Tag Archives: comforts

Home comforts for English duo

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Stoke and Tottenham round off English interest in the Europa League on Thursday night with seemingly winnable home clashes against Besiktas and Shamrock Rovers. Having both drawn their opening group matches the two Premier League teams will feel a win is a must if they are to make it out of their respective groups.

Stoke v Besiktas

The Potters made a good start to their European adventure with a respectable 1-1 draw against Dynamo Kiev in the Ukraine two weeks ago.

Manager Tony Pulis felt his side could have won that game having conceded a last-minute equaliser and will see the visit of Turkish giants Besiktas as a great chance to announce themselves on the European stage.

Stoke put in a good performance against Manchester United at the weekend, halting the champions’ run of victories with a 1-1 draw at raucous Britannia Stadium.

Stoke will need their supporters to be right behind them again for the visit of the 13-time Turkish champions, who have made a good start to the season with three wins out of four domestically.

Carlos Carvalhal’s side also enjoyed a fantastic start to their Europa League campaign with a 5-1 victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC on matchday one.

Their Portuguese coach has recruited heavily from his home country to strengthen Besiktas, with the likes of Ricardo Quaresma, Simao and Hugo Almedia all likely to be involved, while former Real Madrid and Spain star Guti could also get a run out.

Stoke’s team might not have as many star names but, as they proved at the weekend, their work ethic can close the gap in quality.

Besiktas might have won on two of their five trips to England but this is the night a lot of Stoke fans have been waiting for and they should spur Pulis’ men on to victory.

Match Bet – Stoke to win @ 4/5 and under 2.5 goals @ 4/6.

Tottenham v Shamrock Rovers

While Stoke welcome one of Europe’s more well-known sides Tottenham face a different prospect entirely when they play host to Irish Premier League outfit Shamrock Rovers.

The visitors to White Hart Lane will certainly need a huge slice of luck to avoid anything but a drubbing here, even with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp admitting he will rest the majority of his first-team squad.

The semi-professional Irish outfit qualified for the Europa League thanks to a startling win over Partizan Belgrade but have since been brought back down to earth after a 3-0 home defeat to Rubin Kazan on matchday one.

Rovers are 20/1 to win at Tottenham, a price which seems too short when you take everything into consideration.

Spurs seem to have hit their stride after a poor start to the season and even with the regulars watching from the stands they should dismantle Shamrock Rovers without breaking a sweat.

Tottenham have, unsurprisingly, never lost to an Irish team and haven’t even conceded a goal, a record which won’t change on Thursday night.

Match Bet – Tottenham to win 4-0 @ 40/1.

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England seek home comforts

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There will be those who believe that England have already secured their place in next year’s European Championships but there is still work to be done when local rivals Wales travel to Wembley on Tuesday night (England v Wales – totesport).

Fabio Capello’s men had been locked on 13 points at the top of Group G going into Friday night’s matches with England able to open up a lead after cruising to a 3-0 win, while Montenegro suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat in Cardiff.

The Three Lions are now three points clear of Montenegro with two games to go but they will not be able to confirm their place at Euro 2012, regardless of whether they win or not on Tuesday.

There are one or two injury concerns for Capello but only amongst the squad players as Leighton Baines has picked up a problem and has been ruled out, following on from Sunday’s withdrawals of Darren Bent and Micah Richards.

No replacements have been called up so Capello could well stick with the side that triumphed in Sofia, although there will be a question mark in midfield.

England stalwart Frank Lampard was surprisingly left on the bench against Bulgaria but may be recalled given the fact that Gareth Barry and Scott Parker are both one yellow card away from being suspended for next month’s crunch clash against Montenegro.

England would need a point in that game if they were to match the feat in Cardiff and beat Wales (England 1/7, Draw 7/1, Wales 16/1 Match Betting) after goals from Lampard and Bent secured a 2-0 win (11/2 Repeat Scoreline).

There was plenty on show on Friday to suggest that England will create enough chances to claim the three points, albeit against a poor Bulgaria side, and Wayne Rooney may well prove hard to stop after ending his year-long drought in the national jersey with two goals (Rooney 11/2 to score two or more).

The attacking trio of Ashley Young (3/2 Anytime Scorer), Theo Walcott (3/2) and Stewart Downing (9/4) also carried plenty of threat for the Three Lions and it is sure to be tough going for Gary Speed’s men when they have not got the ball.

The Dragons have endured a difficult time under his leadership but the 2-1 win over Montenegro can only boost the squad’s confidence ahead of the derby clash, and they would love nothing more than springing a 16/1 surprise.

Craig Bellamy and David Vaughan are both missing through suspension but Gareth Bale (9/2 Anytime Scorer), who was sidelined for the earlier fixture in Cardiff, was sensational against Montenegro and will be a real thorn in England’s side.

Whether that is enough is open to question but England have endured some difficulties at Wembley, since an opening 4-0 over Bulgaria last September.

In four games since then, they have been held by Montenegro and Switzerland in the group, as well as Ghana in a friendly, while France took the spoils last November.

The home side should have the ammunition and the tools to pick up the three points but with England, anything is possible.

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Dalglish eyeing Anfield comforts

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There is just one Premier League match on Wednesday evening as Fulham travel to Anfield to take on a Liverpool side who are still looking to turn the corner this season.

Roy Hodgson’s appointment as manager promised much for the Reds fans but he was unable to make it work during his brief tenure and paid the price with his job.

Returning hero Kenny Dalglish’s reign hardly began in spectacular fashion either as a 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United and a loss to Blackpool next time out had the home faithful thinking ‘here we go again’ (Man Utd 4/1 favourites to win FA Cup).

But a Merseyside derby draw with Everton and 3-0 away win at Wolves have given the fans hope that Dalglish might just be able to work his magic once again and at least gain some respectability from the season.

Wednesday’s clash with Mark Hughes’ men will be far from straight forward, however, as the Cottagers are currently on a decent run and have taken 10 points from a possible 15, and they will fancy their chances of leaving the north west with something to show for their efforts (Fulham 5/1 to win, Liverpool 4/7).

Despite the revival, Fulham are far from safe with the bottom seven separated by just five points, although victory over Liverpool would move the west Londoners above their illustrious opponents.

Dalglish will, as ever, rely heavily on the striking talents of Fernando Torres, who seems to be ploughing a lone furrow up front at the moment until the possible arrival of Ajax’s Uruguay international striker Luis Suarez.

The Spaniard looks to be getting back to somewhere near his best but needs help up front although Raul Meireles has started to blossom into a real force in midfield and he has scored two goals in the past two games.

There is no doubt that Dalglish has revived the confidence and spirit at Anfield but that will only affect results for so long and it is improved performances and points that the legendary Scot is after, with his side still eight points adrift of sixth-place Sunderland and a possible return to the Europa League next term (Liverpool 13/2 to win Europa League).

Fulham made the final of that competition last season under Hodgson but have no chance of playing European football next season.

The transition from Hodgson to Hughes took some time to bear fruit but, despite the current upturn, the Cottagers are still just four points from the drop zone.

Clint Dempsey bagged a brace at the weekend and much will depend on whether he can gel with Andy Johnson in attack, with the latter still to find his scoring boots after such a long time out through injury over the past 18 months.

Pundits always believed that Hughes had the talent at his disposal to move the club away from danger and the return of key personnel has definitely had an influence on performances and results.

The outcome of the match will depend largely on which Liverpool side turns up but, with Dalglish looking for his first win back at his spiritual home and the crowd behind them, the hosts are tipped to win this one by a couple of goals – but they will have to work hard for it.

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Chelsea looking for home comforts

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Depending on who you listen to, Chelsea are in  crisis, manager Carlo Ancelotti is about to walk out and the Stamford Bridge walls are crumbling around Roman Abramovich – OK maybe the last bit is exaggerated, but all is not well in west London.

However, the Blues are 1/7 favourites in the match betting to see off MSK Zilina in the Champions League on Tuesday and the stats back up such short odds.

Ancelotti’s men have won four out of four in Group F to guarantee progression while they are all but assured of top spot as they lie six points clear of both Spartak Moscow and Marseille, with two games to go.

Zilina, by contrast, have a 100 per cent losing record and have managed just one goal in those four defeats, while they are coming into the match on the back of a record 7-0 home drubbing against Marseille in the last round of matches.

The one goal the Slovakian outfit have scored did come against Chelsea but not before the English champions had surged into a 4-0 lead, with Nicolas Anelka scoring twice.

Chelsea might already have booked their progress but after losing three of their last four domestic matches, scoring just one goal, they will be looking to make a point in front of their own fans and guarantee top spot before making a tricky trip to Marseille.

The Blues have now gone 22 games unbeaten in the group stages of the competition, winning 16 with six draws, while they have amassed 40 goals and conceded only seven.

Chelsea have the power to put this game to bed by half-time as they did in Slovakia (2/5 in the Half-Time/Full-Time market) while Anelka (9/4 first goalscorer), who has scored five times already in the competition, could set them on their way.

The other game in the group sees the two sides battling for qualification along with Chelsea go head to head at the Luzhniki Stadium as Spartak Moscow entertain Marseille.

The French outfit of course smashed seven past Zilina last time out and have a decent record in Russia, having lost just two of six games, but they were beaten 1-0 at home by Spartak (6/4 in the match betting) on matchday one and have lost seven of the last 10 Champions League away matches, and the home side should just have the edge.

Arsenal’s 100 per cent start to the campaign, in which they scored 14 goals, came undone at Shakhtar Donetsk last time out but having smashed six past Braga at the Emirates on matchday one, they look good value at 5/6 to seal their progression.

The other game in Group H sees Shakhtar Donetsk travel to Serbia and with qualification, and even top spot, to play for the Ukrainian outfit (4/6 to win) should be fully motivated to secure the points against winless Partizan Belgrade.

Real Madrid are on fire this season and remain unbeaten under Jose Mourinho in all competitions, albeit through an injury-time equaliser against AC Milan at the San Siro last time out.

In truth, los Merengues should have wrapped up the game inside the first half, while Filippo Inzaghi’s equaliser was offside, and with the potent frontline they possess, Real (5/4 in the match betting) should secure top spot with a win in Amsterdam.

All three sides below Real still have a chance of qualifying and Auxerre look good value at 12/5 to make home advantage count against a Milan side that has not won either away match to date and may just adopt a defensive strategy to try and avoid being beaten.

Roma have the greater need when they entertain Bayern Munich on Tuesday night as they are from certain of making the knockout stages, whereas the Germans have booked their place with plenty to spare after winning their first four games.

The Giallorossi (5/6 favourites in the match betting) will be looking to avenge a 2-0 defeat earlier in the campaign and have won nine of their last 11 home games in UEFA competition, while Bayern might prefer to focus on domestic matters after a disappointing start to their Bundesliga campaign.

Something has to give in Tuesday’s other fixture as FC Basel have lost both home matches, while CFR Cluj have been beaten twice on their travels and given the fact that Cluj won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier in the campaign, there may be some value in taking the 9/2 on offer.

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Brown seeks Scotland home comforts

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craig leveinScott Brown says it is crucial Scotland (11/2 to reach the finals) prove hard to beat at home if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for Euro 2012.

Craig Levein’s men started their qualifying campaign with a 0-0 draw in Lithuania on Friday evening, as they prepare for their first home fixture of the campaign this week.

Liechtenstein are the visitors to Hampden Park on Tuesday, in what looks like a must-win game for Scotland.

Celtic (4/6f to win 2010-11 SPL title) star Brown admitted to the BBC: “We need to win our home games, that’s the main thing. Away from home we have got to try and nick a few points, maybe get a win here or there.

“We’re enjoying playing and looking forward to the future. The players are comfortable with the formation.”

Levein will feel a bit frustrated not to have started their campaign with a win though, with Scotland (18/1 to win Group I) enjoying the territorial advantage and the better chances.

The shots on-target count was 5-1 in the visitors favour, but the Scots started their Group I fixtures with an away point.

Levein is expected to make changes to the side for Tuesday’s match, with James McFadden pushing for a start.

The Birmingham forward came on as a second-half substitute in Lithuania, replacing Barry Robson, and looked lively going forward.

Scotland will want to gain their first qualifying win this week, ahead of a tough double header next month.

Levein’s men face an away trip to the Czech Republic in October, before a home clash with European and World champions Spain.

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