Chelsea’s decision to appoint Carlo Ancelotti gains support

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Here at chickendinner we aren’t convinced that Carlo Ancelotti is the right man to guide Chelsea back into title contention but it appears that punters disagree with us.

Before news of the Italian’s appointment broke, the Blues were 4.2 to win the title but by the close of play they had been backed in to 3.85, although they have dropped back a bit this morning.

Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, AZ, Marseille, Bayern Munich, Schalke and Wolfsburg have already made managerial changes for the coming season but the famed merry-go-round is going to gather even more momentum over the coming week. Juventus, Celtic, Portsmouth and Sunderland are already looking for a new boss and Roma, Lazio and Wigan look set to join them.

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Posted: June 2nd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why Manchester City are great value at 4/5 to beat PSG

Manchester City/PSG, 7.45pm, ITV4, Best Odds, Free Bets

With Manchester City already through to the next round, Mark Hughes has the chance to hand opportunities to his fringe players like £8 million Elano and £19 million Jo. Bet365 and Paddy Power are generously offering 4/5 on these humble reserves beating Paris Saint-Germain. Here are five reasons why you should take them up on that kind offer:

1. Manchester City have won their last five European games and seven of their overall eight this season.

2. PSG on the other hand haven’t won any of their last three and have won just three of their last eight away games.

3. The Citizens have lost just one of their last seven games that has followed a defeat, winning on four occasions.

4. Mark Hughes’ side haven’t lost consecutive home games this season and have only done so once in the last eighteen months.

5. By way of comparison, Manchester City won their group game away to Schalke 2-0, whereas PSG were beaten 3-1 there.

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

Paolo Maldini misses out on career-defining match

The chickendinner preview of tonight’s UEFA Cup matches

When AC Milan were drawn away to Portsmouth in the UEFA Cup, Peter Crouch remarked that “the changing rooms are a little bit smaller than most, but Paolo Maldini can say that he’s done it all now.” Maldini has not travelled to the South Coast however, meaning one of the greatest defenders ever may retire with the bitter regret that despite everything he achieved in his one-club career, he missed out on every player’s dream of playing at Fratton Park. Here’s our preview of each of the Premier League sides’ UEFA Cup prospects tonight:

NEC v Tottenham
The Dutch club’s boss Mario Been created a bit of a stir when he called Tottenham “predictable”, a tag that doesn’t really describe the season they’ve had up until this point.  NEC have lost just one home game this year and that was back in February. Tottenham had lost just one of eleven UEFA Cup away games since the start of 2006-07 before their recent loss in Udinese but Harry Redknapp has lost his last three European games on the road with West Ham and Portsmouth, meaning that Paddy Power’s 11/4 on NEC shouldn’t be dismissed.

Portsmouth v AC Milan

Posted: November 27th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment