Tag Archives: start

Early start for Carling new boys

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The new Football League campaign has not yet started but League Two new boys Crawley Town and AFC Wimbledon have been called back early on Friday evening to scrap it out for a place in the first round of the Carling Cup.

The preliminary round has been hastily arranged in order to allow Carling Cup holders and newly-relegated Championship side Birmingham to start in the third round because of their Europa League commitments.

The Conference Premier champions Crawley have been handed home advantage at Broadfield Road and they will fancy their chances of progression into a tasty clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on August 8 in the first round proper should they go through.

However, AFC Wimbledon – a club spawned from the 1988 FA Cup winners after they upped sticks and moved to Milton Keynes – will want to mark their first ever match as a Football League club with a win (7/2 Away Win 90 Minutes) some 34 years after the original side entered the league.

Wimbledon entered the league via a play-off win against Luton Town, while Crawley were a Football League side in waiting last term as they romped to the title.

Boss Steve Evans is boosted by the fact that, with the exception of skipper Pablo Mills, who recently underwent an operation on his ankle, and Jamie Day, who is still recovering from injury, Crawley have a full strength squad to pick from for the tie.

Six players could make their debuts and Evans is looking for his men to send out a strong message to their League Two rivals through this match.

Crawley go into the match on the back of a good run from the end of last season with four wins and two draws in their last six while they defeated AFC Wimbledon 3-1 (12/1 Correct Score) in the Conference game at the same venue last term.

AFC Wimbledon have problems in the treatment room as new captain Jamie Stuart and midfielder Lee Minshull are struggling with respective back and dead leg problems, while defender Mat Mitchel-King is out with glandular fever and fellow new signings Gareth Gwillim and Charles Ademeno are doubts with respective shoulder and heel injuries.

They also go into the clash against their rivals in good form with a record of four wins and two draws from their last six games.

However, with a slightly stronger side and home advantage afforded to Crawley Town it is difficult to see any other outcome than a victory for the Reds.

Prediction: Crawley To Win 90 Minutes @ 8/13
Value bet: Crawley To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 7/1

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Uruguay set for flying start

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The Copa America in Argentina continues on Monday evening with the four sides from Group C taking centre-stage as the much-fancied Uruguay will face an injury-hit Peru and an intriguing battle is in store when a weakened Mexico side goes head-to-head with Chile.

Hosts Argentina got off to a shaky start on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolivia, while Colombia took top spot in Group A courtesy of a 1-0 win against Costa Rica.

Brazil and fellow Group B sides Venezuela, Paraguay and Ecuador will do battle on Sunday which will pave the way clear for the third group to get into the swing of things in the battle to be South America’s finest.

Uruguay v Peru

These two sides will meet in San Juan with all the talk focused on the problems facing Peru coach Sergio Markarian as he looks to select a side capable of creating problems for a Uruguayan side (9/1 Copa America Winner) still on a high after reaching the semi-finals of last summer’s World Cup.

Markarian must find suitable replacements for key strikers Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro, who are missing due to injury – but the likes of Carlos Zambrano, Luis Ramirez and Jesus Rabanal are far from 100 per cent fit as well.

To make matters worse, top midfielder Juan Vargas faces a late fitness test to see if he can feature in the match.

Despite his problems, Markarian claims the side are in good spirits ahead of the encounter – his first competitive match in charge of Peru (8/1 To Win 90 Minutes) against his home nation.

“The spirit in the changing room is good, the players are good,” he said. “They don’t need anyone to give them a lift. They are very strong and are fired up and ready to play.”

However, it seems that Markarian is merely putting a brave face on things as Uruguay, who have reached the last-four of the Copa America in the past three tournaments, look a superior squad even if Peru had all their big guns fit and available.

The strength of Oscar Tabarez’s Uruguay side (7/5 Group C Winner) is their attacking prowess with striker Diego Forlan, strike partner Luis Suarez and Napoli’s Edison Cavani likely to feature in a 4-3-3 formation with ammunition from out wide set to come from Porto’s Alvaro Pereira.

With those players seemingly fit and ready for action, there can only be one outcome from this clash and that is a Uruguay victory.

Prediction: Uruguay To Win 90 Minutes @ 1/3
Value Bet: Diego Forlan 1st Goal Uruguay To Win 2-0 Scorecast @ 18/1

Chile v Mexico

This fixture also in San Juan throws up a dilemma when considering the outcome simply because Mexico will be fielding a youthful line-up shorn of star players such as Javier Hernandez, Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado following their recent CONCACAF Gold Cup success in the United States.

However, there will be some experience in the guise of Giovani dos Santos and Rafael Marquez Lugo and 31-year-old goalkeeper Luis Michel, who is confident they can compete with the best at the Copa America (50/1 Winner).

He said: “The group is working well, hard, and with a good mentality. We listen to our manager, so we know exactly how he wants us to play. There is quality (in this team), we have a great opportunity and we should take advantage of it.”

Chile (5/4 Group C Winner) will go into the game with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who is keen ‘not to raise false expectations’, insisting that the squad’s ‘ideal target’ is to at least reach the semi-finals and then possibly go on and win the tournament (10/1 Winner).

Chile’s hopes will no doubt rest on the shoulders of Udinese star Alexis Sanchez, whose excellent form in Italy’s Serie A has resulted in a summer bidding war for his signature.

La Roja also have West Brom’s Gonzalo Jara and Jean Beausejour, who will want to put relegation from the Premier League with Birmingham firmly behind him in Argentina.

It is set to be a close encounter in this Group C clash and one which Mexico could be made to pay for substituting experience with youth.

Prediction: Chile To Win 90 Minutes @ 4/9
Value Bet Chile To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 13/2

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Brown faces tough start

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The Championship is looking as closely fought as most people expected before a ball was kicked, with only 14 points separating play-off places and the relegation zone. Any team putting together a good run can catapult themselves up the table, so which teams are set to be celebrating on Saturday evening…….

Preston v Leicester

Preston are really struggling this season and Phil Brown has a task on his hands to turn things around. Take a look at the strikers each respective team has brought in this week – Sven has persuaded Yakubu to drop down to play for Leicester, while Brown has got Nathan Ellington from Greek side Skoda Xanthi.
Leicester are a growing force, they beat Swansea a fortnight ago before drawing with Manchester City in the FA Cup. You would expect Sven’s boys to have too much and take all three points to add to Preston’s misery (Leicester are Evs to win the game).

Swansea v Crystal Palace

New Palace boss Dougie Freedman faces a tough trip to South Wales, as Swansea are riding high in the table and bounced back from their defeat to Leicester by beating Colchester 4-0 in the FA Cup last time out. The Swans (4/7 to win the game) have lost some consistency in recent weeks, but Scott Sinclair remains a striker in form capable of hurting a leaky defence – something which Palace possess.
Brendan Rodgers has the perfect motivation for improvement and that is the fact Swansea could overtake second-placed Cardiff if they win and Norwich do them a favour – something that could happen as Paul Lambert’s side are riding high themselves this season. (Norwich 5/4 to beat Cardiff)

Bristol City v Middlesbrough

Both these teams need to put some results together to help them begin to climb the Championship table and lower league opposition in the FA Cup last weekend beat both. The statistics for this game show that Bristol City are inconsistent at home and Boro are terrible on the road, but Tony Mowbray’s side have struggled to score goals on the road. All pointers suggest a draw in this clash at 23/10.

Burnley v QPR

Managerless Burnley face a tall order against top-of-the-table QPR on Saturday, but the loss of Jamie Mackie could have a large impact on Neil Warnock’s side. Nevertheless, you would expect the attacking flair of Rangers (7/4 for the win) to be too much for a Burnley side, who seem to follow a win with a loss, according to their recent form.

The Best of The Rest

Across the rest of the games, Leeds (1/2 to win) should get their season back on track following a faltering period by beating a struggling Scunthorpe side, who are short of real firepower.
Ipswich will be on a high after their Carling Cup win over Arsenal and the ‘new manager syndrome’ should be enough to get them at least a draw at Millwall – priced at 12/5.
Doncaster (7/5 to win) play host to Reading and the home side should come out on top, while another home victory in Yorkshire seems on the cards as Hull face Barnsley at the KC Stadium (Hull 4/5 to gain the points).
Sheffield United (11/5 to win) have only won once on the road all season, but could add to that when they travel to an inconsistent Coventry.
Watford (20/23) will beat Derby and continue the plaudits for Malky Mackay, while Nottingham Forest (8/11) should boost their promotion chances with a win over struggling Portsmouth.

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Rovers start new regime

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Rovers manager Sam AllardyceBlackburn Rovers will be desperate to start life under their new owners, Venky’s London Limited, with a victory and Aston Villa beware, with Gerard  Houllier’s men visiting Ewood Park (Blackburn 13/10, draw 11/5, Aston Villa 11/5 – Match Betting) on Sunday.

The new owners started their business as a poultry firm in India and they will be looking for Rovers to ‘rule the roost’ at Ewood Park and maintain their impressive home form.

Blackburn go into this game on the back of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but had won back-to-back games prior to that.

Sam Allardyce’s men sit just two points above the relegation zone, despite decent wins against Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United, but at home they are always a tough nut to crack.

Villa meanwhile, will be disappointed that they could not make a two goal lead count against Manchester United at Villa Park last weekend, but it was a much improved display.

The Villains welcome new signing Robert Pires into the squad for this clash after the former Arsenal midfielder signed a short-term deal with the Midlands’ club this week.

With the backing of new owners the Rovers players will be looking to impress but will need to end a poor run against Villa, having lost three of the last four meetings at Ewood Park.

Manchester City desperately need to get their season back on track, when they travel to Craven Cottage on Sunday.

City have only won one of their last five Premier League matches and manager Roberto Mancini has come under pressure for playing negatively.

With the amount of attacking talent at Eastlands, you would expect them to try and win every game and this will be another stern test of the top four credentials.

However, last weekend against Birmingham, the Italian boss brought off leading goalscorer Carlos Tevez (21/5 to score the first goal against Fulham) for defensive midfielder Gareth Barry, with the game goalless with seven minutes remaining.

It’s doubtful that Mancini will be that negative again after the criticism that fans directed at the Italian manager, but he will be up against a Fulham team whose manager will be out to prove a point.

This is an important home game for Fulham, who just sit one point above the relegation zone in the Premier League, with ex-City boss Mark Hughes looking to put one over on the club he left last season.

Half of the last 14 games between these two teams have ended in draws, but without Moussa Dembele and their star striker Bobby Zamora, it looks like a struggle for Hughes’ men.

In Monday evening’s game, Sunderland take on Everton at the Stadium of Light and the Black Cats will be full of confidence after they demolished Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge last time out.

Asamoah Gyan is fast becoming the signing of the season as he has notched up five Premier League goals in 10 appearances, eight of those as a substitute.

The Ghana striker is starting to form a tidy partnership with Danny Welbeck up front for Sunderland and they could be a threat to the Toffees on Monday, with Darren Bent still sidelined.

Everton  have won just one of their last five games and they will face another tough test in the North East, as they look to climb the table after another poor start to the season.

There could be a start for Jermaine Beckford, who has impressed when coming off the bench in recent matches, scoring a fine curling shot against Bolton in the dying moments of the game.

However, with the mood Sunderland are in the Black Cats look a good shout to take the points (Sunderland 6/4, draw 23/10, Everton 9/5 – Match Betting).

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Roy defends Reds’ start

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Roy Hodgson has defended Liverpool’s start to the season as he prepares to rotate his squad for the Europa League tie at home to Steaua Bucharest on Thursday (Liverpool – correct score 3-0 – 7/1).

Hodgson has come in for some criticism for the Reds’ slow start to the Premier League season – his side have won just one of their first four games – but the former Fulham chief is satisfied with the way his tenure has begun overall.

Liverpool have successfully negotiated two qualifying rounds of the Europa League to make it into the group stage and a record of five wins from eight competitive games in total means the boss is upbeat ahead of the Anfield clash against the Romanian side.

“We’ve played eight, won five, drawn two and lost one so far in all competitions – I don’t think that’s a bad start to the season by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.

“It’s a new team and a tough start to the season in terms of the programme. Like lots of teams at the moment, we’ve got less points than we would like and we’re firmly stuck in a group of teams between four and six points, which basically takes into account 90 per cent of the league at the moment.”

On this evening’s game, where Hodgson could bring back Joe Cole (9/2 first goalscorer), Ryan Babel, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and hand Raul Merieles his first start, the Liverpool chief admits he will make several changes.

“I shall make changes to the team for the game against Steaua. There’s no question of that – it’s something I’ve planned all along.

“I don’t think there is any point of having a squad of 25 players, many of whom are internationals, and then just trying to play the same 11 every game.

“It’s going to be important to keep everybody on board and it’s also important for me to get to know players better. I learn a lot from games and I learn a lot about the players because I’ve not had an awful lot of time working with some of them who were at the World Cup.”

Next up for Liverpool is one of the games of the season with a Premier League trip to take on bitter rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

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Harry Happy with Euro start

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Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was pleased with his side’s start to their first-ever Champions League campaign despite seeing a 2-0 lead slip away (Spurs 33/1 to win the Champions League).

The Londoners started brightly and were ahead after just 12 minutes when Werder Bremen’s Petri Pasanen scored an own goal under pressure from Peter Crouch.

The England international then doubled Spurs’ lead just six minutes later with a headed goal and Redknapp’s men dominated the opening exchanges.

However, Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida managed to reduce the deficit with two minutes of the first half remaining as he headed past Carlo Cudicini after the Spurs defence had switched off.

The German outfit were level moments after the restart when Marko Marin launched a fantastic effort past Cudicini from 20 yards as Spurs relinquished their lead.

Both sides had chances to win the game, with Werder Bremen perhaps enjoying the better opportunities, but neither could find the breakthrough to take all three points.

Redknapp was pleased with his side’s display, despite seeing a two-goal lead slip away, and praised the first-half performance.

“I think that first 42 minutes was as good as you could ever see us play, we were fantastic,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.

“We came out, passed the ball as I’d asked them to do. We kept the ball and opened them up time and time again.

“The second goal – what a great header,” Redknapp added. “It was great play and a fantastic finish by Crouchy, and overall I was delighted with how we played.

“We’d have taken a point before we came but being 2-0 up and in complete control, as we were, obviously it’s disappointing not to have won.”

Inter Milan and Dutch side FC Twente are the other two teams in Spurs’ Group A and the reigning champions could only manage a 2-2 draw with FC Twente in Holland.

FC Twente had managed to take a 2-1 lead over Rafael Benitez’s men – thanks to a 31st minute own goal from Inter’s Diego Milito – but Samuel Eto’o came to the Nerrazurri’s rescue with an equaliser just before half time.

Elsewhere, Spanish duo Barcelona and Valenica were both in fine form.

Barca secured a 3-1 win at the Nou Camp over Panathinaikos and Valenica ran riot with a 4-0 win over Bursaspor in Turkey, while Portuguese side Benfica secured a 2-0 victory over Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

Arsenal take on Portuguese outfit Braga at the Emirates tonight (Arsenal 1/4, draw 9/2, Braga 11/1), while Chelsea travel to Slovakia to face minnows MSK Zilina (Zilina 12/1, draw 5/1, Chelsea 2/9).

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Inter start with ‘lucky’ draw

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Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti says Monday’s 0-0 draw at Bologna could be a lucky omen after they opened their Serie A title defence under pressure to match the signings of their rivals (6/5 Serie A Outright 2010/2011).

Inter could not find a way past the packed Bologna defence at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, but Moratti was not concerned by the lack of a cutting edge in their play.

“We always started with a draw for three years now so I think, if nothing else, it was good luck.” he said.

Rafael Benitez’s team hit the bar in the second half but created few chances with a strong line-up, missing just Maicon and Dejan Stankovic from the team that lost to Atletico Madrid in Monaco on Friday.

The manner of that UEFA Supercup defeat was more worrying as the Jose Mourinho’s treble winners were comfortably second best on the night to the Spaniards.

Moratti admits AC Milan’s capture of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a season-long loan from Barcelona makes them a stronger force than last season, when they finished 12 points behind Inter in third place.

“Yes, they have a good team,” he said.

“They have a formidable attack, and finally become something more like real competition for us.”

AC Milan (2/1) defeated Lecce 4-0 at the San Siro to go top of the standings after week one’s fixtures.

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Wenger looking for strong start

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he is positive his side can make a strong start to the season as they look to build on their form from last year(Arsenal 7/1 to win the title).

The Gunners finished third in last year’s Premiership table, 11 points behind champions Chelsea, and qualified for the Champions League for the 10th year in succession (Arsenal 16/1 to win the Champions League).

Arsenal are currently holding an altitude training camp in Austria and beat Sturm Graz 3-0 in their second match of their pre-season tour.

Arsenal start their Premier League season with a difficult trip to face Liverpool but Wenger is targeting the match as the chance to kick start the Gunners’ season.

“The aim is to continue to progress as we have been doing,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official magazine.

“We were very close last year – closer than the previous season – so we are heading in the right way. We hope we can continue that this season.

“It is important to start well, start strongly and get into a good position early on and to try to maintain the level.”

