Man City

Manchester City step back into Cup action this week after failing to progress in the FA Cup. City faltered at home against rivals Man Utd  in the FA Cup on the weekend, largely thanks to defender Vincent Kompany getting sent off early in the match. After falling 3-0 down, City did muster a great response in the second half with ten men and had United on the ropes. However, the comeback couldn’t be completed and now City have to turn their attention to the Carling Cup as they seek silverware for the season. After going out of the Champions League as well, City boss Mancini has said that he needs to spend more money in order to add depth to his squad. City are seen as having one of the strongest squads in the league, but clearly it is not good enough for City’s ambitions and Mancini wants extra coverage. City’s hopes haven’t been helped ahead of Man City v Liverpool Carling Cup betting because of Kompany’s ban, injury doubts over Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and David Silva as well. So it could be a City at under strength for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final, but at least they are at home, which should count for something.

Liverpool cruised their FA Cup third round tie against Oldham last Friday, and they will get Jose Enrique, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel back into the starting eleven. There will likely be a start for club captain Steven Gerrard as well. Liverpool are struggling more off then pitch than on it, their reputation being tarnished through racism stories and more. So the best they can do is keep things bright on the pitch to bring some positive news to the club. Liverpool, have, by and large, looked a hard team to break down and yet they lack some serious forward power. Luis Suarez off course will be sitting in the stands again as he serves his lengthy ban, so Liverpool may approach this first leg with an air of caution and will be happy enough with a draw you would feel to head back to Anfield with. Just over a week ago, the Reds went to the Etihad Stadium and were crushed 3-0, without really threatening City, and with City’s good run of form in general against Liverpool, it could be damage limitation time for Kenny Dalglish and his crew, even though City may be there for the taking being under strength and after having their confidence knocked with defeat against United on the weekend.

Man City v Liverpool Carling Cup Semi Final Betting Odds
Man City: Evens at Bet365
Draw: 5/2 at VC Bet
Liverpool: 16/5 at Totesport

Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Money Back Special running for your Man City v Liverpool Carling Cup betting. If there is a Red Card in the match, then the popular bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets which have been placed on the match (pre kick off). So there is plenty of good coverage around for your betting with Paddy Power. The highly popular online bookmaker offers a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50.

Manchester City v Manchester United FA Cup betting is the big headline match of the Third Round. Ever since the two were drawn out of the bag, this has been highly anticipated. What has really set this Manchester derby up for some classic thrills and spills, even more so than usual, is the fact that City hammered and embarrassed United at Old Trafford in the league. There is no doubt about, but that 6-1 win at Old Trafford for Roberto Mancini’s men was the biggest wake up call that the Red Devils could have received that City mean business for real this season. You can add the scrap at the top of the Premier League to the building excitement as well, with City seeing their lead clawed back, only for United to go and blow their chances in their last two league outings, losing back to back matches. Something unheard of for the Red Devils. With Nemanja Vidic missing at the back for Manchester United, the defence looks to be just on a little bit of shaky ground at the moment, highlighted by Newcastle 3-0 win over Untied this week. Do United have a  response in them? Can they hit back at their bitter rivals Manchester City? City will be without Kolo and Yaya Toure for the big match, as the Ivory Coast national manager refused to give them permission to play ahead of their international duties at the African Cup of Nations. So neither side are going to be at full strength, and team selections will be crucial here. Both of the Manchester clubs are out of the Champions League of course, and so with the fight between them at the top of the Premier League spilling over in to the FA Cup, then Sunday’s Man City v Man Utd FA Cup betting is bound to have more talking points.

Manchester United’s Jonny Evans saw red in the league clash back in October and online bookmaker Paddy Power have a Man City v Man Utd FA Cup betting Money Back Special running, all surrounding a red card. If the referee reaches into his pocket and produces a red card in Sunday’s Manchester derby, then the popular online bookmaker Paddy Power will refund any losing Correct Score, Scorecast, First Goalscorer and Last Goalscorer bets placed on the match (pre kick off). So great value in coverage there, as it means you can dip into the First Goalscorer market for example where Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney are trading as favourites at 5/1 to open the scoring. Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli are behind them at 6/1. So good prices and good coverage through the red card money back special on options like this.

Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50!

It really is time for Manchester City to muster up some kind of response in their Premier League title challenge. The cracks are beginning to show after dropping four points from their last two matches in the Premier League. After being closed out at The Hawthorns on Boxing Day, a confident sounding City headed to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on New Year’s Day and were undone by a late Black Cats winner. That has been two consecutive matches where City’s prolific attack has failed to get on the score sheet. That is something which we weren’t expecting to see, not after the prolific rates at which we have seen them score this season. So the question is, are we expecting them to muster a response against Liverpool? At least they are back at the Etihad Stadium where they have a 100% Premier League success rate this season, so that should give them some security at least. City were let off the hook at the top of the Premier League standings, when their rivals United crashed at home to the struggling Blackburn Rovers, in a New Year’s fixture list which produced some very surprising results. So City are still topping the league going into their massive clash with Liverpool, but only on goal difference with the Red Devils. Striker Mario Balotelli is expected to come back into the side after sitting out their New Year’s Day defeat at Sunderland. Two games in three days for City and this is not going to be an easy one for them. In the whole of 2011, Manchester City dropped just two points at home. How will they start their 2012? They are under some mounting pressure at the summit.

Liverpool will get Luis Suarez back into the starting line up for their trip to the Etihad Stadium for Man City v Liverpool betting. The striker sat out their last match with a ban from the FA, but can step back into action. Part of Man City’s wobble at the top of the Premier League Christmas tree over the festive period, has been the fact that opposition have figured out how to disrupt their flowing play, and therefore, the chances aren’t coming for them. We can expect to see more midfield disruption coming from Liverpool, as the Reds are in great shape at the moment at the back. Liverpool were the only side in the top six to win over the New Year, beating Newcastle at home. That came after a couple of disappointing drawn matches against relegation battlers Wigan and Blackburn. The Reds have only conceded two goals in their last five Premier League matches, and so you can’t see them giving too much away against Man City, certainly not being the away team and keeping things tight naturally in that role anyway. The Reds haven’t conceded on their last two away trips in the Premier League and held the high flying City to a draw at Anfield just at the end of November, when a Joleon Lescott own goal gave the Reds a point. While Liverpool have struggled to turn one point matches into three point matches for themselves because of a lack of firepower, they have lost just once in their last fourteen Premier League matches. The Reds have also stopped Man City winning twelve times out of their last thirteen matches. That City triumph over Liverpool came last season though in this fixture, when City ran out 3-0 winners. Liverpool could have Steven Gerrard lining up from the start for them.

Online bookmaker Victor Chandler are offering the chance to Double Up on your First Goalscorer odds in Man City v Liverpool betting. Back a correct First Goalscorer selection, and if your pick goes on to score a second goal in the match (at any time), then the bookie will pay you out at double. Naturally very good options and odds in the First Goalscorer Market in Man City v Liverpool betting. Sergio Aguero is 9/2, while Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko are at 19/4, with Liverpool’s Luis Suarez back at 7/1. So back any correct First Goalscorer bet and double up those odds if your selection also scores a second in the match. Online bookmaker Victor Chandler offer a free £25 for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £25.

Manchester City v Liverpool Betting Odds
Man City 4/6, Draw 13/5, Liverpool 7/2 at VC Bet

Find the latest results, League Table, Top Scorer and more on our football statistics on online-betting.me.uk (just choose your country & your preferred topic)

Manchester City v Liverpool – Free Bet – Bet365 Promotion

Manchester City v FC Porto Europa League Betting makes for a match up. Both of these failed in the Champions League to progress from their group stages, leaving only the Europa League in their sights. FC Porto won the Europa League last season under the guidance of new Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas, so they are familiar with winning in this tournament. This is what should make this a tough trial for Manchester City, who could have certainly drawn and easier opponent at this stage. After failing in a tough Champions League group which included Bayern Munich and Napoli, City will have had a big taste of top European opponents this season and should have learned from that. City were favourites in last season’s Europa League but bowed out early, however, this is a much more prolific and savvy Manchester City which we are seeing this season. So they will be favourites to negotiate their way through this tie, however, they need to pick up their away form. City lost two of their three away matches in the Champions League group stage, and that is really not going to pass muster here in a knockout situation. However, there is always City’s impressive home form to bank on, because they haven’t lost there in any competition for a year now. That alone should make them a firm favourite to go all the way in the competition this year.

But how seriously will City boss Roberto Mancini be taking this tournament? Certainly the Premier League title will have much higher preference than this one. This could be now a longer term distraction which they just don’t want, but the advantage they do have over Manchester United when it comes to balance Europe and domestic matches, is that they have a much deeper, better quality squad, so can change things around. We would be unlikely to see a full strength City until the latter stages of the tournament, which is somewhat understandable. Porto were largely disappointing in the Champions League group stage, failing to get out of a pretty weak group which contained Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg and success story APOEL. They only managed to pick up two wins, and will have to target the first leg at home as being their big chance to edge their way past the high scoring Manchester City. FC Porto went into the Champions League as kind of a dark horse bet on the back of their Europa League triumph last season, but clearly life in the Champions League is much tougher than in the Europa. With both City and Porto, along with the likes of Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Schalke in the draw as well, it is going to be a very competitive tournament this year.

The first leg will be played in Portugal on February 16^th, 2012 with the return fixture back at the Etihad Stadium to be played on February 23^rd.

Manchester City v FC Porto Europa League Betting
To Qualify: Man City 5/11, FC Porto 6/4 at Unibet

Online bookmaker SkyBet have a great welcome bonus promotion running for all new customers who register an account with them. The bookie will generously credit all new accounts with a free £10 bet upon registration. That is it. Easy as that. Just register as a new customer with SkyBet and get the totally free £10 bet to get your sports betting started with! A really great welcome bonus which can be turned into risk free profit on your new SkyBet account! Well worth taking advantage of!

Manchester City v Arsenal Betting Tip & Odds: Well this surely has to be a candidate for game of the season so far. Are we going to see the best of the explosive and prolific goal scoring talents on display? Between them, Robin van Persie, Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Mario Balotelli have totaled for a crazy tally of 44 league goals, so naturally going to be worth looking at goalscorer markets for your Man City v Arsenal betting. In conjunction with BetFred’s promotion below, will look at Aguero as First Goalscorer for 4/1 with the bookie.

 Manchester City to win: 3/4 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 3/1 at Victor Chandler
Arsenal to win: 9/2 at BetFred

EPL Match Preview: What are Manchester City made of this season? Do they have the character to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season last week? Well, they will be banking on their 100% home form this season to get their title charge back on track at the Etihad Stadium. Their rivals United are now firmly breathing down their neck and so boss Roberto Mancini certainly needs a big response from his players. City have not lost a home game in 2011, in total winning 25 of 27 matches on home turf in all competition. So that is one formidable record for visiting teams to go and try to overcome. This is no easy match for Man City to bounce back in though, because Arsenal are in fine fettle themselves at the moment. Robin van Persie is firing them upwards, and one of the most notable improvements as well, is that Arsenal are much tighter at the back than they were at the start of the season. City still have a lead at the summit of the Premier League by two points, but Arsenal need to close the gap, and a win would pull them to within six points of City, and suddenly those early season woes will have been long forgotten. Will Arsenal be daunted by this trip up north? No, because they go as underdogs all the same and Wenger will like nothing more than to upset the Manchester club and prove to his critics that Arsenal are once more a genuine title contender. The pack is tight in the top five, will there be more twists this weekend? Will City’s home form be a banker, or will the impressive form of Arsenal be enough to steal a crucial victory?

Manchester City Form: After such a strong start to the new season, big spending Manchester City finally got a blot on their copy book when they threw away a 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge in their last outing. An early strike from Mario Balotelli could not be capitalized upon, with Sergio Aguero wasting a fantastic chance to put the visitors 2-0 up and probably out of sight. However, for all Man City’s commanding possession, they didn’t create enough chances in the game, and suffered their first defeat of the season as Chelsea staged a second half comeback. Other than that, is has been a very impressive season for Manchester City, dropping just five points so far. We need to look at their home record so far this season at the Etihad Stadium, where City have rattled off seven wins from seven. In those seven home games, they have bagged themselves an whopping 24 goals, averaging 3.42 goals per game. Going the other way, although City have conceded in each of their last four Premier League home matches, they are only averaging 0.57 goals against at home, and stand that up against their prolific goal scoring and you can see why they are doing well. In their last four home matches alone they have netted fifteen times, so that is what the Arsenal defence will have to try and contend with. 86% of City’s home matches have finished over 2.5 goals so far this season, and obviously they have scored in each one. Manchester City have opened the scoring in 93% of all of their matches so far this season, an incredible stat. The goal scoring is being led by Sergio Aguero, who has netted eleven times (seven of them being at home), while Edin Dzeko has supported with 10 and Balotelli is now creeping up with a tally of 8. Arsenal as a whole have only scored two more goals than those three City strikers put together. City are still a very strong second half side, with the majority of their goals coming after the half time break. 71% of all their league goals this season have come in the second half of matches, the half hour in particular after the restart being highly profitable for them. Still, despite that defeat last week, eight wins out of their last ten matches shows some pretty impressive form. Will they show their Premier League title credentials by having the character to bounce back strongly from the blues at Stamford Bridge?

