Chelsea are 9/5 with Bet365 to win against Barcelona tonight

Chelsea/Barcelona, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 2, Free Bets, Best Odds

Barcelona’s 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid has seen them installed as 13/8 favourites tonight while the hosts are available at 9/5 with Bet365.

Headline trends:

» Chelsea have won their last six Champions League home games against foreign opposition.

» Away-goal chasing Barcelona have scored in 21 consecutive La Liga and Champions League away games.

Posted: May 6th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 2 Comments

The Heineken Cup quarter-finals take place this weekend

Our pals at spread betting firm extrabet.com preview the rugby

“It’s Easter weekend and the egg-chasing gets serious as the Heineken Cup enters its quarter-final stage.  Holders Munster remain in the competition and are strongest favourites in the four weekend games with a supremacy quote of 6-9 over the Ospreys with extrabet.com ahead of the Welsh side’s visit to Thomond Park.

Tie of the weekend however threatens to be Cardiff against Toulouse, a repeat of the inaugural tournament final played out at Cardiff Arms Park in January 1996 when a tightly fought contest saw Toulouse come away with the honours after extra-time had been played.  Another close game is expected this weekend although home advantage and a six-from-six strike rate in the pool stages means Cardiff get the nod as far as extrabet.com are concerned with the Welsh outfit 1-4  point favourites for the clash.  Elsewhere Leicester are 3-6 favourites over Bath and Harlequins 1-4 over Leinster.  Could be a happy Easter come Sunday – Quins no. 8 Nick that is!“

Posted: April 9th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Man Utd face Jose Mourinho and the curse of the holders

Inter Milan/Man Utd, 7.45pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

The football in the last two Sir Alex Ferguson/Jose Mourinho encounters - in the 2007 FA Cup Final and the Community Shield three months later - may have been awful but there is no denying the sense of anticipation brewing as the two great managers prepare to collide once more. Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game:

GRAVEYARD OF THE CHAMPIONS
In each of the last four years, the Champions League holders have been eliminated at this stage of the competition. Inter Milan were the team who started that tradition by knocking out Porto four seasons ago. Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho’s first ever meeting came in the round of 16 five years ago, when Mourinho’s Porto won the home leg 2-1 before holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
Manchester United and Inter Milan last came to blows ten years ago at the quarter-final stage. On that occasion, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side played the first leg at home and won 2-0, before drawing 1-1 at the San Siro. On that day Nicola Ventola put the Italian side ahead in the 63rd minute only for Paul Scholes to equalise with two minutes to go.

MOURINHO v FERGUSON

Posted: February 24th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Watford 4/1 to complete a Championship hat-trick in tonight’s family showdown

Watford/Tottenham, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 1, Best Odds, Free Bets

Brother-in-law meets brother-in-law tonight at Vicarage Road as former West Ham management duo Harry Redknapp and Frank Lampard Snr find themselves on opposite sides of the dugout. Last season’s Carling Cup winners Tottenham are the favourites but Watford have already taken one Premier League side out of the competition this season:

PREMIER LEAGUE 0 CHAMPIONSHIP 2
The first two Carling Cup quarter-finals saw Championship sides Burnley and Derby overcome Arsenal and Stoke. With Blackburn and Manchester United facing off in the other last eight clash there is definitely going to be one Premier League representative in the final four but will Watford win to replicate last season’s FA Cup, where three of the four semi-finalists were from the second tier?

QUARTER-FINAL RECORDS
Since 2002, Watford have won all three quarter-finals that they have participated in. Even more significantly, those campaigns - FA Cup 2002-03, Carling Cup 2004-05, FA Cup 2006-07 - have been on a two-year rotation system, meaning that they are due to reach the Carling Cup semi-finals in 2008-09. In comparison, Tottenham have lost six of their eight over that time, including two in the Carling Cup. In 2004-05 Harry Redknapp took Portsmouth to the quarter-finals where they were beaten 3-0 away to Watford, although he had resigned six days prior to the fixture.

Posted: December 3rd, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment