Saturday FA Cup picks

It is FA Cup weekened again and there is no shortage of excitement around the big Manchester United versus Liverpool game tomorrow. Personal opinion is Liverpool will get drilled but who knows, maybe they pull a rabbit out of the hat.

For today I've made the following picks:

Blackburn to beat QPR
Fulham to beat Peterborough
Everton to beat Scunthorpe
Arsenal to beat Leeds (no repeat of 2010 heroics methinks)
Aston Villa to be Sheffield United (although they sure as hell better than they played against Sunderland!)

Will post my Sunday picks later in the day.

If you haven’t opened an account yet you can sign up at Sportingbet by clicking HERE or by visiting Voltbet.com

Inter Milan, Espanyol and Real Madrid tonight

Inter Milan are in action tonight with Leonardo taking charge in a tricky fixture against Napoli.

Three bets which appeal to me tonight and I have taken them in a trixie combination:

• Inter Milan to beat Napoli
• Espanyol to beat Atletico Madrid
• Real Madrid to beat Levante

I have also doubled up with individual outright bets on Inter and Real Madrid.

If you haven't opened an account yet you can sign up at Sportingbet by clicking HERE or by visiting Voltbet.com

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Saturday soccer punts!

So another weekend of football is here before things start winding down for the festive season. A last chance to make a few bucks.

I finally got around to open an account with Voltbet.com and was surfing around for something which offered a bit of value for punters.

The only international soccer bet which really jumps out at me is Spurs playing host to Chelsea and favouring the home side for a win.

Chelsea are going through a shocking run of form and just don't look like a team which is gelling. Spurs on the other hand appear to be riding high on self belief.

Voltbet are offering me 18/10 on Spurs which I think are tasty odds.

On the domestic front I am backing Kaizer Chiefs to beat Free State Stars but I think it should be a really entertaining game.

Happy punting.

English Premiership is here!

Well the English Premiership is finally back in action this weekend and we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the betting especially with some world cup performances still fresh in our minds:

Chelsea and Manchester United remain the favorites and big-spending Man city are also proving surprisingly popular despite an average 2009 season.

Here is the pre-season betting as listed on World Sports Betting:

Last 16 - First match picks

And now we get to the business end of the World Cup as we move into the last 16.

First up we have Uruguay taking on South Korea and even though Uruguay is probably not particularly popular with the South African fans, I can't see them losing today.

We've backed

• Uruguay to win 2-0 - 7/1 odds


• First goal scorer - Diego Forlan - 7/2

In the second match up we're expecting the US to beat Ghana even though the bookies seem to think Ghana are perhaps slight favourites.

Scoreline wise we're expecting the US to win either 1-0 (6/1) or 2-0 (12/1) with Landon Donovan being the first goal-scorer.

USA USA USA USA USA!

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US to surprise England tonight

Probably not a very popular pick but I reckon that the US is going to upset England in Rustenburg tonight.

I've put money down on:

The US winning (6/1)
1/0 US - 15/1
2/0 US - 35/1
2/1 US - 22/1

(Odds supplied by World Sports Betting)

The US has a BIG supporter contingent out here in South Africa and when they were for the Confed Cup last year they were full of running and skill and they pushed a lot of teams hard in getting to the final. They knocked out the World Cup favourities Spain (2:0) and they ran hard at Brazil taking a 2:0 lead before going down 2:3.

This US side can play and don't be surprised if they upset the applecart tonight especially when you consider that England have not had the best preparation for this tournament.

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World Cup betting updated

There are four days to go until the Fifa 2010 World Cup kicks off and already we have had high drama. Rio Ferdinand and Didier Drogba are out and believe it or not Bafana Bafana are even winning games.

Betting wise there have been some shifts. Here are the latest from World Sports Betting:

Spain - 4/1
Brazil - 9/2
England - 6/1
Argentina - 13/2
Holland - 8/1 (a lot of money has come in here in the last few days)
Germany - 12/1
Italy - 14/1
France - 18/1
Portugal - 25/1
Ivory Coast - 45/1
Serbia - 66/1
Mexico - 70/1
Chile - 75/1
USA - 75/1

Apart from my patriotic pick of Bafana Bafana at 100/1 my other outside bet was Australia - 125/1 otherwise I'm pretty sure Brazil will do the business.

The other two outside punts that look like they offer half decent value are Germany and maybe Chile?

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EPL picks

Another big weekend of Premiership soccer is here with the Arsenal vs. Manchester United game likely to be a season -defining moment for these two powerhouses.

It has been a good premiership season with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all pushing eachother hard – been quite enjoyable from a punters perspective as well with some nice upsets and some really competitive fixtures.

I’m slightly in favour of Manchester United but its tough to rule out home-ground advantage for The Gunners. We’re calling either 1-1 or 1-2 to United

Here are our picks for the weekend:

Saturday fixtures
Birmingham vs Tottenham – Draw (1-1)
Fulham vs Aston Villa – 0-1 or 0-2 to Villa
Hull vs Wolves – 1-0 to Wolves
Liverpool vs Bolton – 2-0 or 3-0 to Liverpool
West Ham vs Blackburn – 1-0 West Ham
Wigan vs Everton – 1-1 or 1-2
Burnley vs Chelsea – 0-2 or 0-3 to Chelsea

Sunday Fixtures
Man City vs Portsmouth – 1-1
Arsenal vs Manchester United – 1-1 or 1-2 to United
Sunderland vs Stoke – 1-1

Champions League predictions

Tuesday UEFA Champions League fixtures this evening. Below are our predictions:

• AC Milan vs Real Madrid - AC Milan to win 2-0 / 2-1
• Apoel Nicosia vs. FC Porto - Porto to win 2-0 / 3-0
• Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea - Draw 1-1
• Bayern Munich vs. Bordeaux - Bayern to win 1-0 / 2-0
• Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus - Juventus to win 2-0 / 3-0
• Man Utd vs CSK Moscow - Man Utd to win 3-0 / 3-1
• Marseille vs. FC Zurich - Marseille to win 1-0
• Rubin Kazan vs. FC Barcelona - Barca to win 3-0

International soccer games

There are a couple of very interesting international soccer friendlies on the go this evening including our own Bafana Bafana.

Some tricky match ups - here are my predictions.

England vs Slovenia
I don't think you can look beyond England here. They have it all in their favour and even though I don't like backing the Poms in anything I have put a few bucks down on them winning 2-0 and 3-0.

Germany vs. South Africa
This is one of those bets you place with your heart not your head but I am quite bullish on the chances for the South African boys. World Sports Betting is giving 4.5/1 for a draw and 10/1 on a South African win and I thought that neither of those are a bad bet to take.

I've then spread a few bucks around on the following "Correct score" bets:

2-0 (Germany) - 5/1
1-1 - 10/1
1-2 (In favour of South Africa) - 28/1

Holland vs Japan
I am indifferent on both these teams at the moment and maybe for a cheap and nasty punt I would put some money on Japan but nothing really jumps out at me

South Korea vs Australia
Australia being quoted at 2/1 to win seems like a pretty safe bet here.

Saturday Picks - Absa Premierhsip

The 2009 Absa Premiership kicks off again this weeekend and we take a look at our picks for the Saturday games.

• Sundowns vs. Black Aces - Sundowns to win 3-0
• Ajax Cape Town vs. Orlando Pirate - Ajax to win 1-0
• Amazulu vs. Wits - Wits to win 2-0
• Kaizer Chiefs vs Santos - Chiefs to win 2-0

Obviously it is the start of the season so it is tough to weigh up the sides so it will be an interesting Saturday

Should Beckham give it all up and return home?

By Tom Mallows

He said he would never go back, but this week David Beckham did an about turn and left the door ajar for a possible return to the Premier League

It is perhaps no surprise his comments have come in the wake of the frosty reception he received upon his return to the L.A Galaxy after his brief sojourn with A.C. Milan.
I have to admit I feel some of the criticism of Becks has been a bit harsh, especially as other players chose to play in Europe during the MLS break – Landon Donovan being one of them. But I can understand American ‘soccer’ fans' frustrations.

The MLS and all of its previous guises has seen European players cross the Atlantic to finish off their career with a nice pay cheque, with little effort in return. That was fine a few years ago, but as football searches for credibility within U.S. sport, fans have become tired of half hearted performances from over-paid European stars.

As far as Beckham is concerned I think things changed when Steve McClaren recalled him to the England squad. Don’t forget when Becks signed his deal with the Galaxy he was out of both the England and Real Madrid sides. A semi-retirement in L.A. looked a decent option then.
But once back in the international fold a fourth World Cup appearance suddenly seemed an option. The passion for playing for his country is one of Beckham’s defining characteristics and it seems a good international football bet that he would do anything to keep on playing for the Three Lions. That includes playing all year round across two continents.

Beckham has publicly assured us that he is committed to his role as an ambassador to the MLS; well of course he is going to say that. But I can't help thinking he regretted moving to the US the day he returned to the England fold and realised he still had something to offer the highest level of football. Fabio Capello has already stated he believes Beckham should return to Europe in order to preserve his England chances, I wouldn’t bet against that happening before the year is out.

North Korea qualification to spice up the World Cup

By Tom Mallows:

So they have done it, no not tested nuclear weapons (though they have done that as well but that’s not what I’m talking about), North Korea have qualified for their first World Cup since 1966.

Ironically that tournament was probably the last time the country was seen in a positive light by much of the Western world. They were plucky underdogs who came away with a shock 1-0 win over Italy at Middlesbrough’s Ayresome Park before surging into a 3-0 half time lead over Eusebio’s Portugal at Goodison Park, only to collapse in the second and lose 5-3.

But since then it has been tales of domestic oppression, nuclear weapons and one of George Bush’s famous ‘axis of evil’.

Unfortunately football and politics don’t really mix, and as much as the North Korean side will look to concentrate on their football at the tournament in South Africa next year, the political undertones from both sides will always bubble to the surface – can you imagine if the USA are drawn in their group? Football betting on that one would be interesting!

The qualification has all the hallmarks of one achieved through the influence of a dictator. They train like a military platoon, running themselves into the ground. Because of that they will become one of the fittest teams at the tournament with a high stamina rate, constantly hustling and harrying away at the opposition. This sort of high tempo game is usually only effective for certain parts of games before you become worn out. However the military training has allowed the team to play this type of game for the full 90, and it has reaped dividends.

Champions League Picks from Sports Trader

The world's greatest football clubs lineup for the next round of the Champions League and Sports Trader has made its predictions for the 4 / 5 November rounds.

The Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid game is going to be an intriguing match up.

Liverpool are playing great football at the moment, but with marksman Fernando Torres expected to miss this game, there are going to be some tough questions asked of their attack. With a couple of close games in recent weeks and the rather surprising loss to Spurs on the weekend, we are calling a draw.

Roma vs Chelsea is another big game - more specifically for Chelsea. We're expecting Chelsea to do the business here, despite the travelling.

If you are looking to go high on the goalscoring front then look to either the Barcelona or Inter Milan games.

4 November 2008
Roma v Chelsea - Chelsea win
CFR Cluj-Napoca v Bordeaux - Draw
Werder Bremen v Panathinaikos - Werder Bremen win
Anorthosis Famagusta v Inter
Milan - Inter Milan win
Barcelona v Basle - Barcelona win
Sporting v Shakhtar Donetsk - Sporting Win
Marseille v PSV - Marseille win
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid - Draw

For the 5th of November games, we're not putting a hell of a lot of faith in the English clubs.

We're going long Celtic for a win against Manchester United and Fenerbahce to hold Arsenal to a draw.

Picking a high-scorer was tough but we're going long on Bayern Munich to do the deed and rack up a big score against Fiorentina.

Real Madrid v Juventus - Real Madrid - Win

Celtic v Man Utd - Celtic win
Fiorentina v Bayern Munich - Bayern Munich win
AaB v Villarreal - Villarreal win
Lyon v Steaua Bucurest - Draw
Arsenal v Fenerbahce - Draw
Dynamo Kiev v FC Porto - FC Porto win
BATE v Zenit St Petersburg - Zenit St Petersburg win

Good luck punters