Tag Archives: response

Selecao seek China response

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Brazil backers will not get rich piling in on odds of 1/14 for an international friendly against China on Tuesday (2am BST) but fans will be anxious to see a marked improvement on a tepid 1-0 win against South Africa last Friday.

Antipathy about a performance which barely set the pulses racing at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo manifested itself when Santos golden-boy Neymar was booed by home supporters.

“I felt sick because of what happened against South Africa. I am not a machine,” he was quoted as saying by Globo Esporte. “I was exhausted after Friday’s match, both physically and mentally.”

Mano Menezes is expected to make just one change, with Zenit St Petersburg new-boy Hulk rewarded for his goal with a starting place, while Paulinho has been ruled out of the clash because of injury.

The five-time world champions have not conceded in two wins since missing out on Olympic gold to South American rivals Mexico, but the mental approach will have to be right against Jose Antonio Camacho’s men.

China have not won a match against a team from outside of Asia since the 1-0 win over Jamaica in August 2011 and historically do not travel well. They have lost four out of their last five road trips – three to nil – but were not embarrassed in tight defeats by Spain and, more recently, Sweden.

Tang Miao could be in line to start at right-back for Team Dragon, with Zhao Xuri set to be the only survivor in midfield.

The last time that these two teams met was in 2003 and Selecao were held to a goalless draw in Guangzhou, but China are currently placed 78th in the Fifa rankings and are trading as big as 18/1 to win in Recife while the draw is available to back at 8/1.

The Brazil/Brazil double result is priced at 1/4, so the way to go here might be to chance the correct score markets.

Republic of Ireland (1/4 – 90 minutes) will hope to put off-field issues behind them when they play Oman (8/1, draw 4/1) at Craven Cottage in a friendly on Tuesday (7:30pm BST).

James McClean has apologised for his foul-mouthed tweet that he angrily posted after being left on the bench during the World Cup qualifier win in Kazakhstan and remains in the squad, but Robbie Keane, Darren O’Dea, John O’Shea, Jon Walters and Glenn Whelan have been released.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic held Denmark to a goalless draw in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on Saturday and can be backed at 2/5 to beat Finland (6/1, draw 16/5 – 90 minutes) in a friendly (5pm BST), but have now gone three games in all competitions without a goal.

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Dutch need instant response

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Holland take on Germany in the second round of Group B matches at Euro 2012 on Wednesday desperate for a positive result after their shock defeat to Denmark. The Germans know that victory could seal their passage into the last eight and it looks set to be a cracking encounter in Kharkiv (Holland 2/1, Germany 11/8, draw 12/5 Match Prices).

A solid start in the group stages of tournament football is always essential and the Dutch began in the worst possible way by spurning a host of chances to go down 1-0 to the Danes. The one positive for the Oranje is that they played well for most of the game and could have scored a bag full of goals if things had gone differently in front of goal.

But the result leaves them with the proverbial mountain to climb to qualify as they face their old enemy in a match that is sure to see plenty of drama and controversy (Holland 21/10 To Qualify). The rivalry between these two footballing nations makes the north London derby seem like a Sunday morning kick about and Wednesday’s affair has now taken on even more meaning after the first round of games in Group B.

The Dutch have a history of infighting among their squad at major tournaments and it has not taken long for unrest to rear its ugly head this time around. Rafael van der Vaart clearly felt he should have been playing from the start against Denmark and vented his spleen to journalists after Saturday’s reverse.

Coach Bert van Marwijk has come in for some criticism for selecting two defensive midfielders against, on paper, the weakest side in the group, and has hinted at changes against the Germans. Whether or not Van der Vaart gets the nod only time will tell but whoever takes the field will certainly have to be at the top of their game to get one over on one of the form teams at the tournament.

Robin van Persie missed several chances in the opener but will doubtless keep his place and it may just be case of getting one goal for the Arsenal man before the floodgates open. But he does not look the same player at international level as he does domestically and was criticised by some sections of the media for making a phone call on the pitch immediately after the final whistle last time out.

Has the uncertainty over his future at club level started playing on the 28-year-old’s mind?

All is not good in the Dutch camp and they will need to regroup and bounce back straight away otherwise it will be an early exit from Poland and Ukraine.

The Germans did what German sides do first up and bided their time before Mario Gomez netted the all-important goal late in the match to beat Portugal. It was no more than an efficient performance from Joachim Loew’s side and there is surely more to come from the European powerhouse as they possess all sorts of talent in their ranks.

Gomez is many people’s tip to top the scoring charts in the competition and he will be a constant threat to the Dutch in mid-week, while Lukas Podolski will have to make sure he has his shooting boots on this time (Gomez 5/1 Top Goalscorer). Bastian Schweinsteiger will look to dominate the middle of the park and his battles with Mark van Bommel and Wesley Sneijder will be key to the outcome.

