enthusiam regarding the beautiful game, fitba as they call it.

My Scottish banker this weekend is – Rangers.

Rangers to come to Edinburgh and take all three points against Hibs. Rangers only have the league to play for this year, and Hibs are just getting over a somewhat sticky start. ( Back Rangers 8/11 (Bet 365)

Across Europe we also have some interesting teams on the road. All three teams have performed comfortably well on the road recently, both Barca and Madrid hammered the helpless Sporting Gijon, so I feel Villareal will comfortably follow suit. I can’t help but add Real Madrid and Barcelona to my coupons, they have superstars thoughout their team and are arguably world beaters on their day. Just be careful to mix your away selections accordingly picking one or two teams from each league, reducing the risk.

Villareal vs Sporting Gijon.(4/6 Ladbrokes)

Barcelona vs Espanyol. (17/20 Centrebet)

Real Madrid vs Betis. (9/10 Betdirect)

Apologies I have recently fractured my thumb and typing is frustrating at the moment, anyway best of luck this weekend, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions!!

Gerard