Stoke

Manchester United v Stoke betting will see the Red Devils trying to keep up the pressure on leaders Man City in the Premier League by not falling further behind. United need to pick up the pieces of seeing yet more silverware slip through their fingers as they crashed out of the FA Cup fourth round against Liverpool on the weekend. Now all that is left for Sir Alex Ferguson is the defence of the Premier League title and the Europa League, which probably won’t draw too great of an interest from the club. So, going into Tuesday’s round of matches trailing leaders Man City by three points, United will look to bank on their usually reliable home form for previous points. After the home slip up against struggling Blackburn at the end of December, United knocked out a win against Bolton at Old Trafford in mid January, restoring a bit of order there. Despite losing back to back games, as United lost at Newcastle following the Blackburn defeat in the league, they are still well in touch for the top of the pile. Following those two reverses, United hit back with the Bolton win and then turned in a late winner against Arsenal at the Emirates to score an important three points there in their previous league match. Danny Welbeck’s late goal there was a crucial one to keep them on the tails of Manchester City, especially now as the injury list is really growing at Old Trafford. Nani will be sitting out the match against Stoke, while Wayne Rooney and youngster Phil Jones are doubts to make the match. It hasn’t been a period of total convincing play from United of late, although they dominated possession and the game against Liverpool, again it was big lapses in defence, which is lacking the control of Nemanja Vidic, which let them down. The centre half pairing is where United are struggling at the moment, and they can be got at, and Stoke could just have the right tools to undo the United back line again and put pressure on the under fire David de Gea in the United goal. United have conceded seven goals in their last four Premier League matches, so the openings are there. Rio Ferdinand looks set to drop back into the starting line up for this one. If United drop points and City pull out a six point lead, recovery will be tough.

Manchester United v Stoke betting will probably lean towards the home side, but Stoke are a team in decent shape at the moment. After a sticky patch through October and November last year, to his credit, Tony Pulis has gotten Stoke back doing what they do best. Battling hard physically and being a tough side to beat. They wins have dried up a little bit, with just one in their last six, but there have been three drawn matches in there as well. What Stoke can throw at United is their big strong aerial presence in the box, which could very well unsettle a very unsettled United back line. That will be Stoke’s best offence but the away goals have struggled to come for Stoke on the road this year, scoring just eight so far. They are actually in pretty decent away from, winning three, drawing one and losing one of their last five away match in the Premier League, so they will be hoping for at least a point at Old Trafford. The trouble is, they have not got a great record at Old Trafford, as the Potters have not won there since way back in the mid seventies. Stoke should give a good battle, and they are still chugging along in the FA Cup and in the Europa League as well, but that is a lot of games having been played and they need an extra spark. Matthew Ethertington may miss the match, and that will be a big blow for Stoke getting forward. But they have the aerial power of Peter Crouch to aim for and he should be able to earn Stoke some spoils in the box against the United back line. If Stoke were in better winning form, instead of drawing matches, then this may be predicted as being a lot closer. It should be a tough, physical close encounter as it is, and after the long battle at Anfield against Liverpool in the FA Cup and coming up empty handed, there could be a window of opportunity for Stoke here. A point would be a mighty big reward for the Potters.

Manchester United v Stoke betting odds
Man Utd to win: 3/10 at Bet365
Draw: 9/2 at SkyBet
Stoke: 12/1 at Stan James

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Well there are some tough fixtures ahead in Europa League betting for the three English clubs in the draw for the last 32. Transferring over from the Champions League come Manchester City and Manchester United, and they join Stoke City, the only sole English survivor from the Group Stage. We lost Spurs, Fulham and Birmingham, plus other Brits Celtic and Shamrock Rovers from that stage and so we plough on with the last 32, which, as UEFA have said, is getting “spicy” thanks to the big names coming over from the Champions League. Manchester United, in a rare Champions League group failure, have a tricky draw against Ajax, who also moved over from the Champions League. Manchester City, who failed to progress from the group stage at their first ever attempt, have to square off against the defending Europa League Champions FC Porto, while Stoke, for all of their great efforts in the group stage of the Europa League have been paired up with Valencia. The draw ahead for both the round of 32 and the last sixteen have been made, so you can plan a little forward for your Europa League betting, as the road map has kind of been laid out for you. How will the three English survivors fare in their quest for European glory? Here we will take a look at some of the man match ups in the Round of 32 for Europa League betting. There are great betting options already available, from Match Betting, To Qualify betting and of course trying to pick out the outright winner.

No great surprise that the two Manchester clubs are pretty much dominating the betting after joining the tournament. City are 5/1 favourites at Totesport, tracked closely by Manchester United at 7/1 with Bet365. You then have to look back at German side Schalke at 14/1 with Boylesports, Valencia also 14/1 with VC Bet and Atletico Madrid at 16/1 with Coral. Udinese back at 25/1 with Totesport look a very interesting outside bet as well.

Odds on an all Manchester Europa League Final? 14/1 at Paddy Power.

