EPL : Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool

Andriy Voronin opened the scoring at White Hart Lane as Liverpool ended their season on a high, while Spurs season fizzled to the disappointing conclusion as it has done since winning the Carling Cup.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres wrapped up victory at Tottenham with his 24th goal of the season better Ruud van Nistelrooy's first season total when he arrived at Manchester United.

Both managers will want to improve their respective teams league performances with Ramos wanting to gatecrash the top four with Spurs, while Benitez wants a title challenge rather than playing in end-of-season sideshows when the main events of the day are elsewhere.

Liverpool side finish the season on the 4th place while the Spurs can be found in mid-table in 11th place.

VIDEO LINK :
Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 2 Liverpool
69 [0 - 1] A. Voronin
74 [0 - 2] F. Torres

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ManYoo and Chelsea both getting action on title odds

It seems that it's a bit of a fan-fest this week as the top prices on both Manchester United and Chelsea are being snapped up by loyal fans.

Chelsea's win over Newcastle on Monday means that it will all go down to the final day of the season, and the title equation is quite simple ... Chelsea need to get more points on the final day than United.

Chelsea are priced at 4/1 (5.00) to win the title - and that price is being hit quite mard by some punters as they do the maths and work out the real chances of a Chelsea win.

Meanwhile Manchester United were priced at 1/4 (1.25), but bookmakers have been swamped and now the best price you can get is a 1/5 (1.20) quote.

So which price do I think is best? In order to answer that we need to make some basic assumptions about the two games - and come up with some match estimates.

Wigan Athletic v Manchester United
Wigan have actually been quite strong at the JJB recently. They have a 8-5-5 home record and are unbeaten in their last SEVEN home games.

United are hardly all-conquering when travelling - at just 9-5-4 in their 18 away games this season. But United have won their fxitures here at the JJB in the last two seasons 2-1, and 3-1.

Away games are hard to win - even Manchester United have won just half of their road fixtures so far and the 1.25 price on an away win speak volumes for bookmaker hype and spin - trying to sell awful odds to legions of fans with red-tinted glasses.

If this were a game with nothing on it then I'd have this game at 21%-24%-55% estimate, but United will be absolutely desperate - so I'll push it out to 13%-17%-70% - but no more.

Chelsea vs Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea don't lose league games at home, but they do draw a lot going 12-7-0 last season and 12-6-0 this season, and Bolton have avoided defeat in 3 of their last 4 trips to Stamford Bridge too.

Still Bolton are just 2-4-12 this season, and are safe from relegation now, so you must expect the home side to have far more motivation.

I'd make this game a 80%-13%-7% chance, with a Chelsea victory the mostly likely result by a long chalk.

The Betting Verdict
From here it's simple - just calculate the percentage likelihood of Chelsea getting moe points than ManYoo in the final game - and we should have our "fair odds".

The chances are :
Chelsea win (80%) * Man United draw or loss (30%) = 24%
Chelsea draw (13%) * Man United loss (13%) = 1.7%

So I think that Chelsea have a total 25.7% chance of the title (fair odds 3.89) while Manchester United have a 74.3% chance of winning the league (fair odds 1.34).

So Manchester United are strong favourites to win the league, but given the current prices - I'd put my tenner on Chelsea @ 5.00

RELATED LINKS :
Manchester United @ 1.20 at Centrebet
Chelsea @ 5.00 at Betsson
See all the Live Premier League Betting Odds at BookieLabrat.

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Liverpool get approval for new stadium - to open in 2011

Liverpool have been given the go-ahead for their new 60,000-seater stadium by the planning committe of the local council.

The new stadium to be built in Stanley Park is scheduled to open in August 2011 and will feature an 18,500-seat single tier stand for the Kop, which holds Liverpool's most vocal supporters. The current Kop seats 13,500.

The design is the third version of the plan. The original plans were discarded when Tom Hicks and his now-estranged business partner George Gillett were unimpressed by the design they inherited when they bought the club last year, and the second, more ambitious, scheme had to be scaled down due to rising costs.

In January the American sports tycoons completed a £350m refinancing package on the loan used to purchase the club and £60m was earmarked for the stadium. But Hicks, whose feud with Gillett has plunged the club into turmoil, said last month that he was still working with investment bank Merrill Lynch on raising the finances.

In recent years Liverpool have been left behind financially as rivals Manchester United expanded Old Trafford to seat 76,000 and Arsenal moved from 38,000-seat Highbury into 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium in July 2006.

Builing work on the new stadium will not begin on the project before September 2008.

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Liverpool make early bid for Gareth Barry

Liverpool's Rafa Benitez has launched a bid to sign Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry.

There has been plenty of speculation linking Liverpool with a move for Barry recently, and the Reds have now formally contacted Villa with an opening bid for the England midfielder.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill will probably not accept the offer for his club captain, who has two years to run of his current contract and has been an instrumental figure in his side's impressive Premier League campaign, but O'Neill has confirmed the offer, with Liverpool presenting "a mish-mash of players" in exchange for Barry.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez is determined to pair Barry in midfield with his England team-mate Steven Gerrard and is expected to make significant squad changes ahead of next season. Barry, who celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Villa debut next week, has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football and would come close to doubling his weekly wages of £40,000 with a move to Anfield.

O'Neill is thought to have already made plans for Barry's departure with Chelsea's Steven Sidwell lined up as his replacement while Liverpool striker Peter Crouch would most likely represent part of any swap deal with Barry.

A bid of £10m had been mentioned, but O'Neill values Barry higher than that price and is understood to be looking for a package involving £8m plus former Villa striker Crouch.

Barry recently said that he has to adopt a "selfish" approach in his desire to make the most his footballing career and now may make his final home appearance for Villa against Wigan tomorrow clocking up almost almost 400 appearances over 10 years.

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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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Red shirts dominate PFA team of the year.

The PFA team of the year at a star-studded ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday April 27th.

Five clubs were represented in the side, with 9 of the 10 outfield players normally wearing red shirts.

Manchester United had three representatives in Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic while Arsenal had four players with Cesc Fabregas, Adebayor, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy featured in the side.

Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were included, as was Portsmouth goalkeeper David James and Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Young.

Interestingly, Chelsea's strong attempts to win titles in the Premier League and Champions League were not regcognised at an individual level with no Blues players featuring.

Perhaps that reflects the dour controlled style at the Bridge, or a team that is based more on hardwork and flair? Chelsea may yet get much more tangible team rewards for their efforts - so was the team picked too soon?

PFA Premier League team of the year:
G : David James (Portsmouth),
D : Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Gael Clichy (Arsenal),
M : Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd), Ashley Young (Aston Villa),
A : Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool).

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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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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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FA Cup : Liverpool to face Havant at Anfield

Blue Square Conference South club Havant and Waterlooville beat Swansea 4-2 to make sure of a dream trip to Anfield on January 26 in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Richard Paquette, Jamie Collins and Rocky Baptiste gave the Hampshire side a three-goal lead, before Guillem Bauza pulled a goal back for the League One leaders in the 39th minute.

Jason Scotland made it 3-2 - but Tom Jordan's 65th-minute goal made sure of victory for Havant and Waterlooville.

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New Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan watched the Magpies beat Stoke 4-1 at St James' Park to set up a fourth-round trip to Arsenal.

Michael Owen and Claudio Cacapa gave the hosts a two-goal lead, with James Milner and Damien Duff finishing off the Coca-Cola Championship side in the second half.

However, former Sunderland striker Liam Lawrence had the last word, denying Shay Given a clean sheet with a goal a minute from time.

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Manchester City will travel to Sheffield United in the fourth round after beating West Ham with a 73rd-minute goal from Brazilian midfielder Elano.

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And Hereford set up a fourth-round tie at home to Cardiff with a 1-0 victory over Tranmere at Edgar Street, with Simon Johnson scoring in the 72nd minute.

