Bookies Blog

The second round of the Champions League is the betting highlight of the week, but at bookies.com we are licking our lips in prospect of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday. It pays to follow our betting advice: 125/1 shot Timo Glock was one place away from a podium finish, whilst 3/1 Massa grabbed pole and was matched at 1.45 on Betfair before a pit-stop error cost him the race.

When searching for the best bets of mid-week football action, we want to consider the teams’ recent domestic form, as well as their European form. On Tuesday there are some extremely one sided encounters, which I will be steering clear of.

The odds suggest that 2/5 Juventus will walk all over BATE Borisov, but I believe it will be a much tighter affair. Juve were fortunate to pick up 3 points against Zenit in their opening match, as they were let off by poor Russian finishing. This weekend the Italian outfit were held to a 0-0 at lowly Sampdoria, who are winless in this season’s Serie A campaign. Borisov however, can take heart from their 2-0 defeat in the Bernabeu and have a decent defensive record, having conceded only 16 goals in 23 domestic matches. The draw is currently a tempting 10/3 with Bet365.

Real Madrid struggled at the hands of Real Betis this weekend, needing a last minute Ruud van Nistelrooy winner. Even though Madrid dominated Borisov in the opening match of the Champions League with 69% possession and 29 shots, I will be having a small win bet on Zenit, 15/8 with Stan James. If the Zenit players can fulfil their talent on the main stage, they can still qualify from this trappy group.

The big Tuesday bet is the feature match on the coupon: Bayern Munich against Lyon. Bayern suffered their second successive Bundesliga defeat at the hands of Hanover on Saturday. Although the German champions rested some key players the team manager has said, “I do not believe that this defeat had something to do with rotation.” Worrying signs for a team priced at 4/5, whose goalkeeper is enduring a shocking spell. Bayern will have to rely on Franck Ribery, who has only made two appearances as a substitute since Euro 2008.

Lyon, on the other hand, are in devastating form, and are seemingly strolling towards their eighth Ligue 1 title in a row. They have adequate cover for injured defender Fabio Grosso, and should welcome Juninho and Govou back into the starting XI. Karim Benzema is also fit to play, and could find himself in amongst the goals once more. Therefore I will be backing Lyon to beat Bayern at 7/2 with Sky Bet – hoping that they don’t settle for a draw as they drew with Fiorentina in the first matchday.

Recommendation:

1pt at 10/3 The Draw between BATE Borisov and Juventus

2pts at 15/8 Zenit to beat Real Madrid

2pts 7/2 Lyon to beat Bayern Munich

2pts 9/4 Lyon Draw No Bet

bookies.com compares the odds for all of this week’s Champions League action - make sure you do your research before placing your bet:

BATE Borisov v Juventus

Zenit v Real Madrid

Bayern Munich v Lyon

Champions League Winner

Top Goalscorer

The first practice session for Sunday’s inaugural night time grand prix in Singapore saw Hamilton set the fastest lap time, but only narrowly ahead of his main rival, Felipe Massa. We cannot draw too many conclusions about the grand prix as of yet, and the fact that it is the first to take place under flood lights means we have little to go on from a punting aspect.

Lewis Hamilton is generally priced at 6/4 to win the Singapore Grand Prix, but I shall be taking on the favourite. With limited opportunities for overtaking, pole position will be crucial. You could back whoever has pole on Sunday morning, but the odds will be prohibitive. Ferrari have been much more competitive at tracks with high temperatures and have used soft tyres effectively.

Therefore I am looking towards Massa, a tasty 3/1 with William Hill, to win. He is the form pick, having won 2 out of his last 3 races. Furthermore, he would’ve won the Hungarian GP had it not been for an engine failure. Hamilton has been hit by 3 steward’s decision this season, and has failed to respond with a podium finish in any of the next races.

Let’s quickly have a look at the Asian form. Hamilton has failed to secure a podium finish in either of the two Asian GPs this season, Bahrain and Malaysia. Perhaps Robert Kubica is the value, having finished 2^nd and 3^rd. We all remember how Hamilton lost momentum in his title challenge last year as the season wore on, so it would not be a surprise to see Massa overtake him in the standings this weekend.

For those looking for an each way selection, I have already mentioned Kubica who is 23/1 in the winner’s market – remember a podium finish pays out 1/5 of the odds. Timo Glock is a massive 125/1 to win the race, but I’ll be taking the 11/8 offered by Paddy Power for him to finish in the points.  Toyota have experience in night racing from the Le Mans 24 Hours, and Glock was Rookie of the Year in the 2005 Champ Car series.

Recommendation:

3pts at 3/1 Massa to win the Singapore GP

2pts at 11/8 Glock to finish in the points

 bookies.com compares the odds across a range of bookmakers, ensuring that you’ll always get the best value:

Winning Driver

Winning Constructor

Qualifying

Points Finish

Fastest Lap

Safety Car

Following the 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the correct score having been tipped by this blog, Arsenal were cut from 6/1 to 5/1 in the title market. Wenger’s youngsters routed Sheffield United 6-0 last night in the Carling Cup; the bookmakers were evidently impressed and now the best price we can find on bookies.com is 9/2 with most firms. I am surprised that Arsenal are only 5/6 to win the Premier League w/o Chelsea and Man U - I’d rate their chance at 1/2. My preference for the title is still Chelsea, although I cannot back them at such a short price (6/5) when the top end of the table will be just as competitive as the bottom end this season.

Manchester City had a 6-0 home win of their own against Portsmouth on Sunday, meaning that they were cut from 100/1 into 66/1 (Skybet). The team ran riot with a scintillating display, and fans have every reason to be optimistic. The current squad doesn’t look strong enough to break into the Top 4 just yet, but may be supplemented with some star signings in the January transfer window. With the help of their dazzling Brazilians, I like the 5/2 offered by Betfred for City to win the Premier League without the Big 4.

Juande Ramos is now as short as 7/2 to be the next manager to pack his bags. At the start of this season, there were some that thought that Spurs could break into the Top 4. Since then, the team has failed to gel, and finds itself in the unenviable 20th place, having failed to notch a victory in 5 matches. Tottenham must bounce back tonight in the Carling Cup against Newcastle, otherwise Ramos’ odds will continue to shorten.

Elsewhere there has been a monster gamble on Terry Venables to become the next Newcastle manager. Reports suggest that money started pouring in a 10.30 this morning, meaning that SkyBet have cut the odds from 33/1 into 2/1. Apparently Venables turned down the job on Sunday - this market is too dangerous to get to involved in. VC Bet are offering 7/2 for ‘El Tel’, but Keegan is still the 2/1 favourite.

Recommendation:
5pts at 5/2 Manchester City to win the Premier League w/o Top 4

Remember to scan the markets available on bookies.com before placing a bet:

Premier League Winner

Next Newcastle Manager

Relegation

Top Goalscorer

Premier League Winner w/o Big 4

bookies.com’s resident blogger was at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to watch Chelsea dominate proceedings against Bordeaux. The home side never really hit top gear, but were a class apart from their French counterparts. Manchester United, however, were held to a bore draw by Spanish outfit Villarreal.

It’s not just the European form that points in Chelsea’s favour, Manchester United have only managed to score 5 goals in their last 8 games, and find themselves 14th in the table – albeit with a game in hand. Chelsea are cruising at the top of the league, and are worthy 5/4 favourites for this crunch match.

Chelsea have been boosted by their successful appeal of Terry’s red card, Drogba is set to take part but the real question mark is over Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation. Ronaldo looked promising on Wednesday, and I’d expect him to at least be used as a substitute. With doubts over Ronaldo and Berbatov starting the match, I can’t be tempted by the 8/1 on offer for either to score first. Chelsea have scored first in the last seven games, so I’m more interested with Lampard and Anelka, 9/1 and 7/1 respectively with Ladbrokes.

Chelsea haven’t lost in 25 league games, and with United’s dismal display against Liverpool, I cannot see United winning this, especially with Vidic suspended. Chelsea have led Man U in five of the last six encounters at Stamford Bridge and I hope they can buck the trend. The choice of bet is between Chelsea to be winning at both HT and FT (3/1 with Ladbrokes) or Chelsea to win the first half at 2/1 with Betfred. I will cover myself with the 1-1 scoreline at 11/2, currently available with a number of firms.

Recommendation:
5pts at 2/1 Chelsea to win First Half
1pt at 11/2 1-1 Correct Score
½ pt at 9/1 Lampard to score first
½ pt at 7/1 Anelka to score first

Check out all the Chelsea - Man Utd odds at bookies.com :

Match Result

Correct Score

Half-time result

First goalscorer

Many more markets are available for this match

On August 29^th this year, John McCain took a gamble of his own in announcing the then unknown Sarah Palin as his running mate. The Alaska governor has roused the Republican core, and is seeking to attract female voters, particularly Clinton supporters. Never mind stories about her private life - a recent poll has shown her to be more popular than Obama, McCain and Biden, with a favourability rating of 58%.