Arsenal also started last season on Merseyside, beating Everton 6-1, provoking many onlookers to pronounce them the early favourites for the title. However, their form dipped during the winter months and they failed to pick up a single point against either of the teams that finished above them, Chelsea and Manchester United.

That meant that Arsenal’s run of trophyless seasons stretched to six, despite playing arguably some of the best football in the world.

During this time, Wenger has often been criticised for failing to open his cheque book to sign the big names that many people feel could make a major difference at the Emirates, in favour of promoting from within to develop one of the finest young sides in the World.

Many now feel that this could be the Gunners’ year with the acquisitions of defender Laurent Koscielny and striker Marouane Chamakh giving the squad a more balanced look, and Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen is confident this is going to be the year they once again lift the Premier League trophy.

“We have a good young group who are very aggressive and want to improve,” he remarked.

“I think people will always say we can’t compete – it is not the first time, but we have to do what we always do which is work hard and play our own game, then we can compete.

“I hope we can compete for the title this year and I am convinced we will.”

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Fabergas wants semi-final start

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Arsenal captain Cesc Fabergas has called on coach Vicente de Bosque to give him more game time at the World Cup ahead of Spain’s semi-final with Germany (2/1 outright World Cup winners).

The 23-year-old has yet to start a game for the current European Champions, playing a bit part in their progression to the last four.

Fabregas’ omission from the Spain starting eleven is a clear indication of the talent Del Bosque has at his disposal.

Despite enjoying another good season with Arsenal, Fabregas has found himself behind the likes of Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, David Silva and Xabi Alonso in being given a start.

However, Fabregas did impress when coming off the bench to help Spain (8/5 to beat Germany) beat Paraguay in the quarter-finals and there had been suggestions that he may start ahead of Fernando Torres.

Torres has been struggling in South Africa after another season blighted by injuries and del Bosque is thought to be considering whether to start him against Germany or give Fabregas a chance.

The Barcelona target impressed when asked to play behind the striker in Euro 2008, filling in for the injured David Villa in the final as Spain overcame Germany.

It could be that he is asked to play that role again against Germany should del Bosque decide to keep Torres on the bench.

Fabregas admits he is struggling to enjoy the World Cup from the dugout and says it won’t matter where he starts as he long as he gets to play more.

“All I want is to play football. It’s the semi-final of the biggest tournament in the world and I just want to play. I want to enjoy things and do well for the team and show everyone how I can play,” said Fabregas.

Coming into the tournament Fabregas was struggling to overcome a cracked fibula he suffered in March and his lack of fitness probably cost him the chance to start in the early stages.

However, the Arsenal midfielder says he is now fully fit and is desperate to get out on the pitch and show what he can do.

“When I come on I don’t think about that. I feel good. I feel motivated,” he added.

“Of course when you are not playing you have to give even more to get yourself in the team. I needed games. I needed minutes on the pitch. You can train as much as you like, but if you don’t play, then you never get your fitness back.

“Hopefully in the next two games I will feel better. Everyone is really proud of what we have achieved so far, but our aim is obviously to win it.”

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World Cup could start new sporting era

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South Africa president Jacob ZumaSouth Africa’s success in staging the World Cup could be just the start of a new sporting era in the country, said President Jacob Zuma.

Zuma said the tournament had sparked economic development and proved the developing continent was capable of managing a world event.

“I think we have proved that not only South Africa, but Africa is capable of hosting any major event,” Zuma told the FIFA website.

The government has spent about 40 billion rand ($5.17 billion) on infrastructure projects, and billions more on upgrading roads and airports.

It could now spur a bid for the first African Olympics, Zuma said.

“People are already talking about a possibility of bidding for major events and we are supporting this. The Olympics are an example, I don’t see why we can’t bid to host the Olympics in the future. It’s important for Africa,” he added.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge last week offered encouragement to Africa for an Olympic bid, strengthening the possibility of South Africa being a host.

Cape Town was the first African city to bid for the Olympics but was trounced in the vote for the 2004 Games that were awarded to Athens.

Durban, which markets itself as Africa’s sports capital, has expressed an interest in hosting a future Games and built its new World Cup stadium with enough space to add an athletics track.

When asked what legacy he wanted the World Cup to leave for South Africa’s children, Zuma told FIFA: “It has taken the economic development to a different level. One of the important things for Africa is education and programmes like 1Goal (FIFA’S education programme) are playing a vital role – that is legacy.

“This tournament has inspired Africans.”

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