The Portuguese did get at the German rearguard last Saturday and hit the woodwork twice and so the Dutch stars will be encouraged to go forward and try to get an early goal to see how the opposition respond.

The Netherlands should obviously have had a penalty against the Danes after a late handball by defender Lars Jacobsen and a draw in that match would have made things a touch easier. But they will be feeling the pressure against the three-time World Cup winners and there is no better side at putting the nail in the coffin that the ruthless Germans.

This will be a feisty affair with plenty of bookings and incidents and it would be no surprise to see honours even after 90 minutes.

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Fringe men to lead response

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The Carling Cup last-16 games get underway with four matches taking place on Tuesday evening with the pick being League Two Aldershot attempting to heap more misery on Manchester United just two days after their 6-1 Old Trafford thumping against Manchester City.

A rejuvenated Arsenal face Premier League strugglers Bolton at the Emirates Stadium, while there are two all Championship encounters as Cardiff host Burnley and Crystal Palace face Southampton at Selhurst Park.

However, we will start Tuesday’s preview at the EBB Stadium – also known as the Recreation Ground.

ALDERSHOT v MAN UNITED (7.45pm)

Sir Alex Ferguson will take his shell-shocked side down to face Dean Holdsworth’s League Two outfit looking for an immediate response to Sunday’s derby massacre.

However, the chances are that not many of the players who were battered by City will be on the pitch as the Red Devils (7/2 Favourites Outright) look to progress to the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.

United eased to a 3-0 win at Leeds in the previous round and Fergie is likely to resort to using his fringe players and youngsters in front of the Sky TV cameras.

Ben Amos could get the nod in goal, while Fabio, Zeki Fryers, Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia, Ryan Giggs, Ji-Sung Park, Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov could all feature having missed the City debacle.

Paul Pogba is in line for a start, Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf will hope to be involved while youngsters Michael Keane, Reece Brown and Tom Thorpe should be in the squad too.

Holdsworth faces a selection dilemma as the Shots ended a four-match losing streak in the league with a 5-2 win at Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday.

That side saw five changes made to the usual starting XI as Anthony Pulis, Bradley Bubb, Jermaine McGlashan, Aaron Brown and Adam Smith came in and they will all feel they deserve a crack at facing United.

It should be a moral boosting win for United, but it might not be a stroll in the park if the Shots can find their ‘A’ game in front of a small, but vociferous support at their 7,300-capacity home.

Prediction: Man United Away 90 Minutes @ 1/4
Value Bet: Man United 3-1 Correct Score @ 10/1

ARSENAL V BOLTON (7.45pm)

The only all-Premier League encounter on Tuesday will see changes made by both managers as the bread and butter of league football remains a priority in both camps.

Gunners’ boss Arsene Wenger has witnessed an up-turn in fortunes from his side following a poor start to the campaign and they moved up to seventh in the table thanks to Sunday’s 3-1 win against Stoke.

They go into the game with a psychological edge over the Trotters having defeated them 3-0 at the Emirates last month.

Wenger is set to bring Sebastien Squillaci into the Gunners’ starting XI, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yossi Benayoun should feature having both been on target in the third round victory against Shrewsbury, although Robin van Persie will be rested following his two-goal heroics on Sunday.

Bolton boss Owen Coyle, whose side won at Aston Villa in the last round, will ring the changes as the likes of Adam Bogdan, Zat Knight, Gretar Steinsson, Fabrice Muamba, Mark Davies, Ricardo Gardner, Gael Kakuta, Ivan Klasnic and Tuncay Sanli are set to come into the team, while youngster Joe Riley will feature in the squad.

The Trotters have lost seven of their nine league games this season so will look to get a confidence boost with a win in north London, but they will have their work cut out.

Prediction: Arsenal Home 90 Minutes @ 8/15
Value Bet: Oxlade-Chamberlain First Goalscorer @ 13/2

Elsewhere, Championship leaders Southampton travel to face high-flying Crystal Palace with changes planned by both managers given the hectic run of league matches the sides are embroiled in.

Saints chief Nigel Adkins will shuffle his pack given that they have a top-of-the-table clash against Middlesbrough coming on Saturday, while Eagles chief Dougie Freedman has used his squad to the full in previous rounds.

With Palace strong on home turf and the Saints on a great run it is difficult to pick a winner and this tie could go the distance (Draw 90 Minutes @ 12/5).

Meanwhile, at the Cardiff City Stadium the hosts will face Burnley looking for a place in the last eight.