Arsenal Form: For all of Manchester City’s form this season, Arsenal’s over the last eight matches has been even more impressive. After a torrid start to the season, which saw them lost four of their opening seven matches, Arsenal have settled into their groove. They are now unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches, with seven wins coming in that period. It has been a staggering turn around in form, but on which does need weighing up. In that run of eight matches, on Chelsea have really been what can be considered a big test for them. That was at the end of October, so it has been a while since Arsenal have really been tested hard. This will change on Sunday of course with a trip to Manchester City. It is no surprise that Arsenal’s form has largely been down to the strike power of Robin van Persie, who is now supposedly a big summer transfer target for Manchester City. The Gunners will come up against Samir Nasri, who moved north in the summer, and Arsene Wenger will be hoping that his side’s improved form will be enough to at least take a point. Arsenal have won their last three away matches, but that has been their only three triumphs on the road in seven attempts this season. They have tasted defeat three times on the road, and earned themselves one draw. The huge problem has been at the back for Arsenal away from home, where they have conceded more than they have scored. Without doubt Arsene Wenger has steadied the ship of course, and eight of those goals against did come during that embarrassment at Old Trafford earlier in the season. What should give Arsenal a bit of confidence, is that they have at least scored in every away match aside from their season opener. So will they be able to carry their form through and get something out of Sunday’s big match in Man City v Arsenal betting? The Gunners have scored seventeen times on the road, which is more than they have actually scored at home this season, and 86% of their away matches this season have finished over 2.5 goals. Arsenal appear to be dangerous in front of goal at all periods of their matches, but they have scored the most in the last fifteen minutes of their games. 61% of all their goals this season have come in the second half, but have opened the scoring in just 53% of their games. No surprise then who leads the goal scoring charts for them. That will be Robin van Persie, who has netted fifteen times now, seven of those coming away from home. Really has not had much support from anywhere else in the squad, so he will be the big danger man.

Head to Head: Interestingly enough, Arsenal have the head to head supremacy when the two sides meet in Manchester. Out of 89 meetings up north, Arsenal have come away with 37 victories, compared to 31 from the hosts. Last season’s corresponding league fixture was another scalp for Arsenal, as they ran out 3-0 winners, ending a sequence of three consecutive defeats at Man City. So out of the last four meetings at City, there have been two wins a piece, but that 3-0 win mentioned above, is the only match out of the last five meetings where Arsenal have gotten on the score sheet against City. Looking at the head to head stats, it could be a close one.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: With a glittering array of forwards on the pitch on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, we surely have to look at First Goalscorer options. Fortunately if you are fancying a punt in this market, then BetFred have their great Double Delight, Hattrick Heaven promotion running to take advantage of. Back a correct First Goalscorer in the match, and if that player hits a second goal at any time in the game, you will be rewarded with double your odds. If your winning First Goalscorer bags a hattrick then you will be paid out at treble your original First Goalscorer odds, making this promotion tremendous value. Other options in this market are Dzeko and Balotelli at 9/2, and RVP at 11/2. Popular bookie BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50!

Little doubt about the big Premier League match of the weekend, as we look at Manchester City v Arsenal betting. Roberto Mancini’s City got their first taste of domestic defeat last Monday, when a second half come back from Chelsea at Stamford Bridge stole all three points away from the league leaders. City still hold top spot, but only by two points now over Manchester United following that defeat at the Bridge. Man City v Arsenal betting doesn’t provide an easy game to bounce back in for the league leaders, but they will be happy to be back at home and hopefully start another long unbeaten run in the league. How will City respond? They missed out on the knockout stages of the Champions League and were finally overturned in the Premier League. What kind of a response will they have now, in this massive test of character for them. Facing an Arsenal side which are in red hot form at the moment, they can be assured that the visitors will be gunning hard for them, and hoping to take any advantage of a dip in City’s confidence. This is when real Champions stand up and scrap for every point they can in the face of some adversity. Will City’s title contending character shine through?

