Football Betting Tips

World Cup 2010 - English Bets: Chapter 1

2010-06-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

The World Cup is only one week away and there are a lot of interesting bets involving not only the English national team but also the Premier League teams. Yep, even during off season.

Fabio Capello finally named his selection of 23 players and Walcott axe was the only surprise. As England has a relatively easy group - a win over USA on the first of the group will practically ensure their place in the knockout stage. England will probably have to meet France somewhere on the road to the semis, but with its current squad, a win over the Frenchmen shouldn't be a hard task. If this will go according to plan and if English players will be able to finally show their talent on the biggest stage in the world - winning the World Cup itself is a real option. Placing a bet on this to happen has a great value with odds of 7 decimal. Now all that is left is to prey for Rooney’s groin to recover…

We will do our best to bring you with bargain bets throughout the World Cup starting tomorrow when we’ll show you some value bets in bets involving players, Premier League Teams and the World Cup!

By the way, 15% of BetUknow users predict England as winners, come and place your World Cup bets in BetUknow's new predictions game, The Predictor Challenge

A tight competition

2010-03-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

8 matches to go till the end of the Premier League season and things at the top of the table are still unclear. Just as it seemed that we’re heading to a Manchester United – Chelsea battle all over again, Arsenal came from behind, grabbed a couple of wins and took advantage of both United and Chelsea slip-ups to form one of the tightest championship fights we had in recent years.
It would be very interesting to see how Chelsea handle the unexpected elimination from the Champions League at such an early stage. This shocking home defeat to Inter Milan can cause a sort of a turmoil Chelsea can find themselves on the losing end of a couple of matches, resulting in forfeiting the title. This weekend is a huge test for Carlo Ancelotti’s lads.

While Arsenal has a relatively easy home match against West-Ham united (even though the mini London derby is never too easy), Chelsea plays against Blackburn in Ewood Park in a tough match. 71% of BetUknow's members predict Chelsea as winners. Nevertheless, the most interesting game of the week sees Manchester United host Liverpool. Man Utd are on a great run (well…actually Rooney is in a great form, and that's enough), while Liverpool cannot manage to win more than 2 matches in a row, falling one point behind the fourth Champions League spot. The majority of BetUknow members predict that Manchester United will win the match, and, quite frankly, this looks reasonable.

Come choose your winners here BetUknow

A crucial period

2010-02-04T07:47:00.001-08:00

As I see things, we are now entering the most crucial period of the season. The players are in great conditions, the Champions League is back and the FA and Carling Cups are getting to the crucial stages.
This month will supply us with the answers whether Arsenal is to remain a title contender, alongside with Chelsea and Man Utd, can Liverpool fight back for 4th place, battling Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham to it, and also - which teams will run safe and which ones will fight against relegation, as only 4 points separate the 5 last teams in the table (excluding Portsmouth).

Well, this weekend will get us closer to the answers. Chelsea host Arsenal for a crucial match on Sunday – a win for the blues and Arsenal can forget about the title race. A day before that will see Liverpool host Everton in the Merseyside derby, and their level of performance they showed last week, in their unconvincing win over Bolton, won't be enough. Liverpool must win and perform well if they want to play Champions League football the next season. In two other matches, Burnley host West Ham and Sunderland host Wigan and these teams need the points to start their escape from the relegation zone.

56% of BetUknow members think that Liverpool will win the Merseyside derby, and more than 60% predict Chelsea to win the London derby. Place your fantasy bets to win real prizes @ Betuknow

Happy new Premier League year

2009-12-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

The Christmas is here and we are about to enjoy 5 straight days of English football. Due to the congestion of the matches during this period of time, good performances are the key to keep your season on track. Take Chelsea, for instance, they have to win both their matches in order to maintain the 4 points gap at the top of the table, since no less than 4 of their players will be leaving for the African Championship games.
Portsmouth must also try and win as many points as they can before the departure of Kanu, Dindane and Belhaj, while Manchester City with new manager Mancini must win in order to prove that they can truly leave Hughes' saga behind and start a new era. So in conclusion – some team will have a merry Christmas while other will… uhhh… won’t!

I chose to highlight a couple of tight and herd-to-predict matches, as you can find great odds in them:

Fulham-Tottenham (2.9/3.3/2.5) - (bwin, Expekt, Ladbrokes) It'll be interesting to see whether Tottenham can break into big 4 and continue their great form after 2 wins in a raw, one of them an impressive 3-0 over Manchester City. Still, they run into high flying Fulham, who are on a 5 match unbeaten run, and winning their last home match 3-0 over Manchester United.

Sunderland-Everton (2.4/3.4/3) - (Ladbrokes, Ladbrokes, Expekt. The Black Cats won only once in their last nine games and have slipped into 10th position. This is a huge opportunity for them to try and get back on track, showing the same skills that helped them climb up the table on couple of months ago. Still, they have a high obstacle in the form of Everton. The Toffees struggle to find their form, earning a dull home point with Birmingham a week after a huge 3-3 away draw at Chelsea. This inconsistency means they hover only 2 points above the relegation position. You don’t have to be too witty to realize that Everton must win in order to revive their Premier League inspirations

BetUknow members predict a draw in both matches. You can try and take these two bets, as one is enough in order to make some decent profit.
Place your fantasy bets @ BetUknow

This season shows that anything can happen

2009-12-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

This season’s Premiership offers a chance for everyone. Unlike previous years, where the top 4 used to hammer every other team, this season see them concede points on regular basis. Last weekend saw Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool lose points on home soil. If that wasn’t enough, the midweek matches saw both Chelsea and Liverpool struggle to beat much inferior opponents as Portsmouth and Wigan.
Still, in contrast to Chelsea and United, which top the table, Liverpool form not only sent them all the way down to 6th place, 5 points adrift of Aston Villa in 4th, but it also canceled Liverpool main strength of recent years – playing at Anfield. You don’t have to be rich or even too strong to take points from Liverpool at Anfield, as the draw results with Manchester City and Birmingham suggest. As long as this won’t change – Liverpool should not even dream of making it to a Champions League spot.
Still, why Rafa is pondering of how to solve this, he’ll have to wary on his Saturday trip to the south the face the rejuvenating Portsmouth. Since Avram Grant was appointed things calmed down a bit, but there is no doubt he has his work cut out for his, as Pompey’s squad lack the quality and depth. Surviving in the Premier League will be a miracle as Pompey look too weak, but if Grant want to keep this dream alive – he has to come up with something from the home match with Liverpool.

It’s not surprising to see the bookies consider Liverpool as clear favorites for this one (1.55 @ Bwin), but this season shows that anything can happen. BetUknow bettors predict Liverpool as winners, share your thoughts with us @ Betuknow

Liverpool's lost season

2009-12-10T05:11:00.000-08:00

The 16 teams which qualified to the next round of the Champions League were determined yesterday, and the absence of Liverpool from this list is amazing, consider the relative weakness of this year’s Champions League. In recent years Rafa Benitez knew that as long he completes a good Champions League campaign will give him the support and confidence from his owners and supporters, regardless of his achievements in the Premier League.

But now, with the Champions League campaign over, Rafa will have to start and bring results from Liverpool's next matches in the Premier League. Not an easy task for a team that lies 12 points behind league leaders Chelsea, to say the least, but that’s the only way for him to save his job at Merseyside. Well, he’ll have his work cut out for him, as his next match sees Arsenal coming to Anfield.

In my opinion there is nothing Rafa can do to save this bad season. Moreover, at the moment I can't even see Liverpool finish in the top 4. The squad it too thin, the players are not good enough and, apparently, Rafa has lost his magic. A win on Sunday might be the first step in the right direction, but a defeat will probably make Rafa a dead man walking, leaving Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City to fight on the 4th and last Champions League spot

BetUknow members predict that the match will end in a draw (3.25 @ Expekt). Predict the outcome of this and other Premier League matches here:
BetUknow

A crucial match for Liverpool

2009-11-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

This Premier league weekend brings us a couple of interesting and crucial matches. Let’s take a look at two of them:

Liverpool vs. Manchester City-
Liverpool host Manchester City in a match which will determine the rest of the former's season. In recent seasons, Liverpool's focus was set on the Champions league. It seemed that all Rafa Benitez was aiming for was to win the Champions League, and if this wasn’t enough – he saw the Premiership as a way to qualify to next season’s Champions League. Winning the title wasn’t as important to him as seeing Liverpool drawn to the groups stage of the Champions League.
Alas, it looks that only a miracle will get Liverpool to the Round of 16, and although miracles are quite fond of Liverpool, we find it hard to see this happen. At the same time, Chelsea have opened an 11 point gap from Liverpool at the top of the table and Liverpool’s season is so bad so far, that they find themselves 6 points adrift a Champions League spot. Since Manchester City are also fighting for a place in next year’s Champions League, Liverpool face a must-win situation here.

Sunderland vs. Arsenal-
Sunderland, which show great form since Steve Bruce took over, play against Arsenal. Arsenal play the most exciting football this season and if Sunderland want to keep their run and challenge for the Europa League spot, they will have to take some points from Arsene Wenger's talented team.
According to the bookies, Sunderland chances to win the match are not high, with odds of 6.2 it seems like no one really thinks they will take all 3 points. Still, this looks like a good way to make some money if you really believe the Black Cats are capable of producing a shock result…

Place your fantasy bets now - BetUknow

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

2009-11-05T05:28:00.000-08:00

I know that this is still an early stage of the season, but the match between Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday is crucial to the championship battle.
Both teams secured a place in the Champions Round of 16 and can now set their focus on the Premiership title. Well, at least till February. Chelsea are the current leaders of the Premier League, with 27 points, but Manchester United are breathing down their necks in second place, with only two points separating them.
As their league position shows, both teams have started the current season in great form, despite the taking only a point from their last Champions League matches.
A 5 points gap will give Chelsea a great advantage in the Championship title race and while knowing that, BetUknow community believes that Chelsea are the better team and will be the happier side at the end of the day.

Surprising Results

2009-10-28T03:33:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks brought some surprises in Premier League: Stoke winning at White Hart Lane, Wolves taking a point back home from Goodison Park, Chelsea's two away losses to Aston Villa and Wigan and Liverpool's impressive performance in their home match with Manchester United.
That was quite a long intro, won’t you say? The reason for me to do so what to practically get you ready for this statement: “I have no idea how this weekend's fixtures will end!!!”. Fulham host Liverpool, Portsmouth seeking their 2nd win at home against the unpredictable Wigan Athletic, Everton looking for a win against Aston Villa in order to narrow the 6 points gap between them, and London's derby between Arsenal and Tottenham can go either way. No easy matches on the line. In fact, there are no easy matches in the Premiership this season…
Still, let’s focus on the Arsenal – Tottenham match.
Arsenal are coming to the derby in a good form, winning 4 out of their last 5 matches. Tottenham, on the other hand, have gained only 4 points out of 9 from their last 3 matches, which put their great start to the season in perspective…
BetUknow's community sees Arsenal as the derby winners. What do you think ?