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FA Cup 3rd Round : Favourites fail to win - almost everywhere!

It was a tough weekend for favourites backers in the FA Cup this weekend with a mix of upset wins and draws meaning that only 7 of 22 teams that started as odds-on favourites actually managed to win.

You'd have been better off picking cup winners at random over the weekend!

Although there were no total shocks in the FA Cup on Sunday we still saw Liverpool, Newcastle, Derby and Fulham were all held by lower league opposition.

Liverpool are now 7.00 (6/1) (BetFred) for the trophy, while Newcastle are 29.00 (28/1) with Bet365 for Wembley glory.

At least my team Arsenal obliged with a good result as they beat Burnley 2-0 and covered the asian handicap bet too. The Gooners are now a 5.00 (4/1) chance at Ladbrokes to lift the cup.

On Saturday Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-0 to book their place in the last 32. They are now 4.33 (10/3) favourites at BoyleSports to win the FA Cup.

Chelsea were also among the winners - they beat QPR 1-0 - and Avram Grant's side are now joint-second favourites to lift the trophy in May, as they are 4/1 with BoyleSports.

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Liverpool held while Newcastle dont even get a point.

Liverpool's Barclays Premier League title hopes were dealt another heavy blow as Wigan claimed an unlikely 1-1 draw at Anfield.

Rafael Benitez's side finally broke the deadlock four minutes into the second period as Fernando Torres slid home to finish Steve Finnan's inviting cross for his 16th goal of the season.

Liverpool were made to pay for their inability to kill off the game, though, as Titus Bramble fired home a loose ball from the edge of the penalty area after 79 minutes.

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The pressure on Sam Allardyce looks set to intensify after Newcastle slipped to a sorry 2-0 home defeat against Manchester City.

Elano added to his already burgeoning reputation with a goal of genuine class seven minutes before the break to put the visitors ahead.

The Brazilian started the move on the edge of Newcastle's penalty area with a deft backheel before latching onto Darius Vassell's lay-off to steer the ball past Shay Given into the bottom left corner.

Michael Owen made his long-awaited return from injury at the break and saw an effort diverted around the post by Joe Hart with his first touch.

City netted their second with 14 minutes remaining when Gelson Fernandes lashed home from just inside the area after Kelvin Etuhu's neat lay-off.

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Stelios Giannakopoulos scored the only goal of the game in stoppage time for Bolton at the Reebok Stadium to claim three vital points for the home side and ensure that Derby remain rooted to the bottom of the table and 10 points away from safety

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Other results :

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Sunderland

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Arsenal and Spurs through to Carling Cup semis

North London neighbours Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur eached the semi-finals of the English League Cup following wins against Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City.

Arsenal kids prevail in Extra time.
Arsenal changed all 11 players from the side that had beaten Chelsea just 48 hours earlier as "the kids took paert in a dramatic encounter at Ewood Park.

Arsenal raced into a two-goal lead through strikes from Abou Diaby and Eduardo da Silva. However, despite the visitors looking dominant, Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz got one back just before half-time and then latched on to David Bentley's free-kick after an hour to level the tie.

Rovers were applying the late pressure, and Arsenal's Denilson was sent off for a wild challenge as the match went into extra time leaving the Gunners a man short. However, in the additional period Alexandre Song released Eduardo who finished calmly past home goalkeeper Brad Friedel to secure a 3-2 victory for the Gunners.

Spurs win with another Ten-man effort
Meanwhile, goals at the beginning and the end of the game from Jermain Defoe and Steed Malbranque gave Tottenham a 2-0 win and inflicted Manchester City's first home defeat of the season.

Not even having to play with ten men for 70 minutes after Didier Zokora's dismissal could hamper Spurs, who go into the last-four draw on Wednesday together with Arsenal, Everton and the winner of the Chelsea / Liverpool tie who meet on Wednesday.

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Big match Buildup.

Having recently lost the last two unbeaten Premier League records, Arsenal and Liverpool will be trying to bounce back with wins over their biggest rivals.