Round of 32 draw *Denotes Champions League participants

FC Porto* (POR) v Manchester City FC* (ENG)
Tough draw for Manchester City, who will start as favourites, but will also start away from home. Most of City’s troubles in the Champions League group stage came away from the Etihad Stadium. How much focus will they have on this tournament? They were favourites last season and failed, so will they have much more attention on the Premier League that this? Defending Champions Porto didn’t really turn up to the Champions League party, and you would still expect the power and class of City, especially with their depth in their squad to pull through this one. The money spent and the force which have been shown by Manchester City this season has been impressive and will make them one of the tournament favourites. Let’s not forget that they did beat Bayern Munich in their final group game, so the hint in there that they are growing in European experience and stature. Whether they go all the way or not, is purely dependent on how much boss Roberto Mancini decides to rotate his squad.

AFC Ajax* (NED) v Manchester United FC* (ENG)
A real classic draw, with two giants of European football who have great history. Certainly Manchester United have been carrying the modern traditions a lot better than Ajax in recent times, but both of these move over from the Champions League, where they failed. Manchester United haven’t always taken the group stage of the Champions League too seriously, usually getting through to the knockout stage at a canter, however, major failures this year at home in failing to beat Benfica and FC Basel, started unraveling their qualification threads. Losing against Basel on Match Day six was the final disaster for them and out they went. Ajax were a little unlucky to exit, which was all down to a remarkable finish by Lyon who hit seven goals in their final match against Dynamo Zagreb to beat Ajax on goal difference and steal second place. Truthfully, while Ajax have played some great open, powerful football domestically, it hasn’t worked so well in Europe and have been exposed. The experience of United should count for a huge amount, but again it will be down to just what importance Sir Alex Ferguson puts on the competition. If he treats the Europa League like he did the Champions League group stage, then they aren’t going to win it. Should get through this opening fixture though.

Stoke City FC (ENG) v Valencia CF* (ESP)
A great reward for Stoke City after they battled so well in the Europa League group stage. There have been signs of better things for Tony Pulis’s men this season, finally finding themselves a decent bit of form. They get a tough tie here against Valencia, who pushed Chelsea hard for a qualification spot in the Champions League. The big show of force by Chelsea at home against Valencia though highlighted the fact that the Spaniards can be beaten, but Stoke probably won’t be relishing the tough trip to mainland Europe. Valencia are a decent side and will look to take full advantage of playing at home second in this tie. The smart money really will be on the attacking power of Valencia here in your Europa League Betting, but you just can’t write Stoke off that easily. They know how to work hard for the ball, close opponents down and scrap for narrow wins. They won’t go down without a fight, and that is what will make this tie so very interesting!

S.S. Lazio (ITA) v Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
What a superb match up for your Europa League betting. This really should turn out to be the tie of the round. The feeling from Rome is that is has been a good draw for them, because they want to beat the best, while Atletico don’t seem to be too impressed. It was Diego Forlan inspired Ateltico Madrid who won the final a couple of season ago against Fulham, and they are one of the front runners to go all of the way again this time out. Lazio are serious contenders in the race for the Serie A title this season, while Atletico are floating around in the bottom half of La Liga in Spain. So Lazio look to be the stronger of the two sides here, but Atletico have a great recent history in the Europa League. This should be a fascinating match up for your Europa League Betting and the form of each club in their domestic leagues will be the key to unlocking this one between now and early next year when they meet up.

Udinese Calcio (ITA) v PAOK FC (GRE)
FC Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS) v Athletic Club (ESP)
FC Salzburg (AUT) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)
FC Rubin Kazan (RUS) v Olympiacos FC* (GRE)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) v RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) v FC Twente (NED)
FC Viktoria Plzeň* (CZE) v FC Schalke 04 (GER)
Wisła Kraków (POL) v R. Standard de Liège (BEL)
SC Braga (POR) v Beşiktaş JK (TUR)²
Trabzonspor AŞ* (TUR) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Hannover 96 (GER) v Club Brugge KV (BEL)
Legia Warszawa (POL) v Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)

Round of 16 draw
Salzburg/Metalist v Rubin/Olympiacos
Legia/Sporting v Porto/Manchester City
Steaua/Twente v Plzeň/Schalke
Wisła/Standard v Hannover/Club Brugge
Stoke/Valencia v Trabzonspor/PSV
AZ/Anderlecht v Udinese/PAOK
Lazio/Atlético v Braga/Beşiktaş
Ajax/Manchester United v Lokomotiv/Athletic

So some big European names involved in the last 32 of your Europa League betting. Online bookmaker Bet365 is always a great destination to head to for your football betting. All matches listed at Bet365 are covered by their 0-0 Bore Draw promotion. This means that when you place a pre-match Correct Score, Half Time/Full Time or Score Cast bet on any match, if that game ends in a 0-0 draw you will get your lost stakes back on those markets. The highly rated online bookmaker bet365 offer a tremendous welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit on a new account, up to a £200 free bet!

Besiktas v Stoke Europa League betting goes on Wednesday night, as the final round of group matches in this year’s tournament starts. Stoke are already confirmed as qualified for the next round of the competition, it is all now a matter of where they finish. They hold a two point lead over Besiktas going into the his match, knowing that a draw will secure them top spot. So the most likely scenario from this outcome is that both of these sides are going to go through, it just a matter of jostling for position ahead of the round of the last 32, where the third placed teams from the Champions League group stage enter the fray. Stoke beat the Black Eagles of Besiktas at the Britannia earlier in the tournament, when Jon Walters netted a late penalty to give the home side the two points. That was the first ever meeting between the two sides, and with Stoke scoring an important win over Tottenham in the Premier League on the weekend, a run of three back to back wins now for the Potters, Tony Pulis’s men look to be in pretty good shape. It is just a matter of both sides holding their nerve really now on Wednesday night. Stoke will need that point to clinch top spot, and while second placed Besiktas are only three points ahead of Dynamo Kiev, the Turks hold a superior goal difference over the Ukrainians, being four goals to the good in that stat. So even if Besiktas were to drop three points, the chances are that they will squeeze their way through. But the Turks at home stand a good chance of picking something up.

Stoke’s encounter with Besiktas on Match Day of this season’s Europa League was the first time that they had encountered a Turkish side before. As for Besiktas, they have a W3 D3 L7 record against English sides. Of those matches, there have been two wins and five defeats on English soil for the Turks. However, they are in pretty good form at home and will give a good account of themselves in Stoke v Besiktas betting on Wednesday night. They have won their last three European games at home now, and not only that, in those three games they are averaging three goals a match. Besiktas have netted six goals in their two home matches in the Europa League group stage this season. As for Stoke, they haven’t lost in Europe now for eleven matches, producing seven wins in that run. They are a tough, physical side and are pretty tough to crack when they are on their game. In the group stage so far away from home, they drew against Dynamo Kiev and produced a narrow 2-1 win over Tel Aviv. But after showing some good resilience in their home encounter against Besiktas and with their up turn in form in the Premier League, seeing Stoke hold out for a draw is a plausible result for your Besiktas v Stoke Europa League betting.

Besiktas v Stoke Betting Odds
Besiktas to win: 5/6 at Paddy Power
Draw: 5/2 at Totesport
Stoke to win: 10/3 at Blue Square

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Stoke v Tottenham betting sees form Spurs boy Peter Crouch line up against his old club on Sunday. Spurs have been in incredible form this season, unbeaten in their last eight and having won seven on those matches, and suddenly they have put themselves out there as genuine title contenders. They need a win to pull back within two points of second placed Manchester United, and still maintain their game in hand over the Red Devils. They have been in fine fettle, with big contributions going forward from Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermain Defoe, Rafael Van der Vaart and Gareth Bale and they are playing some truly wonderful football at the moment. There have also been times this season when we have seen them dig in and scrap for points, a valuable trait for a title contending team to have. A trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke is never an easy affair, and after a poor stretch of form from Tony Pulis’ men, they have responded with back to back wins in the league, and have also qualified for the next stage of the Europa League. So things are starting to look up for them as well. But Stoke’s big problem is in the goalscoring department, where they are averaging just one a game. Put that into context alongside Spurs, who are averaging over two goals per match at home and away this season, then it is no surprise that Spurs are favorites to win this match. Can Stoke look to Peter Crouch to come back an haunt his former employers?

Well, online bookmaker Paddy Power have a money back special for Stoke v Spurs betting on Sunday. If Peter Crouch scores anytime during the match, the bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. This provides some great betting coverage for Stoke v Spurs. Over in the Correct Score market for example, Adebayor and Defoe are favorites to open the scoring at 5/1, while a Spurs 1-0 win will fetch a decent price of 13/2 in your betting.

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Stoke v Spurs Betting Odds at Paddy Power
Stoke 5/2, Draw 12/5, Spurs Evens

Saturday 3rd December

Aston Villa v Manchester United

The evening kick off see’s Alex McLeish take on his former Aberdeen manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, as Aston Villa host Manchester United.

Villa were outclassed when they travelled to Tottenham just under two weeks ago and it was alarming to see the gap between two sides who were pretty even 18 months ago. The 2-0 scoreline does not really tell the full story as Spurs were by far the better team and looked stronger in every department. Since then Villa played out a 0-0 draw with Swansea at the Liberty Stadium last Sunday. The game was overshadowed by the tragic death of Wales manager Gary Speed that morning. Both sets of players done well to remain professional and do their jobs but there was certainly more than a few affected by the news. McLeish, who took over in the summer, will be anxious for his side to hit back infront of their own fans tomorrow night and make amends for the Spurs game where they never turned up at all. Their home record has been good and they have suffered just one defeat at Villa Park all season. That defeat was when they went down to 10 men in the first half against West Brom so the home fans will be expecting another big performance from their heroes.

Manchester United were the victim of a terrible decision from the assistant referee last Saturday which proved crucial as they dropped a couple of points in the 1-1 home draw against Newcastle. The equaliser came from the penalty spot after Rio Ferdinand was adjudged to have brought down Hatem Ben Arfa in the area. The United player clearly played the ball but the penalty was given and converted. It was United’s first dropped points since losing 6-1 at home to rivals Manchester City. Ferguson is not silly, he knows that they can’t afford to slip much further behind the league leaders as their big squad will no doubt negate the usual problems such as injuries and suspensions later in the season. Away from home United have looked more clinical than last season when they drew too many games. Four wins and two draws from six matches is certainly heading in the right direction and what will be pleasing from the manager’s point of view is the fact they have conceded just three goals on their travels – the lowest amount in the league.

History also suggests tha this will be a close game. This fixture is often tight and there’s not much between the sides when they face each other at Villa Park. United managed to rescue a late draw in their last meeting in the Midlands whilst their last win was in December 2009.

As mentioned, Villa have only lost once at home but they have yet to play any of the bigger sides at home. Wins against Norwich, Wigan and Blackburn as well as a couple of draws against Wolves and Newcastle means that they are hard to beat but the big test will come when the current champions visit tomorrow.

United have already seen off the likes of Swansea and Everton in recent weeks, team’s who are often hard to break down when playing at home. It’s likely that they’ll set out in a similar fashion tomorrow by looking to get the goal on the break and keeping things tight at the back. WIth City playing earlier and big favourites to win their match, United will be determined not to drop any further behind and should collect all three points.

My Selection: Mancester United to beat Aston Villa

Best odds available: 3/4 available with William Hill

English Championship

Portsmouth v Coventry City

Our attention turns to the bottom end of the Championship as Coventry travel to Portsmouth with both teams looking for the points to lift them away from the relegation zone.

Michael Appleton took over the Portsmouth job after Steve Cotterill left for Nottingham Forest and it’s fair to say that it his first game could have went better as they lost 2-0 to Watford. His next match was against big spending Leicester at Fratton Park and it was much more encouraging as Pompey took the lead only to have to settle for a share of the points. Now he has a loss and a draw to his name, the natural progression will be for tomorrow’s match to be his victory. He couldn’t ask for a much better chance as Portsmouth have a strong record at home and the opposition tomorrow are on a dire run of form at present. Peterborough and Brighton are still the only two teams to have won at Fratton Park this season. Up until the Leicester match, Pompey had been on a run of three straight victories, all of them comfortable. It’s also worth noting that two of those wins were against the other two sides who sit in the relegation zone – they face the third club tomorrow.

Coventry were previewed a couple of weeks ago and even then it was obvious that they were in the midst of a crisis as they just couldn’t score goals. It’s much of the same as they have still yet to win a match since October, going through the whole month of November without picking up a victory. Their only point last month was a 1-1 draw at home to Cardiff whilst their last away match was a 2-1 loss to Brighton. Andy Thorn is still entrusted with the job of turning things around but you have to wonder how long he will get before the board decide it’s better off in someone elses hands. If they are to end the rot they must do something they haven’t achieved since April – win an away game in the Championship. Funnily enough, their last away win in the Championship was against tomorrow’s opponents. That may provide a source of comfort for the travelling players and fans and at this stage, they need every positive they can get their hands on at the moment.

Pompey are certainly part of the relegaton picture as well as they are only out of the bottom three places on goal difference. With only one win in five things need take to a turn for the better if they wish to climb the table and alleviate some of the pressure which will no doubt be building. Coventry are in deeper trouble however as they are without a win in nine and are seven points adrift of safety.

Portsmouth’s home record swings this for me having seen a couple of Coventry’s recent games. They look toothless upfront and are always liable to concede a goal at the other end. Pompey were unlucky not to collect all three points last week against Leciester who are a much better side than the one they face tomorrow.

My Selection: Portsmouth to beat Coventry City

Best Odds available: 5/6 available with Betfred

Sunday 4th December

Everton v Stoke City

Everton play host to Stoke at Goodison on Sunday with just one point seperating both sides in the league.

Everton are on their best run of the season thus far as it’s the first time they have managed to record back to back victories in the league. It may not be championship winning form but it’s certainly a sign of some sort of consistency being restored to a club who have been severely lacking in it in recent months. Last weekend’s 2-0 win away to Bolton followed on from their home win against Wolves. The late penalty against Mick McCarthy’s men could be one that shape’s the season for the Toffee’s as they looked much better last weekend. Davie Moyes will be hoping that they can kick on from that and boost their league position. It has taken them a wee while to get adapt to the loss of Mikel Arteta, now at Arsenal, but things are coming together and other players are starting to take more responsbility. Having already lost three times at Goodison this season they will be looking to put on a good show for their supporters who have been short changed at times.

Stoke managed the draw they needed to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday night. It’s a magnificent achievement for Tony Pulis and his men as it’s their first season in the compeition. It’s also impressive as they have qualified with a match to spare. As with a lot of clubs who are not used to playing European football, league performances have sometimes suffered and they have found it difficult to balance their midweek matches wit domestic action at the weekend. Everytime Stoke have played a group match in the Europa League, they have lost their next league match. They have been unlucky in the sense that every match that has followed has been away from home but it’s something Pulis will have been tearing his hair out at. The latest example was a 5-0 hammering away to Bolton after a very good win in Israel. The travelling abroad doesn’t seem to be the biggest reason in their domestic defeats as they have lost to Arsenal and Swansea after playing at home in Europe beforehand.

Everton could always rely on Tim Cahill to pop up with a goal when the going got tough but it’s not been the case this season. The midfielder come striker has not scored in the Premier League since the middle of December last year. It’s an incredible record when you consider how many goals he is used to scoring throughout his career. Worryingly for Stoke, however, is that he is getting closer and closer to breaking his duck for the season and it would be a brave man to bet against him doing it before too long.

Stoke will once again freshen things up after their midweek exertions. Peter Crouch is likely to come back in alongside Jon Walters upfront after being rested on Thursday. The two first choice strikers were a thorn in Blackburn’s side last Saturday in the 3-1 success. That was Stoke’s first win in the league since the middle of October. Like Moyes, Pulis will be drilling into his players the importance of consistency in this league.

Everton impressed me last weekend against Bolton and Stoke’s European hangovers speak for themselves. The home win is very tempting in this instance. Another bet I believe is worth a go is for Tim Cahill to finally get off the mark this season. He is getting into all the right positions and is going to take one of the chances sooner rather than later.

My Selections: Everton to beat Stoke at a best priced 3/4 available with PaddyPower
Tim Cahill to score anytime at a best priced 2/1 available with Coral

Bet there weren’t many people thinking that Newcastle would be one of only two unbeaten teams in the Premier League after ten matches, huh? Well, Alan Pardew has really done  a great job with the Magpies, who have the best defensive record in the Premier League so far. The mean Magpies have conceded just six goals on the season, two fewer than league leaders Manchester City. Pretty remarkable really, and more fascinating would be the outcome of the scenario of seeing Newcastle beat Stoke on Monday night. This is because, with another three points under their belt, Newcastle would move up into third place, overtaking Chelsea and sitting just one point behind Manchester United. The Magpies ran out 1-0 winners over Wigan in their last Premier League outing, and while they haven’t faced any of the three teams above them before Monday night’s match, they have held both Arsenal and Spurs to a draw. So there is a big buzz about the Toon Army this season and rightly so, and they will head to Stoke in search of that big three points. As for Stoke, they are in mid-table, just where everyone expected them to be, winning three, drawing three and losing three. Stoke have made the Britannia Stadium a very difficult place for teams to go to over the past couple of seasons, and they are unbeaten there so far this season, including a win over Liverpool there, and a 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Stoke have been struggling for goals though this season, managing just seven in their nine games, and while they are generally tough to break down themselves, they haven’t offered much going forward. So Stoke v Newcastle Premier League betting is going to be interesting on Monday night, and online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Money Back Special running for the match.

We have seen a flurry of red cards lately, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Bolton being the worst offenders with three red cards a piece in the Premier League this season, but Paddy Power are hoping that there won’t be one at the Britannia Stadium on Monday night. If there is a Red Card in the Stoke v Newcastle match, then Paddy Power will pay out refunds on all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. While neither side have seen a Red Card this season, both have racked up 18 yellow cards so far. This Money Back Special offers some great insurance for your Monday night football betting. In the First Goalscorer Market for example, Newcastle’s top scorer Demba Ba is priced at 13/2 to open the scoring, while Stoke’s Peter Crouch is 6/1 favourite. So there are good options for value in this market, all covered by the Paddy Power Money Back Special which will pay out refunds if a Red Card is shown. A 1-1 draw in the Correct Score market is the favourite outcome priced at 5/1 with the bookie. So good options, great value in Stoke v Newcastle betting at Paddy Power. The popular bookie offers a free £50 bet as a sign up bonus for new customers registering an account. Paddy Power will match the value of your first bet with a free bet up to the maximum of £50! Stoke won both Premier League encounters against Newcastle last season, beating the Magpies 4-0 at the Britannia.

Stoke v Newcastle Betting Odds
Stoke to win 6/5, Draw 9/4, Newcastle to win 12/5 at Paddy Power

Stoke v Liverpool Carling Cup betting looks as if it will be a pretty interesting match up on Wednesday night. Kenny Dalglish watched with frustration as his side were held to a 1-1 draw against Norwich City at Anfield on Saturday. Even though Liverpool missed some golden chances right at the death, when Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez should have both scored, Liverpool only had themselves to blame as they never mounted any pressure on the Canaries. It was a lack luster second half performance from Liverpool, which saw them lose further ground with the title contenders in the Premier League. So now Dalglish can turn his attention back to the Carling Cup, hoping to get some silverware into the cabinet at the end of the season after spending so heavily. But the Reds, who made hard work of a 2-1 win away at Brighton in the Third Round of the competition have drawn a tough task for the Fourth Round. Liverpool lost when they went to the Britannia Stadium at the beginning of September, unable to get on the score sheet in a 1-0 defeat. This is what Stoke City are great at. They have a mixed back of results this season, but again they are so difficult to beat at home. While Liverpool were defeated there this season, Stoke have also frustrated Chelsea and Manchester United into drawn matches there as well, so Stoke v Liverpool Carling Cup betting is not one of the easier calls for the last sixteen of the competition. Stoke knocked out Spurs in the Third Round after a thrilling 7-6 penalty shoot out win at the Britannia. Stoke play a good, tough physical game and really have the ability to stop Liverpool getting into any stride in the middle of the park. So it will be interesting to see what Kenny Dalglish does here, will he go for a stronger team selection. They will need to play better than they did in the league against Stoke, but the Reds won’t want to totally discard the chase for silverware in the Carling Cup.

Stoke City v Liverpool Carling Cup Betting Odds
Stoke to win: 5/2 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at SkyBet
Liverpool to win: Evens at SkyBet

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We focus on midweek Carling Cup betting action this week, as the last remaining sixteen teams in the tournament scrap it out for a place in the Quarter Finals. One of the big matches of the night is Stoke City v Liverpool, with the Potters having already beaten Liverpool at the Britannia in the Premier League this season. So Stoke boss Tony Pulis and his men will be looking for a repeat performance in shutting out Liverpool, who could only manage a 1-1 draw against Norwich at Anfield on Saturday. Online bookmaker Bet365 are showing a live stream of the match to accompany your Stoke v Liverpool betting. The highly ratted bookie, well known for the amount of live football streams which it provides for their customers, is bringing this all Premier League clash to its account holders on Wednesday, October 26th. All live streams at Bet365 are free, you just need to have some funds in your account, or have placed a bet on the match in question to get to see it. It is a great way to get closer to the action, especially if you are looking at enjoying some live in play betting as well. You can stream the live action and get your bets down right along side the game, so you can get a good feel of what live in play bets to take. Bet365 welcome new customers with the chance of a free £200 bet on a new account, so if you are not signed up there, there is even more good reason to do so! The bookie will match the value of your first deposit, up to the maximum of £200, but it gives you a huge opportunity to get some free cash in your new Bet365 account. Turning that free cash into profit can start with backing a winner in the Carling Cup this week.

Club Bruges v Birmingham City
Group H Standings: Club Brugge pts, Braga 3pts, Birmingham 3pts, Maribor 0pts
Birmingham, with their away win in Slovenia on Match Day two, kept themselves in the hunt for a qualification place from Group H of the Europa League. The Blues had suffered a harsh 3-1 home defeat in their first match against last year’s losing finalists Braga, so the response against Maribor was pretty good. Birmingham now head off to face group leaders Club Brugge in Belgium, knowing that a defeat, and an expected win for Braga against bottom side Maribor, will leave the Midlands club reeling a bit. But Birmingham have picked up their domestic form a little bit winning their last two league matches in the Championship, but are still down in 15th place. They beat Leicester 2-0 on the weekend to take some confidence to Brussels with them. Club Brugge are going along nicely in their domestic league, having not lost a game in their opening ten fixtures and are averaging two goals a game. With a 2-0 opening win against Maribor and then an impressive away win in Portugal against Braga, Brugge are looking a bit stronger than many will have predicted. This will be a tough away test for Birmingham, but they really need to come away with at least a point to keep in the hunt. The Belgians are favourite to take three points though.
Club Brugge 10/11, Draw 11/4, Birmingham 18/5 at Victor Chandler

Rennes v Celtic
Group I Standings: Atletico Madrid 4pts, Udinese 4pts, Rennes 1pt, Celtic 1pt
After having been given a reprieve to stay in the competition, Celtic have not made the most of their second chance. The Glasgow club were knocked out in the qualification play offs, but were let back into the tournament because their opponents field an ineligible player. To be fair, Celtic were drawn in one of the tougher groups in the Europa League, having to go up against Atletico Madrid, Udinese and French side Rennes. Celtic lost 2-0 away in Madrid in their opener, and then could only manage a 1-1 draw back at home against  Italians Udinese. Which means that as they are only on one point so far, they need a win to get their qualification hopes rolling. Rennes though are a pretty decent side, sitting 5th in the French domestic league, and with Celtic already ten points behind rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premier league after three defeats in ten, there is much improvement needed by the Scots. They go into the fixture in France on the back of a 3-3 draw away at Kilmarnock, while Rennes won 2-1 at home against Lorient. The French side are pretty strong going forward, but have only managed a point as well in the group. They lost away at Udinese before earning a good home draw against Atletico Madrid. So both Rennes and Celtic really need to gun for a win here to keep in touch with the top. The French side do look a little bit stronger though, and with home advantage are favourites.
Rennes 8/11, Draw 11/4, Celtic 22/5 at Bet365

Wisla Krakow v Fulham
Group K Standings: FC Twente 4pts, Fulham 4pts, Odense 3pts, Krakow 0pts
Fulham could do with a win here, to keep up the charge for a place in the next round. This is a pretty close group, with Fulham earning a draw against Twente, and then winning away in Denmark against Odense on Match Day Two. This match will take the Londoners to the half way stage, with the relative comfort that they will still have two home matches out of the final three to come. So it is important to pick up three points for Martin Jol and his men on Thursday. They travel to Poland to face the bottom side in the group, and with Fulham’s great play in Europa over the past couple of season’s you would expect them to come away with a win. Their Premier League form has been nothing to write home about though this season, and they suffered their third defeat in eight games, as they went down 2-0 away at Stoke on the weekend. Fulham have picked up just one win so far this season in the Premier League, but they do play good football when they get going, and they always seem to keep good European performances in reserve. Krakow, who have conceded seven goals in their opening two matches, should really not offer too much to the class and experience which Fulham can deliver.
Wisla Krakow 11/4, Draw 12/5, Fulham 15/13 at William Hill