3 Interesting Matches

2009-10-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

After a short break, the Premier League is back with a lot of top action in this weekend’s fixtures.
Chelsea travels to Villa Park on a mission to keep the gap between it and Manchester United, as the red devils play at home against Bolton.
Liverpool is playing away against a high-flying Sunderland squad who’s enjoying a great start to the season. Liverpool must win in order to keep the championship hopes alive as a 9 points gap could sabotage their chances of winning the title, even at such an early stage of the season. This match also features the league’s current top goal scorer Fernando Torres (8 goals) and the person right on his tail, Darren Bent (7), in a battle to find the net.
Another interesting match this round is between Tottenham and Portsmouth. Pompey lost 7 of their first 8 matches, if they continue with their current form they will see themselves in the same position at the end of the season (a championship spot). It would be interesting to see whether Avram Grant, former Chelsea manager and Pompey's new director of football, will be able to put them back on track.

Use BetUknow's widget to predict the winner in the Pompey vs. Spurs match:

Champions League Betting Tips

2009-09-15T04:18:00.001-07:00

This Tuesday will see the 2009/2010 Champions League campaign kicks off. The 4 representatives of the EPL were drawn in to relatively easy groups, managing to avoid super powers such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Inter Milan. No wonder that anything but topping their groups will be a huge surprise.
According to Betfair, the Premier League teams are between the favourites to win this year’s Champions League, but the Spanish giants – Barcelona and Real Madrid were marked as clear favourites with better odds to finish as winners: 5.3 and 6 respectively.
But let’s leave May 2010 aside and focus on this Tuesday and Wednesday. The first week sees Liverpool host Hungarian champions Debrecen, in what should be an easy win for them, while at the same time Arsenal travel to Liege, to face Standard Liege and Manchester United will play against Besiktas in Turkey. Both are tricky away matches, but both Arsenal and United should record wins.
Carlo Ancelloti said last week that Chelsea's main target is the Champions League, and he thinks that his team is finally up for the challenge. Chelsea begin their campaign against Porto on Tuesday without Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa, suspended for their semi-finals show of last year. Porto, just like Chelsea, enjoy a great start for the season and it looks that the new striker Radamel Falcao Garcia fills the gap Lisandro Lopez left.
It could go either way on Tuesday; let me know your thoughts:

The Premier League is back!

2009-09-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

After the international break, we are glad to welcome the Premiership back. This weekend brings us a couple of hectic matches, involving 4 of the better teams in the league.
The first one brings Arsenal to the Stadium of Manchester, to play boldly rich Manchester City. In recent years, this was a must win match for Arsenal, but with the new and improved Manchester City, they look as favourite for this one. As these two will probably fight for a Champions League spot to the end, this match is highly important for them both.

BetUknow community find it hard to predict the outcome of this match, have your say here:

As soon as this match ends, we shift our attention to White Heart Lane, where steaming hot Tottenham take on Manchester Untied. Now, there is no doubt that United is the better team, but Spurs kicked of the season in the best possible way. This is a massive test for both teams. United will need to show they have what it takes to win yet another championship, while Tottenham should use this match as a way to show they are set and ready to challenge the top 4 clubs of the Premiership.

BetUknow predictors think that Manchester United will win the match. Place your bets here:

Premiership - Round 4

2009-08-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

It was only a week ago when everyone thought that Manchester United and Arsenal are not in the same league. Arsenal looked doomed after Manchester City raided them off their best striker while United… well, with Sir Alex at the helm you are always a huge favourite… Still, the first 3 rounds taught us that anything could happen as Arsenal scored 10 goals in their first two matches while Manchester United managed losing to Burnly.
This season, the title race is wide open for the top-4 clubs (sorry, but Manchester City and Tottenham will have to settle for a Europa League spot), as Arsenal managed to display great football even without Adebayor and Toure and Manchester United got weaker while Liverpool and Chelsea kept the same squads, more or less.
Manchester United host Arsenal on Saturday for a battle between two teams who could win the title.
Well, let’s see what you think about this match:

You should also pay attention to the match involving Everton and Wigan. The embarrassment of the 1-6 loss to Arsenal on their season opener was supposed to motivate last season's 5th place finishers to win their next match, but with another loss to Burnly and the release of Lescott it seems Everton will not be able to repeat last season’s achievement.
Pick your winner here:

The English Premier League 2009/10 season

2009-08-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday’s Community Shield featured the two top title contenders, (excuse me Liverpool fans), in great performance and showing mid-season form. The four goals scored and the penalty shoot-out gave us a great taste of things to come in the ’09-’10 EPL season.

If we put the title battle aside, a more interesting battle in this upcoming season is shaping up to be the battle for fourth place which brings with it a Champions League birth.

Arsenal released two of its stars from last season, Adebayor and Toure, to the rebuilt and cash-rich Manchester City that is positioned to be its direct rival for a spot in the Champions League. We should also pay close attention to Tottenham that got stronger, on paper at least, with the signings of Crouch and Bassong, not to mention Redknapp's first full season. Add Everton and Aston Villa to the race for fourth and you can anticipate a close and exhausting battle for the Champions League’s last spot.

The Premier League starts again this Saturday and there are two matches we should pay attention to: Tottenham – Liverpool, and Everton - Arsenal. All four of these squads should battle it out all season long and each even has an outside shot at a major upset and capturing the league title. For these two featured matches, the BetUknow community predicts away wins for both Liverpool and Arsenal. What do you think?

Back in business!

2009-08-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

Few would doubt that the summer break has taken its toll on us. Not only did we have to manage without football, but we also had to go through the transfer fuss made by two clubs – Real Madrid and Manchester City – while the rest of the pack completed some solid signings, but not more than that. One might call this “Boring”…

Lucky for us, this time is just about over as we get closer and closer to the season’s kickoff. And as in past seasons, I will be here to give you betting tips for all Premiership matches, Champions League matches and more.

The Community Shield on August 9nd is up first as champion Manchester United plays FA Cup holder Chelsea in what is expected to be a football extravaganza! Let’s hope this will mark a great start to a great football season. We really can’t wait for it to start.
BetUknow members predict Manchester United as winners, what do you say?

The Fight against Relegation

2009-05-19T05:04:00.000-07:00

A week before the end of the season, we have only one team who ensured their place in the League Championship next year… After a very bad spell, West Bromwich woke up and tried to complete an unlikely survival quest, but their two wins and two losses from their last 4 fixtures were too little, too late.
So, who are the rest of the relegation candidates?
Let's start with Sunderland, which are most likely to stay up. Inspecting next week's odds brings up that the odds for Sunderland to get relegated are approximately 1-14. Sunderland will be relegated if they’ll lose and both Hull and Newcastle win their matches. Highly unlikely…
On the other end of the scale there is Middlesbrough, who will need a miracle to survive. Boro travel to Upton Park, to play 9th place West Ham. True, West Ham have nothing to play for but considering Gareth Southgate’s lads inability to win (or to score) makes one realize that Middlesborough will play Championship football next season.
So we are left with Newcastle United and Hull.

The Magpies play Aston Villa away from home, knowing that a draw might be enough, if Hull will lose at home to already-champions Manchester United. Newcastle’s win against Middlesbrough gave them some hope but their home defeat to Fulham sent them back to the relegation zone. Lucky for them, they have a superior goal difference over Hull, so they have to prey Manchester United will do a professional job at the KC Stadium.
In normal times, we could see no way for Hull to come out with anything from their match with United, but since United have already been crowned as League Champions they will most probably field a weakened team, to try and avoid injuries before the Champions League final. This opens a window of opportunity for Hull, as they know that a win will cement their place in the Premiership.
My predictions are that Hull will end their match in a draw, Newcastle will win against Aston Villa and Middlesbrough….well….it doesn't really matter.
Bye bye Hull and Middlesbrough.

Place your fantasy bets at BetUknow and share your knowledge with us - BetUknow

The road to Rome

2009-05-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

Arsenal and Manchester United face each other tonight in an all-English encounter to decide who will get a shot at the Champions League final in Rome. Indeed, Man Utd are a much better side and they have proved it throughout this season, but both they and Arsenal know that anything is possible when all lies on one match. Still, Arsenal won’t be too happy to hear that despite all that, BetUknow members are divided between a draw and a Man Utd win.
Now let’s get to the fun part: the clash of the giants between Chelsea and Barcelona. The first leg ended in a boring 0-0 draw, as Chelsea practically pared the bus in front of their goal. Barcelona just couldn’t find a way through. Still, their amazing 6-2 win over arch rivals Real Madrid in The super Classico, will probably give them a much needed confidence boost, as once again – Barca feel as the clear favorites. Their only problem is the fact that their starting half-backs can’t play, due to injuries or suspensions. It is hard to imagine the young Fernando Cáceres holding Drogba off for an entire match.
Most of BetUknow community goes with Barcelona, but if you'll ask the community experts, they'll tell you that Chelsea will win. Place your fantasy bets in order to determine the winner - BetUknow

Can Shearer save the Toons?

2009-04-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's match is a crucial one for Newcastle United. A win will place them in the 18th place with 33 points, only one point away from safety, while leaving Pompey deeply involved in the fight for Premiership survival.On the other hand, a defeat will most probably bring Newcastle’s status as a Premiership side to an end, especially when their next match will be at Anfield, versus high flying Liverpool.
So a question comes to mind – Was Alan Shearer right to join Newcastle? Well, the jury are still out on this, but with not long to go till the end of the season, we’ll know whether Shearer will be a hero or a villain soon enough.
In any case, we see three possible outcomes for Newcastle’s next month:
1. Newcastle manage a win against Portsmouth with a couple of wins over Middlesborough and Fulham (after the Liverpool clash) they secure their top flight status.
2. They lose the game and start getting ready for their away match at Peterborough.
3. The match ends in a draw and Newcastle have no other choice but grabbing a huge away win at Anfield next week.
What do you say?

