PartyBets Blog

Europa League Predictions: Fulham Hit The Big Time Against Juventus

Tom — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:15:54 +0000

Fulham’s over-achieving squad have been given an instant reward for knocking holders Shakhtar Donetsk out of the Europa League. Roy Hodgson takes his players back to Serie A where he once coached Inter Milan, to take on the best-supported club in Italy, Juventus.

The contrast in the European pedigree of the two clubs is stark- Juve are one of a handful of teams to win all three major European trophies and actually reached three Champions League Finals in succession from 1996-1998, such was their dominance.

Juve have appeared in nearly every season of European competition since it began in the 1950s. For Fulham this is just their second European campaign- the last one ended at the third round stage of the UEFA Cup in 2002/03, after the Cottagers came through the Intertoto Cup qualifiers. 2009/10 is their first direct entry to the main draw.

Individual Talent V Team Ethic

While Fulham are doing extremely well in the Premiership and have a number of internationals on their books, Juve- as ever- have some stellar names in their ranks. Six of Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning squad play their trade in Turin- they are supplemented by Brazilians like Diego, Felipe Melo and Amauri plus Davide Trezeguet, Christian Poulsen and Jonathan Zebina.

In theory Fulham should be easily outmatched and yet Juventus are not as good as the sum of their parts. They are only fifth in Serie A, having been beaten nine times in the league this year. That form cost Ciro Ferrara his job in January just as Claudio Ranieiri lost his position at the end of last season.

Juve have not quite been able to retain their former pre-eminence in Italy after their demotion to Serie B for match-fixing. Getting back up proved no problem but taking on the likes of the Milan clubs has been more difficult.

Hodgson’s Tactics Guarantee Close Game

Hodgson has few peers when it comes to setting up teams to stifle the opposition. There is every chance that the London club will come away from Turin with the tie still alive.

To hold the Italian side goalless would probably be asking too much- and Fulham have to play without their best midfielder Danny Murphy- but their well-drilled back four and hardworking forwards could keep the home side to a single score.

A scoring draw or even a single goal defeat would set the tie up for the second leg and open the possibility of a victory that would even surpass Fulham’s efforts against Shakhtar.

Fulham’s work ethic may well surprise and frustrate Juve. Expect the Italians to eventualy come out on top but it will not be the rampaging win that many have backed.

PartyBets.com Prediction: Juventus to win and under 2.5 goals scored at 2.50.

Tonight sees another seven Europa League fixtures as we get ever closer to the quarter finals.

Atletico Madrid (1.73) V Sporting Lisbon (4.50)

Hamburg (1.65) V Anderlecht (5.00)

Lille (2.80) V Liverpool (2.40)

Rubin Kazan (1.95) V Wolfsburg (3.75)

Benfica (1.95) V Marseille (3.75)

Panathinaikos (1.65) V Standard Liege (5.00)

Valencia (1.80) V Werder Bremen (4.00)

Bendtner The Champion’s League Hero! Whatever Next?

Tom — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:24:47 +0000

Nicklas Bendtner being described as a hero? Who would have thought that based on Saturday’s wasteful finishing? In fact, who would have thought that based on an entire season of wasteful finishing? Not Arsenal fans, that’s for sure!

But last night Nicklas Bendtner was being hailed as a hero as he netted a hat-trick to lead the Gunners to a 5-0 rampage over Portuguese opponents Porto.

Even the 60,000 crowd at the Emirates were happy with his performance – and that’s a rare occurrence considering his ongoing inability to bag the goals and win over the Arsenal faithful.

It’s true, his finishing leaves a lot to be desired most of the time, and he may need four or five great chances just to score one goal… but didn’t Andy Cole make a career out of just that?

Will Bendtner Solve Arsene’s Striking Woes?

Last night, Bendtner showed that he can be the talisman that Wenger has been searching for since the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor last summer.

And it’s no coincidence that his first senior hat-trick for Arsenal came on the back of a woeful display against Burnley on Saturday, in which he wasted at least five golden opportunities, two of them virtually open goals.

Bendtner has responded to the criticism and bounced back in the same way that Theo Walcott did against Burnley following a poor performance while on international duty the week before.

Is this a sign that Arsenal’s youngsters are finally coming of age? If it is, the Gunners have a great chance of capturing both the Premier League and Champions League this season.

Maybe Arsene was right after all.

Only A Matter Of Time Before He Came Good

Bendtner’s heroics didn’t come as a surprise to us though, in yesterday’s match Champion’s League prediction preview we stuck our necks out and backed the Dane to score and Arsenal to go on and win. I don’t know what it was but sometimes you just get that gut feeling that a player could be in for a fantastic night.

Bendtner would have been mortified after the weekend’s display but the lad has a huge amount of confidence and a lot to prove. Against a flashy yet spineless team like Porto, Bendtner was always likely to have plenty of oportunites to score.

The question was whether he would have the courage and composure to take those chances. Well, he certainly has and maybe now his critics will finally show him the respect he deserves.

We have two more Champion’s League fixture tonight featuring some of the greats of European football. We’ve got the lowdown in today’s champion’s League preview where we have backed both the Real Madrid and Man United to progress to the quarter-finals.

Champion’s League Predictions: Madrid And Man United To Qualify

Tom — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:33:00 +0000

The 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla on Saturday night which took Real Madrid back to the top of La Liga has sparked a huge expectation around the club and Real Madrid will be heading into this crucial second leg tie with Lyon full of confidence.

Real Madrid are desperate to reach this seasons final of the Champions League, which will be held in the Bernabeu.

As top goal scorers in La Liga and having a very strong home record there is the basis for optimism that Madrid can turn this tie around especially with the form of Cristiano Ronaldo (4.00 to score first, 1.60 to score anytime).

However, Real Madrid have not progressed past this stage of the competition for five years and were woeful in France when Lyon secured a 1-0 win.

Absent from the line up for Real on Wednesday night will be Xabi Alonso and Marcelo who picked up suspensions, so it is clear that this match is not a foregone conclusion and los Blancos are going to have to work hard to turn this one around.

Lyon will be hoping star man Lisandro Lopez (11.00 to score first), will make it an uncomfortable night for Madrid who cannot afford to concede an away goal.

The French giants are not the dominant force they once were in France but they do have some players who are capable of unlocking the Madrid defence at the Bernabeu and an away goal would put them firmly in the driving seat.

This is the acid test for the Galacticos 2.0, after the millions spent on assembling this squad they need to progress further than this stage of the competition. Last season saw Liverpool take Madrid apart with a 5-0 aggregate win at this stage and defeat to Lyon will not be acceptable.

Back Real Madrid to turn this one around and blow Lyon away 3-0 and Ronaldo to score first at 19.00.

Beckham Returns To Old Trafford

Tonight’s other Champion’s League match sees AC Milan travel to Man United for the second leg of their tie. Trailing 3-2 from the first leg AC have it all to do. They are an experienced team with an astounding Champion’s League pedigree but the equation in front of them is nothing if not daunting.

The Italians must win by two clear goals or at least 4-3 if they are to progress to the quarter-finals, a 3-2 win will take the tie to extra time. Ronaldinho caused United no end of problems at the San Siro and he will be the key man if AC are to beat United but he is unlikely to be afforded the same time and space that he enjoyed back in February.

The Brazilian star is out at 9.00 to score the first goal and 3.60 to score at anytime, well worth a bet given his current form.

However, the smart money must go on Man United to qualify. They looked a far more clinical team and with home advantage are the clear favourites to go through.

Back Man United to win and over 2.5 goals scored in the game at 2.80.

Champion’s League Predicitons: Arsenal To Progress to Quarter-finals

Tom — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:34:13 +0000

England – Tonight Arsenal seek to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit to Porto in the last sixteen of the Champions League. Current form and statistics suggest that the Gunners will take their place in the quarter-finals.

Generally, in two leg European ties when the first leg ends 2-1, the advantage lies with the away side, thanks to the goal scored on the opposition pitch. In around 57% of ties the team finish the job in front of their own fans but it is a slender advantage.

However, this is the third time Arsenal have encountered Porto in the past four seasons. The last two meetings were at the group stage and while Arsene Wenger’s side found it tough in Portugal- one draw and one defeat- they enjoyed two comfortable home victories.

Arsenal Desperately Seeking Goalscoring Star

Arsenal are in good form and should have enough to beat Porto at the Emirates, despite their lack of a top goalscoring striker. With Robin Van Persie injured and Emmanuel Adebayor sold, Arsenal don’t have one striker who leads the team. The absence of an attacking talisman might cost them further into the competition.

Porto are a solid Champions League team who always perform reasonably well but the need to sell their best players always weakens their impact. For instance, nearly all the side that won the competition with Jose Mourinho in 2004 had left within two years.

Arsenal suffered another grievous injury blow last weekend when Aaron Ramsay was stretchered off at Stoke but the team’s reaction to events has been impressive. The players bonded to win the match in the Potteries and carried that resolve into Saturday’s win over Burnley.

Andrei Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky will be available for Tuesday’s game and their craft and guile at this level, even without excellent Cesc Fabregas, should give Arsenal the edge in the midfield areas.

Wenger’s other main issue is who to pair at the back with Thomas Vermaelen. Sol Cambell has a knock and William Gallas may not be back in time- Mikel Silvestre may have to deputise.

Can Hulk Make It An Incredible Night For Porto?

Porto are only third in their league having lost several players in the summer. Colombian forward Falcao does top the scoring in Portugal though and along with the strangely named Hulk, he can test Arsenal’s defence.

But if Arsenal take control of the central areas, the supply to the front men will be limited and Porto’s defence doesn’t look capable of forcing a clean sheet. The London club must start as strong favourites to progress even without their captain.

Arsenal go into the game as clear favourites to win at 1.65 with Porto way behind at 5.25. There’s no doubting that it would take a super-human effort from Porto to beat the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium but they are capable of snatching a vital away goal against what is likely to be an unusual Arsenal back-four. Both teams to score at 1.84 doesn’t seem like a bad shout.

Anybody see Nikolas Bendtner’s dreadful display on Saturday? Pretty shocking but it would not be a surprise to see the Dane get on the score sheet tonight and Arsenal to progress to the quarter-finals and you’d be certain to get a great price on that bet.

PartyBets.com Prediction: Bendtner to score and Arsenal to win at 2.90

There are another three Champion’s League fixtures this week;

Fiorentina 2.75 V Bayern Munich 2.50

Man United 1.75 V AC Milan 4.50

Real Madrid 1.30 V Lyon 9.00

Valencia Look To Get First Home Win Over Racing In Six Years

Tom — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:53:31 +0000

Spain – The Monday night La Liga action features Valencia (1.57), a side looking to consolidate their top three position, taking on Racing Santander (6.00), a side looking to pull themselves away from the bottom three.

Racing Santander are without a win in the league since late January when they defeated Sporting Gijon away from home. This slump in form has seen them drop down to 17th in the league and five points off the relegation zone. They have scored just one goal in the previous five league matches and are in desperate need of a win.

This season the battle for the remaining Champions League places is a real thriller with five clubs all competing for just two spaces. Valencia are leading the pack as they sit in third place and three points ahead of surprise package Mallorca in fourth place. Valencia have one of the deadliest strikers in the game in the form of David Villa and he will be a real threat as usual on Monday night. He is 4.00 to score the first goal.

The previous five meetings between these two sides sees Valencia edge it with two wins, a draw, and a defeat. However, the previous three meetings at Estadio de Mestalla have seen Racing win two and draw one, making themselves something of a bogey side when travelling to Valencia.

Suspensions and injuries have hit Valencia in the run up to this game and a key absentee will be Argentine midfielder Ever Banega who has been pulling the strings in the centre of the park this season. Racing also has players missing through injury and suspension but not to the same degree as los Che.

Valencia should still have what it takes to dispense of Racing Santander and earn a first home win over them since 2004. Back Valencia to win and under 2.5 goals in the match at 2.80.

Inter Milan Edge Closer To Another Scudetto Title

Tom — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:36:03 +0000

Italy – Oddly, there was little change in any positions in Serie A this weekend. With both the top teams drawing 0-0 Inter Milan remain 4 points ahead of local rival’s AC Milan, the latter playing third place Roma.

Juventus on the other hand have found a new urgency as well as winning ways, although it is probably too late for them this season.

Visiting Fiorentina the side managed to grab the opportunity presented to them and beat the Florence team 2-1. Diego led the scoring after just 2 minutes for Juventus, followed just past the half hour with a goal by Fiorentina’s Marchionni.

The second half was a tussle between these two great sides, but Juventus broke the deadlock on the 68th minute with a goal by Grosso. Strangely, for Italian football, the match only had 3 bookings, namely Sissoko (41st minute), Zebina (56th minute) and Marchisio (85th minute).

This contrasts with the mid table match between Cagliari and Catania, which from all accounts was a tempestuous affair. Drawing 2-2, Lazzari scored first for Cagliari after just nine minutes. Catania however scored on the half hour with a penalty from Mascari and was followed up quickly with another goal by Maxi Lopez on the 35th Minute.

Although going into half time 2-1 up, two of Catania’s players were booked including the penalty taker Mascari.

Catania could be forgiven for thinking they could win this game but Cagliari weren’t going to let that happen if they could help it. With a goal on the 74th minute, Cossu equalised for the home side. Unfortunately for Cossu, he was booked a minute later. The second half also saw three Cagliari players booked and a further 2 for Catania.

Despite drawing, Catania’s coach, Sinisa Mihajlovic was happy. He told RaiSport “The glass is half full. We were missing a bit of sporting malice today but this is still an excellent result.”

He continued: “To bring home a point from a place as tricky as Cagliari is no mean feat. I am convinced that we will avoid the drop regardless of how other teams fare with their results. We are preparing extremely well each week and the team is playing with the right mentality to stay in this division.”

2010 Serie A Betting Odds

Inter Milan 1.25

AC Milan 4.00

Roma 15.00

Villa Maintain Push for Second Final But Must Take On Chelsea

Tom — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:59:00 +0000

England – There was considerable variety in the four FA Cup Finals over the weekend- one rip-roaring comeback, one comfortable home win, a hard-fought draw and an unlikely story of hope.

Aston Villa provided the comeback story and kept alive their hopes of making two Wembley finals in the same season. Things looked bleak at the break when they trailed Reading 2-0 and the Royals more than deserved their advantage.

The Premiership side were sluggish in the first half- possibly a reaction to their Carling Cup Final defeat- but Martin O’Neill must have laid into his team at half time because they blitzed Reading in the first ten minutes of the second period.

Ashley Young began the fightback but Norwegian striker John Carew was the hero as he netted twice, once with his head and a delightful flicked second. Villa’s resurgence came from players busting a gut to get into good positions and then delivering quality balls into the box.

Reading battled bravely for an equaliser but Carew snuffed out their challenge when he won, and then converted, a late penalty to round off the scoring. Not surprisingly, the big striker won the Man of the Match award.

Terry Grabs The Headlines Once Again

Their semi-final opposition will be Chelsea who did enough to see off Stoke City at Stamford Bridge. Ex-England captain John Terry scored the second from a set-piece and the holders look determined to hold on to their trophy.

The hard fought draw came at Craven Cottage on Saturday when Fulham and Tottenham cancelled each other out. Both clubs have other fixtures pressing- Spurs chasing fourth in the league and Fulham talking on Juventus in the Europa League – so there was no shortage of effort to finish the tie at the first attempt.

The absence of Jermain Defoe for most of the game with a slight hamstring problem curtailed the potency of Spurs attack, while Bobby Zamora was well marshalled by the visitors. Fulham missed their suspended skipper Danny Murphy, who creates a lot from their midfield.

The winner of the replay plays Portsmouth, who continue to defy the odds even as the club plunges into a financial morass. Birmingham City held them for the first half but two Freddie Picquionne strikes kept the Pompey dream alive, plus a big slice of luck when Liam Ridgewell’s goal was chalked off even though it clearly crossed the line.

FA Cup Semi-Final Draw (Ties to be played 10/11 April)

Aston Villa V Chelsea

Fulham/Tottenham V Portsmouth

Not surprisingly Chelsea have been instilled as the favourites to win this year’s FA Cup. Here are the odds as we get down to the last five teams;

La Liga Predictions: Real Madrid Will Be Too Strong For Sevilla

Tom — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:00:49 +0000

Spain – Real Madrid (1.36) will be aiming to make it seven wins in a row when they host Sevilla (8.25) on Saturday, one of the sides who have defeated Los Galacticos this season.

Real Madrid’s 5-1 demolition of Tenerife last week maintained the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga (Madrid are 2.10 to win the league). After a slow start to the season, the Galacticos of los Blancos are gradually maturing and a win over of Sevilla will be needed to keep up the chase as Barcelona look likely to win the earlier kick off with Almeria.

Xabi Alonso has told the press ahead of the clash with Sevilla that it will be a different Madrid who take to the pitch than the side which lost 2-1 to Sevilla earlier in the season. “We had just started playing together when we first faced Sevilla this season but we are more mature now,” he told a press conference.

Sevilla inflicted the first defeat of the season on Real Madrid, but they will have their work cut out to repeat a similar score this time around as Christiano Ronaldo will be involved this time around. Ronaldo has been in fine form and currently has 13 goals to his name this season; he is available at 4.00 to open the scoring.

The corresponding fixture last season saw Sevilla win a thrilling encounter 4-3 so Madrid have every reason to be wary of their opponents this weekend. It looks almost certain that Barcelona will take the three points from their game with Almeria before this match kicks off, so Madrid will be going into this game with some pressure. Sevilla however have nothing to lose.

Both sides have players capable of scoring goals, so a high scoring encounter could be on the cards. Madrid have scored 11 goals in their last 2 games, and could be set for another goal-fest with Ronaldo and Kaka both in fine form.

Real Madrid will look to keep it tight and snuff the threat from Sevilla’s dangerous strikers – a job Athletic Bilbao completed last week in a 0-0 draw. Back Real Madrid to win 2-0 which is available at 6.00 with PartyBets.com.

Serie A Predictions: Fiorentina V Juve Will Be A Cagey Affair

Tom — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:49:41 +0000

Italy – While not as important as the Roma versus AC Milan match, Fiorentina take on a Juventus side in the ascendency post-Ciro Ferrara this Saturday.

Fiorentina go into the game on the back of a defeat in their recent Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Juventus on the hand have managed to get through to the next round of the Europa League after beating Dutch side Ajax, 2-1 on aggregate.

Juventus have struggled in Serie A this season with their inconsistent play so a win against Ajax who are currently in 3rd place in their own league should give the Juventus a psychological boost when they travel to Fiorentina. Whether they use this to their advantage in the next Serie A match is another matter.

Juventus’ results over the past four games are two wins, one defeat and one draw. They currently lie in 5th place just two points behind Palermo. Beating Fiorentina could see them jump up a place.

One individual at least at Juventus is determined to win against Fiorentina. This is the Juventus boss Alberto Zaccheroni. Reports suggest he will make some important changes to the side. One suggestion mooted is the dropping of Diego, who was signed from Werder Bremen during last summer’s transfer scramble.

Diego Faces The Boo Boys

Diego was described as one of the worst players on the pitch after Juventus’ recent 2-0 defeat by Palermo. “It’s good to have players like [Diego], but he can only deliver what we expect if he is in good condition,” Zaccheroni said.

As for Fiorentina, the side is six points behind Juventus in 10th place. While a win at home is important to show the fans they haven’t slipped up, it won’t make any real difference to their position in Serie A. However a win against a more determined Juventus will help them when they take on Bayern Munich at home in the second leg of the Champions League next Tuesday.

But Fiorentina’s recent results haven’t been exactly spectacular either – they have won just one game out of their last four matches.

It is unlikely that there will be any fireworks tomorrow. Both sides will probably work hard to play safe. Which all points to a low scoring draw.

PartyBets.com Prediction: 1-1 draw at 6.50

West Brom Need To Beware The Warnock Effect At QPR

Tom — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:25:27 +0000

England – Queens Park Rangers host promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion on Saturday with nineteen places separating the two clubs in the Championship table. Normally it would be three points for the Albion but QPR have the bonus of the Warnock effect.

Neil Warnock has become the fifth man in the hot seat at Loftus Road this season- a crazy way to run a football club. The flamboyant Flavio Briatore is out of the picture now but this is a club that has taken a battering; in their current plight a manager with a big personality is essential.

Warnock fits the bill. The 61 year old is hugely controversial and evokes strong feelings in some of his peers but life is never boring under him, plus he has a knack of getting the best out of the resources at his disposal.

Warnock’s A Canny Manager

He likes to play up to his gung-ho image but his teams play in a more subtle manner than many give him credit for. Where necessary he has used battering ram forwards in the past – however he’s equally likely to select small, nippy ball players. Warnock teams do usually get stuck in but they are also well-organised.

Football clubs traditionally get a ‘bounce’ from a new boss although the QPR players are probably immune to that now. All the more reason to bring in a super-enthusiast like Warnock, who’s never short of passion for the game and has little truck with disaffected players.

Roberto Di Matteo has continued the composed style introduced by Tony Mowbray. West Brom are always one of the best teams to watch in the division, sparked by the excellent Robert Koren. The Slovenian has been at the Hawthorns for over three years now and as senior players like Jonathan Greening, Zoltan Gera, Paul Robinson and Neil Clement have left, he’s taken on more responsibility.

Koren and Graeme Dorrans have been the most influential midfielders in the division this season and QPR have to combat their influence. Warnock is likely to try and impose a high tempo game to disrupt Albion as Bristol City managed two weeks ago.

West Brom are favourites to come away with a win at 2.10 but a Rangers squad on the receiving end of a Neil Warnock pep talk might be able to show they should have been promotion challengers all along and force a draw available at 3.25.

The FA Cup quarter finals also take place this weekend. The pick of the four games sees Tottenham travel over to Craven Cottage to face Premiership rivals Fulham. Both teams have other priorities but Spurs’ greater squad depth should see them through. Head over to our FA Cup predictions section for the lowdown.