Following the “Palin Bounce”, the presidential race is now neck and neck:

Gallup: Obama 47%, McCain 45%

Diageo/Hotline: Obama 45%, McCain 42%

Research 2000: Obama 48%, McCain 44%

Rasmussen Reports: McCain 48%, Obama 47%

The different methods employed by pollsters and conflicting results leaves the punter feeling confused. All the information that we can derive from these results is that the November 4 election will be a tight one. The betting suggests otherwise, with Obama best priced at 4/6 to win the Presidential Election with Hills and Paddy Power. McCain is currently available at 7/5 to back with Ladbrokes.

Odds historically do a better job than polls as political barometers. Despite the 2000 election being close to a dead heat, the winner, George Bush, was a 4/7 favourite. The pendulum appears to have swung back in Obama’s favour.

Even though I don’t often bet at odds-on, I’m more than happy with 4/6 for Obama. I believe that his odds will shorten in the future as the electorate tires of Sarah Palin. Furthermore, the current economic climate could help Obama. For a start his party aren’t presiding over a recession, and secondly he has made a consistent case for tighter regulation. Never mind my personal views on the free market; I’m taking a betting angle.

Recommendation:

6pts at 4/6 Obama to be next U.S. President

Check out all the Presidential Election odds with bookies.com and remember to check this blog for more updates before November 4.

Nike are the 3/1 favourites to take over Manchester United’s shirt sponsorship after the near collapse of current sponsor AIG.

The American insurance giant (or should that be pygmy?) has had to be rescued by the US Treasury in a $80 billion bail out and it seems unlikely that the American taxpayer will want to meet the Old Trafford shirt bill in future seasons.

Ladbrokes make Vodafone the 4/1 second favourites, followed by Saudi Telecom at 5/1. Spurs sponsor Mansion are offererd at a silly price of 6/1 (they’ve learned the lesson that shirt sponsorship does not work well for online bookies) and Budweiser are offered at 8/1.

Here at Bookies Blog Towers, we reckon Nike is a solid price at 3/1 but we think it might be worth enquiring about odds on Puma or Adidas taking over. Both are engaged in a huge global growth programme and could be genuinely interested in getting their names on the Red Devil’s shirts.

The 37th edition of the Ryder Cup gets under way at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, this weekend. The European team have arrived as worthy favourites, aiming to retain the trophy for the fourth consecutive time. Europe’s recent dominance in the competition means that Paddy Power is the only firm offering odds-against at 21/20.

Nevertheless, Team USA will be led by two golfing veterans, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson and will be buoyed on by the home advantage. The Americans may have six rookies in their team, but they shouldn’t be underestimated, especially with exciting young talents such as Anthony Kim. They are currently available to back at 13/10 with Sky Bet, with the tie at 12/1 with the same firm.

Europe has scored thirteen or more in each of the last 12 Ryder Cups, and look a safe bet to triumph again this year. Sergio Garcia has a cracking 14-4-2 overall record in his 4 Ryder Cups and looks set for a huge performance. Very much a team player, Garcia is decent enough value at 15/2 with Coral to be top points scorer. He is certainly the player in form, finishing in the top 20 in his last 4 PGA tournaments and has never lost in eight alternate-shot matches. He “just loves the Ryder Cup” and let’s hope that he comes up with the goods. He is difficult to oppose, but some punters may prefer the chances of Padraig Harrington, who was chosen by Faldo over both Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke.

Phil Mickelson’s Ryder Cup record of 9-12-4 is offputting from a betting point of view, whilst Furyk reads 6-12-2. With 6 players making their Ryder Cup debuts for Team USA in Valhalla, the duo will have to perform better if America is to have any chance of snatching the trophy. Kenny Perry has had a brilliant PGA season, but it may be worth siding with Anthony Kim to finish as the top American. Kim has drawn comparisons with Woods, but is likely to be a better team player.

Recommendation:

3pts at 21/20 Europe to win Ryder Cup 2008

1pt at 15/2 Sergio Garcia to be Top Points Scorer

1pt at 13/2 Anthony Kim to be Top American

Check out all the Ryder Cup betting at bookies.com:

Ryder Cup winner betting

Top American player betting

Top European player betting

Top Points Scorer betting