PAOK Salonika v Shamrock Rovers
Group A Standings: Rubin Kazan 4pts, Spurs 4pts, PAOK 2pts, Shamrock Rovers 0pts
This match up is in Tottenham’s group of the Europa League, where the Irish side have yet to pick up a point. They did famously take the lead at White Hart Lane against a second string Spurs side, but still ended up on the losing end of a 3-1 defeat. Another loss here would put them as firm favourites to finish Group A with the wooden spoon, as PAOK would pull five points clear of them. Having already conceded six goals in their two Europa League matches, it could be a tough night against for Shamrock Rovers. Greek side PAOK have earned themselves two draws against Rubin Kazan and Tottenham, and therefore should be favourites to take all three points at home in Salonika against Shamrock. Really don’t see anything other than a home win unfortunately, and PAOK have a lot to play for, because if there is a loser in the Spurs v Rubin Kazan match, PAOK would leap frog those losers into second place in Group A.
PAOK 1/4, Draw 5/1, Shamrock 14/1 at SkyBet

Stoke v Maccabi Tel Aviv
Group E Standings: Stoke 4pts, Besiktas 3pts, Dynamo Kiev 2pts, Maccabi Tel Aviv 1pt
Stoke can be pretty pleased with their Europa  League performances heading into the halfway stage. If they pick up a win against bottom side Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, they will be in a pretty strong position at half way. Their big result was a battling 1-1 draw away in the Ukraine against Kiev, and Tony Pulis’ men were strong enough to back it up with a home win over Turkish side Besiktas. Stoke look as strong as ever at home this season, and really do not give all that much away. They beat Fulham at the Britannia Stadium on the weekend, and are sitting seventh in the Premier League. They do need to find a few more goals in their game though, as that is really the area which may let them down at the end of the day. However, the home fixture against the Israeli’s should afford them the chance to bag another three points. Never expecting goal fests from Stoke, so would look for a narrow win for them in your betting. Tel Aviv were thumped 5-1 by Besiktas in their first match, but then scored a home tie against Kiev, so a mixed back from them. Stoke should be physically strong enough though to record a win to keep them in control in the group.
Stoke 1/2, Draw 10/3, Maccabi Tel Aviv 15/2 at Stan James

Tottenham Hotspur v Rubin Kazan
Group A Standings: Rubin Kazan 4pts, Spurs 4pts, PAOK 2pts, Shamrock Rovers 0pts
Bit night for Spurs in the Europa League, as they can take firm command of the group with a win against Russians. Both Spurs and Rubin Kazan have earned themselves four points from their opening matches, Spurs drawing 0-0 at PAOK, and then running out 3-1 winners at home over Shamrock Rovers. Rubin hit a 3-0 win against Shamrock Rovers before drawing with PAOK as well, so they and Spurs are trading evenly. Spurs should have the slight advantage as they kick off at home here, but boss Harry Redknapp has made no secret of his frustrations about the tournament, how much of distraction it is, and has used back up players predominantly instead of his first teamers. A win here though is quite important if they want to progress, so he may be tempted to put out a stronger side against their strongest opposition in the group. He probably won’t though, trusting his youngsters instead, because Spurs want Premier League position over Europa League success, which is understandable. Spurs come in on the back of a 2-2 draw with Newcastle on the weekend in the Premier League and will start as favourites.
Spurs 7/10, Draw 11/4, Rubin Kazan 19/4 at Bet365

Europa League Outright Winner Odds
Tottenham: 11/1 at Bet365
Paris Saint Germain: 11/1 at Bet365
Atletico Madrid: 11/1 at SportingBet
Schalke: 18/1 at SportingBet
Bilbao: 19/1 at Bwin
Eindhoven: 20/1 at Bet365

Saturday 15th October 2011
English Premier League

Stoke v Fulham

Top flight domestic action returns after the International break and we are off to the Britannia as Stoke host Fulham.

Stoke have had a tremendous start to the new season both at home and in Europe. Tony Pulis will be delighted with how his side have coped with so many fixtures at the start of the season but will also understand that there is a long way to go between now and the end of the campaign. They have stuttered slightly of late in the league as they have failed to win any of their last three matches. Both their defeats have come away from home against Swansea and Sunderland, and both, incidentally, have come the weekend directly after competing in Europe which shows how difficult juggling the two competitions can be. Having brought in the likes of Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome, there are far more options upfront which was a position they have struggled in the last 12 months. Associated with route one football, the acquisition of Crouch will not do that much to dispel such claims but no matter what way you look at it, it’s a massive coup and shows you the ambition of the Stoke board.

Fulham started the domestic season rather slowly under Martin Jol with their first win of the season alluding them until the last set of fixtures before the International break. The win was worth waiting for, however, as they demolished QPR 6-0 at Craven Cottage which will hopefully, for Jol, be the start of a run of positive results and performances. Missed opportunites against Blackburn and Aston Villa at home when they were the better side by far would have been a source of concern for the Dutch boss has stuck to his guns and continued to play attractive football which paid off in their last home game. Fulham will have to improve on the road though if they wish to stay clear of the relegation zone as they have a deplorable record on their travels in the Premier League.

Stoke are notoriously strong at home and they play a brand of football which is extremely hard to combat and opposition teams must be ready for a battle. Fulham have a decent record when away to Stoke as they have won on two of their last five visits, once in the league and once in the cup. Stoke have won two of their last three in the fixture though, so it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

Fulham’s away record in the last two and a bit seasons does not make for pretty reading. From 41 matches, they have been victorious just four times. With a record such as that the biggest surprise is that Fulham are still in the Premier League so it’s definitely testament to their home form as to why they are still competing in the top flight.

Stoke have been undone after playing in Europe then travelling away in their next league game. This week they have had to contend with some of their players playing in vital matches for their countries but the big difference is the fact they will be playing at home – I think that will be the deciding factor on Saturday afternoon. They have already held Chelsea and Manchester United at the Britannia so they certainly know how to get a result.

My Selection: Stoke City to beat Fulham

Best odds available: 6/5 available with Bet365

English Championship

Middlesbrough v Millwall

The Championship was also on sabbatical last weekend and the action resumes with second top Middlesbrough at home to second bottom Millwall.

Tony Mowbray will be pleased enough with the fact his side are sitting in one of the automatic promotion places, two points off top, just a game away from a quarter of the season gone. He will be disappointed, however, with the home form as they have won just one of five games. They do remain undefeated at the Riverside with four draws but their best performances have come on the road. The draws already gathered may well prove to be crucial come the end of the season but Mowbray will know that he needs to start turning one point into three if they wish to sustain their title and promotion charge. Saturday’s match against Millwall will be another won where ‘Boro are expected to win so it’s also a test of mettle of the players as they need to prove they can handle the expectation and demand from fans.

Millwall started the season with a win and a draw but it’s been downhill since then in what is proving to be difficult season. Many expected the Lions to struggle this year for several reasons, not least the sale of Steve Morison to Norwich as he was their top scorer in the last two season. Teams also tend to struggle a little bit more in their ‘second season’. With so much enthusiasm and belief after a promotion campaign, the following season can prove to be successful as well – it’s the proceeding year that can be dangerous, and that seems to be the case here. Four consecutive defeats in all compeitions, five from their last six, has meant they have tumbled out of the League Cup and find themselves just one spot off the bottom of the table. Kenny Jackett will know just how tight the division is though and one win could see Millwall climb up to 18th in the table.

The one criticism of ‘Boro this year has been their inability to break down sides who come and look to hit on the break at the Riverside. It can be the difference between success and failure so they will have another chance to rectify things on Saturday.

Millwall have yet to win on the road this season so will be looking to put that right as soon as possible. With just five goals to their names, and only two more conceded, it doesn’t take long to figure out where they need to improve.

You could argue that the draw would be a decent bet in this game as ‘Boro don’t score many at home whilst Millwall don’t concede or score many. However Middlesbrough have played well enough at home this season without getting their rewards and you get the sense that confidence is low within the Millwall squad so I think Tony Mowbray’s men can gain their second home win of the season.

My Selection: Middlesbrough to beat Millwall

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Victor Chandler

Scottish Premier League

Kilmarnock v Celtic (12.30)
Celtic are 10 points behind Rangers at the top of the table so another defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park is basically unthinkable.

Kenny Shiels has done well since rebuilding the squad in the summer and has earned many plaudits for his side’s style of play. With so much debt and the loss of key players such as Craig Bryson and Connor Sammon in the last 12 months, it was a hard task for Shiels but he seems to have steadied the ship and Killie lie in mid-table. Shiels will be looking for some consistency now to go with the good football as three losses in a row have taken a little gloss of their start to the season. Last time out against St Johnstone would have been a sore one as they got back into the game after going behind only to lose a late goal. Their two wins thus far have both come at home, against Hibernian and Dunfermilne, but that last victory was over a month ago.

Neil Lennon has been under intense scrutiny since losing his third league match of the season. It means that even if Celtic win their game in hand, they will still be seven points behind their arch rivals before the turn of the year. Lennon has been unfortunate with injuries as a plethora of his top players have been, or are currently, out injured. But it’s the measure of a good manager to how they deal with such circumstances and unfortunately for Celtic, he has not come out of it with great credit. In their last match against Hearts it was yet another case of not being able take their chances and mistake after mistake at the back. Celtic supporters are becoming increasingly frustrated at Lennon’s blindspot with some players to Saturday’s team selection will be of great interest.

Despite some poor recent form, Celtic do have a fantastic record in Ayrshire against Kilmarnock. From the last 18 fixtures at Rugby Park, Celtic have won 17 of them with the exception being Robbie Keane’s debut in 2010 when Kilmarnock were successful 1-0. Most of the 17 victories were rather comfortable so if Celtic can get their act together then they have landed on their feet with regards to their opponents if history is anything to go by.

My Selection: Celtic (-1) to beat Kilmarnock

Best odds available: 11/10 available with BlueSquare