It has been a remarkable turnaround on the season for Arsenal, who started so very poorly, that is seemed like Arsene Wenger’s job was under threat. Now, as we head to Man City v Arsenal betting, the Gunners are on an eight match unbeaten streak in the league, winning seven of those. Their revival has been sparked by the power of Robin van Persie of course, who has now scored fifteen league goals for the Gunners this season. They have needed his influence and class to pull them through to get their title charge back on track. The Gunners are up in fifth and would really set the cat amongst the pigeons if they took three points away from the Etihad Stadium in Sunday’s big Premier League clash. That win would put them within just six points of City and blow the title race wide open. The race for the top four spots in the league is already a fierce one, and Arsenal just need to keep their momentum going. The Gunners will have to be careful at the back, because they are prone to conceding, and against the attacking power that City can throw out, their improved defence must carry themselves well. The Gunners haven’t faced a really tough test for some time. How will they cope in facing perhaps a City backlash?

Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Man City v Arsenal betting promotion running for the big match. There of course is going to be a glittering array of attacking talent on show, from Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, to Mario Balotelli and Robin van Persie. If either Balotelli or Van Persie scores the last goal of the match, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. How’s that for coverage! It means that you can look at markets like the First Goalscorer, where Dzeko and Aguero are 9/2 and Van Persie is at 11/2. Or how about the Correct Score market, where a 1-0 City win fetches 7/1, and an Arsenal 1-0 is trading at 14/1. There are great prices all around in the markets covered by the Paddy Power Man City v Arsenal Money Back Special, so it’s worth getting in there and doing your betting.

The ever popular online nookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50! This is free betting to jump in with on your new Paddy Power account, and hopefully can turn it into some free profit!!

Manchester City v Arsenal Betting Odds at Paddy Power
Man City 8/11, Draw 13/5, Arsenal  4/1

Little doubt about the big Premier League match of the weekend, as Chelsea v Man City betting takes the centre stage. After a thrilling week in the Champions League, where Chelsea hit top form to qualify, and Man City missed out on the next round because their fate wasn’t in their own hands, the two come together in a huge Premier League showdown on Monday night. Highly rated online bookmaker Bet365 have a superb Chelsea v Man City betting promotion running for the big match. There is a wonderful Free Bet on offer to enhance your big match football betting, both pre match and live in play, which is going to be well worth taking advantage of.

Head to Bet365 and get a pre match bet down on the game, and come kick off on Monday night at Stamford Bridge, place another wager on the match in any In Play market and if your In Play bet loses (and this applies to the first In Play bet of the game only) then the highly rated bookie will refund your lost stake with a free bet to the value of your largest pre match bet. So tremendous coverage on your Chelsea v Man City Premier League betting. With so many options available in both the pre match and In Play markets with the bookie, you are pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to your football betting. It is home side Chelsea, who were inspired by Didier Drogba in midweek, who are front runners in the betting, although it should be a pretty evenly matched and open game.

City go into the big game as league leaders, a massive ten points a head of Chelsea and so you can see the magnitude of this encounter. With both sides winning on their last Premier League outings, everything really is at stake here. City have been in phenomenal scoring form, hitting an incredible 48 goals in their fourteen matches and that is the power with which Chelsea’s often vulnerable looking back line has to cope with. Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas has tightened things up a little bit over the past couple of games and this really is a crucial match for them if they are going to get themselves back into the title hunt. So which way will Chelsea v Man City betting go? There are plenty of options available of course, and remember, after placing a pre match bet on the game, when you have a subsequent In Play bet, if the In Play bet loses, then you will get your lost stake on that refunded with a free bet to the value of your biggest pre match stake.

So the Bet365 Chelsea v Man City betting offer gives you a great shot at a risk free In Play bet on the big game. Chelsea are 7/5 favourites to win the match outright, with City trading behind them at 15/8 and a draw at Stamford Bridge being offered at 12/5. Once you get into the live In Play market for the match, a whole load of new betting options will be opened up to you, over 60 In Play Markets, so there will be some fantastic options for your Bet365 Free Bet.

The highly rated online bookmaker offer a free £200 bet for new customers registering an account as a welcome bonus. The bookie will match the value of your initial deposit, up to the maximum value of £200, giving you the chance of a tremendous amount of free betting cash to enjoy!

