UEFA Champions League Results from Wednesday night

Lyon, Porto, Zenit St Petersburg and Juventus were winners on matchday four, with half of the games finishing all square.



The results mean the Manchester United and Villarreal (both 8 pts) sit atop Group E, and are all but mathematically through, while Lyon and Bayern Munich (8 pts) have a similar position in Group F.

Group G sees Arsenal (8 pts) on top but still needing one more good result, while Porto (6) have leapfrogged Dynamo Kiev (5).

Finally in Group H Juventus (10 pts) have qualified, and Real Madrid (6) and Zenit St Petersburg (4) are likely to battle for the second spot on matchday 6.

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Bookmaker Wary Of Champions League Backlash

Hull City saved bookmakers from a monster payout over the weekend, but bet365 are preparing themselves for a Champions League midweek backlash.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth "Hull got us out of jail over the weekend, particularly with Real Madrid and Barcelona both winning in injury time, but we're nervously looking at the matchday 2 fixtures in the Champions League."

"Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all odds on for victory, and Celtic's wretched away form will see in-form Villarreal thrown into every accumulator going.

We're expecting all five teams to be very popular."

Bet365 Midweek Champions League Prices :
17/2 AaB --------- Draw 7/2 --- Man Utd 4/11
1/2 Arsenal ------ Draw 14/5 -- FC Porto 13/2
4/9 Villarreal --- Draw 3/1 --- Celtic 7/1
15/2 CFR Cluj --- Draw 3/1 --- Chelsea 4/9
4/11 Liverpool --- Draw 7/2 --- PSV 17/2

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Europes best clubs ready for UEFA Champions League Draw

Sixteen teams gained automatic entry to the competition proper and the same number came through the third qualifying round on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Making their debut in the group stage are UEFA Cup holders FC Zenit St. Petersburg, CFR 1907 Cluj of Romania, the first Belarussian qualifiers, FC BATE Borisov, and the inaugural Cypriot entrants Anorthosis Famagusta FC.

In all, 17 nations are represented in the draw, the ceremony for which will include the UEFA Club Football Awards.

English sides dominate the seedings for the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage draw which will take place from 18.00CET on Thursday at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum.

POT ONE
Manchester United FC (ENG, holders) 107.996
Chelsea FC (ENG) 124.996
Liverpool FC (ENG) 118.996
FC Barcelona (ESP) 117.837
Arsenal FC (ENG) 110.996
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 99.380
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) 96.934
Real Madrid CF (ESP) 93.837

POT TWO 92-66 points
FC Bayern Munchen (GER), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Villarreal CF (ESP), AS Roma (ITA), FC Porto (POR), Werder Bremen (GER), Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR), Juventus (ITA)

POT THREE 63-51 points
Olympique de Marseille (FRA), FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS), FC Steaua Bucuresti (ROU), Panathinaikos FC (GRE), FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA), Celtic FC (SCO), FC Basel 1893 (SUI), Fenerbahce SK (TUR)

POT FOUR 49-1 point
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), ACF Fiorentina (ITA), Club Atletico de Madrid (ESP), FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR), CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU), Aalborg BK (DEN), Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP), FC BATE Borisov (BLR)

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Champions League : Twente 0-2 Arsenal

Twente 0-2 Arsenal
(Gallas 33, Adebayor 82)

Arsenal are on course for their 11th consecutive appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage after second-half goals from William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor secured victory at FC Twente.

It was competition debutants Twente who were first to threaten when Romano Denneboom headed wide at the far post.

Arsenal had not settled, two corners inside the opening quarter the sum total of their attacking efforts, and they almost fell behind when Denneboom swept past Denilson into the penalty area only to slice high and wide.

Arsenal responded, albeit ambitiously, as 17-year-old summer signing Aaron Ramsey's long-distance effort sailed over.

Denneboom was proving a handful and it was his pass which sprung the visitors' offside trap nine minutes before half-time, but one-on-one with Almunia, Marko Arnautovic's first touch let him down.

Arsenal still had not slipped into gear, their best chance of the half being a Bacary Sagna shot wide after Twente goalkeeper Sander Boschker had spilled Clichy's effort.

Twente continued to look the more assured after the restart, yet out of nothing, Arsenal took the lead. Van Persie's free-kick from the right was allowed to run on by the deep lying Twente defence leaving Gallas to bundle in from close range.

Gallas 0-1 : FC Twente vs Arsenal
by Matthierry

Buoyed by their lead, Arsenal assumed control and added a second when Theo Walcott latched on to a long ball over the top to sqaure for Adebayor to slot under Boschker.

Link to Adebayor Goal (bottom of page).

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Domestic form ahead of Champions League games

Seasoned European campaigners Dynamo Kyiv and Basel both suffered their first domestic defeats of the season at the weekend ahead of their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round deciders this week.

Dynamo Kyiv v Drogheda United
-------------------------
Two-time UEFA Cup Winners' Cup champions Dynamo had started with successive victories to assume early leadership of the Ukrainian Premier League but came unstuck. Dynamo lost 2-1 at home to FC Metalist Kharkiv to surrender top spot to FC Metalurh Donetsk.

Drogheda United who are trailing Dynamo 2-1 from the first leg in Dublin, enjoyed a 2-0 home win over Bray Wanderers on Friday to consolidate fifth place,

Basel v IFK Goteborg
-------------------------
Basel failed to find the net in a 2-0 defeat at FC Sion while IFK Goteborg won for the fourth straight Allsvenskan match when they defeated Malmo 2-0.

Goteborg are level 1-1 with Basel after drawing the first leg.

Dinamo Zagreb v NK Domzale
-------------------------
NK Dinamo Zagreb warmed up for their home leg against NK Domzale with a 3-1 over NK Inter Zapresic while the Slovenian outfit, already 3-0 down in the tie, played out a goalless draw with league leaders NK Celje.

Artmedia Petrzalka v Tampere
-------------------------
Artmedia Petrzalka won 3-1 in Finland in midweek and continued their good form when they won 2-1 at FC Nitra.

Tampere United received a shot in the arm ahead of the second leg in Slovakia by comprehensively beating Rovaniemi PS 5-0 at home.

FK Ventspils v SK Brann
-------------------------
Norwegian champions SK Brann recovered from consecutive league defeats with a 4-1 victory against Tippeligaen strugglers Ham-Kam Fotball as they prepare to face Latvia's FK Ventspils leading 1-0 after the first leg.

SK Rapid Wien v Anorthosis Famagusta
-------------------------
SK Rapid Wien had a shock 3-0 away loss to Anorthosis Famagusta last week and desperately needed some good news. They received a morale boost thanks to a 3-1 win over SV Kapfenberg.

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Champions League 3rd Round Draw

Arsenal were handed an tie against former England boss Steve McClaren's new side FC Twente in the Champions League third qualifying round.

McClaren was appointed by the Dutch side in June this year, taking his first job since he was sacked by England in November 2007.

Liverpool have been drawn against Belgium's Standard Liege. Liverpool, who were beaten by Chelsea in the semi-finals last year, will fancy their chances of getting past Standard Liege.

The Reds will play their first leg away from home - as will Arsenal and Rangers, too, provided the Glasgow side make it through.

Elsewhere in the draw, highly-fancied Barcelona will play either Beitar Jerusalem or Wisla Krakow and Italian giants Juventus face Tampere United or Artmedia Bratislava.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - Full draw:
-------------------------------------
Aalborg/Modrica v RANGERS/Kaunas
Standard Liege v LIVERPOOL
FC Twente v ARSENAL
JUVENTUS v Tampere/Artmedia
BARCELONA v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow
Schalke 04 v Atletico Madrid
Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dinamo Kiev
Fiorentina v Slavia Prague
Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest
Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna v Olympiakos
Vitoria Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg/Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb
Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE
Inter Baku/Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest
SK Brann/Ventspils v Marseille
Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff Tiraspol/Sparta Prague

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bet365 offer bet on "Bridesmaid Ballack"

Bridesmaid Ballack 5/2 To Choke Next Season

bet365 are offering 5/2 that Michael Ballack finishes on the losing side for Chelsea in a cup final next season.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth "Ballack's trophy cabinet should have more winners medals than it does and his nearly man tag will have been added to after tasting yet more defeat on Sunday night."

Will Ballack Be A Losing Finalist Next Season?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes 5/2
No 2/7

(Ballack must actually feature for Chelsea in a final to count.
Champions League , Carling Cup &/or FA Cup)

Take a look at the odds at bet365 now

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Porto kicked out of 2008/09 Champions League

Porto have been excluded from next season's Champions League by Uefa, European soccer's governing body, over the alleged bribery of referees in the 2003-04 season.

Porto said it will appeal against the ruling but club officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The decision comes after a lengthy investigation known as "Apito Dourado," or Golden Whistle, into alleged bribery by Porto of referees in three matches in the 2003-04 season.

