Next round is on the weekend, which is normal on this time of the year when the games come a bit more often then in the beginning of the league. I will give you my best bettingtips on every game that is played in this round, which is spread over several days. First of all I am going to give you all the matches and all the odds so that you can have an overview, and then I will give you my best bettingtips per each match. I will choose to split the text into two texts. All the odds are picked from bwin football betting:

Aston Villa vs. Sunderland, odds: home win: 2.05   draw: 3.35  away win: 3.40

FC Arsenal vs. Manchester City, odds: home win 1.70 draw 3.75  away win: 4.40

Newcastle United vs. West Ham United, odds: home win: 1.80 draw: 3.60  away win: 4.00

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. FC Chelsea, odds: home win: 6.50 draw: 3.80   away win: 1.50

And here is my best bettingtips for these four matches:

Aston Villa vs. Sunderland, bettingtips:  draw @ 3.35 in odds

Aston Villa is my favourites in this game thanks to their home advantage, but they have not played as well as I thought that they would do, before this season started. They have already sacked their first manager (Martin O’neal) and brought in Gerard Houllier instead of him. But that haven’t either given that positive effect that I think the club was hoping to get.

Sunderland on the other hand has been playing better then I thought and they are hard to defeat. In this game I think that Aston Villa has become to big favourites with “only” 2.05 in odds, which is not value to bet on according to me. I have been thinking which best is the best in this game, draw or away win and came to the conclusion that draw probably is most value bet.

Arsenal vs. Manchester City, bettingtips: draw @ 3.75 in odds

What a great game between two teams that are challenging Manchester United in the top of the table. Both these teams have been going strongly in the last couple of matches and are fighting in the absolute top of the league. My feeling is that Arsenal is a really strong side home at Emirates stadium but that Manchester City can beat any team in the league when they are playing as best. Arsenal is defiantly a favourite to win this game thanks to their home advantage, but the odds (1.70) is way to low to bet on.

Arsenal outplayed Chelsea here at Emirates just after Christmas, but Chelsea’s form is very bad at the moment, so don’t be fooled by that win. And Manchester City has also been playing very well lately so Roberto Manchini is safe on his place as manager.

If Arsenal would pay about 1.90 – 2.00 in odds I would bet on Arsenal, but since we only get 1.70 in odds on the home win, I find 3.75 in odds on draw way more interesting, so that is my bettingtips on this match.

Newcastle United vs. West Ham United, bettingtips home win @ 1.80 in odds

West Ham is in the bottom of the league, while Newcastle is about in the middle. But since West ham sacked Gianfranco Zola and replaced him with Avram Grant they have started to take more points and at least have connection with the teams above the relegation mark.  Newcastle has also sacked their former manager, but it was quite a controversial decision from the owner, because they went well above expectations and that the old manager was also loved by both players and fans.

But that is history now, and now the players and supporters have to stand behind their team and the new manager. Newcastle has Andy Carroll on top and that is one of the best players in the league. I would guess that he is playing for the nation team very soon. He, together with the other players has a good chance to win home against West Ham and I try 1.80 in odds on the home win.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. FC Chelsea, bettingtips home win @ 6.50 in odds

This might be a really long shot, but I just cannot bet on Chelsea to the odds that they are standing at. Chelsea has only won one game in their last 8 – 9 games and are falling apart. Something is really wrong with the club, and since Abrahmovic sacked their assistant manager I can’t recognize Chelsea any more.

Wolves are struggling in the bottom of the table and even though the results haven’t gone their way, they still fight in every game. And that is a fact that I think can be the difference in this game. As I wrote, this bet is a big risk bet. But I still think that it is way more valuable to bet on Wolves in this game then on Chelsea.

The rest of the games of this round will be presented in next text.

Since some of the teams has lot to play for and other teams nothing you might see that some of the odds might feel a bit “strange” compared how it would be if both of the teams almost had the same motivation to fight for the win. This is an interesting fact for you people who bet on football betting to have in mind before this round.

The last group match in Champions League is always interesting from a betting perspective just because of the fact that I wrote about. So what I am going to do in these two texts is that I am going to give you bettingtips and odds from two of the groups (E + F) that is played on Wednesday. In addition, I will give you some extra, special bets, besides the 1-x-2 bettingtips. But I will start all the group analyzes with the pre conditions for each group, so that you know which teams have what to play for:

Group ET

his is interesting from the view that it is precisely three points between each team. It also means that all teams have something to play for. However, there is no question about that it is the fight for second place in the group that is most alive and interesting.