The Bluebirds won 5-3 against Barnsley on Saturday, while Eddie Howe’s Clarets ended a poor run of form with a 2-1 win at struggling Coventry so both teams will be in a positive frame of mind.

However, with home advantage, expect the Welshmen to come out on top in this one (4/5 Cardiff Home 90 Minutes).

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Patched up Gunners seek response

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Saturday Premier League match predictions……
There will be an old face awaiting Arsene Wenger at Villa Park on Saturday, in the shape of Robert Pires, but an injury-hit Arsenal (11/10 to win the game) will be in determined mood to end a terrible run, that has seen his side lose four of their last six games in all competitions.

The Gunners are without their inspirational captain Cesc Fabregas, after he was hit with a hamstring injury during the Champions League defeat to Braga in midweek.

They face a tough challenge of their title credentials against an Aston Villa side who are unbeaten on home turf so far this season.

But goals have been hard to come by for Villa and the loss of three-goal midfielder Marc Albrighton will be a big miss, against a Gunners side that still have huge quality in the final third.

Manchester United (1/4 to beat Rovers) can go top of the Premier League if they beat Blackburn and Wayne Rooney is set to play the full 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

With Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand both set to return, Blackburn are likely to sit back against United and look to him them on the break. If United get ahead though, there is only going to be one outcome as Rovers do not score many goals on their travels.

Bolton were very impressive last weekend and ripped Newcastle’s defence to shreds at times. The form of Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies upfront is likely to give a torrid time to a Blackpool defence that has leaked goals on their travels. All the form and statistics around this game suggest a win for Bolton at 4/7, but Blackpool have shown more than once this season they can spring a real surprise – beware!

Roberto Di Matteo needs to turn things around at West Brom….and quickly. They have lost four out of their last five Premier League matches and could now even drop into the relegation places if they lose at Goodison Park and Wigan beat rock-bottom West Ham. Everton (4/7 to win, WBA 9/2, draw 11/4 – Match Betting) have been drawing too many games, seven out of their 14 so far, but you would expect David Moyes’ side to be too strong in this one.

Fulham have won only two of their 14 matches all season, while Birmingham City are coming into the game on the back of a draw with Manchester City and their surprise win over Chelsea last weekend. Alex McLeish’s men are in good form and have lost only one of their last six matches in all competitions, so the form definitely favours the visitors (Birmingham 13/5 to win at Craven Cottage).

West Ham are really struggling, they have won only one Premier League game all season and were very poor in the defeat to Liverpool last time out. The axe could come down on Avram Grant if they lose this six-pointer and although Wigan’s form has been patchy, they are not terrible and Latics (5/2 to take all three points) have looked capable of getting wins in recent weeks.

Wolves are on a run of four games without a win, while Sunderland are unbeaten in their last four and have drawn four of their last six games on the road. Asamoah Gyan is back for the Black Cats and Steve Bruce is missing key defenders Titus Bramble and Michael Turner. This game screams a draw at 23/10 – a result that would probably suit both teams.

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McCarthy calls for Latics response

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Wigan midfielder James McCarthy admits it is vital Latics use Tuesday night’s Carling Cup second-round clash at League One Hartlepool as a chance to kick-start their season (Chelsea 11/2f – Carling Cup Outright).

Roberto Martinez’s side have suffered two heavy defeats in their opening Premier League games after being humbled at the DW Stadium, first by new boys Blackpool and then champions Chelsea last Saturday.

Latics have shipped 10 goals in the process, scoring none in reply, as their poor form from the end of last term continues following the 8-0 drubbing by Chelsea on the final day of the last campaign.

Wigan were dumped out of the Carling Cup at the second-round stage last season after losing 4-1 to Blackpool who were then still a Championship side.

But at least by that point Latics had some league points on the board following a shock opening-day win at Astom Villa – 12 months on things are very different for the DW Stadium outfit.

And McCarthy, who was the pick of Wigan’s side at the weekend, admits they must get up and running sooner rather than later after a bright start against Chelsea ultimately counted for nothing (Latics 20/23 – Relegation).

He said: “We have to take the positives. At times we matched Chelsea all over the pitch, especially in the first half when I feel we dominated the game.

“But they got that crucial first goal in that half and showed their class as true champions.

“Although we’ve conceded 10 goals, we are not going to look at it that way.

“We’ve suffered two defeats and hopefully we can now lift ourselves and kick on on Tuesday. We’ll go there and try and give it our all.

“Of course, the manager isn’t happy and rightly so. Conceding five goals in the second half is not acceptable and we need to address that.

“We just need to work on the training ground. I’m sure it’s as simple as that.”

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has acted to bolster his defensive options by signing free agent Steven Caldwell who was released by Burnley at the end of last season.

The 29-year-old joins his brother, Gary, at the DW Stadium and is in contention for the trip to Victoria Park.

Tuesday’s Carling Cup second-round action:
Bradford v Preston
Brentford v Hull
Crewe v Ipswich
Hartlepool v Wigan
Leeds United v Leicester
Leyton Orient v West Brom
Millwall v Middlesbrough
MK Dons v Blackpool
Morecambe v Burnley
Peterborough v Cardiff
Portsmouth v Crystal Palace
Scunthorpe v Sheff Wed
Southampton v Bolton
Stoke v Shrewsbury
Sunderland v Colchester
Tranmere v Swansea
Watford v Notts County
West Ham v Oxford Utd
Wolverhampton v Southend
Blackburn v Norwich
Reading v Northampton

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Martinez wants ‘perfect’ response

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Roberto Martinez has admitted his side will need to be “perfect” if they are to beat Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday as he warned Wigan (14/1 in the match betting) they must put on a much better show than the dreadful 4-0 reverse against Blackpool last weekend.

Wigan were humbled by the newly-promoted Seasiders in what was the shock result on the opening-day of the Premier League season last Saturday.

Martinez’s men will be desperate to bounce back this weekend but face the toughest of tests when champions Chelsea visit the DW Stadium for Saturday’s evening kick off.

The Wigan boss has nothing but admiration for Carlo Ancelotti’s side and is well aware how difficult a game it will be for his side, but he insists if they can perform to their best then Latics can be a match for anyone in the division.

“Chelsea in my eyes have the strongest squad in the league, but we’re ready to react from our disappointment and be competitive in a game we showed last season we’re capable of winning,” said Martinez on the club’s website.

“They’ve been working together as a squad for a number of seasons and have had tremendous results.

“Everything you look for in a successful team; experience, strength, power and quality they possess in big amounts.”

Martinez only has injury worries over Gary Caldwell and Victor Moses ahead of the game and he wants his side to put on as good a performance as possible to at least give themselves a chance of causing an upset themselves on week two of the Premier League (Wigan 6/5 to be relegated).

“We need to be perfect in everything we do, learning lessons from last weekend’s game,” he added.

“Overall last season gave us the experience of how to play against these sides. But we have to match them off the ball and work really hard. We have enough quality to create chances and score goals, but everything else needs to be perfect as well.”

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Pep promises Barca response

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Barcelona players joined forces on Tuesday to insist their Champions League dream was still alive in response to a 3-1 first-leg defeat by Internazionale in Milan (11/10 Barcelona – To Qualify).

Barca’s hopes of becoming the first club side to successfully defend the trophy belonging to Europe’s premier club competition were dealt a potentially-damaging blow on a night to savour for the Nerazzurri.

Too many of Pep Guardiola’s star-studded squad – including red-hot Argentina international Lionel Messi and former Inter favourite Zlatan Ibrahimovic – had off-nights off the back of an arduous 14-hour coach trip, forced by the travel chaos resulting from the volcanic ash cloud, to reach Italy.

The holders appeared to be in the box seat when they snatched a priceless away goal courtesy of a sublime finish by Pedro on 19 minutes.

But the Catalan giants failed to build on their advantage and goals from Wesley Sneijder, Maicon and Diego Milito secured a sixth consecutive Champions League victory for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Full-back Daniel Alves bemoaned: “We made mistakes when they had chances. It was a fiercely fought contest but we deserved a little more.”

The Brazilian added: “Complaining is for losers and we’re not losers.”

Barca skipper Carles Puyol, who will miss the return leg because of a suspension, added: “It’s a bad result. Let’s hope the Camp Nou helps us turn the tie around.”

Pedro said: “It’s good to score an away goal. We’ll give it 100% in the 90 minutes left in front of our own fans.”

Pep Guardiola suffered the unwanted record of falling to his heaviest defeat in Europe since taking charge at the Nou Camp but said he had every confidence his players could overturn the deficit (4/9 Barcelona 11/4 draw 11/2 Inter Milan – match betting).

“It is never good to lose by more than one goal, but it is the first time in the Champions League since I was in charge of Barcelona; the first time it has happened to us in 19 months,” he said.

“But we are convinced that we can turn the tie around.”

Guardiola must now rally his troops for Saturday’s La Liga clash at home against Xerex in the knowledge that bitter rivals Real Madrid are breathing down their necks.

The Nou Camp boss said he would take stock before analysing what went wrong against Inter and promised Messi would have a big say in Barca’s attempt to reach the final at the Bernabeu on May 22.

“We’ll invite you to Barcelona and then you will see the real Messi,” said Guardiola. “Our fans will get behind us and we can do it.”

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