Alex Ferguson will take some time out from advising the FA not to pick Sam Allardyce for the England job to test the true quality of Rafa Benitez's perennial cup kings and see if their title challenge is for real.

While, Arsene Wenger could welcome back Cesc Fabregas, and Van Persie is almost certain to take part in a mouth-watering contest. One team plays some of the most attractive football in the world. The other is Chelsea.

The managers will say these Sunday games will decide nothing, we say it'll decide who gets to abuse who in offices and workplaces all over the planet for months to come.

Nothing could be more important!

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The Fiver Rumour Mill ...

As stolen from the high-profile (for a blog) and always funny Guardian Fiver blog ... their rumour mill always has a nice turn of phrase.

Milan have had enough of Ronaldo's injury problems, and would be happy to see the cuddly striker lending his weight to another team's attack.

Wayne Bridge has had enough of not being picked by Avram Grant, and is considering taking his unique brand of comedy to Newcastle or Spurs, where it will be properly appreciated.

And Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has had enough, and will sell his stake in the club as soon as Rafa Benitez stops whining about transfer targets long enough for him to get a word in edgeways.

Check out the Guardian Fiver Monday to Friday (around tea-time) for a regular laugh.

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Liverpool Footballer Riise Drops his Payslip.

Liverpool footballer John Arne Riise has been embarrased as a copy of his wage slip from the football club has been appearing on the internet.

Images of the pay packet, containing the player's address in Liverpool and his National Insurance number, have appeared on the internet revealing the 27-year-old earned £139,634.62 gross in August 2006.

We of course think that's totally irresponsible to show those details - ahem - so we've twinked them out in order to show the rest. (click to see fullsize)



Reading like something out of a computer game you find out that Riise has the following payments (with our guesses as to why) :
- a £120,000-a-month basic salary,
- a £250 point bonus (only 250?? Was it a bad month?),
- a £4000 appearance bonus (four games @ £1000 match?)
- and a £15,384.62 Champions League payment for making the group stage.

Of course it's not all beer and takeaway curries for Riise. He has expenses too.

On the downside, he pays £55,508.28 in tax EVERY month, and a sizable NIC payment of £1,611.67 too.

But perhaps the most surprising thing is that the club also charges him a £65 meal bill and £36 for a match ticket - perhaps for a game he wasn't playing in? No wonder players are upset to be left out.

All that left Riise with a net wage of £82,413.67 for the month. Not a bad way to make a living eh?

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Carling Cup Outright Betting

Chelsea remain favourites to win the Carling Cup after overcoming a mighty scare to beat Leicester 4-3 at Stamford Bridge this week.

Frank Lampard completed a hat-trick with an injury-time winner to put the holders into the quarter-finals and Chelsea are 11/4 favourites (3.75) with Ladbrokes to defend the trophy.

Arsenal's latest batch of young Gunners cruised into the last eight with a 3-0 win at Sheffield United. Last season's runners-up were comfortable victors at Bramall Lane thanks to Eduardo da Silva's brilliant double and a deflected third from Denilson.

Liverpool were made to work harder as they overcame Cardiff 2-1 at Anfield. But a Steven Gerrard winner soon after proved good enough for the Reds.

Spurs are fourth favourites after Juande Ramos' first game in charge ended in a 2-0 home win over Blackpool. Robbie Keane and Pascal Chimbonda got the goals.

Manchester City (1-0 winners at Bolton), Blackburn (2-1 winners at Portsmouth) and Everton (1-0 extra-time winners at Luton) are all 11/1 at bet365 while West Ham are the 14/1 outsiders of the all-Premier League quarter-final line-up.

The draw for the quarterfinals takes place on Saturday.

ODDS :
Chelsea 3.75 @ Ladbrokes
Arsenal 4.50 @ Bet365
Liverpool 5.50 @ BetFred
Tottenham 10.00 @ Ladbrokes
Manchester City 12.00 @ Bet365

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EPL Outrights : Liverpool losing ground

Liverpool are drifting in the betting after dropping more points at home in a 2-2 result with struggling Tottenham on Sunday.