It is another weekend of Premier League betting before we take an international break, and there is a great betting special happening at VC Bet. Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City are still looking as if they really mean title business this season, as the top the league by five points. City head to Loftus Road to face QPR on Saturday, a game in which the Eastlands crew will be expected to run up a few goals there and at least keep their five point advantage over rivals United. Sir Alex Ferguson, who is celebrating 25 years in charge at Old Trafford, can look forward to a home game against Steve Bruce’s Sunderland. The Black Cats have been struggling for wins this season, and while Manchester United have gone into their shell since their heavy defeat against City, they are still expected to keep on picking up points and challenging in defence of their title. New Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas has hit his first sticky patch of the season, losing his last two league matches, and only  managing a draw in the Champions League against Genk during the week. Chelsea head off to face struggling Blackburn, and the Blues need to sort out a bit of sharpness both at the back and up front as well if they are going to contest the title. Liverpool will look for an easy afternoon against the newly promoted Swansea City at Anfield on Saturday. There is still talk of title belief at the club, and they can’t afford another home slip up like they produced against Norwich if that is going to happen. Arsenal will look to continue their revival as they seek another three points at the Emirates. The Gunners face the Baggies as West Brom hit London, and with the form of Robin van Persie, three points for the home side will be fully expected. Because of their long trek to Russia in the Europa League on Thursday, Spurs face fellow London side Fulham on Sunday in the Premier League. Fulham have had surprising struggles this season but will be buoyed by a good Europa League win. However, Spurs are arguably the best team in London at the moment, and will want to keep the pressure up on the top four.

Online Bookmaker Victor Chandler have a nice football betting promotion to look at for the Premier League’s Big Six on the weekend. The bookie has a Big Six Special, which is paying out at odds of 11/1 if Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham all win on the weekend. That is pretty good odds and quite a viable proposition when you look over the fixture list. The highly rated online bookmaker Victor Chandler offers a free £25 bet as a sign up bonus for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first bet as a free bet, up to the limit of £25. So that is a free £25 bet which you could have in your hands to try and pick up some extra profit with your football betting this weekend! Back the Big Six and come up trumps with VC Bet!

No questions about the big Premier League fixture of the weekend, as we take a look at Manchester United v Manchester City betting. With a couple of draws in their last three league matches, the Red Devils have conceded top spot to the big spending City, who are showing some impressive strength and goal scoring this season. But this will be City’s first match against one of the Big Four this season, while United have already played Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. So this is an important match for City boss Roberto Mancini, who will want to grab the chance of pulling five points clear of their neighbours at the top of the tree. Both sides are undefeated this season in the Barclays Premier League, so will one of the bitter rivals be standing empty handed at the end of ninety minutes on Sunday at Old Trafford? The Red Devils have already drawn first blood this season, bullying City out of the limelight with a 3-2 win at Wembley in the Community Shield. Will we see a great open game from these two goal scoring machines? Will we see the great Wayne Rooney v Sergio Aguero goal scoring duel? Or will City look for a more pragmatic and controlled approach? Well, with this being such a huge match, of huge importance and bragging rights at the top of the league, online bookmaker Bet365 have rolled out the Manchester United v Manchester City betting red carpet for their punters, with a fantastic free bet offer.

When you place a pre-match bet on the Manchester United v Manchester City game on Sunday, you will earn yourself a free Live In Play bet to the same value as your original (or highest value) pre match bet. So if you place a wager on a Manchester United to win before kick off for example, you will then get a risk free Live In Play bet to use to the same value as your pre-match stake, during the match. If then your first Live In Play bet loses, then you will get the lost stake refunded (up to the value of your highest pre-match bet) so you really won’t have lost. This is great coverage and something the bookie ran for the recent Liverpool v Manchester United Premier League match, and so it is worth looking at for the chance of grabbing some extra risk free profit. Bet365’s live in play portal is fantastic, as it is very user friendly, allowing for quick switching between markets, and there are always plenty of markets available for any sporting event. You will be able to enjoy over 60 Live In Play betting markets for you Manchester United v Manchester City betting, so you are going to be spoilt for choice as to where to use your free bet.