The affair, which came to light in April 2004, also resulted in five referees being suspended for periods between two-and-a-half and six years for either accepting the offer of prostitutes after matches or one who received €2,500 prior to a match.

Last month the Professional Portuguese Football League Disciplinary Commission docked Porto six points and fined the club €150,000.

Porto, who won last season's Portuguese title for the third time in a row, 14 points ahead of Sporting Lisbon, opted not to appeal as the six-points punishment did not affect final standings.

Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, the club president, has been suspended for two years and fined €10,000, but is appealing.

Jose Mourinho, who joined Inter Milan on Tuesday, was the Porto coach in the 2003-04 season when his side won the Champions League and Portuguese title but has not been implicated during the investigation.

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Moscow pitch less than perfect.

The state of the surface at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium pitch is causing concern ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United.

The old synthetic pitch was ripped up after England's Euro 2008 qualifer against Russia in October and a new grass one laid in readiness for the final.

But experts decided it was too bumpy, prompting stadium authorities to lay another at a cost of £160,000 and using turf from Slovakia. So laying of a new grass surface at the Moscow venue was completed just 15 days ago.

Englishman Matt Frost who is in charge was asked whether he felt the pitch could have an adverse affect on the final said he was uncertain.

"You never know how it could affect the game - until you actually play on it you don't know. There is always that apprehension."

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Russia gives Champioins League fans a VISA waiver

Russia has waived normal visa requirements for a 72-hour period for football fans with a ticket for the Champions League final in Moscow.

Michel Platini, president of European football's governing body Uefa, has thanked the Russian government for an "unprecedented gesture".

Supporters will need to present a valid match ticket, a valid passport, and a completed immigration form upon arrival in Russia and the visa exemption will apply between 19 and 23 May.

Anyone overstaying the 72-hour entry period will then have to pay the fee for a regular visa when leaving the country.

The move will alleviate a huge burden on the Russian National Tourist Office in London, which has been handling visas on behalf of the Russian Embassy in Britain for the Champions League final.

More than 42,000 Chelsea and Manchester United fans are set to attend the match at the the Luzhniki Stadium on 21 May.

Fans without a ticket, hoping to travel independently, should be able to have their visas processed in plenty of time - though the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised supporters not to travel "if they do not have a ticket or accommodation beforehand".

Both clubs have been given 21,000 tickets each for the final at the Luzhniki Stadium, where the capacity is being set specifically at 69,500.

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UEFA CL : Chelsea beat Liverpool to advance on Moscow

Didier Drogba bagged a brace as Chelsea swept into their first Champions League final at the expense of Liverpool on a night of high drama at Stamford Bridge.

The Ivorian opened the scoring with a 12-yard strike, but Fernando Torres's drive made the score 1-1 and sent the tie into extra-time.

Frank Lampard restored Chelsea's lead from the spot after Michael Ballack had been felled by Sammy Hyypia, before Drogba prodded a third after good work by Nicolas Anelka.

Late on a 35-yard strike from Ryan Babel somehow squirmed past Petr Cech which prompted a tense final 4 minutes, but Chelsea held on to seal a match up with Manchester United in Moscow on May 21st.

BONUS LINK -> See all five goals at this Video site

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Manchester United odds on to qualify after scoreless draw

Manchester United are favourites to qualify for the Champions League final with the bookmakers after holding Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty after only three minutes and then sat back and defended the 0-0 scoreline for 88 minutes - perhaps due to the absence of Nemanja Vidic.

Barcelona dominated possession but caused Edwin van der Sar few real problems in the United goal, will now have to avoid defeat in the return leg in order to progress to the final in Moscow.

Manchester United are a best priced 1.60 to qualify while Barcelona are 2.40 to get to Moscow. Both prices are from Aussie internet bookmaker Centrebet.

-----

Personally I think that United have to be very wary of conceding at Old Trafford, but still should be slight favourites at around 55% likely to win and qualify meaning a price of 1.81 for fair value.

RELATED LINK :
BookieLabrat's LIVE Champions League Betting Odds page.

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Chelsea Favoured After 1-1 Draw at Anfield

Chelsea are now heavy favourites after a last second own goal from John Arne Riise gave Chelsea a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final at Anfield.

Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool ahead by firing under Petr Cech just before half-time but in the fifth and final minute of added time at the end of the match Riise headed into his own net.

That had a drastic effect on the betting, with Chelsea now strongly favoured to reach a first Champions League final - the Blues on offer at 1.48, while Liverpool are out to 2.90.

(both prices available at internet bookmaker Pinnacle Sports)

Both sides had been at 1.95 before the first leg.

RELATED LINK :
Live Champions League Odds at BookieLabrat.com

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Will it take penalties to seperate Liverpool & Chelsea?

Top UK bookmaker Bet365 are offering odds on whether either team will need a penalty shootout to progress to the Champions League final.

Liverpool are 20/1 with bet365 to repeat last season's heroics and defeat Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final on penalties.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Liverpool have failed again in the Premiership, but Rafa Benitez takes some shifting in the Champions League. We're shorter on a Liverpool victory if it does go to spot-kicks as Pepe Reina is one of the best in the business at keeping them out from 12 yards."

Chelsea are at 29.00 (28/1) to go through on penalties themselves.

Meanwhile punters have latched onto a Liverpool win in the first leg on Tuesday after it was confirmed Reds skipper Steven Gerrard was fit to play.

The Gerrard news has acted like a catalyst for punters who are piling on Liverpool.

RELATED LINKS :
GoonersGuide.com preview on Liverpool v Chelsea first leg.
BookieLabRat.com Live Odds page for the UEFA Champions League.

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Champions League Betting Spreadsheet for Semi-finals

The Betting Spreadsheet is out for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and there are two clear recomendations.

The Tuesday night match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield is tagged as a very likely draw - with the best price of 3.10 (21/10) at Betsson rated at 136% value.

On Wednesday the spreadsheet favours the 2.53 odds (at PinnacleSports) on Barcelona scoring a home victory over Manchester United in the first leg - rating the price at a tasty 170% value.

Good luck with your punts.

RELATED LINKS :
Gooners Numb3rs - UEFA Champions League Spreadsheet
BookieLabrat Odds - Live Betting Odds for UEFA Champions League

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UEFA CL - Liverpool too good but it was close !!

Liverpool scored four goals - two in the last five minutes - to beat Arsenal and move through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Liverpool are now a top price of 10/3 (4.33) with both VC Bet and bet365 for the Champions League after beating Arsenal 4-2 on Tuesday night.

On a rollercoaster night at Anfield, Abou Diaby put the Gunners ahead on 13 minutes, before Sami Hyypia equalised with a bullet header on the half hour mark.

Fernando Torres put Liverpool in front for the first time in the tie with 20 minutes to go but Emmanuel Adebayor looked to have won it in the 84th minute for the Gunners following a brilliant length of the field run from Theo Walcott.

Facing elimination on away goals, substitute Ryan Babel won a penalty a minute later which Steven Gerrard hammered into the top corner before the Dutchman sealed the win himself with a breakaway goal in injury time.

Congratulations to Liverpool ...

(he says going off to find another beer to drown his sorrows ...)

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Arsene Wenger talks about Arsenal's chances

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger talks about upcoming games against Liverpool.

BBC Interview with Arsene Wenger

Interesting stuff (probably only for Gooners), and although the BBC reporter is a bit of a negative pratt, Wenger deflects it positively talking about how Arsenal are still in with a shout at the business end of the season.

He talks about Arsenal winning a trophy this season - although he admits that's a tough ask - he's not giving up on the Premier League or the Champions League yet.

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Manchester Utd step towards semi-finals

Manchester United are into 2/1 (3.00) to win the Champions League after they took a huge step towards the semi-finals.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney gave United a 2-0 victory over Roma in the Stadio Olimpico to put them firmly in the driving seat going into the second leg of the quarter-final at Old Trafford next week.

Ronaldo made the breakthrough with a brave header in the first half for his 36th of a remarkable season. Rooney then extended their lead when he took advantage of a mix-up between goalkeeper Doni and Christian Panucci.

And it means the Red Devils, are now a best priced 3.00 (at Betfred) while their likely semi-final opponents Barcelona are next best at 4.00 with Ladbrokes and Centrebet.

Barca also claimed an away win in the first leg of their last-eight clash, beating Schalke 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen. Bojan Krkic scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute, putting Frank Rijkaard's side in a powerful position ahead of the Nou Camp return.

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Bernabeu will host 2010 Champions League Final

Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium won its bid to host the 2010 Champions League final - heading off Wembley because of tax reasons, says Uefa.

Wembley was discounted after failing to provide assurances that players competing in the final would not be taxed by the British government. Rival bids from Munich and Berlin were also overlooked.

"Yes, the reason was the taxes," said Uefa president Michel Platini. He added: "The concerns we had over players being taxed were minimised by the English FA but not confirmed by the British government."

This year's final will be held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, with Rome's Stadio Olimpico hosting the match in 2009.

----

Hamburg was chosen to host the 2010 UEFA Cup final, beating a bid by Arsenal to host it in the Emirates Stadium.

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UEFA CL : AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal (video)

Words fail me ... so ... watch the goals
:-)



(Apologies if you've found this old post ...
YouTube finally found the video and deleted it)

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UEFA Champions League Draw

Liverpool and Arsenal have paid the price for finishing second in the their Champions League groups with draws Inter Milan and AC Milan in the first knockout round.

The Gunners will meet the holders AC Milan in February, while Rafa Benitez's Liverpool side go up against the reigning Serie A champions and current league leaders Inter Milan.

Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United have a tough match against the dangerous French champions Lyon while Scottish representatives Celtic are facing up to two matches against Spanish giants Barcelona.

Chelsea were drawn against Olympiacos of Greece and the other big tie in the last 16 pits mighty Real Madrid against Francesco Totti and Roma.

Schalke 04 of Germany take on 2004 winners FC Porto and Sevilla face Turkish side Fenerbahce.

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UEFA CL : Betting Sheet review

Time to check out how the UEFA betting spreadsheet went for Matchday #5 of the UEFA Champions League.

Wednesday was pretty successful and this means that the round as a whole was pretty good.

LIKELY WINNERS
---------------------
Success with Inter Milan (1.40), Manchester United (1.58), Chelsea (1.65), Celtic (1.93) and Besiktas (2.75) ... and just one failure with Lazio.

That's 600 units staked for 931 units returned.
A profit of +331 units gives a yield of +55%

VALUE DRAWS
---------------------
Both of Wednesday's draws came in - turning around the double failure on Tuesday and leaving the "value system" well in profit.

That's 400 units staked for 685 units returned.
A profit of +285 units and a tasty +71% yield.

So I think that the sheet helped punters to spot ways to make quid this week - and you'll be able to toast the sheet during a round of free beers down at the pub on Friday night.

Cheers !!

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UEFA CL : Betting Sheet for Nov 28

Yesterday's sheet nailed to two likely winners (just) - but failed with the value draws.

Here is the betting spreadsheet for Wednesday 28th November.

LIKELY WINNERS
---------------------
Celtic to beat Shaktar Donetsk @ 1.93 at PinnacleSports
Lazio to beat Olympiakos @ 1.94 at PinnacleSports
Besiktas to beat Marseille @ 2.75 at Canbet

Chelsea to win in Rosenborg @ 1.65 at Interwetten

VALUE SYSTEM
---------------------
DRAW Valencia v Schalke @ 3.60
DRAW Benfica v AC Milan @ 3.25

Good luck

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UEFA CL : Betting Sheet for Nov 27.

Here is the betting spreadsheet for Tuesday 27th November.

LIKELY WINNERS
---------------------
Manchester United to beat Sporting Lisbon @ 1.58 at Canbet
Inter Milan to beat Fenerbahce @ 1.40 at PinnacleSports

The likely winners are simply based on the MARgin bring greater than 75 points (or 3/4 of a goal). We should ignore the RES rating for Slavia Prague as it's only based on 15 previous games.

VALUE SYSTEM
---------------------
DRAW Seville v Arsenal @ 3.45
DRAW Stuttgart v Rangers @ 3.30

The value system is based on the strength of the AWAY side and also the projected MARgin. In this case both games are very close to even strength.

Good luck with your midweek punts.

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UEFA Champions League : Match Day Five

Matchday Five of the Champions League this week - as the group stage comes down to the business end.

Arsenal and Manchester Utd are already through while Chelsea should be coasting towards the knockout stage.

But Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers face crunch games where failure could cost them millions.

TUESDAY
17:30 CSKA Moscow (2.20) Draw (3.25) PSV (3.60)
19:45 Dynamo Kiev (5.00) Draw (3.40) Roma (1.91)
19:45 Inter Milan (1.45) Draw (4.50) Fenerbahce (9.00)
19:45 Lyon (2.75) Draw (3.25) Barcelona (2.85)
19:45 Man Utd (1.61) Draw (4.00) Sporting Lisbon (7.50)
19:45 Sevilla (2.20) Draw (3.32) Arsenal (3.65)
19:45 Steaua Bucuresti (2.20) Draw (3.03) Slavia Prague (3.62)
19:45 Stuttgart (2.25) Draw (3.30) Rangers (3.45)

WEDNESDAY
19:45 Benfica (3.40) Draw (3.25) AC Milan (2.38)
19:45 Besiktas (2.83) Draw (3.25) Marseille (2.78)
19:45 Celtic (1.95) Draw (3.40) Shakhtar Donetsk (4.30)
19:45 Lazio (1.81) Draw (3.55) Olympiakos (5.10)
19:45 Liverpool (1.50) Draw (4.20) FC Porto (8.70)
19:45 Rosenborg (6.50) Draw (3.76) Chelsea (1.62)
19:45 Valencia (1.67) Draw (3.75) Schalke (5.80)
19:45 Werder Bremen (3.10) Draw (3.41) Real Madrid (2.38)

All KO times GMT

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Henry out for Barca's trip to Lyon

Thierry Henry will sit out Barcelona's Matchday 5 trip to Olympique Lyonnais after he and Oleguer Presas were left out of the travelling squad.

Henry played a major role for Barca on Saturday evening, assisting Bojan Krkic for the second goal in a 3-0 victory against RC Recreativo de Huelva.

Yet he and Oleguer, who replaced Gianluca Zambrotta in the 65th minute at Camp Nou, both missed this morning's training session and will not make the trip to France as Barcelona look to secure progress to the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard will be able to call on Ronaldinho, who was rested against Recreativo.

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UEFA CL : Betting Sheet for Nov 7 released.

Here's the betting spreadsheet for Wednesday night.



Remember that the European level there is significantly less data to work with - many sides will only play 6 games at this level in a season and then may miss a season by failing to qualify so it's harder to get quality picks.

Take special care to see the number of previous games being used to produce that pick (the OBS field) and if there is less than 50 games then treat the percentages with healthy scepticism.

Remember that typically 100 points of margin means and average win expectancy of 1 goal. Also remember that an average of 1 goal might mean a 2 goal win in one match and a draw in a second match - averages are tricky things when data is small.

Tonights best picks (dual system picked)
----------------------------------------
Barcelona to beat Rangers @ 1.23 at Betsson
Manchester United to beat Dynamo Kiev @ 1.20 at Interwetten
Sevilla to win at Steaua Bucharest @ 1.75 at Interwetten
Arsenal to win at Slavia Prague @ 1.57 at Ladbrokes

Possible picks (res% system only)
-----------------------------------------
AS Roma to win at Sporting Lisbon @ 2.60 at Interwetten

Inter Milan to beat CSKA Moscow @ 1.30 at Bet365
Fenerbahce to beat PSV Eindhoven @ 2.00 at Bet365

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UEFA CL : Betting Sheet for Oct 24 released.

Eight more matches in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night - and quite a few of the games appear to have some good options.

The sheet has several "likely winner" choices on Wednesday.

Most Likely winners (picked by both systems) :
--------------------------------------------------------
AC Milan to beat Shaktar Donetsk @ 1.40 at Interwetten
Real Madrid to beat Olympiakos @ 1.30 @ Bet365 (latest price)
Benfica to beat Celtic @ 2.00 at Interwetten (latest price)

Other Likely winners (picked by one system ) :
--------------------------------------------------------
Chelsea to beat Schalke at 1.55 @ Eurobet
Valencia to win at Rosenborg at 1.67 at Ladbrokes
Liverpool to win at Benfica @ 1.75 at Interwetten

Expectation is 3 or 4 home winners, and 1 or 2 away winnners on these picks.

There are NO discovered winners tonight although draws in both Rosenborg v Valencia and Besiktas v Liverpool might be worth chasing the the draw prices got a little higher.

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UEFA CL : Betting Sheet for Oct 23 released.

We've run the numbers and can now release the betting spreadsheet output for Tuesday Oct 23rd in the3 UEFA Champions League.


(click the image for a full sized sheet)

A quick rundown through the "likely winner" picks for the eight games on Tuesday night - typically we would expect to go 3-1 with predictions in this range :

Most Likely winners (picked by both systems) :
--------------------------------------------------------
Arsenal to beat Slavia Prague at 1.20 at Bet365
PSV Eindhoven to beat Fenerbahce at 1.83 @ Ladbrokes

Most Likely winners (picked by one system ) :
--------------------------------------------------------
Sevilla to beat Steaua Bucharest at 1.25 at Betfred
Barcelona to win at Rangers at 1.70 @ Interwetten

=====

Also - after getting a few requests on the forum (Robbie, College_Football) we will also cover the "discovered value" system picks as well.

These are picks that are not "likely winners" usually - but by keeping a record of similar bets we've found that profits can usually be made by taking a handful of these good value bets each matchday.

Discovered Value Bets :
--------------------------------------------------------
HOME :
PSV Eindhoven to beat Fenerbahce at 1.83 @ Ladbrokes

DRAW :
Stuttgart v Lyon at 3.40 at Bet365
Rangers v Barcelona at 3.75 at Bet365
CSKA Moscow v Inter Milan @ 3.40 @ Ladbrokes

AWAY :
Lyon to beat Stuttgart @ 2.70 @ Betsson

As you can see by the prices we will need 2 or more of these discovered winners to hit in order to make a profit - and you will probably ned to play the Stuttgart v Lyon match by with betting X2 or laying Stuttgart.

Good luck with your punts.

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UEFA CL : Arsenal 3-0 Sevilla

Arsenal made an impressive start to their group with a 3-0 thumping of Spanish debutants Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium in London.


Sevilla came into the match as winners of the last two UEFA Cup competitions, and after thrashing AEK Athens 6-1 on aggregate in qualifying, but they really struggled to come to grips with the pace and movement of the Gunners.

Sevilla began tentatively, defending in numbers as the hosts dominated possession early on, although both keepers had to be sharp to parry attacking efforts.

Arsenal took the lead in the 27th minute after Cesc Fabregas hit a shot from 25 metres which deflected off Julien Escude and wrong footing Sevilla keeper Andres Palop.

Arsenal pressed forward in search of a second with Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor having chances but Frederic Kanoute also had a couple of chances for Sevilla who showed glimpses of their good form.

After the break, the north London club continued to play with style and determination and were rewarded with a second goal on 59 minutes, when Fabregas whipped over a right-wing free-kick that was flicked on by Adebayor and thumped in by Van Persie.

Adebayor and Van Persie went close again after fine work from right-back Bacary Sagna while Sevilla committed men forward in the closing stages in search of a way back into the game.

Those gaps were punished in injury time when Aleksandr Hleb found Fabregas for a slide-rule pass that was turned in by Eduardo for an emphatic 3-0 victory.

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UEFA Champions League Spreadsheet

The patented "GoonersGuide Betting Spreadsheet" (TM) for Tuesday night's games in the UEFA Champions League has been released to the betting forum.

It covers all 8 games - and make recommendations on four likely home wins.

I've also covered the new "discovered value" systems as well - which pciks out one of those home wins as good value - and also targets a value draw bet as well.

You can get it all at the forum link below :
The Sheet -> UEFA CL - Round 1

RELATED LINKS :
Champions League Betting Previews
Latest Champions League Betting Odds

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Arsenal through to Group stages - 20/1 to win

Arsenal are 20/1 to win the Champions League with Ladbrokes after they easily progressed to the group stage by easing past Sparta Prague 3-0 on Wednesday night to secure a 5-0 aggregate triumph.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg teenager Theo Walcott brilliantly set up Czech star Tomas Rosicky's early strike while late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Eduardo Da Silva completed the win.

Meanwhile Celtic also advanced to the lucrative group stages - for which the draw is on Thursday - having overcome Spartak Moscow on a penalty shoot-out following a pulsating clash at Parkhead. The Bhoys are now 101.00 with Ladbrokes.

The Hoops took a 2-1 aggregate lead when Scott McDonald stabbed home but just before the break Pavluchenko levelled the matters, ultimately forcing the game into extra-time and then penalties. But Artur Boruc was the hero, saving two spot kicks to send Gordon Strachan's men through.

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On Tuesday night Liverpool thrashed Toulouse 4-0 to progress through their qualifying tie 5-0 on aggregate and they're now available at 13.00 with Bet365 ahead of Thursday's draw to go one better than last year and lift the trophy.

Rangers edged past Crvena Zvezda 1-0 on aggregate following a tense goalless draw at the Marakana Stadium and they can be backed at a general price of 100/1 with most bookies but 126.00 with Bet365

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Of course the leading candidates all automatically qualified for the group stages Manchester United and Chelsea were automatically in the hat for the group stages with Barcelona the favourites.

TOP SIX SIDES :
Barcelona are 6.00 at PaddyPower
Chelsea are 7.50 at Bet365
Manchester United are 7.50 at Bet365
AC Milan are 11.00 at Bet365
Inter Milan are 11.00 at Paddy Power
Real Madrid are 11.00 at Bet365

OF course you can always get the latest live prices for the UEFA Champions League at our partner site at Bookielabrat.com

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UEFA CL : Sparta Prague 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal moved a step closer to the lucrative group stages of the Champions League with a 2-0 away victory over Sparta Prague tonight.

On the ground where former captain Thierry Henry had become the club's all-time record goalscorer two season ago, the next generation of young Gunners looked to begin writing a new chapter.

And it was a hard-fought victory - courtesy of goals from Cesc Fabregas and Alexander Hleb, in stoppage time - on a humid night, overcoming tough opponents and a partisan crown at the AXA Stadium.

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Midweek football - a chance to atone?

The first few weeks of the new season are always full on and for a couple of sides (Tottenham and ManYoo) the midweek series of domestic league fixtures gives tem an early chance to atone for weekend disappointment.

See our English football previews page for more.

WE also have the hugely important 3rd qualifying round of the champinos League, and there is as much as Euro 20m at stake for Liverpool and Arsenal as they strive to reeach the lucrative Group stages.

See the UEFA Champions League preview page on the main site for tips and picks now.

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2007-08 Champions League Begins ...

It's only been seven weeks since AC Milan were crowned champions of Europe with a 2-1 win against Liverpool in Athens, but the road to the 2008 season's UEFA Champions League final begins on Tuesday.

Of course, in all likelihood NONE of the 28 sides are involved in the the first qualifying round, will even make it to the group stages, but the money in being invovled in this stage means a lot to the little clubs.

(see our Champion League section for the blog post.)

For the first time the champions of Andorra, San Marino and Montenegro will be invoved in the competition and the inflow of money is an important step in raiing the standards of football for the small nations.

Kaunas likely to progress
FK Zeta will represent Montenegro, lining up against FBK Kaunas who are veterans of this stage as they prepare for their seventh first qualifying round fixture in eight seasons. Only twice have Kaunas failed to reach the second stage and though they have never progressed beyond that, Angel Cervenkov's team approach the tie in high spirits after claiming a maiden Lithuanian Super Cup triumph last month.

Sheriff a tough task for Andorran side
Andorran champions FC Ranger's travel to FC Sheriff for the right to meet Besiktas JK in the next round.

Sheriff saw their UEFA Champions League hopes ended by FC Spartak Moskva 12 months ago but pushed the Russian team all the way before missing out on goal difference and have been busy strengthening ahead of this campaign.

Striker Sasa Kajkut and midfielder George Daniel Negrut have both arrived in Tiraspol, raising hopes the Moldovan champions can go further this term.

Top sides await the winners
Red Star Belgrade who were European champions in 1991 will meet either FK Pobeda or FC Levadia Tallinn while Scottish side Glasgow Rangers FC will face the victors of the Zeta tie.

RELATED LINKS :
UEFA Champions League Live Scores
UEFA Champions League Betting Previews

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UEFA Champions League Money Pot

The latest issue of the online publication UEFA Direct makes very interesting reading.

Page 6 outlines exactly how much each club got for participating - and why - and it just shows how important the Champions League is to the budgets of the clubs.

The top payouts went to the sides that progressed furtherest, as you might expect, with AC Milan getting €38.5m and Liverpool €34.6m.

But even group easy-beats like Levski Sofia received €5.5m just for making the group stage - even though they lost all 6 group games.

Another big factor was the size of the TV market - with Arsenal receiving €19.2m compared to FC Porto's €11.5m despite having very similar records and both going out in the second round - due to the lucrative UK TV market.

And what about the UEFA Cup? How does it compare?

Well it really is a second teir competition with winners Sevilla earning just €6.2m for winning the whole thing (barely more than Levski Sofia) while if you were eliminated before the UEFA Cup group stage you made less than €0.5m for your efforts.

As you can see participation in the Champions League is all important for the financial future of football clubs - and it's no wonder that the pursuit of 4th place is considered more important than a Carling Cup or FA Cup in England.

Without the regular flow of money - the big clubs turn into "sleeping giants" ... like Newcastle or Tottenham
;-)

RELATED LINKS :
The UEFA main website
The GoonersGuide.com UEFA club football betting previews.

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Bet365 take a beating as AC Milan win

Bet365 suffered substantial losses of well over £450,000 on Wednesday night's Champions League final as a successful gamble on AC Milan was landed.

The Italians defeated Liverpool 2-1 in Athens thanks to a brace from veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi and Bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth commented : "The punters landed a monumental gamble and we've felt the full force of it."

"Our 7/5 on Milan stood out like a sore thumb on Monday and punters took full advantage of our 103% margin. Milan eventually went off at 11/8 after peaking at 13/10 and we'll be counting the cost well into the night."

Of course all GoonersGuide.com readers should have done well as Simon's