The Reds needed a last-minute equaliser from Fernando Torres just to rescue a point after two goals from Robbie Keane either side of the break had put Spurs in front to wipe out Andriy Voronin's 12th minute opener.

Liverpool are now out to 6/1 (7.00) to finally win the Premier League.

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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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CHELSEA CLEAR FAVOURITES FOR TITLE

Manchester United may have finally won a league game - but Chelsea are still clear favourites at the bookmakers to win the English Premier league title.

Chelsea are at a best priced 2.20 at BetFred to win the title - with Manchester United second favourites at 3.75 at Bet365 after their poor start to the season which leaves them five points behind the Blues.

The Red Devils are also a couple of points behind Liverpool and Arsenal despite having played a game more.

Liverpool are considered 3rd favourite with Ladbrokes offering a big 4.50 on the Reds, while Arsenal are considered the longest shots of the "big four" at 9.00 - also at Ladbrokes.

If you are looking for a fairytale season from someone outside this group then you can get huge prices with Spurs at 151.00 (PaddyPower), Newcastle at 201.00 (PaddyPower) and Manchester City at 301.00 (BetFred)

RELATED LINKS :
As always you can read our English Football betting previews up on the main Gambling Guide site.

And you can find the lastest odds and prices on all the English Premier league betting lines at Bookielabrat.com.

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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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From United to Liverpool with Love? Not Likely!

The non-transfer of Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United to Liverpool looks like it finally rumbling to a conclusion ... no sale !!

Manchester United are prepared to sell the want-away Argentine player to anyone - anyone except their domestic rivals in England - specifically Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

I know that Man United hardly need the money and Heinze will still be a potentally useful squad player - although how useful a player really is when he doesn't want to even be there is up for debate.

As an old time gooner, I can remember a few transfers from Arsenal to other major English clubs
- Frank Stapleton to Manchester United
(that hurt Frank was a fan favourite),
- Michael Thomas to Liverpool
(a financial insult to Liverpools Championship defeat?)
- and of course Cashley Cole
(who was tapped up by Chelsea - and good riddance!)

We also picked up a few former Spurs players in the legendary Pat Jennings (how that happened I'll never know) and Sol Campbell.

But they did happen, both clubs accepted the inevitiability of the tranfer once the player had madeup their minds - and eventually people forgot about it and got on their lives - except for every season when the player returned with his new side.

What I don't recall is ever hearing the NOT TO YOU LOT being shouted so strongly - and it's probably no surprise that it's the aging Sir Alex Ferguson doing the ranting.

Is it simply being petty? Is it restrain of trade? Or are United just a little bit scared of what is going on at Anfield?

How would United react if every club in England said "Not to You" to the defending champions - justifying it with the reasoning that as the current top side in England then they must be the biggest rivals?

Whatever the cause - whatever the reason - it's a new development and something that is going to add a bit more spice to their clashes this season ...

(mental note : BUY BOOKINGS when UNITED and LIVERPOOL clash)

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English Transfer Round-up : Babel, Bellamy, Tevez

So the transfer merry-go-round continues to spin, and Liverpool are certainly flexing their newly acquired financial muscles.

LIVERPOOL
Liverpool are very intersted in Dutch U21 star Ryan Babel - but after acquiring Torres for £25m the size of their American bankroll is no secret now and the Reds have been told by Ajax it's going to cost them a further £13m (€20m).

There does seem to be some question about how much Babel will play at Liverpool - with strikers seeming to be joining from everywhere - and his agent Ms Winnie Haatrecht muttered words about ensuring playing time which will go down like a lead ballon with Rafa Benitez.

Liverpool have sold Craig Bellamy to West Ham for £7.5m, and Djibril Cisse to Marseille for £6m, but to balance the books a bit.

They have also gone for a couple of squad level players in acquiring a couple of makeweights in Yossi Benayoun (£4m from West Ham) and Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin on a free transfer from Beyer Leverkusen.

They look like Carling Cup material to me.

MANCHESTER UNITED
Up at Old Trafford, it appears that Sir Alex Ferguson reads the blog as there are now calls for the FA and even FIFA to step in and try and sort out the tangled mess that is the Carlos Tevez financial dealings.

He's a real "ugly bug" in this latest picture - but a potential match winner. I know why Man United want him - but if he does play then I think the whole Sheffield United / West Ham debate is gonig to blow up again.

21-team Premier League anyone?

CHELSEA
Over at Chelsea - Arjen Robben does what he does best - mouths off a bit and plays the primadona - as he complains that he's not getting a 5-year deal for squillions of dollars.

One day soon Jose Mourinho is goingg to cut him loose but in the meantime the Blues have been busy getting French international Florent Malouda from Lyon for a £13.5m price tag.

That's the only spending Chelsea have done so far this season with Claudio Pizarro, Steve Sidwell and Tal Ben Haim all arriving on free transfers.

ARSENAL
No sorry - it's just a bit of a runing joke for Gooners - Arsenal have not gone out and bought anyone to fill the gapping experience hole that they have. Sorry.

On the selling side there are rumours of Freddie Ljundberg being sold to Fiorentina (we'd be so lucky), and the new Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster praises Cesc Fabregas as a player he admires, saying: "He is one of the few players in his position that can carry a team."

Look but don't touch Bernd

REAL MADRID
Speaking of Schuster, I give him about 6 months in the role - as they'll surely finish well behind Barcelona next season - and that's enough to get the chop at the Bernabeu - they've gone through EIGHT coaches in 4 years now.

Schuster has got Argentine striker Javier Saviola on a free transfer after he was released by Barcelona - but the fact that Barca were happy to let him go to Madrid speaks volumes for their appraisal of the player.

OK that it. We'll there are plenty of minor transfers going on around - but you'll need to check out BBC Sport or SportingLife if you want all the details.

(I'll try and do a beer blog everyday over the summer)

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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 UEFA Champions League Final preview on the main site was touting Milan as the winner all week.

And the great prices at Bet365 along with their financial security to make these payouts quickly are some of the reasons why Bet365 remain our #1 recommended bookmaker.

Enjoy your beers.

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Milan are early favourites for UEFA Champs Final

AC Milan are 5/6 favourites (1.83) to lift the Champions League trophy when they contest the final against Liverpool in Athens on May 23.

The Italian side thrashed Manchester United 3-0 in the second leg of their semi-final at the San Siro on Wednesday night to progress 5-3 on aggregate.

First-half goals from Kaka and Clarence Seedorf allowed the Rossoneri to turn around the 3-2 first leg deficit, before substitute Alberto Gilardino put the game beyond United's reach with 13 minutes left.

AC Milan book a meeting with Liverpool, in a repeat of the thrilling 2005 final which finished 3-3 after extra time.

The 2007 Final will take place in the Athens Olympic Stadium on 23rd May.

OUTRIGHT WINNER BEST ODDS :
AC Milan 1.83 at Ladbrokes and EuroBet
Liverpool 2.10 at Betfred.

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The Picks Sheet - UEFA - 1/2 May

UEFA Champions League Semi-final Data Sheet

There should be nothing too surprising in that sheet - as none of the sides are picked as a "likely" winner - but there are two "value" bets.

TUESDAY - Liverpool v Chelsea
The sheet says that there is almost nothing to call between these two sides at Anfield (1033 v 1029) and so the draw is considered the most likely result as it occurred 35% of the time (in 57 similar games previously) and the 3.20 price on THE DRAW looks the value bet.

WEDNESDAY - AC Milan v Manchester Utd
Manchester United are not ranked highly by the sheet when they play away - which is not surprising given that they've lost away at both Celtic and Copenhagen this season and only won twice in their last 13 European trips.

The Italian side is perceived as a 55% chance to win (based on over 250 similar Euro ratings) not strong enough to be a recommended winner but the 2.25 odds on offer at PinnacleSports on AC MILAN looks worth a value bet - statistically speaking at least ...

Good luck with your midweek bets.

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'89 Remembered : Liverpool v Arsenal It's up for grabs now ....

I stumbled across this video clip at YouTube and thought that I'd better post it to the blog for viewing when I need cheering up.

I still get chills when watching this one - and like most Gooners who are old enough to remember the game I can remember exactly where I was watching the game.

Moments like this, goals like this and results like this are a once in a lifetime moment - and it's become a "shared memory" that Gooners everywhere will hold onto until the grave.



Just magic !!

Incredible to think that this happened 18 years ago eh? Where does the time go. Although looking at the shorts on the players - some things have changed for the better!

And at the final whistle ....

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Carling Cup Q/Final : Liverpool 3-6 Arsenal

Wow! I don't think that anyone expected that result.

I was very surprised to see that Rafa Benitez made so many changes to the Liverpool team - especially after he'd been recently telling the press that Liverpool don't have much strength in depth ...

... but perhaps he just wanted to prove his point ?!!
;-)

Here's video highlights of the match ..

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Carling Cup - Liverpool v Arsenal

We've got Chris's preview of Liverpool v Arsenal online and it really does look as for Liverpool have got more to play for here.

Liverpool were stung by the 1-3 loss on the weekend - after going about 15 months since losing a domestic competition match at Anfield, and Rafa Benitez seems to have changed his plans to take a relaxed approach to this match.

The Gunners have typically looked on this tournament as a development exercise for new players and/or players returning from injury - and that looks set to continue tonight with a significantly changed team from last Saturday.

Arsenal really don't NEED to progress any further in the Carling Cup - their fixture list looks like it's busy enough with Champions League and FA Cup action - and with a potential two-legged tie with Spurs waiting in the semi-finals that would be two more games that the fans would demand were taken seriously.

So, with Liverpool the natural favourites anyway this additional motivation means that I really do favour Liverpool to exact a small measure of revenge.

I'd recommend taking Liverpool to win in 90 minutes - but instead of accepting the 1.70-1.85 on offer make sure that you get the best odds by checking out the Asian Handicap side at Bet365.

The Internet bookie are offering 1.83 for Liverpool to win - or 1.93 for Liverpool to beat the -1/2 goal handicap - which is exactly the same bet.

Don't ask me why these variances happen - they just do from time to time - so if you ARE betting on Liverpool then do yourself a favour and take the AH -1/2 play at Bet365.

Good luck.

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FA Cup 3rd Round : Liverpool 1-3 Arsenal with Video

OK - so depsite my fears and my diatribe on the FA Cup - I tuned into this game ... and I must say that by halftime I was feeling a lot better about the competition.

Liverpool dominated the first 30 minutes or so in terms of possession but the Reds really do lack and out-n-out striker in the style of say Ian Rush, Michael Owen or even Robbie Fowler.

Instead they have Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt and it would be fair to say that they were pretty quiet during the whole period - seemingly not brought into play by that system that Rafa Benitez prefers.

Then Tomas Rosicky appeared on the scene and wham bam - thank you maam - Arsenal were into the HT break 2-0 up.





In the second half Liverpool huffed and puffed - and did grab a goal back with this effort from a corner ...



This wound Liverpool up but their tactics were one-dimensional (perhaps because they'd scored from a corner) and Liverpool spent 20 minutes bombing in cross after cross after cross ... without getting any reward

And with 7 minutes left Thierry Henry showed that the extended break has done him the world of good as we zoomed past a slow-motion Jamie Carragher and then wound threw the rest of the Liverpool defence to score and sew up the game.



Arsenal came - they saw - and they scored three goals which is as many as Liverpool had conceded in all 11 home games this season.

That was enough to knock the holders out of the Cup - and put Arsenal's name into the 4th round draw.

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FA Cup - 3rd Round - Liverpool vs Arsenal

It's the 3rd round of the FA Cup tomorrow - and I wish that I could somehow recapture the excitment I had as a kid about it all.

But I can't.

I don't know whether it's because I'm a jaded Gooner, after all I've seen Arsenal win the FA Cup 4 times in the last decade, or whether it's the knowledge the the FA Cup is pretty much the consolation prize of English football these days.

But the "magic of the cup" doesn't work like it used to eh?

I've published my preview for the game on the main site and it's not looking too rosy for the Arse as they'll have to do without both Fabregas Cesc and Robin Van Persie who are both suspended for this game.

Adebayor is also out (he should be back for Blackburn in the league next week), while neither Theo Walcott nor William Gallas will make this trip - but they might go on Tuesday for the Carling Cup.

Liverpool look strong at Anfield this season (9-2-0 23:3 in the league) and I don't think that they've lost at home since Benfica beat them their 2-0 last season to knock Liverpool out of the Champions League.

Mind you we do have Thierry Henry back and Gilberto will hold the fort in midfield too - in fact when you look at the Arsenal side making the trip I suspect that 59 or 60 of the other 64 teams still in the competition would happily make a mass player exchange - so we've got a talented (if raw) side.
:-)

So - where there is Henry there is Hope - although I suspect that Gooners will be better off betting on Henry scoring ANYTIME rather than the Arse getting a result.

Hopefully I'm wrong and you can all post "told ya so" comments on Saturday night eh?

Good luck all.

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Liverpool to be milked as a "cash-cow" ?

Dubai International Capital, the investment company behind the proposed takeover of Liverpool, are reportedly already planning to sell the club in seven years time having made a huge profit from their ownership of the Anfield club.

According to The Daily Telegraph, "DIC see their investment in Liverpool as purely a business deal built round the new stadium Liverpool are planning at Stanley Park. When they sell in seven years time they are hoping to make a huge profit, providing a return of around 25 per cent on their investment for every year of ownership. There appear to be no plans to invest in new players."

The newspaper claims to have seen a confidential document circulated among possible investors in order to persuade them to join a consortium and that DIC plan to borrow around £300million of the £450million required to buy Liverpool and are actively pursuing new partners.

----

To me - this seems to be the death knell of the football model as we know it in Europe. And seems to be one step away from franchising "Liverpool FC" and taking them anywhere at all.

Why not just be done with it and rename them the Liverpool Shieks and they can play the Manchester Rowdies for the "Soccer SuperBowl" somewhere in Arabia or Asia and play a whole round of meaningless "exhibition" games all year round.

While there is a lot of money in football - it is not a business! Companies do not attract loyalty and a following like football clubs do. This whole "super-owner" thing is going to end in tears ... eventually.

The English FA, or UEFA, or FIFA need to put an end to these deals - or the competitive fabric of football is gongi to be permenantly damaged.

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Carling Cup - Liverpool v Arsenal Postponed

Ref Martin Atkinson's made the decision to postpone Liverpool's Carling Cup tie with Arsenal.

Yorkshire official Atkinson felt foggy conditions at Anfield on Tuesday night left him little option but to call off the quarter-final.

Both Reds manager Benitez and Gunners counterpart Arsene Wenger wanted to play and Atkinson said he did all he could to keep the match on, but felt the conditions could compromise safety.

"We are all disappointed the game could not go ahead," said Atkinson. "It's a massive game and from an official's point of view we want to be officiating.

"From the situation, we can't do that. For us to start the game and then have an assistant not being able to see an offside decision would bring the game into a farce."

Wenger admitted he had been keen to see how his side, which was to have included a number of fringe players, would cope against an expected stronger hosts' line-up.

"It's very much disappointing because the young players had a good opportunity to play tonight," he told Radio Five Live. "We had a good mixture of experienced and young players and I think it would have been very interesting."

Wenger said he would have happily played the match on Wednesday night but there was not enough time to put everything in place."It is impossible in 24 hours to rearrange a game," he added.

Anfield stadium manager Ged Poynton explained: "You need 10 days' notice minimum to inform Merseyside Police for their requirements."

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