Live In Play betting opens up many doors of football betting opportunities that aren’t available in pre match betting. So by simply having a pre-match bet on Sunday’s big Manchester derby game, you can get a free Live In Play bet to have a crack at. If that first Live In Play bet loses, then you have the insurance of getting the lost stake back, up to the value of your highest pre-match bet. The award winning online bookmaker continues to roll on from strength to strength and this offer is well worth taking advantage of if you were having a bet on the match anyway. You may as well do it and get a free bet while you are at it. The highly popular Bet365 also offers one of the most generous sign up bonuses as well. The bookie offers a free £200 bet for new customers registering an account with them, as they will match the value of your first deposit up to that generous limit. So there is a chance for even more free betting money to play with.

Manchester United v Manchester City Betting Odds at Bet365
Man Utd 11/10, Draw 12/5, Man City 5/2

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Manchester City v Napoli Champions League betting sees the welcome return of two sides to Europe’s elite competition. Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City booked their first trip to the Champions League with a third place finish in the Premier League last season, and it has been a very long 43 years since we have seen them compete at this level. Napoli have been in the same boat really, but not for quite as long, as they have been absent from top European competition for 21 years now. So both sides are making their debut in the Champions League format of the European Cup. For City, you have to back, way back to 1968/69 when they played in the European Champions Clubs’ Cup and got knocked out in the first round. Manchester City already look to be building on the massive steps they took forward last year, rattling off four wins from four in the new Premier League season, keeping pace with rivals Manchester United. City, who have been berated over the past couple of years for some negative and unadventurous play, have fired off 15 goals in their four matches so far, making a fantastic start. New summer signing Sergio Aguero looks to already be an extremely profitable move, as the Uruguayan struck a hat trick on the weekend against Wigan. Spaniard David Silva also continues to be a massive influence in the side as well, and even Carlos Tevez got his first start of the season on the weekend. Manchester City look as if they are growing up very fast, and now it will be interesting to see how they cope with the demands of the Champions League. They have drawn a tough group, with Bayern Munich and Villarreal also in the mix in Group A, and that is why it is imperative that City get off to the strongest start possible here. Mancini firmly believes that Manchester City can get even better, so now will be the time to prove it.

They certainly have good depth in their squad, and should be able to cope with the demands, but it is no secret that these tough European matches can be distracting. There are a lot of comparisons to draw between Napoli and Manchester City, as they both have been coming to a boil in their respective domestic leagues. Manchester City have obviously spent big and are only looking ahead, to taste the kinds of success that their city neighbours United have had for so long. They seem as if they are actually now in a position to really be a threat and are trading well in outright betting for the Champions League, and for a first time entrant going off at 11/1 with Boylesports to win the tournament outright, it shows exactly how they are perceived. This of course isn’t City’s sudden drastic re-entry into European competition, as they reached the last 16 of the Europa League last year. They crashed out to Dynamo Kiev after putting up some pretty strong home performances, so that all could well have been a good testing ground for City to take on the Champions League. City do have an impressive run of form at the Stadium of Light, having not lost in twelve European matches played there. While City have not met Napoli ever before, they have had a brief flirtation with Italian opposition, which includes a 1-1 draw with Juventus in last year’s Europa League.

So what of Napoli? Well they haven’t come across English opposition very often in their history, in fact, when they met Liverpool in the Europa League last season, was the first time they had squared off against an English team. They drew 0-0 at home and then lost 3-1 to Liverpool in the group stage of last season’s Europa League. But Napoli really came good in Serie A last year, and with their third place finish, they secured their best league finish for over twenty years. Serie A is one of the last major European Leagues to get underway, and so Napoli have only one match under their belt this season. It was a good one though, as they won away at Cesena 3-1. It was a good start and they looked pretty sharp and dynamic.

Manchester City v Napoli Champions League Betting Odds
Manchester City to win: 2/5 at Totesport
Draw: 4/1 at Paddy Power
Napoli to win: 9/1 at Bet365

Manchester City v Napoli Betting Tip: It is a good fixture for Manchester City to start their Champions League campaign off with, and would pencil them in for a win. They have shown a lot of class up front and the home crowd will want that to continue. Not sure if Mancini is going to play things a little more cautiously in Europe or take a lesson from Tottenham’s debutant efforts last year and simply go for it. Either way, they should win this on home turf. We’ll take a Manchester City 1.5 Asian Handicap for 11/10 at VC Bet.

Group A: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, MAN CITY (11/at Boylesports to win Champions League outright), Napoli