Bayern Munich leads the group with 12 points and also has a pretty strong goal difference. This means that they are already ready for the next round and are pretty sure to win the group as well. Roma is second in the group with 9 points and minus one in goal difference. Basel is third with 6 points and even goal difference and Romanian Cluj has the last position with 3 points, moreover, they have poor goal difference.

This means that Roma need to take at least one point to secure to advance from the group. Basel has a small chance to go to the knockout stage, but they must first win away against Bayern Munich away and at the same time hope that Roma do not take any point against Cluj away.

The odds, and my best bettingtips for this group (all the odds are picked from bwin football sportsbetting):

CFR Cluj vs. AS Roma, odds: home win 5.50 in odds, draw 3.40 in odds and away win 1.65 in odds

My bettingtips: Draw @ 3.40 in odds

As I wrote earlier, this is a rather tricky group. But still one must be realistic in Cluj by not having too much hope to take third place, which would mean that they go trough to play in the European League in the spring. Roma should be satisfied with one point, since that would mean that they secures second place in the group and get to the playoff in the Champions League.

Roma have played quite poorly both in the league (Serie A) and in the Champions League, at least according to their ambitions before this season. They should be pleased that they have got into such an easy group as Roma still have been compared with several other teams in the Champions League. I think the odds on Roma are a little too low in this game since they only give 1.65 in the odds. It is a too low for me to give you that tips as the best bettingtips in this game. Instead, I think that 3.40 in the odds that the match ends in a draw feel much better. A draw is always tricky to bet on, but in this team, I think it feels right. So I choose draw as my bettingtips in this game at 3.40 in odds.

FC Bayern Munich vs. FC Basel, odds: home win 1.60 in odds, draw 4.00 in odds and away win 4.80 in odds

My bettingtips: FC Bayern Munich (Home team) to win @ 1.60 in odds

If this would not be that Bayern Munich had nothing to play for and Basel had much to play, the odds would “normally” be standing at approximately 1.35 on the win for Bayern Munich. Now they pay 1.60 instead and that is to high difference in odds then I had expected. Because according to me Bayern Munich is still the stronger team even if they rest some regular players in today’s match. I think 1.60 in the odds is worth playing at and it is therefore my betting tips in this match.

Basel, on the other hand, might had paid around 8 – 10 in the odds if this were a normal game. In this match to give the less then 5.00 in the odds and, as you probably understand, it also feels too low for me to think it is worth betting on even if they have much more to play for.

My odds and bettingtips for Group F will follow in the next text a bit down

The injury to Wayne Rooney will be a worry for them although the Reds have done well in games without him. It is difficult to see how it will all end up and one little slip could be costly. Chelsea have the 2pt advantage and are four goals better off in the goal difference department and miles better than Arsenal.

The fact that Arsenal are in this title race is massive kudos for Arsene Wenger. Who is to say that they will not win it and the football betting odds will fluctuate during the coming games. All three clubs have difficult games and when you add the pressure of the situation then points will be dropped. Chelsea are clearly in a better situation than Manchester United.

If Chelsea slip and draw a game that United win then they are level but if it happens the other way around and Chelsea’s lead extends to four points with four or fewer games to go then it will be curtains for United. Many people have been saying about how United’s experience will be important. You have to remember that the spine of this Chelsea team won the League in 2005 and 2006 so they are accustomed to pressure.

But Ancelotti is a proven winner and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do the league and cup double in his first season. I also think that his job is also on the line as a failure to win either the Champions League or the league will prove too much for owner Roman Abramovich. Winning the league after three years of being in United’s shadow will make Roman happy but I said last year that I would not be surprised to see Guus Hiddink back at that club at some stage.

Getting knocked out of the Champions League is a huge event in the season of all of the challengers although Arsenal are not in the category of clubs who were expected to win it unlike the other two. A lot will depend on how Manchester United react to losing against Bayern Munich.

When the draw came out for the last eight, I fully expected Manchester United to reach the final by beating Bayern and then the winner of the all French quarter-final. So it came as a shock to me and I still think that United are a better side than Bayern Munich. One thing is certain though, either Chelsea or United will now fall short in the season based on what was expected. If Chelsea win the league then Manchester United will only have the Carling Cup and if United win the league then Chelsea can only end up with the FA Cup at best…….if Arsenal win it then it will not make for a happy summer for them both.

Come and experience Premier League football betting for some of the best odds around.

The number of events that you can wager on with the betting exchanges is also staggering and because of the online nature of betting exchanges, the action is constant and is 24/7. Just because the last race has finished at Beverley and the evening football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal has come to an end, that may not be the end of your punting day.

There may be race meetings in the United States or Australia that catch your eye or maybe there is a big fight in Las Vegas or a big Golf tournament drawing to a conclusion in the Far East. This kind of betting activity would be beyond the capability of a normal high street bookmaker. But perhaps the greatest advantage lies in the area of obtaining better prices on the whole.

This makes earning a living or winning money on a consistent basis from exchange betting a real possibility. For those who are good enough to obtain a consistent profit from the betting exchanges comes anther more subtle advantage.

Any punter who demonstrates skill and consistent success with a high street bookmaker is in considerable danger of having their action stopped…not so with the betting exchanges. You can bet and win as often as you like and the exchanges don’t care because they earn money from your action anyway through their commissions which typically start at 5% and go down on a sliding scale depending on your action.

Of course there is nothing like hands on experience to learn how best to do something but reading theory and primers like this one is still a great way forward if you are relatively inexperienced with betting exchanges. But as you begin to place bets then you will become aware of the fact that money is pooled together at certain prices.

For example, let us say that Roger Federer is trading at 1.25 to win his match against Lleyton Hewitt in the third round match at the French Open and that there is a total of £3700 to be potentially matched at that price. This £3700 is highly likely to not have come from one individual but a cluster of people who have been willing to take the opposite view and be willing to LAY Roger Federer at that price.

So this means that the figure of £3700 is in reality made up of numerous smaller amounts that have been pooled together. You could of course take that entire £3700 at 1.25 if you thought that Federer simply could not lose this match and you had enough funds in your account to make the bet. Or you could take a much smaller amount and just take say £50 of it for example.

But let us also say for example that there was only £80 on Roger Federer at 1.25 and you wanted to back him at that price for £200. If you clicked on the BACK button and entered in the details of your bet then the remaining £120 would be held in the system until someone wanted to match it at that price. You could also if you wanted CANCEL that remaining £120 and this is another great feature of betting exchanges.

Carl “The Dean” Sampson
Come and bet live at bwin live betting

In these two texts I will give you my best picks and odds for these. I have chosen to separate Tuesday’s matches in this first article and then continue with Wednesday’s matches in next part.

One thing that you should keep in mind before betting is to watch the standings for each group and find out witch teams still have something to play for and witch teams already have secured their places. It can be a big deferens in their motivation and staring line-ups according to how important this game is. Here is a short explanation what deferens the different positions means:

Each group winner goes to the knock out round, of course, but with the added benefit that they will play the second game at home. All runner-ups in the group go to the knockout stage as well and will be drawn against the group winners. All third finishers in the groups will continue playing in the slightly less prestigious European League. And all the team that ends last in the groups have to end their European season for this year.

The pre conditions in group A – D is that Bordeaux already have won group A while Juventus and B München is fighting for the second place. Maccabi Haifa is still standing without one single point and will definitely finish last. 

In group B Manchester United, Wolfsburg and CSKA Moskva is fighting for a place in the knock out stage while Besiktas has a small chance to finish third if they beat CSKA in the last game with 1 – 0 or two goals up. 

Group C is a battle between AC Milan and Marseille for the second place. Real Madrid has already won the group and FC Zürich will finish last.

And in group D Chelsea and Porto have secured the first and second place. Atletico Madrid and Apoel are struggling to finish third.

Here are all the matches and odds that will be played on Tuesday:

 All the odds is from bwin-champions-league

Juventus 2.30 draw 3.45 FC Bayern München 2.80 

Maccabi Haifa 2.40 draw 3.30 Girondins de Bordeaudraw 2.75

Besiktas 2.75 draw 3.40 CSKA Moskva 2.35

VfL Wolfsburg 2.45 draw 3.35 Manchester United 2.65  

FC Zürich 6.75 draw 4.50 AC Milan 1.40 

Olympique de Marseille 2.95 draw 3.45 Real Madrid 2.20 

Atlético Madrid 1.75  draw 3.40 FC Porto 4.60

FC Chelsea 1.35 draw 4.40 APOEL 7.50 

And here comes my best bet for this day 

FC Zürich 6.75 draw 4.50 AC Milan 1.40 – home win @ 1.40 

Ac Milan has everything in their own hand in this last round. They are one point ahead of third placed Marseille from France and that means that if Ac Milan wins this game they are trough from this group. 

