Chelsea short price to win EPL title after Manchester Utd stumble

UK bookmaker Betfred make Chelsea the 8/15 favourites to win this season's Premier League after moving four points clear of nearest challengers Manchester United.

Chelsea won 2-0 at struggling Wolves in their 3pm kick-off - taking full advantage of the Man United's lunchtime defeat at Everton.

United are now at 9/4 at BetFred to retain the title ahead of their home fixture against West Ham on Tuesday night.

Third-place Arsenal moved to 55 points - two points behind United - after a 2-0 win at home to Sunderland. With 11 games left to play the Gunners are now a 13/2 chance at BetFred to win their first league title in six years.

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Chelsea are Carling Cup favourites after a kind quarter-final draw

Chelsea will travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn, who they thrashed 5-0 in the Premier League recently.

Chelsea are into 7/4 (3.75) at Bodog, which puts them ahead of Manchester United who are at 4/1 (5.00) at Betfred and Manchester City who are 5/1 (6.00) chances at Ladbrokes after receiving tougher home draws.

Holders Manchester United will take on Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in a repeat of last season's final which the Red Devils won on penalties, while Manchester City also face north London opposition in the shape of Arsenal.

Arsenal are priced at (6/1) 7.00 at Bet365, while Tottenham are out to 7/1 (8.00) at VCBet as both North London sides lengthened after drawn to away ties.

The remaining Carling Cup quarter-final tie in an all-Premier League draw sees Portsmouth host Aston Villa at Fratton Park and that has Villa priced at 10/1 (11.00) at Bodog and Portsmouth 25/1 (26.000 at VCBet.

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Chelsea new Champions League favourites after AC milan stun Real Madrid

Chelsea are as short as 7/2 (4.50) for Champions League glory following their 4-0 mauling of Atletico Madrid replacing previous favourites Real Madrid who slipped to a shock 3-2 defeat at home to AC Milan.

Real Madrid had been voerall favourites after winning their opening two games but they let a 1-0 lead slip against the Italians at the Bernabeu, with young Brazilian striker Pato firing home the winner for AC Milan with two minutes remaining.

Real Madrid are out to 6/1 (7.00) with Betfred while Chelsea have been chopped into 7/2 (4.5) by the same firm after making short work of struggling Atletico.

The Blues maintained their 100% record in Group D thanks to two goals from Salomon Kalou, one from Frank Lampard and a stoppage-time own goal from Luis Perea.

Holders Barcelona remain tied as favourites at a general 7/2 despite the Catalans' shock 2-1 home defeat to Rubin Kazan on Tuesday.

Manchester United are no bigger than 7/1 (8.00) fourth best with bet365 after they edged to a 1-0 victory away to CSKA Moscow.

Antonio Valencia grabbed the vital goal from close range with four minutes remaining to take the Red Devils' tally to nine points from three games.

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Liverpool's title hopes sinking already - according to the bookmakers

Liverpool are out to 8/1 with Betfred to win the Premier League title following their 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa on Monday night.

That makes it two defeats in three games for Rafa Benitez's Reds and leaves them six points off the pace already.

Liverpool are now fourth-favourites for the title, having slipped below in-form Arsenal, 11/2 (6.50) at PinnacleSports.

Chelsea remain favourites following a 2-0 win at London rivals Fulham on Sunday while Manchester United strengthened after bouncing back from defeat at Burnley to beat Wigan 5-0.

Tottenham are on top the table after battling back to win 2-1 against West Ham on Sunday and Spurs are now as short as 25/1 in places while you can still get 45/1 (46.00) at PinnacleSports.

Best online prices to win the Premier League title are :
2.50 Chelsea at PinnacleSports
4.50 Manchester United at PinnacleSports
6.50 Arsenal at PinnacleSports
9.00 Liverpool at Betfred
15.00 Manchester City at Ladbrokes
46.00 Tottenham at PinnacleSports
201.00 Aston Villa at Bet365
501.00 Everton at Bet365

(compilied by BookieLabrat's Online Premier League Betting Odds)

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Barcelona v Real Madrid - Special bets

Real Madrid visit bitter rivals Barcelona on Satueday evening with their new coach Juande Ramos and Betfred have priced up a number of special bets on "El Classico".

Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has been enduring a torrid time this season and two markets have been opened up for punters who think he might have a tough time :

"Casillas Catastrophe 1" is for Barcelona to score four or more goals, which they have done on an incredible nine occasions already this season, and the Betfred price for that to happen again is 11/2.

"Casillas Catastrophe 2" is for the goalkeeper to commit a foul that results in a penalty and that eventuality is a 7/1 chance at BetFred.

You can also bet on whether Real Madrid will have a player sent off in the match and it's 7/2 that the visitors are reduced to 10 men, as they were against Sevilla last weekend when Arjen Robben’s red card meant he misses this match.

Betfred spokesman Jon Wilde said: "Bernd Schuster's last act as Real coach was to say he didn't think the Galacticos could win in the Nou Camp and it could be a long 90 minutes for Real.

"Casillas is expected to return to the side after seeing his understudy Jerzy Dudek keep a clean sheet against Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League, but he will need to improve on his poor form in such a big game."

Check out all the options at BetFred Bookmakers.

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BetFred backs down after Liverpool fans take him on.

Betfred have been forced to cut Liverpool's odds for next season's Premier League title back to 7/1 after the club's fans took full advantage of the 8/1 on offer with the Warrington firm.

Bookmaker Fred Done pushed out the Reds following their £20.3m signing of Robbie Keane in his belief that the Republic of Ireland striker is not the answer as Rafael Benitez aims to end Liverpool's 18 years without a league championship triumph.

(see our original blog post Fred says Liverpool have little chance )

And the Koppites certainly took up Fred’s offer to back their side with him, entering Betfred shops in their droves to build up liabilities of nearly £200,000 for the world's biggest independent bookie on a Liverpool title win.

That was enough for BetFred to cry enough and cut the price. Still - it's that willingness to make a headline that makes Fred an interesting bookmaker eh?

Click to visit BetFred - and take on the UK's largest independant bookmaker.

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Betfred says Liverpool have little chance in the league

Manchester based bookmaker Fred Done has again thrown down the gauntlet to his football arch-rivals from Merseyside by pushing Liverpool out to 8/1 to win the 2008-09 Premier League title.

Done is encouraging the 'Scousers' to back their team with his company Betfred at the biggest price available, so confident is he that the Reds' spell without a championship victory will stretch to 19 years even though they have just splashed out £20.3million on striker Robbie Keane.

Done, a huge Manchester United fan and official bookmaker of the Old Trafford club, said: "Punters know I'm always happy to take on Liverpool, more so now than ever because I don't believe they have anything like what will be needed to win the title next term.

"I think paying £20.3million for Robbie Keane is a waste of money because I can’t see it working with him and Fernando Torres in the same team. Liverpool were clearly fourth best last season and I don't see how their signings this summer will improve them all that much."

Done envisages a third consecutive Premier League crown for his beloved United and believes the domestic and European champions can only build on their fantastic 2007-08 campaign.

"I agree with Sir Alex Ferguson that Chelsea are unlikely to improve much, while Arsenal have lost some key players," he said.

"I can only see it being an 18th title for United, which would put them level with Liverpool. But if the Scousers disagree, I urge them to put their red shirt on, walk into one of my shops and back their team with me at 8/1."

So - if you're a Liverpool fan and you think that Mr Done is full of **** then get along to Betfred and have a punt

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Win a chance to play at Old Trafford !

Attention ManYoo fans - ten lucky BetFred.com punters will win a spot for a dream day out at Old Trafford.

Betfred Bookmaker has teamed up with Manchester United to offer a fantastic prize to ten lucky BetFred.com punters. To enter this free competition you just need to click the link on the BetFred web site and answer an easy question (a "who scored this goal?" photo quiz - below).

If you’re one of BetFred’s 10 lucky winners, you and a friend will be invited to Old Trafford on Friday 9 May to take part in a dream event for any United fan!

Change in the player dressing rooms! Make your way down the tunnel and out onto the pitch. Show off your skills and learn some new ones with the coaches from Manchester United Soccer Schools.

You’ll also meet some United legends, go on a tour of the stadium and enjoy a post match meal before you head home.

All you need to do to win this fantastic prize is take a look at the picture above and answer the following question:

Who scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999?

A. David Beckham
B. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
C. Ronny Johnsen

click the link to go to the BetFred web site
Then click on the visit site link
And follow the link at the top of the BetFred page

Good luck!

My thanks to the guys at BookieLabrat.com for spotting this promo and for also remembering that I scored one of these a few years back for Arsenal at Highbury.



(that's me - 4th from the right in the back row)

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Bookmaker Cashback offers

Make sure that you're aware of all the bookmaker cash-back offers this wekeend if you are placing a single on a high profile game.

The principal is simple - the high street bookmakers are fighting for your bet stake - so they offer several sweeteners on televised games in order to attract your custom.

These usually offer to refund your stakes if certain conditions are met during the game, like a player scoring the last goal, or being sent off, or perhaps even scoring via a header.

Last weekend BETFRED paid out over £20,000 in free bets after William Gallas headed the winner against Chelsea - so it's something well worth checking out.

We've found offers from Bet365, BoyleSports, BetFred, PaddyPower and VCBet that cover games like :
- Arsenal v Tottenham
- Manchester United v Everton
- Newcastle United v Derby County
- Blackburn v Chelsea
- Barcelona v Real Madrid

As well as offers giving insurance against 0-0 bore draws and also any injury time goals in ALL 10 English Premier League games this weekend.

That's insurance worth checking out !

HERE IS THE LINK TO OUR PAGE :
Gooners Guide to Gambling - Bookmaker Cash Back Page.

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FourPlay costs BetFred as punters get cashback.

It's always good to see a bookmaker cashback promotion payout - and that's what has happened over at Betfred this weekend.

Betfred were offering correct score refunds of up to GBP £100 if a side scored four goals or more on the weekend.

Man Utd 4-0 win means a refund for all correct score punters in this game at Betfred - and there must have been a few trying their luck at another 1-0 scoreline.

(see BookieLabrat.com for more info )

Mind you - Fred was lucky. It could have been a very expensive weekend with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Newcastle Utd all bagging three goals and coming close to a 4th on several occasions.

It's worth keeping and eye on the bookmakers for these special deals.

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Chelsea odds lengthen after another bore draw

Chelsea are out to 8.00 (7/1) at BetFred to win the English Premier League now after another 0-0 draw - this time with Fulham.

There were plenty of boos from the home crowd as the Blues trooped off from Stamford Bridge, and the news got even worse when it was revealed that John Terry suffered a fractured cheekbone and requires surgery.

Arsenal lead the league but are only second favourites at 3.50 (5/2) also at BetFred - after the Gunners claimed another victory with a 1-0 win thanks to a Robin Van Persie goal over West Ham at Upton Park.

Manchester United also grabbed a 1-0 win Birmingham after Cristiano Ronaldo pounced on a defensive error to grab the crucial goal. The Red Devils are now 2.50 (6/4) favourites at Ladbrokes to retain the title.

NEW MANAGER AT THE BRIDGE ?
Guus Hiddink is 7/4 favourite to be Chelsea boss on the first day of next season with imcumbant Avram Grant at 4/1 as is Marco van Basten, Jurgen Klinsmann at 6/1, and Didier Deschamps at 8/1.

RELATED LINKS :
You can get all the latest English Premier League betting odds from 15 bookmakers at BookieLabrat.com - they're compiled in real-time when you enter the page.

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The BetFred Insider Guide to Royal Ascot 2007

The showpiece event of the flat racing calendar returns this week and all eyes will be on the weather forecast as the ground may be softened by the many predicted showers during the week.

Day One of Royal Ascot sees the two most recent 2000 Guineas winners in action. Most recent winner, Cockney Rebel is a warm order to take the St James's Palace Stakes and it will be interesting to see if he confirms form with Dutch art who finished third against him at Newmarket when drawn on the "wrong side". Earlier in the card last year's 2000 Guineas winner, George Washington, returns to the racecourse following a less than successful stud career. He faces Cesare who boasts a 100% record at Ascot and won't mind any rain, as well as Red Evie who took the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month.

On Day Two it looks as though Dylan Thomas will go off favourite in the Prince Of Wales Stakes, although he faces tough competition from the likes of Manduro, Notnowcato and Red Rocks. Notnowcato has already defeated Dylan Thomas once this season and it is hard to knock his chances of confirming that form while Manduro looks like he has grown up over the winter and he has a great chance of scoring a victory for the French.

The Ascot Gold Cup takes place on Day Three and we have an odds-on favourite for the race in the form of last year's winner Yeats. This leaves plenty of room for each way wagers and Sergeant Cecil will be popular amongst the betting public, whilst Baddam is a lively outsider having won twice at last year's festival.

On Day Four Finsceal Beo will take on Darjina, the only horse to beat her in three group one races this season. The Coronation Stakes will be a fascinating rematch and Finsceal Beo should be able to reverse form if she has recovered from her early season exertions. The unbeaten Mi Emma from Germany is another filly who adds interest to this contest.

