Feeling patriotic? Back both English sides at almost 5/2!

Porto/Man Utd, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 2, Free Bets, Best Odds
Arsenal/Villarreal, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 3, Free Bets, Best Odds

There isn’t too much value to be found if you fancy backing the English teams to do well tonight but the best price we have found is on a Manchester United/Arsenal win double, where Paddy Power will pay out £33.73 on a £10 stake. Here’s why that could be a worthwhile bet:

English domination
It’s been almost two years since an English side were knocked out of the Champions League by foreign opposition.

Arsenal’s home comforts
The Gunners haven’t lost a European home match against foreign opposition since September 2003, when they lost their opening group game 3-1 against Inter Milan. Arsenal have conceded just one goal in ten home matches and have won their last four.

Villarreal are struggling
As well as being without a win in three games, the Yellow Submarine have won just one of their last ten away games, losing six times over that period. That run started with a 2-0 loss to Celtic, who finished bottom of their Champions League group.

Man Utd did similar last year

Posted: April 15th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Man United host a Porto side who hate travelling to the UK

Manchester United/Porto, 7.45pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Manchester United have been granted the best draw they could have asked for in their quest to retain the Champions League but recent defensive frailties threaten to end their run of seven straight clean sheets in two-legged European ties. However, Porto’s dreadful record in the UK means that an upset (9/1 with Ladbrokes) remains incredibly unlikely:

HOME ADVANTAGE
Manchester United’s domestic invincibility may have worn off but there are some pretty significant stats which make them the team to fear in Europe. The holders haven’t lost a Champions League home game since February 2005 and are unbeaten in 21 games in total in the competition. However, while they won all six of their European games at Old Trafford last season, they haven’t been quite as convincing this season. They beat Celtic (3-0) and Inter (2-0) but they failed to find a way past potential quarter-final opponents Villarreal (0-0) or the fifth-best team in Denmark, Aalborg (2-2).

Posted: April 7th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Jose Mourinho falls short and Fulham lose at home again

Five stats about Wednesday night’s football

1. Roberto Mancini had no problem winning Serie A so the main reason Jose Mourinho was brought in to replace him as Inter boss was to achieve European success. However, Mourinho went out last night at the same stage the Italian champions fell in each of Mancini’s last two seasons.

2. And there has been no domestic improvement either. Inter are a point worse off than they were at this stage last season, despite last year’s runners-up Roma struggling down in sixth.

3. Fulham have gone from losing just one home game in ten-and-a-half months to being beaten three times in the space of eight days at Craven Cottage.

Posted: March 13th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why Manchester United can’t lose focus in the closing stages

Man Utd/Inter, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 2, Free Bets, Best Odds

Rather than concentrating on their gameplan to eliminate Manchester United, Inter Milan have been busy calculating what percentage chance they stand. Jose Mourinho says 50% while Mario Balotelli goes with 45% but both are wrong as the actual figure is 33%. Here we present the case for both teams, leaving you to assess whether the 8/15 on the holders breaking the curse is better value than the 7/4 Ladbrokes are offering on Inter progressing, while providing you with useful tips on other markets:

In the red corner…

» Manchester United have won eight and lost just one of their last ten home games against Italian opposition, triumphing in their last four.

» The Red Devils are unbeaten at home in over a year in all competitions and have gone more than four years without a Champions League loss at Old Trafford, a run stretching nineteen games.

Posted: March 11th, 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

Everton FA Cup wins against Prem teams are like buses…

Five stats about this weekend’s football

1. Everton had gone ten years without knocking out a Premier League team in the FA Cup before eliminating Liverpool and Aston Villa, two of the top three, this year. The winner of Middlesbrough and West Ham’s fifth round replay won’t be looking forward to their quarter-final visit to Goodison Park.

2. The victory also marked the end of Aston Villa’s impressive sixteen match domestic unbeaten run and was Everton’s first win in six against Martin O’Neill’s side.

Posted: February 16th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment