Barcelona has chance to bury Real Madrid

Soccer Betting Lines

12/12/2008 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona's 20-match unbeaten streak ended on Wednesday - the club's "B Team" was responsible for the 3-2 Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk - but the Camp Nou club will be back at full strength Saturday with a shot to bury rival Real Madrid.

Barca has been the most dominant team in the world for months, crushing almost every opponent to cruise to a first-place finish in its group in the Champions League and open a six-point lead in La Liga.

Barcelona already had first place in the group secured and used reserves in the loss to Shakhtar Donetsk. But its last league win, 4-0 over Valencia, was just the latest in a string of dominating results.

Real Madrid has struggled, slipping nine points back - it could fall 12 behind with a loss this weekend - and fired Bernd Schuster earlier this week after he said the club couldn't win at Barcelona this week.

Juande Ramos replaced Schuster and led Real to an easy victory in the Champions League on Wednesday over Zenit St. Petersburg, 3-0.

Last season, Real Madrid hammered Barca 4-1 late in the season to essentially seal its second straight league title. With Barcelona in top form right now, it could be payback time.

"We have the chance, we are on good form. We want the fans to see a good game and to show them that 4-1 loss is now behind us," Barca's Rafa Marquez said. "But we have to stay humble and perhaps that's how we can get a positive result out of this.

"There is no need to watch that game again, but it's something we have on our minds."

Payback isn't the only thing on Marquez's mind, though. The most important part is to just get the win, and put Real so far behind it will struggle to catch up to the leaders.

"The team is very aware of how important it is to win at all costs, whether it's 1-0 or by a bigger score, we're just worried about getting the three points," Marquez said. "We are focused on our job.

"A win would give us an important lead over Madrid and a good cushion to work with."

Real Madrid lost its last league match under Schuster, falling 4-3 to Sevilla. With four losses through 14 weeks, the defending champions are just three away from their total losses from last season.

Madrid's Arjen Robben admitted the team is still getting used to Ramos, but the first glance was promising.

"We still don't know the coach too well. We first have to play in Barcelona; we'll start knowing each other better after the weekend," said Robben, who will miss this weekend's clash.

Ramos knows Real wants to return to top form as soon as possible, but it could take a little while for everything to come together.

"I noticed my men were anxious to completely change the situation they are in. They worked hard and showed me they want to change as fast possible. They will do whatever it takes," Ramos said.

Even Marquez knows the importance of this weekend's match, and realizes a loss could be the spark to turn Real's season around.

"Playing the clasico is more motivating than anything," Marquez said, "and the change of manager will be a breath of fresh air."

"We will fight hard to take the three points at stake," Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain said.

"We know we are in better form, but these games are unpredictable; you never know what's going to happen," Barcelona's Xavi said.

Also Saturday, third-place Valencia will try to rebound from its loss to Barca when it hosts Espanyol.

On Sunday, Sevilla hosts Villarreal in a clash of top-four clubs, Atletico Madrid hosts Real Betis, Valladolid hosts Deportivo, Recreativo hosts Osasuna, Getafe hosts Mallorca, Athletic Bilbao hosts Sporting Gijon, Almeria hosts Racing and Malaga hosts Numancia.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.