On the fifth and final day of Royal Ascot the Golden Jubilee is the feature race and it will be interesting to have seen how the Australian quartet got on in the Kings Stand on opening day. It is a very open race and the market is likely to receive a shake up depending on Tuesday's result but it looks as though Miss Andretti is going to be very hard to beat.

BETFRED SPECIAL ROYAL ASCOT OFFER

------------------------------------------------
Betfred are offering a free bet of up to GBP £50 for new customers during Royal Ascot (19th June - 23rd June inclusive).

Betfred also offer a cashback promotion on every Royal Ascot race, terms and conditions are as follows:

-This offer will pay-out each time Frankie Dettori rides the winning horse in a race at Royal Ascot 2007. Betfred will then refund losing, single stakes (win only) on the second place horse in that race.

-Losing stakes will be refunded in the form of a free bet which will be credited to the Betfred accounts bets by 2pm the following day.

- Refunds betwee GBP 1 to GBP 100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer per race and applies only to races at Royal Ascot between 19th and 23rd June 2007.

- Applies to call-centre and web bets only and Betfred Horse Racing rules apply.

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Three FA Cup Cash Back Betting Offers

FA CUP BETTING CASH BACK OFFERS

We've found three good cash back offers that you should consider if you're betting on the FA Cup this weekend, as it gives you a little bit of insurance if things do not go to plan.


(1) BETFRED - No Way Jose! (read more)
Get up to £100 (or currency equivalent) per customer back, if Chelsea win the game in extra time OR on penalties!!

A refund on all losing correct score, first/last goalscorer and scorecast single bets

(2) PADDY POWER - Too Close to Call (read more)
Get up to €300/£200 per customer back, if you back a team to win in 90 minutes and they fail to win in normal time and then lose on a penalty shootout

(3) VC BET - Don't pay the penalty (read more)
Losing Correct Score or First Goalscorer refunded to a Max of £100 per person if the match reaches a PENALTY SHOOT-OUT.

So there we have - three good offers open to ALL punters (both NEW and EXISTING) that might help you to stretch your punts a little further ...

Good luck.

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Choosing your first bookie

We get plenty of requests on the forum for recommendations on the "best bookie".

Now we do a lot of work in testing and ranking our favourite bookmakers and also in finding the best free bet offers but it's still a bit of work to match them up to each punter.

This depends a lot on what the person is looking for - and some of the criteria could be things like :

What is your Favourite Sports
European Football, American Football (NFL / NCAA), Tennis, Other sports.

What is your Preferred Competitions
Main Leagues Only = English Premier, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga (etc)
Minor Leagues as well = Turkish leagues, Australian league, Jpanese leagues, Lower divisions.

Which markets do you prefer ?
1x2 Betting, Handicaps and AH betting, Over/under or special bets.

Are other features important?
Ease of use, Money transfer options, Joining bonuses.

All these factors will go into finding the best bookmaker for your betting sport, style and league type and it does take a while to find the best bookie that matches to your type.

For most UK punters who are just start out betting online - we recommend four places that are safe, reliable, cover a lot of local games and styles and off a nice free joining bonus.

1) Bet365 = 92% (see Bet365 Review)
2) BetFred = 85% (see BetFred Review)
3) SportingOdds = 80% (see SportingOdds Review)
4) PaddyPower = 75% (see PaddyPower Review)

Depositing GBP 30-50 in each of these four bookies and playing it through will see you earn a series of bonuses (which is always nice) - and you'll get a feel of which of these bookies suits you best.

American and European punters will have slightly different tastes and requirements and will almost certainly prefer different books.

US punters seem to be happiest at :
1) PinnacleSports = 91% (see PinnacleSports Review)
2) CanBet = 77% (see CanBet Review)

And all US players are welcome at both these books - no state restrictions.

While European punters seem to prefer :
1) Bet365 = 92% (see Bet365 Review)
2) EuroBet = 78% (see Eurobet review)
3) Interwetten = 60% (see our Interwetten review)

So get in there and choose your first couple of bookies (it's always recomemnded to try at least 2-3 in order to compare what's best) and see how you find them with a small deposit.

Then you can continue on with your favourites - or come back and check the reviews in more detail - as you'll probably have a much better idea of what you're looking for in a bookie.

Good luck with your punting.

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