Place your bets on the Champions League matches: BetUknow

Key Players

2009-04-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Who's a more crucial part for his team? Van Persie/Adebayor for Arsenal or Gerrard for Liverpool? Tonight's match sees Liverpool and Arsenal battle at Anfield without their key players and it’s hard to decide who will be harmed the most.
A bit more than a month ago, Arsenal were in the 5th place with 8 points separating them from Aston Villa, but then something has changed, (might be Arshavin's new breeze) and the Gunners got into form. Now Arsene Wenger's team is 6 points above Aston Villa and instead of fighting just for the chance to take part in next year’s Champions League qualifying round, all of a sudden they threaten Chelsea's automatic qualifying spot.
On the other side of the pitch we have Liverpool with their fantastic season, still in the title race even though they lost the good form they had a month ago.
With all due respect for both teams and their players, Liverpool without Gerrard is a different team, exactly like Arsenal without Van Persie and Adebayor is. Even though the subs for both teams include players like Lucas, Benayoun, Vela, Bentdner and more, It won’t be the same without both team's key players.
According to BetUknow community, Liverpool will be tonight's winners, share your thoughts here:

The EPL teams are searching for the CL final

2009-04-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

Federico Macheda’s celebrations are a thing of the past as the Red Devils prepare to face Porto this evening, at the Champions League quarter finals first leg. This isn't a regular match for Manchester United, as the Portuguese team finished the reds dreams to win European glory back in 2004, and continued all the way to win the title. BetUknow's punters have full faith in the reds expected win; this explains the 1.4 odds you'll get for a Man Utd win at the bookies.
Arsenal face a difficult encounter with Villarreal at the El Madrigal. The EPL team is back on form in the recent weeks, and seems capable of joining Man Utd in the CL's semis, but it all depends on the result they'll get today. According to BetUknow punters the Gunners will have a jolly ride back to London, as the community of punters are divided between a draw and an away win.
Another highly anticipated match sees Liverpool and Chelsea collide. What more can I say about this encounter that hasn't been said in recent years? BetUknow punters think that Liverpool's good form will give them an advantage and a glorious win.

The English Premier League vs. Serie A

2009-03-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

If we ignore the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, the 2008/9 Champions League has brought us a fierce Anglo-Italian battle for the most prestigious football title.
The first match brings Manchester United (1st in the EPL) and Jose mourinho's Inter Milan (1st in Seria A). The 0-0 draw in the first leg puts Manchester United in a good position, and it’s safe to say that at Old Trafford the match will evolve differently. If Man Utd will play for 90 minutes with the pace they showed in the first 20 minutes of the first leg, they will easily pass by the Italians.
The second encounter is between Chelsea (2nd in the EPL), and Juventus (2nd in Seria A). Both teams had a great start for their seasons, but later lost their momentum. Still, it seems as if Chelsea's new gaffer, Guus Hiddink, put them back on track while Juventus still struggle. Chelsea’s 1-0 advantage should be more than enough to book them a place in the next round.
So, while Manchester and Chelsea look certain to qualify, Arsenal will have to work hard to get there. Arsenal (5th in the EPL) face AS Roma (6th in Seria A) with a 1-0 advantage, yet that win wasn’t too convincing as The Gunners needed Van Persie's successful penalty kick to keep them in contention.
BetUknow members think that Arsenal will complete the mission and join Man Utd and Chelsea in the next round with another win at Italy, what do you think?

Is the title race really over?

2009-02-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

Manchester United have completed their game in hand against Fulham and the 3-0 win tightened their grip of the top spot, them 5 points clear from Liverpool who are in 2nd. Martin O'Neill's side will find it hard to challenge United’s title run and Chelsea’s dismal run has put them practically out of contention (10 points behind with 13 weeks to go), even with Guus Hiddink at the helm.
Well, miracles do happen, but this does not seem to be the case… The title race can be sealed this weekend if results go United’s way.
Aston Vila host Chelsea and a draw is written all over the place. There is also a consensus among BetUknow's community that the teams will share the spoils. Liverpool, on the other hand, face Manchester City. This cannot be considered an easy task; furthermore - I think Rafa's mind is already set on the encounter with Real Madrid next Tuesday, as he probably realizes winning the Champions League will guarantee him a new contract. Assuming that Alex Ferguson's dream team won't slip against lowly Blackburn….we will be able to crown them as League Champions on Sunday.

Last chance to stay in the race

2009-02-01T07:09:00.001-08:00

Today's match at Anfield is more than just another match between two Premiership giants. Even Chelsea’s desire to revenge their home defeat to Liverpool is not the reason for this match to be more important the usual. The important thing is the fact that a draw result here will practically crown Manchester United as champions as it will cost both Liverpool and Chelsea the chance of winning the title. Honestly, they both do not deserve to win it this year, but let’s be faithful to the truth - neither does Manchester United.
According to the bookies Liverpool are the favorites with odds of 2.5, while the odds for Chelsea win are 3 and 3.25 for the draw. BetUknow community of bettors has full faith in the draw, while my gut feeling is that Chelsea will get their revenge.

The dynamic 2008\2009 season

2009-01-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

Only a month ago it seemed like this season will see either Liverpool or Chelsea crowned as League Champions. Now, with 22 matches gone, it seems that once again Man Utd will be the champions, with 5-10 points separating them and the runner-ups.
The same goes with Hull City, who had won only once in their last ten matches. This comes as a total contradiction to their brilliant start of the season.
And it keeps going! Portsmouth made a couple of good signings in the summer, with Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe. 3 months later and Defoe plays for Tottenham and Pompey are hovering 3 over the foot of the table. West Brom and West Ham are on a good spell while Newcastle and Tottenham remain unpredictable. Yep, 2008/2009 season is very dynamic.
Nevertheless, BetUknow members manage to overcome these setbacks and keep on producing accurate predictions. The wise thing to do, then, is to stay tuned!

The Premier League teams in the FA Cup 3rd round

2009-01-01T04:49:00.000-08:00

The FA Cup is one of the few ways for a team which season is going quite poorly, to enjoy some unforgettable joyous moments, not to mention making a mediocre season – a successful one. For underachievers such as Tottenham, Blackburn and Sunderland, the FA Cup is the best remedy, and who knows? They might take a good cup run and make it a stepping stone towards improved league performances.
Using my gut feeling and BetUknow top predictor's predictions I will try to concentrate on two possible surprises:

1. Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham: Roy Hodgeson managed to turn Fulham’s fortunes and after avoiding relegation, The Cottagers are performing quite well this season, finding themselves high in the table. This makes them clear favourites for this one, but… Hmm… being a favourite is unknown turf for them. While they will have to come out and attack, Wednesday will try to hold the lines and sting with a couple of counter attacks. I won’t be surprised if this will happen.

2. West Ham United v Barnsley: Last season saw Barnsley managing their way to the semi finals, after a string of shocking wins against both Liverpool and Chelsea. Well, I'm not saying they can repeat this amazing run, but a draw at Upton Park does not seem to be farfetched.

Champions League Arsenal&Chelsea Matches

2008-11-24T06:48:00.001-08:00

Both Arsenal and Chelsea find themselves in a bad form towards their Champions League matches, taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. and their wins are marked with a warning. In the past weeks it seems that Scolari lost his magic touch at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea lost in the Carling Cup and got only one point from a relatively easy home encounter with Newcastle. It gets even worse on the other side of London, where Arsenal lost their last 3 league matches, scoring only one goal. In addition to their precocious situation, William Gallas was axed due to his harsh words of his fellow teammates, making Cesc the new skipper of The Gunners.

The last happenings make both teams vulnerable, and their opponents will try to take advantage of that. One thing is for sure - no matter what happens in the Champions League matches, it is going to be hot at Stamford Bridge next Sunday, when these two collide.

Stoke vs. Tottenham

2008-10-19T06:20:00.001-07:00

Today's match between Stoke and Tottenham is a six-pointer, as both teams are lying at the foot of the table. Under fire Juande Ramos is still looking for his side’s first win of the season, while Stoke must win, as they are losing too many points when playing at home. Considering that Tottenham is the only team placed below them and the fact that they are about to face both Manchester City and Arsenal in the next couple of weeks, Stoke have no other choice but winning, actually. So, there is no doubt that a draw won't be satisfying for any of the sides, as a win for Newcastle United tomorrow night can leave them way back. Spurs were looking good in their last two matches, but they just can't find the net. That is why Roman Pavliyuchenko is being replaced by Darren bent in the starting lineup; will he be the savior of the Londoners? Place your fantasy bets.

Champions League Round 2 - Arsenal vs Porto

2008-09-29T01:57:00.001-07:00

In normal times, Arsenal would have been the clear favourites when playing at home. Still, after their shock 2-1 home defeat to Hull, Arsenal’s self confidence is as low as it gets. Will this give Porto the chance to cause another upset? We find it hard to believe, use BetUknow's widget to place your fantasy bets.

The Merseyside derby & The Disappointments derby

2008-09-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

The Merseyside derby takes place this Saturday with both teams striving for the win. Liverpool will try to compensate for their embarrassing home draw with Stoke, while Everton will try to push further up the table. This brings me to believe the match will end in a draw.Let me know what you're thinking.

In another match, Portsmouth and Tottenham face each other for a crucial match. Both teams have to come out with a win from this one, as this is another opportunity for them to finally kick start their seasons. Both teams are disappointing - Tottenham brought many new faces to White Hart Lane, but still they find themselves at the bottom of the table with only 2 points out of 15 possible. Portsmouth can’t say they are having a good time either. Pompey started the season with 0-4 defeat at Stamford Bridge but then managed a good 3-0 away win over Everton. Going up? Not necessarily. Their last couple of matches saw them scoring no goals, while conceding no less than 10, allowing Manchester City to run rampant. Who will win? Or will they share the spoils?

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

2008-09-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

The two candidates to win the league title face each other for the first time this season, today, at Stamford Bridge. Needless to say that both Chelsea and Manchester United need this win from the obvious reasons. Chelsea would like the win as it would be a sweet revenge, while in the same time – making a clear statement. At the same time, Manchester United have to win if… well, they have no other choice after the mediocre start of the season.
Chelsea have made an excellent start to the season under new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. As a result of their good form they have won 10 out of possible 12 points, including an impressive 3-1 away win over Manchester City. Their good form brought some good results off the pitch, as the tribunal accepted John Terry’s appeal and he will be eligible for the match.
On the other side of the pitch Manchester United are lying in 15th place with only 4 points. Things aren’t looking so good at Old Trafford at the moment. Dimitar Berbatov is finding it hard to blend in and during this period of time, The Red Devils lost at Anfield and finished their first European match of the season with a dull 0-0 home draw. Furthermore their Centre Back Vidic, who got sent off in their last match, will not be playing as he, unlike Terry, had no chance even to appeal.
So this leaves us with Rolando… He’s got the talent, but it will be interesting to see him after the collapse of his transfer to Real Madrid and the minor operation he had. He will most probably be man-marked by Scolari, who sure knows how to deal with him…
Use the BetUknow widget to place your fantasy bets.