At the same time FC Zürich are five points behind Marseille, so they don’t have anything but their honour to play for.

The Italian teams, and especially Milan, have this strange ability to somehow always go trough from these tough situations that they put them selves in. And I am pretty sure that they will to the same this time as well. 

It’s remarkable that Milan only loss in this group came against Zürich at home in the second round. But that was probably a combination of underestimation and that they had some kind of over reliance of themselves. Now when the match means so much all their experience players will take a step forward and win this game for them. So even though the odds seams a bit low to be an away game in Champions League, I am pretty sure that AC Milan will go win and go trough. And if they win this game it doesn’t matter how the second match in this group between Marseille vs Real Madrid ends. 

Some other interesting odds that might be valuable:

Juventus 2.30 draw 3.45 FC Bayern München 2.80 – Draw @3.45 

This is a very interesting game in group A. Bayern München seamed to be knocked out before last round, but since Bordeaux won in their home game against Juventus the German side still have the chance to go trough. 

Juventus is one point ahead of B München before this sixth round and that means that Bayern München has to win this game to go trough, if they don’t Juventus will follow Bordeaux to the last 16. And just as I mentioned above – the Italian sides are experts on playing on result and just go trough. Even Inter Milan is in the same position as Juventus and Milan in this sixth round and I would not be surprised if all of them goes trough. 

The forth Italian team in this tournament, Fiorentina, is already in the knock out stage and it means that Italy can be the only country with four teams in the knock out stage since Liverpool and Atletico Madrid for sure will miss to qualify. 

 I think that the draw in this game in interesting, and as always the draw pays pretty well.

In the next text, below here, I continue with my best picks and analysis from group F – H.

Bet on Chelsea at 1.70

Football betting odds can often tell you a lot. Chelsea are currently offered at odds of 1.70 which is less than 50% of the current odds for Manchester United at 3.50. For Chelsea to be viewed as twice as likely to win the title as Man Utd at this point of the season tells me that a tip on Chelsea is valid. Due to their imminent transfer ban after the next transfer window I think that they will spend big in January to secure their immediate future and this will only help strengthen their squad.

Bet on Man Utd at 3.50

This is probably the value bet of the current market although they have it all to do to haul back the mighty Chelsea. Wayne Rooney has stepped into the role of principal goalscorer excellently. Whilst the team miss the sheer brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo, many players who had to assume defensive duties to accommodate Ronaldo are now able to flourish as attacking players once again. I believe that this season may be the one season where Chelsea holds a definite edge as the Man Utd team adjusts. Historically, Man Utd always does well after Christmas so Chelsea will need to win most of their games to win the title. 3.50 may look very high odds for Man Utd to win the league come the end of the season. Today’s news reports that Vidic may want to leave for a warmer climate but he will not be sold before the end of the season so football betting fans should not worry about them selling him during the January transfer window. Manager Alex Ferguson never allows this sort of disruption mid season. The edge Chelsea may have is that they will probably strengthen in January whilst Man Utd probably will not.

Bet on Arsenal at 5.25

Arsene Wenger is currently three points behind Manchester Utd but with a game in hand. They are certainly contenders but have no recognised left back after Keiron Gibbs suffered a broken foot this week. It is devastating for Gibbs who is being watched by Capello for possible late inclusion into the England World Cup squad. First choice left back Gael Clichy is still three weeks away from returning to action. You question whether Arsenal can win the required amount of points to win the Premier League and they lost to Sunderland despite being favourites for that match. They do seem to have a habit of losing winnable matches they should win, a habit not shared by the other top teams.

Bet on Liverpool at 25.00

The newspapers are hammering Liverpool with article after article about manager Rafa Benitez who is again facing the sack after Liverpool exited the Champion’s League in the group stages. This will put great financial strain on the club who are already struggling under large debts and needed the TV revenue from a good Champions League run to help service the debts the club has. Things seem to be going from bad to worse for the Merseysiders and I would not bet on them at the moment even at 34.00. I know from personal experience supporting Newcastle Utd that when off field activities go wrong this is often reflected on the pitch.

Slowly but surely it looks like the 2009/2010 football season will be a two horse race between Chelsea and Manchester Utd. Manchester may rue the decision not to splash some of the cash on a replacement for Ronaldo but are performing well so far. You worry about them if they get an injury crisis and have some important decisions to make regarding long term squad players as Scholes, Van Der Sar, Neville and Giggs are almost at the end of their careers.

My tip for the Premier League at the moment is Chelsea at 1.70.

By Malcolm Clarke