The battle for the fourth place?

2008-09-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

Monday sees Tottenham playing Aston Villa at White Heart Lane, in what might have been a battle for the 4th place. After all, both teams were touted to finish high up the table, but at this stage, none of the two are living up to the expectations. So, Spurs come with one point out of 9, including an embarrassing home defeat to Sunderland, while Villa’s tally is 4 points, after their shock defeat at Stoke.
People might say that the cause for all this is the noise surrounding the Spurs, so now, with the Berbatov's saga coming to an end, it’s time for Juande Ramos supposedly quality signings to prove just how good they are.
At the same time, there was a lot of noise surrounding Villa, due to Gareth Barry’s transfer saga, but now, as this became irrelevant, Villa can return to concentrating on their football. Lucky for them, they have recently acquired the services of James Milner to help them with this.
So now, with all the noises out of the picture, we should have a relatively quiet match… Both teams know they need this win and both managers have no Injury worries.
The only question left unanswered is which team will emerge as winner at the end of the day.

Want to see what BetUknow community thinks? Where would you put your money?

The same show – different actors

2008-09-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Just like we thought, England's match against Andorra was far from brilliant and only Joe Cole saved the nation some blushes, much the same as Gerrard did in their last encounter. There is no doubt this is way below par, as even Andorra's manager David Rodrigo said he would win the match with style if he had the chance to change seats with Capello.
Today, in the most interesting WC 2010 qualifying match, the three lions return to Zagreb, Croatia. Steve McLaren’s place is taken by Fabio cappelo and David James takes Paul Robinson’s spot. This leaves only a couple of questions open: Should it be enough to take points from the Croats? Will history repeat itself (like Saturday match with Andorra) and England are about to lose?
Today, Capello is facing his first big test in what might be his most important match of the campaign. England national team is one of the most skillful, talented and strongest teams in the world and in my opinion, it’s up to the manager whether they win or lose. As simple as that. Therefore, England must have a strong manager who can unite the players.
I'm not sure David Rodrigo could do the job, but I'm pretty sure Slaven Bilic would. I don’t think England can take three points from today's match Do you?
Place your fantasy bets with BetUknow widget

England - Back To The Future

2008-09-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

In the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, England had the chance to prove their might against strong Croatia and puny Andorra. Well, proving their might is not exactly right, as only Steven Gerrard late opener in the match with Andorra saved England some blushes. The matches with Croatia were even worse, as the Croats beat the Three Lions twice and left them out of the tournament, handing Russia with the second place.
WC 2010 qualifying group 6 is quite similar to the one of the Euro. The first match of the campaign finds England away at Andorra, but this time Gerrard is missing due to a groin surgery, so someone else will have to score that all important first goal. The second match, four days later, is away at Croatia… hmmm… will history repeat itself? Not to mention that the Russians were “replaced” by the close neighbors the Ukraine to add to England’s misery.
So, what is England’s prospect for WC 2010??? Quite frankly, I believe they will qualify to the 2010 WC, but it won't be easy, as this time the 2nd place is only a playoff spot. Regardless, according to England's last friendly against the Czech Republic I'm quite sure the fans won't enjoy the “beautiful game” and will have to settle with some hard working players with minimum finesse.

Don't forget to place your fantasy bets on England's first match. BetUknow's widget shows the aggregated opinions of the widget bettors, BetUknow's community bettors and the Community's top predictors.

Chelsea to rule London ?

2008-08-31T03:33:00.000-07:00

Round 3 of the Premiership brings us the London derby between high flying Chelsea and the surprisingly lackluster Spurs. Chelsea will be looking to maintain their 100% record in the Scolari era, while Tottenham will try to get rid of that embarrassing zero in their total-points column. BetUknow community and its top predictors are quite certain that The Blues will win the match and stay at the top. Still, this is not as straightforward as it may seem, as only 50% of the community top 20 differently. In other words, 50% of the top 20 predictors think Spurs will come out with something from this match.

In another match Aston Villa are facing the unimpressive Liverpool at the Villa Park. Liverpool will try to stay at the top which will be a difficult task considering the omission of skipper Steven Gerrard due to an injury. Rafa would have been glad to have Gareth Barry’s services now…. BetUknow community suggests Xavi Alonso and Mascherano will manage to fill the void left by Gerrard, overcoming the battling Villains. They say Aston Villa’s home advantage will not be enough to help them recover from the defeat to Stoke. They say Liverpool will win. Now all that is left is to see whether they know their football or not.

Premiership - Round 2

2008-08-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

Manchester City are facing West Ham for their first home match this season. Things haven't been good so far for The Citizens after suffering a 4-2 defeat against Aston Villa in their season opener and losing their first UEFA cup match 1-0 at home. This is probably the result of the turmoil amongst Manchester City board, due to Shinawatra issue.
At the same time, The Hammers’ injury list just keeps on going, with Ferdinand, Dyer, Bellamy, Spector and Gabbidon making only a part of it. Alan Curbishley can only hope Dean Ashton will maintain his sharp form of last week opener against Wigan.
BetUknow community suggests a draw while the community's top predictors are divided between a draw and a win for The Citizens.
At another match Chelsea meets Wigan at the JJB stadium. According to the community, Chelsea's great form should allow them to win the match without any troubles. The community's top predictors suggest Chelsea will win, but a draw is also a reasonable option.

Hooray ….The Premier League is back!

2008-08-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

After a very annoying summer, with too much talking of Ronaldo, Barry, Robinho and Berbatov sagas, we are back in business. Finally it is time to stop the talking and start playing.
Since I have nothing to lose, let me start my first post of the season with my prediction for the Premiership final standings:
1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham

18. Hull
19. Fulham
20. Stoke
Our first preview of the season concerns Man United and Newcastle, playing at Old Trafford on Sunday. Perhaps it was the bluntness of his attacking force in The Community Shield which urged Sir Alex to buy another striker, but although Berbatov is yet to sigh, BetUknow members don't think it will cost them the match. 77% of the community believes the champions will win their first match of the season.
Runner-ups Chelsea are facing Portsmouth at the Bridge for their first match of the season. 66% of the community chose to put their money on Chelsea as they can’t see renewed Pompey causing any sort of an upset.
In general, BetUknow community sees the home teams winning their first matches. This does not include newly promoted Hull and Middlesbrough. The community sees these team suffering home defeats to Fulham and Tottenham, respectively.
Let the games begin!

EURO 2008 Final

2008-06-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

An excellent tournament is about to end. We saw a lot of goals and entertaining football, and we can only hope that tonight we’ll enjoy a grand finale.
Both Spain and Germany had a great campaign and both of these sides are more than deserve to play tonight at the EURO 2008 final. Spain seem a better team with strong defense, creative midfield and a lethal attacking force, even without the injured Villa, But Germany is still Germany and they are a tough nut, fielding players who are mentally and physically strong. When adding the vast experience to the equation, this can give them the edge in tonight's match.
I was very disappointed at Germany in their last match against Turkey. The defense looked shaky and Lehman was even worse than Cech when the Czech played the Turks. Spain, on the other hand, have a mental block since they haven’t won a major tournament for 40 years, and their last appearance in a final was 20 years ago, when lost to Michel Platini’s France. BetUknow community suggests the match won't end in 90 minutes, and with 9\4 odds for a draw from bwin, I say - go to the bookies.

"I told you so"

2008-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, you can’t really say you’re surprised, and I have no other option than telling you “I told you so!” In the first EURO 2008 post, I've told you that Russia will go far and Netherlands will be disappointing. You can still check that post and you'll see I have also predicted the Spanish team to disappoint as well. Today, more than two weeks since that post, we will see if I was right about that as well. Despite what I think, BetUknow community, both teams' top predictors and the community's top predictors are certain Spain will win. They might still be dazzled due to the "Villa&Torres" show... Gattuso and Pirlo are unavailable for the Italians while Luka Tony just can't hit it right. All in all, Italy play boring, tactical football. Still and despite all that, I'm pretty sure they will eliminate Spain, who will once again be crowned as the big losers of Europe.

The Last Place In The Quarter Finals

2008-06-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

The final matches of the first round take place tonight as Spain meet Greece for a match which is totally irrelevant for the final standings of the group, while Sweden and Russia fight for the last place in the Quarter Finals.
Spain are clear favorites to win the match with odds of 18\25 @ William Hill and the only question left is whether Aragones makes the same mistake he did two years ago cutting the team's momentum by switching the starting line up for the last group stage match. Obviously, some players needs to get some rest, but playing against Greece, who finished their way at the competition last week, should not be too difficult even for the substitute players. Maybe, just maybe, today will see Greece start playing football and fly home with some pride. Well, this won’t happen according to BetUknow community. 75% of them think Spain will win the match, very much like Greece top predictors. The community top predictors and Spain top predictors are very confident at Spain's win with 85% and 90% respectively.
The second match sees Sweden and Russia collides; with a draw suffice to give the Swedes the ticket to the Quarter Finals. In my opinion, these two teams are quite equal and whatever happens Holland will be too big for them in the Quarter Finals. The bad news for Russia is they must play offensively in order to score. The good news are that Arshavin is eligible to play, after serving 2 match ban, backing up disappointing Pavluchenko. The community, including its top predictors, bets on Sweden to qualify to the next round, with only Sweden's top predictors thinking Russia will be the ones playing Holland.

EURO 2008 - Group Stage 3rd round

2008-06-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

The second round is a thing of the past and while there were no huge surprises so far, the third round can see 3 of Europe's giants dropping out.
Tomorrow, Germany and Austria collide in a battle for a ticket for the quarter-finals, while Poland meets Croatia at the same time, hoping for a miracle. A German victory will send them playing Portugal in the quarter finals, while a defeat will send them facing a lot of pressure back home. The Poles have to prey for Germany not to win, while beating Croatia in a bigger goal margin that Austria beat Germany. Things seem open enough, but the Germans are still clear favorites to go through.
The next day sees France and Italy play, with their destiny lying in the hands of Holland and Romania. A Romania win will send them to the quarter finals, regardless of the score between France and Italy. At least Holland can lay back and enjoy a tensionless game…
BetUknow community see wins for Czech Republic, Germany, France and Sweden, to complete the quarter finals picture as follows:
Portugal vs. Germany
Croatia vs. Czech Republic
Netherlands vs. Sweden
Spain vs. France

EURO 2008 - Group Stage

2008-06-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

The first round of the group stage is almost over and there were no big surprises until now. The matches in Groups A and B went as predicted and the BetUknow's community got it right. Group C, however, was a different story. France and Romania played out a boring draw which the community failed to predict. The community was also quite sure Italy and Netherlands will share the points, but Marco van Basten lads proved them all wrong.
Today, group D matches take place and the expectations are high. High-profile Spain meet Guus Hiddink's Russia and Sweden play European Champions Greece.
Russia lost Pogrebnyak due to a knee injury and Andrei Arshavin is suspended. This means the talented but unexpected Roman Pavlyuchenko will have to take their place. On the other side, Spain coach Luis Aragones have decided to play with Villa, leaving Cesc Fabregas on the bench. This increases the firepower of the Spaniards, but could cost them the midfield domination.
At the second match, European champions Greece eager to prove 2004 win wasn’t a fluke. Sweden will try to penetrate Greece's strong defense and the recalled Henrik Larson, alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will try to do just that. We should not forget that unlike 2004, Greece hold a very talented striking force, which scored 25 goals in their 12 qualifying group matches, so Sweden will have to make sure not to give the Greek strikers any openings.
Lars Lagerback said that "Each game is a cup final so you have to be careful". That was just before claiming he sees a lot of similarities between the teams…… are we about to be bored to death?!?
The community and all the top predictors believe Spain will win the match against Russia, while the second game will end in a draw. Only Greece top predictors think otherwise, and predict Greece to surprise yet again and take all three points. Maybe they are still dazed from 2004 triumph…..

EURO 2008

2008-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Football Betting Tips blog will accompany you to the EURO 2008 competition with odds, teams information and tips from betuknow.co.uk.
With only 4 days to go to the kick-off, the teams are getting ready with a couple of friendly matches this week. Looking at the matches taking place up to this point, we find it hard to pinpoint a team that is looking good enough to win the competition… I hope we aren’t about to see another boring competition, like the one in 2004.
I should give you my prediction for the tournament before it all begins. Let's start with a few reasons why I choose Germany with 1:4 odd as the competition winners:
- Germany did ok in their last preparation matches and this "ok" is a lot better than the others.
- Germany’s key players are in great form and had a good season with their clubs. The captain Michael Ballack was the main reason for Chelsea to almost win every title possible, Klose was brilliant this season for Bayern Munich and Mertatsakar height should eliminate any aerial threat for Lehmann.
- Their first match is an almost granted 3 points against Poland, a fact that would give them a boost in their next match against Croatia. If nothing wring will happen, Germany will probably meet either the Czech Republic or Portugal in the Quarter Finals and they are a better than them both.
- The vast experience of the German players, alongside with the great history of the team makes Germany a fearsome opponent for any side.

The surprise package: Russia. Reasons to believe
- Guus Hidink
- Zenit
- An attacking force including Arshavin, Pogrebnyak and Pavlichenko.

The disappointing team: Spain and Netherlands. Reasons to believe.
- The same as usual

The Battle For Promotion

2008-05-22T02:55:00.000-07:00

In this weekend the English leagues participants will be determined. The first match is the battle for the last spot in the Premier involving Bristol City and Hull City. While Bristol City players dream of a second consecutive promotion, Hull City players know they are one match from carving their name in history, as the ones to win first ever promotion to the 1st tier of English football. Hull City have knocked disappointing Watford out, while Bristol City took Crystal Palace out of the race. More than 60% of the community place their money on Hull City, Just like the team's top predictors. Bristol City's top predictors won't agree and have faith in The Robins’ talented squad.

The second match sees Leeds and Doncaster fighting for promotion to the League Championship. If there is fairness in football, both teams should have been promoted. Leeds United find themselves one match from a deserved promotion after they were deducted 15 points at the beginning of the season. Doncaster, on the other hand, lost an automatic promotion at the final day of the season, but managed to recuperate and smashed Southend United to find themselves, once again, one match away from winning promotion. More than 75% of the community are certain Leeds will win. Both teams' top predictors do not rule this out, but in any case – they see the match entering extra time.

The last match between Stockport and Rochdale A.F.C raises the question: Can Rochdale players, fans and staff survive outside the fourth division? After all, they are a part of it since 1976… The community and both teams' top predictors pretty sure they won't have to deal with it, as Stockport will celebrate an emphatic win at the end of the day.

The UEFA Cup final

2008-05-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight there is going to be a lot of excitement and noise around the City of Manchester Stadium (and not because of the local team). The UEFA Cup final brings together the two unexpected teams, Rangers and Zenit. (Who had thought it's not going to be Fiorentina and Bayern Munich at the final?).
Zenit st. Petersburg is no longer considered as a surprise package. You can go out and ask Michael Skibbe and Ottmar Hitzfeld who were soundly beaten by the Russian outfit. Not many know that Zenit is the richest team in Russian football and with money come achievement.
We are about to see Rangers tight defense trying to hold out Zenit free-scoring team while trying to develop counter attacks at the later stages of the match. Normally I would say such tactics are wrong since you can't hold a team such as Zenit for 90 minutes, but than again, Rangers have not conceded a goal in the competition for 8 hours, so the are doing something right. On the other end, if Rangers will try to go out and attack Zenit, I'm pretty sure they will lose the game.
BetUknow's community suggests the game will end in 90 minutes, giving a slight advantage to the Russians. Unlike the community, Zenit's top predictors put their money on the draw, as they predict Extra Time will be played.
Recent years have shown us that the UEFA cup final is more attractive than the Champions League final, but this year I think it'll be different. I share the feelings of Zenit’s top predictors as we are about to see a bore draw.

Round 38 – Not A Big Surprises

2008-05-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

Today two different teams can win the Premiership title, while at the other end of the table; one team will be saved from relegation, at round 38 of the Premier League.
Despite all the fuss surrounding the departure of the "Special One, Grant being criticized by everyone and Manchester United taking all the plaudits, Chelsea are level with Manchester United at the top of the table, with only goal difference separating the two. Chelsea wait for Untied to slip, but at the same time, they have to get the points from their match with Bolton. You won't be surprised to see that 70% of BetUknow community believes that Chelsea will do just that. Unfortunately, there are also 70% who thinks Manchester United will easily beat The Latics. If you're looking for some very optimistic people, we can pinpoint Bolton's top predictors, who believe that Bolton can get a draw out of Chelsea. From this you can see that BetUknow community believes Manchester Untied will be crowned as Champions.

The second battle takes place down below, where one team, out of three, will save itself from playing at the League Championship next season. Fulham play at Portsmouth and the community predictions are pretty divided. Still, if you choose to ask the top predictors, they both put their money on Portsmouth. Not too encouraging for Fulham…
The community put it's faith in Reading and more then 50% believe they will win at Pride Park, but the top predictors are divided in their thoughts, as some of them think it'll end in a draw. This will not be enough to save Reading, but then again, if they are unable to beat Derby, they don't deserve to stay…

Birmingham must win their home encounter with Blackburn (and prey for Fulham and Reading to lose points) in order to play another year at the Premier League. That's exactly what the community not quite so sure they will do... Amongst the community there is a slight advantage for Rovers and the top predictors placed their bet on the draw.

It seems like Manchester United will retain the title and Reading will stay another year at the top level of English Football. Anyway if you are looking to make some quid at round 38 you'll find great odds at the Everton's and Aston Villa's

Beware - great odds ahead

2008-05-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Today and tomorrow's matches bring us three matches which odds for a draw result are surprisingly high. Just make sure you make reasonable bets and not falling for those high odds, as a draw is a tricky result to predict…

Arsenal and Everton meet at the Emirates with Everton looking for at least a draw to cement their place in the 5th place. Arsenal, on the other hand, are only fighting for their pride, as they have no real chance of reaching the 2nd place. There is a consensus amongst BetUknow community: 61% bet on Arsenal to win the match, including both teams’ top predictors. Still, with Everton still fighting for the UEFA cup spot and odds of 11\4 for a draw, you probably think this is a chance to win some quid… This is possibility, but be cautious, as most of the community bag the differ.

The next encounter is between Liverpool and Manchester City. The Citizens lost any chance of taking place in next year’s UEFA Cup, while Liverpool “lost” the chance of losing the fourth place. 14/5 for a draw look very tempting and this is probably the reason for both teams’ top predictors to put their money on it to happen.
Despite this, the community actually sees Liverpool as clear favorites to win the match, so it will be interesting to see who is wrong.

Tomorrow's match is the most important one. Even though is seems unlikely for Manchester United to lose points next week, Chelsea just have to win in order to keep their dream alive for yet another week. The community is separated evenly by their thoughts and the top predictors suggest the draw is in order. Considering the odds for the draw are as high as 3/1, this looks like a good pick. Do you really think Newcastle are capable of holding Chelsea at bay, or is it just another issue of the herd going for the tempting odds?

The real tip for the next days is: Beware, as the good odds might bring you down.

Will history repeat itself ?

2008-04-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

According to the history of the two teams' clashes, Liverpool have never lost a semi-final tie to Chelsea, but in all of those ties the legs were reversed and Chelsea had a different manager.
History also teaches us that Chelsea have never been at the Champions League final before, but Liverpool, in the Rafa Benitez era, haven't scored a goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. All this is a bit confusing, won’t you say?

Chelsea's 2-1 win over Manchester United should give them a lot of confidence toward tonight's match. A goalless draw will be enough to send Chelsea to the finals, but using such strategy might prove to be too risky for Avram Grant and his players, considering Fernando Torres prolific goal scoring ability. In order to qualify, Liverpool must go for the win, and it will be interesting to see Rafa Benitez’s lineup for the match.
We shouldn’t oversee that Liverpool can concentrate solely on this match, after promising the 4th place at the league. Chelsea, on the other hand find themselves lurking for Manchester United to lose points, so there is more for them on the line.

BetUknow community is foreseeing this won't end in a draw, as both teams get almost 40% of the votes, with a small advantage to Liverpool. The top predictors suggest that Liverpool will be the team to play Manchester United at Moscow.

Am I the only one who thinks this promising encounter will end in a boring draw?

Champions League Betting Tips

2008-04-29T01:17:00.000-07:00

When the referee pointed to the spot in the 2nd minute of the match, it looked like we are about to witness an entertaining match, with a lot of attacking football and scoring chances. Unfortunately, the spectators were the only ones thinking so, as both teams did their best not to score.

To be perfectly honest, the dull match was a result of a deadly combination. On one side, there were Barcelona, who possessed the ball for most of the match, but lacked the quality to create real scoring chances. Barcelona?! Lacking quality?! Well, it seems that big names are not enough when coping with a strong defensive line, such as Manchester United’s. The Spaniards passed the ball, moved it from the left flank to the right, but couldn’t find a way in, as Samuel Eto’o had no impact on the match.

But Barcelona at least tried, while Manchester United put a lot of bodies behind the ball and just preyed for the match to end. They didn’t even take the penalty miss too badly, as their main goal was not conceding rather then scoring.
So Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown placed the barricades and Manchester United defended with 8 players, leaving Barcelona no chance of squeezing a pass in. Obviously, this left Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney frustrated up front.

We can’t see this happening again at Old Trafford on Tuesday. These sides are just too strong and talented to repeat such a lackluster performance. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they are in worst shape than Manchester. The Catalan find it hard to score, not to mention winning, as they are located 3rd in the La Liga. These problems, alongside with the turmoil in the dressing room, make Barcelona a dead team walking.

Manchester United, on the other hand, have to use this match as a way to boost themselves after their last disappointing performances. Backed by their home crowd and with Ronaldo in the starting lineup, they are by far the better team and they will take advantage of Barcelona’s shaky defense. They ought to, as losing this one will probably drag a disappointment in the Premiership as well. Sir Alex made some dreadful mistakes at Stamford Bridge, which cost him the match. We are quite certain he will not make these mistakes again.

BetUknow Predictions

Manchester United are the clear favorites for this match, as both Barcelona and Manchester United’s top predictors put their faith in the Red Devils. The community, however, is not that certain, and although Manchester get more votes, about 30% believe that a draw is in order.

And now for something completely different

2008-04-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

Today, more then two months since my first post at the blog, I have decided not to post the regular betting tips. Instead, I wish to hear out my loyal readers, which are you! I will be more than thankful if you will find the time to leave comments regarding my football tips and reviews, so I’ll know whether they’ve helped you or not.
Since I wish to make this blog more interactive, I want you all to be more responsive, not to say critical.
As a part of this, I will start posting polls from time to time. Today's poll is about the most talked-about subject: Chelsea's manger Avram Grant.
Make sure you leave your mark on this issue!

Everton vs. Aston Villa - Betting Tips

2008-04-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

As we approach the end of the season we go through a lot of crucial matches, both for the Premiership title, the relegation battle and the fight for UEFA Cup spot.

Today's match at Goodison Park might decide the participant of next season's UEFA cup. A win for Everton will end Villa’s chances and practically cement The Toffees 5th place.
We have to remember that a draw won't necessarily harm Aston Villa, as their remaining two matches see them play Wigan and West ham, while Everton's next fixture is at the Emirates. This is why Aston Villa will not go all out attack.
Since their superior goal difference, a win for Villa will take them into fifth place, on the expense of Everton, and put their faith in their own hands.

Aston Villa find themselves in great form, having scored fifteen goals in their last 3 matches, in opposite to Everton which stumbled on their last two matches, earning only one point out of 6. Michael Arteta and Leon Osman are doubtful for the match, while Martin O’neill has no such problem, as Aston Villa’s squad is fully fit for the match.
Everton didn’t beat Villa in the last couple of seasons, neither home nor away. Still, the bookies have made Everton favorites in this game, with 11/8 odds, according to BETFRED.

Both teams’ top predictors go with the team they know best of. Looking at the rest of the community show Aston Villa are the favorites, with about 50% believing they will win. 30% of the community suggests a draw, leaving only 20% to go with Everton. This totally contradicts the top predictors.

A tough one indeed….

The title battle

2008-04-25T02:26:00.000-07:00

Chelsea make a strange phenomenon. While being under heavy criticism throughout the season, The Blues find themselves just 3 points behind highly respected Manchester United. It seems that all the noise surrounding Avram Grant made us forget that Chelsea have one of the most talented squad in the Premiership. This alone makes Chelsea a prime contender for the League title.

The most surprising thing about Chelsea is the fact they are in reach of the Premiership title despite the fact they are playing poorly, using their skilled players to complete a lot of defensive tasks, while leaving no room for flair and creativity. The result is a set of boring matches, which often end in a 1-0 result in favor of the more talented squad of Chelsea FC.

That is the reason that the Chelsea supporters chant “You Don’t Have a Clue” towards their manager, and as time passes by, it sure looks like Grant is in a problem. In more than one case Chelsea looked as a group of players who met for the first time a couple of minutes before kickoff. There are no planned moves, no strategy, no special free kicks. All that we see is an extremely talented group of players getting the most out of their talent, which is just enough to bring them those 1-0 wins.

This strange tactics will surely not work when Chelsea will face Manchester United on Saturday. United come very confident, knowing that even a defeat will not be enough to pip them from the top of the table, but more than that – United is a very good team, being led by the best manager in England. Sir Alex’s wits will help him to get his players ready to the Chelsea style of play, and when such strong squads collide – the side who will play as a team will be better than the collection of individuals.

This brings us to believe that Manchester United will not fall before Chelsea. Since Sir Alex knows that a draw will be more than enough to ensure United’s title (unless some catastrophe will happen in the next 2 matches), this is exactly what he’ll aim for. Manchester will take their advantage and use it to earn the all needed one point. Let the celebrations – Begin.

More then 50% of BetUknow community thinks that Manchester United will win this match, leaving only 18% to go with Avram Grant's team. Both teams' top predictors put their money on a draw.

It's all about the strikers

2008-04-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

Ten points advantage at the top of the Bundesliga and winning the DFB Pokal Cup made this season a fantastic one for Bayern Munich. Considering their might, and adding Luca Toni's great form, it should be enough to go through Zenit St. Petersburg and qualify to the UEFA Cup final.

Despite all this, Bayern Munich shouldn’t belittle the UEFA Cup surprise package from Russia. Bayer Leverkusen is the perfect example for that, going 1-4 down in their home match with Zenit. Almost 60% of the community put their faith in the German giants, including Zenit's top predictors. Most of these think that Bayern will win in a margin larger than one goal, to end Zenit’s grand campaign. Surprisingly enough, Bayern Munich’s top predictors choose not to go with Bayern, and feel this will end in a draw. You might want to listen to them, as they managed to hit on the 2 draws against Getafe, which were hard to predict.

The second semi-final brings together Fiorentina and Glasgow Rangers. Rangers last matches saw them finishing in a 3-3 draw versus Dundee United and a defeat to Celtic that damaged their chances of winning the SPL.
In addition, they are also the lowest scoring team left in the tournament, and Ibrox doesn’t seem much as a stronghold anymore. Their life will not be easy, as their opponents are Fiorentina, which currently sit in 4th place at the Seria A with only 4 games to go.

Similar to Bayern's Luca Tony, Fiorentina also have a prolific goal scorer: Adrian Mutu. Mutu is enjoying a great season at Fiorentina and supposed to be a big threat to the Scottish defense.
Betuknow community is quite divided in its opinions, while both teams’ top predictors bet on Fiorentina to win.

Football is all about scoring goals and it seems like the strikers will determine who will advance to the final. In that case we are talking of Toni and Mutu who are bound to make the difference.

A league and European Cup double?

2008-04-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

There are two teams starting this week with a real chance of winning a prestigious double: the local league title and the Champions League. Manchester United and Chelsea travel to Barcelona and Liverpool respectively for the 1st legs of the Champions League Semi Finals, just a few days before their title clash at Stamford Bridge. What a week!

On the other hand, Liverpool want a third European Cup final appearance in four years. To be honest, they usually make it when they come as underdogs, but this time it's not sure who the underdog is, as they face troubled Chelsea.

In Barcelona, the local derby last weekend ended with a draw that ended Barcelona's dreams of winning the league title. Barcelona had a troublesome season, with a lot of noise surrounding both Ronaldinho and Rijkaard, while Leo Messi spent half the season injured. Despite all this, Barcelona is still one of the best teams in the world this talented team has only one thing to fight for: The Champions League title.

BetUknow community thinks that Liverpool will beat Chelsea by one goal, which will give them a minor advantage for the second leg. At the second match the opinions are split: 42% of the community believes that Manchester United will win at Camp Nou. This contradicts the bookies that see Barcelona as favorites with, giving them nice odds of 3/2. If that's not enough Barcelona top predictors put their faith in Barcelona, while the United’s top predictors go with the draw. This is a match where the bookies will be happy with any result.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea face a huge week that can make this season a one to remember. According to the community only the 2nd legs will decide how these teams will define this season.

Last Chance Chelsea, Everton and Avram.

2008-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

People say that the title race was concluded last Monday as Heskey’s shot hit the back of Peter Cech’s net. Now Avram Grant isn't being criticized only by the media and fans, but also by his own players including his Israeli counterpart Tal Ben-Haim. There is no doubt that the pressure on him is increasing.

Tomorrow's match is a huge obstacle for Grant's team. Everton are going through a great season and are still dreaming of stealing the Champions League final spot from Liverpool. Still, they have to be aware of not losing their UEFA cup spot, as Portsmouth are breathing down their neck. Obviously, this match is extremely important for David Moyes’s lads.

Since both teams have no other choice than winning, BetUknow's community suggests that a draw is a perfect solution. 40% of them bet on Chelsea, 33% on a draw and the rest put their faith in Everton, so it's quite even. Everton’s top predictors also think the teams will share the spoils while Chelsea's top predictors think that resting their star players in the match versus Wigan will pay off, as Chelsea will emerge as winners.
A draw seems most likely, even though it will not serve either of the teams.

We should not forget that there is more than a Championship on the line, as this match sees a manager fighting for his career. Bare that in mind, as this might be the thing which will give Chelsea the edge..

Last Chance Arsenal - Betting Tips

2008-04-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

Everyone is talking of Arsenal's fantastic season, but, with all due respect, their ambitious youngsters and the woeful injuries, can’t justify their drop of form. Unless they win today such a great season will come to an end with Arsene’s pockets empty. It might be unfair to challenge them to win the Red Devils in order to get their pride back, but, losing a five-point lead at the top of the table and failing to win in any of their three consecutive Liverpool encounters brought them to the point where there is only one option: winning at Old Trafford.
More then 50% of BetUknow community thinks that Manchester United will win this match, leaving only 18% to go with Arsene Wenger's team. Can Wenger complete the impossible? Not if we ask Arsenal's top predictors, who bet that today will mark the end of the season for The Gunners.

UEFA Cup Quarter Finals 2nd legs - Betting Tips

2008-04-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

UEFA cup Quarter Finals 1st legs brought us some very interesting results. Zenit stunned Bayer Leverkusen and brave Getafe left the Allianz arena with both a smile and a real chance of progressing to the Semi- Finals. We can’t leave Sporting Lisbon, Rangers, Fiorentina and PSV aside, as their encounters were just as tight.

This Thursday sees the 2nd legs taking place and the community's top predictors think Zenit will easily beat Bayer Leverkusen. This comes as a contrast to the rest of the community, which splits evenly between a win for either Zenit or Leverkusen.

In the Getafe – Bayern Munich match, 50% of BetUknow's community thinks that favorite Bayern will win the match by a margin of one goal. It’s quite surprising to see that Bayern’s top predictors think the match will end in a draw. To add to that, Getafe's top predictors think that Getafe will emerge as winners. Not many put their faith in Bayern…

In the other couple of matches, the community goes with the home sides.

Bye Bye Germans??

Low Expectation Shoot Chelsea High

2008-04-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

What a strange phenomenon Chelsea are. In contrast to the other two title contenders, Chelsea are not known for their attractive style. Their style of play is extremely effective, practically boring the opposition into submission. Neither Mourinho nor Grant, found the key to mould great individuals into a great team.

This puts Chelsea in a difficult position. When the neutral football fan sees Arsenal or Manchester United play, they are full of appreciation in the level of football they are watching. When United and Arsenal are in top form, they look practically invincible. Who can put a stop Ronaldo’s run when he is full flight, and is there a team who can come up with a solution to Arsenal’s fluid passing game when they are on top form?

And while those two show their magic, Chelsea come up with yet another lacklustre1-0 win, thanks to their opponents bad luck in hitting the bar, or just bowing to the might of Chelsea’s incredibly talented midfield.

This puts Chelsea in a rather good position. Despite being only three points behind Manchester United, everyone still seems focused on Grant’s inadequacy to manage such a prestigious club, or talking about yet another injury to Petr Cech. This takes a lot of pressure off the shoulders of the players, and while Arsenal crumble under the weight of the expectations, Chelsea are looking as the major candidates to pip United in the chase for the Premiership title.

Champions League Quarter Finals Second Leg - Betting Tips

2008-04-08T03:08:00.000-07:00

Chelsea have already been knocked out of two cup competitions in the last couple of months and they will try to avoid a third one. On the other hand "Fenerbahce have never been in a quarter-final and they have nothing to lose and that makes them very dangerous" as Michael Ballack says. 60% of BetUknow community put their money on the Blues, but, Chelsea's top predictors are predicting a draw. More then that -Fenerbahce's top predictors bet on a win for the Turks! We wonder whether it’s the high odds or pure belief...

Manchester United and Barcelona are clear favorites in their matches and the community, including the top predictors, put their money on these teams with no second thoughts. Looks like a sure win.

This week is going to be an important one for Arsene Wenger. A week that can end a fantastic season for Arsenal with nothing at hands.
Their first hurdle is Liverpool at anfield. Wenger believes his team can win the Champions League title, but, the community thinks otherwise… More then 50% of the community thinks Liverpool will win this match and this includes both teams' top predictors. Good luck Wenger.

The Premier League Title - Betting Tips

2008-04-06T01:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday matches made the title-run a bit more clearer, after Arsenal and Liverpool shared the spoils. At this point it seems like that only threat on United are Chelsea who continued their great run with an emphatic 2-0 away win over Manchester City.
The Red Devils still have two points lead at the top with a match in hand, and if the situation continues, that clash between the sides, on April 26th, will probably determine the identity of this years’ Premiership winners.

Until now, United looks just too strong. Some people think they are not going to lose any point till the end of the season… Others think that next week match against Arsenal will be their final obstacle. Still, Manchester United top predictors think that today, at the Riverside Stadium, they are about to lose a couple of precious points.

Almost 70% of BetUknow community bet on Man Utd to win this encounter, scoring more then one goal. This is a hue amount of bettors, but strange enough – this does not include those who predict Manchester Untied the best.

Chelsea's Manager Avram Grant said yesterday "I do not think they will win until the end of the season". Was he thinking of today??

UEFA Cup Quarter Finals first leg - Betting Tips

2008-04-03T02:21:00.000-07:00

At the First Legs of the UEFA Cup Quarter Finals, there is a clear advantage for the home teams. According to BetUknow community, both Fiorentina and Rangers should record easy victories, and it will be even easier for the two German sides. Bayern Munich are clear favorites in the match with Getafe, due to their superior squad. Due to this, Getafe must show something special in order to have any chance of surprising the German giants at the Allianz-Arena. Surprisingly enough, the top predictors of both these sides see this surprise happening, as both of them recommend of Getafe to win (Beware!).

The richest club in Russia wants to go on with its great European campaign. Zenit will try to cement their place as one of Europe’s strongest sides but their next obstacle is strong Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen is by far the better team and the fact the season in Russia has just begun should help Leverkusen even more. Still, that's exactly what Marseille thought Ahead of their match with Zenit in the previous round… The community predicts an easy win for Leverkusen, but, Leverkusen's top predictors think this will end in a draw. (and that “Beware” number 2).

Football Betting Tips - Champions League Quarter Finals

2008-04-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

The Quarter Finals of the Champions League bring out a lot of tension and uncertainty, but, when it comes to the predictions of BetUknow community, they sure seem very confident in their thoughts.
To me, the AS Roma – Manchester Utd match seems quite even, but 60% of the community, including both team's best predictors, bet on the Red Devils to win, leaving AS Roma with only 11% of the community who believe they will win.
In the 2nd match of the day, Schalke 04 host Barcelona. Despite their recent form almost 70% of the community thinks Barcelona will enjoy a comfortable win.

When Fenerbahce meet Chelsea, summing up the opinions of the majority and the team's top predictors, brings us to realize that a draw is in order. Some might think this to be a surprise, considering Chelsea’s superiority, but the Turks play exceptionally well at home.
The only match BetUknow community has no clear prediction of is the clash of Arsenal and Liverpool. The opinions split evenly and the only sure thing is that everyone agrees this match will end with only one goal differentiating the teams. No doubt – it’s going to be a tight one all the way to the final whistle.

Football Betting Tips - 30.3

2008-03-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

Today I'll review two matches where the teams’ top predictors think differently than the rest of the community.
At the Merseyside derby today, not only the pride is at stake, as both teams slipped last week. Everton and West-ham shared the spoils after a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park. Liverpool, on the other hand, must pick up the pieces after their 3-0 rout by the home team, at Old Trafford. 50% of BetUknow community bet on Liverpool to win while the rest spread evenly between a draw and a win for The Toffees.

Despite all this, Liverpool's top predictors would place their bet on a draw. More then that, when we check the opinions of Everton’s top predictors, we can see they go with a win for their home team. All in all – the top predictors of both teams go against the opinion of the majority of BetUknow community.

The second match is the interesting encounter between Tottenham and Newcastle. Newcastle must win to secure their next season in the Premier League, not to mention narrowing the gap from Spurs to only 5 points. Almost 60% of the community thinks that Tottenham will win the match, and most of them think this win will be a decisive one, with more than one goal to separate the teams.
Newcastle's top predictors also believe Tottenham to be the happier side at the end of the day, but, most surprisingly, Tottenham's top predictors put no faith in Spurs and they predict this will end in a draw.

Before you run to the bookies, take a moment to think and decide whether to go with the majority, or to put your faith in the opinions of the few-but-experts. Tough choice indeed…

Merseyside Derby Action This Sunday

2008-03-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

The Merseyside derby in recent years has been little more than a match between two local rivals. But this year there is more at stake as Liverpool and Everton are fighting each other for the fourth and final Champions League spot. What more can you ask for, to spice up the local rivalry?

Liverpool fans could point the finger of blame at referee Steve Bennett for the three-goal defeat at Old Trafford, but they should look no further than the idiotic behaviour of Javier Mascherano. Truth be told, the Merseyside Reds just aren’t good enough to challenge Manchester United for the Premiership this season.

Liverpool must pick up the pieces and get ready for Everton at Anfield this Sunday. Rafa has got two last chances to save his job. The first will be in the derby on Sunday, where it's not just Rafa's job on the line, but also Liverpool's pride is at stake. The second one awaits him the following week, when they meet Arsenal in the Champions League quarter finals. Would you trade jobs with Rafa? Who wouldn’t!

On the other side of town there is Everton, they are having an excellent season, and have been in great form, even though they did stumble twice in their last two matches against Fulham and West Ham. Had they of won instead of drawing last Saturday at Goodison Park, they would be level on points with Liverpool. This shows just how well they are doing this term.

In the last meeting between the teams Liverpool were the better side having seven shots to target, compared to Everton's one. Not surprising then that Liverpool players scored all three goals in the match, which finished 2-1. Everton ended the game with 9 men, and had a stonewall penalty controversially denied by referee Mark Clattenburg in the dying seconds of the match. Expect to see fireworks.

The bookies believe Liverpool are clear favourite at 4/5, while Everton’s price is an attractive 18/5.

Chelsea - Arsenal match preview

2008-03-23T00:46:00.001-07:00

As we get closer to the end of the season, each and every match of the leading sides gets more and more important. The impact of this multiplies when two of the teams face each other, and this is exactly what happens on Sunday, when Chelsea host Arsenal.

Chelsea’s 4-4 draw with Tottenham on Wednesday was an extremely entertaining match. Still, while all who support (or work for) Tottenham went home with a smile smeared on their faces, Avram Grant knew that the draw puts a huge dent in Chelsea’s title aspirations. He is well aware to his promise to play in a much more attractive style than his predecessor, but when this comes on the expense of silverware – it will not be acceptable by Roman Abramovic.

Arsenal are on a run of four draws in a raw, and this took them from a 5 points lead at the head of the table, to 2nd place, allowing Manchester United to storm forward. This is a huge test for Arsene Wenger and his youngsters as anything but a win will send the out crashing from the title race.

In such cases, most people tend to bet on the draw result. After all, too many of this kind of matches provided a very cautious style of football and when both sides are not trying their best to win – no wonder it ends in a draw. This is exactly what we see when we look at the way the BetUknow community look at this match, as almost 35% of them suggest a draw is in orders, and the rest split almost evenly between Chelsea and Arsenal. The interesting fact is that the 10 top predictors of Chelsea suggest that despite playing in Stamford Bridge, Grant is going to come out as loser from this match. It’s quite a risky prediction, but I guess they are not Chelsea’s top predictors for nothing…

All in all, Chelsea do not look strong enough to win this, as they tend to fail in their important matches. Can Arsenal take advantage of Chelsea’s fragility? Well, only time can tell…

Drifting Away

2008-03-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

Arsenal’s recent slump continues, and Middlesbrough were the latest team to take advantage of a generous Gunners side. It seems that Arsenal find it incredibly hard when facing teams fighting for their lives. As surprising as it may sound – the lack of quality of teams such as Wigan, Birmingham, and Middlesbrough, make life much tougher than it should be for Arsenal.

When Arsenal play teams of equal standing, such as Manchester United or AC Milan, the players find more space to show their silky skills, as their opponents are also trying to win the game. We could see this in the 2nd leg of the Champions League match with AC Milan, where the Arsenal forwards found a lot of space in behind AC Milan’s midfielders, as the Milanese were thinking not only of how not to concede, but also of how to score a much needed goal.

This changes when Arsenal face sides such as Wigan, who are delighted with a home draw against a vastly superior side. Due to this, neither Steve Bruce nor Gareth Southgate felt it was necessary to try and push forward. I am not sure if Southgate planned to score the goal, but it seems that Aliadiere enjoys playing against his old club…

Arsenal, despite their skilful players, find it hard to cope when all the opposition players are sitting behind the ball. It forces the Gunners to leave their delightful passing style as it clearly doesn’t work, and focus on swinging in balls in to the penalty area, in the hope that one of Adebayor, Van Persie, or Bendtner can find the space to head the ball home. In recent weeks – it really hasn’t worked for them.

Unless Arsene Wenger finds a solution to the “All Out Defence” playing style of his opponents, Arsenal can kiss that Premiership title goodbye, as Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, along with their greater depth of squad, will prove too strong to overcome.

Football Betting Tips - Day 30

2008-03-16T02:52:00.000-07:00

This time I'll try to give you some tips regarding two tricky matches. The first one is the relegation battle between Birmingham and Kevin Keegan's poor Newcastle. BetUknow members predictions are: 41.3% think Newcastle will finally win, 35% thinks that Birmingham will be the one to breathe some fresh air. The interesting detail is that Newcastle top predictors put their faith on Birmingham.
The second match involves Manchester City and Tottenham. The Citizens must win in order to keep their Champions League dream alive and their top predictors think they will do just that. Still, most of BetUknow members predict the match to end wither in a draw or with Tottenham winning.

Football Betting Tips – The UEFA cup

2008-03-12T06:53:00.001-07:00

Round of 16 2nd legs brings some tension regarding the Premier League teams.
Tottenham will travel to The Netherlands in a mission to overcome a 0-1 home loss to PSV.
Almost 50% of BetUknow members think that Tottenham will accomplish the mission, but both Tottenham's and PSV's top predictors sense this will end in a draw.
The second encounter involves Sporting Lisbon and Bolton. More then 60 % of all BetUknow members go with Sporting. This includes both teams' top predictors. Bolton will have to do something extraordinary to eliminate Sporting Lisbon and, in my opinion, they should concentrate on their away match at Wigan, taking place on Sunday.
The last match involving a Premier League team is the interesting tie between Everton and Fiorentina. Everton's dreams of reaching the UEFA Cup finals seem unliekely to fulfill. In my opinion, despite their home advantage The Toffees will need to show something special if living the dream is to be an option.. 63% of BetUknow members believe that Everton will win this. Surprisingly enough, this includes both teams' top predictors, but, most of the predictors believe that it won't be enough, as they predict Everton to win by a margin of only one goal.

This will be the night the English sides will kiss the UEFA Cup goodbye.

A Helping Hand

2008-03-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

Chelsea’s manager Avram Grant can feel grateful to the FA, who have managed to conjure up a fixture list which allows him to recover easily after some dreadful performances.

Since becoming manager, Grant has been busy fighting his critics, even after some excellent results that Chelsea have achieved on the pitch. Unfortunately an attractive style of football is nowhere to be seen. Chelsea have remained the same boring side they were under the leadership of the charismatic Mourinho, and they are still playing out dull 1-0 wins over much weaker teams.

The tide began to turn with the humiliating defeat to Tottenham in the Carling Cup final. This gave most of the leading newspapers the opportunity to criticize Grant once again, questioning his ability to manage a side such as Chelsea. They should have noticed that Chelsea’s next match was at West Ham. Alan Curbishly’s side is the perfect choice to allow any team to recover, since they lack any backbone, and indeed, an easy 4-0 victory over The Hammers allowed Grant to prove his critics wrong, and give him some much needed breathing space.

Just when things started to quieten down, Chelsea travelled up north to Barnsley in the 6th round of the FA Cup. Once more Chelsea suffered a disgraceful defeat, this time at the hands of a Championship team. These highly paid superstars were no match for the grit and determination of an inspired Barnsley team, a side placed 34 places below Chelsea, and fighting for survival in the Championship.

As expected, knives were drawn, but luckily enough for Grant, the under-achieving Derby County await his team. It is almost a certainty that Chelsea will get the convincing win they need to move even closer to Arsenal, with Grant dreaming of the prospect of winning the Premiership title. This will wipe out any bad nightmares of the defeat at Oakwell. He can dream, until of course, Chelsea contrive to lose once more…

Football Betting Tips – FA premiership day 29

2008-03-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

This is my second review of the EPL on my Prediction Colum. Today I have decided to focus on the Sunderland – Everton match, which is a bit misleading, with Everton still fighting for Champions League spot and Sunderland trying to survive in the Premiership. Both Sunderland's and Everton's top predictors go with Everton, but in the same time, more than 30% of all BetUknow members think that Everton won’t win. A tricky one indeed…

That’s The Way To Do It

2008-03-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Arsenal secured one of their greatest achievements in recent history, by defeating European Cup holders AC Milan by 2 goals to nil, marking the end of an era for AC Milan, forcing the Italians to bring in younger fresher talent into their squad for future challenges.Beside the fact that Arsenal are the first English team ever to beat AC Milan at the San Siro, what impressed the most was the level of football showed by the youngsters, who totally outplayed Milan’s veterans. Arsenal did not try to win through hard tackles and fast breaks, they pushed hard for victory with great skill, grit and determination, throwing the attacking Theo Walcott on for the defensive-oriented Emmanuel Eboue. This impressive victory came just in time for Arsenal, to end their recent slump after failing to win any of their last four matches. Arsene Wenger has once again shown his incredible managerial abilities, and will have to make sure this win will be the springboard for the upcoming struggle in the race for the Premiership title.Once again his young group of warriors have proved everyone wrong by pushing forward in the two most important campaigns, but with Manchester United on their shoulders they must be careful, otherwise Arsenal will end up with nothing at all.

Football Betting Tips – Predicting the Champions League first knockout round

2008-03-05T02:22:00.001-08:00

This is my first review of the UEFA's Champions League on my Prediction Column.
Today I've decided to concentrate on two interesting matches: The first one is the encounter involving Real Madrid and AS Roma. After Real lost 2-1 in the first leg, they need to win by one goal to nil, in order to proceed to the quarter finals. 58% of BetUknow members think that Real have what it takes to come out as winners. This contradicts Real's top predictors, who think the game will end in a draw.
The second match see Olympiacos come to Stamford Bridge, to face Chelsea.
More then 80% of BetUknow’s members think that Chelsea will win, with more than half of them thinking the margin will be greater than one goal.

Back To Square One

2008-03-05T01:46:00.000-08:00

Just when Avram Grant thought he was winning over all the doubters as Chelsea manager following a great run of results, along came the Carling Cup final, where Chelsea were soundly beaten by fellow Londoners Tottenham Hotspur.As if the defeat was not bad enough, a lot of questions were raised regarding Grant’s squad selection and tactics, as Chelsea were totally outplayed throughout the whole match. Yet, there was more to come, as some of the people who raised those questions were the players themselves, who failed to understand Grant’s tactics.The combination of this practically destroyed everything that Grant has managed to build before, and sent everyone back to the very beginning of his time as Chelsea manager. All of a sudden Grant has to prove once again, to the fans, the media and the players, he is fit to do the job.This makes the upcoming week an extremely important one; with both the 2nd leg of the Champions League encounter with Olympiacos, as well as the tricky FA Cup tie with Barnsley taking place. As a matter of fact, Grant has everything to lose, because everyone expects Chelsea to win both of these matches, against inferior opposition.Failing in either of these two matches, not to mention the possibility of failing in them both, will mark a quick end to the Grant era. Not too many pundits or supporters will be sorry to see him go as he is seen as Abramovich’s puppet. Grant is a phenomenon that no one has actually managed to understand.

Champions League AC Milan vs. Arsenal match preview

2008-03-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

Despite dominating the majority of the match, Arsenal drew blanks when hosting AC Milan. Now in order to progress they will have to score. AC Milan will try to make up for a horrible season by winning the Champions League, but they do not seem to be strong enough. This one looks like a score draw, which will send Arsenal to the next round.

Football Betting Tips - Day 28

2008-03-02T02:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

This is the first post on my weekly prediction column. Here I'll post the crowd's choice regarding the Premier League and Champions League matches directly from BetUknow.co.uk .
At the Premier League day 28 I have decided to concentrate on two interesting matches :
The first one is Bolton Wanderers vs. Liverpool. 66% thinks that Liverool will win the match, 22.4% thinks that the game will end in a draw including Bolton's top predictiors.
The second one is Everton vs. Portsmouth. Regarding my last post about the battle for next year’s final Champions League spot, the 10 top Everton predictors thinks that the game will end in a draw even though 53% thinks that everton will win the match and Everton finished only two matches in a draw out of 8 home league games.

Lets test my tips...

Even Better Than The Red Thing

2008-03-02T02:02:00.000-08:00

The battle for next year’s final Champions League spot is really starting to heat up after Everton completed a wonderful away win over Manchester City, this puts them in 4th place, 3 points clear of Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Everton’s away win was worth more than the 3 points they gained. Manchester City have managed to climb up the table due to their impressive home record. Knowing that their away form is so poor, Manchester City have made the City of Manchester stadium a fortress this season, going 12 matches unbeaten. But despite all this, Everton dominated this encounter, producing numerous scoring opportunities, even after going two up. This left Manchester City dumfounded, and increasingly frustrated. After all, they are not used to being on the back foot when playing in front of their home fans.This win is a warning sign for Liverpool. Rafa Benitez’s lads were supposed to fight for the Premiership title, but now see their local rivals taking their Champions League spot. True, Liverpool’s squad is packed with many world-class players, but it seems that Everton have got the edge in two areas: The strength of the team, and the trust in their manager.Since it is unlikely that Everton’s great teamwork will suddenly disappear, and since David Moyes is clearly a superior manager, Liverpool will have to fight hard to get their Champions League spot back. They have the ability to do so, but this year Everton are worthy opponents, if not more.