Tag Archives: Football

RAUL MEIRELES : RONALDO WOULD BE BETTER OFF IN PREMIER LEAGUE

Cristiano Ronaldo is looking at leaving Real Madrid by summer time and Raul Meireles believes that the Premier League would be the best place for the Balloon d’Or winner if and when he decides to make the move.


Due to the kind of treatment he has gotten from the tax authorities in Spain, the Real Madrid forward is looking at leaving the club soon.

Earlier in the month of June, the prosecutor’s office of the country located in Madrid filed a tax fraud lawsuit against the former Manchester United’s striker.

Unconfirmed reports emanating from various quarters have it that Ronaldo is looking to rejoining the club he left from to Real, which is Manchester United for the next season.

The former Chelsea midfielder, Meireles is of the belief that where the striker makes the move, then the English top flight would be the best fit for him.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Meireles said:

“Yes of course [he could return to the Premier League]. He was very successful in the Premier League so I think that if he does not want to stay at Real Madrid, or he wants to leave, then the Premier League is the right place for him to be.” Continue reading →

JUVENTUS TO KILL OFF MONACO IN RETURN LEG

Serie A champs Juventus are expected to kill off the competition against Monaco when both sides meet in the return leg of the Champions League on Tuesday.


The Italian side have a two goal advantage that they would exploit to the fullest when they host the French side. Juve started well, with Gonzalo Higuain grabbing a brace in the first leg at Stade Louis II last week.

The coach of the home side Massimiliano Allegri is taking no chances as he rested key players over the weekend when they face Torino in the local league. They struggled to get a 1-1 draw despite their numerical advantage for over 30 minutes.

Higuain had to dig deep to secure a point for the team but the Bianconeri failed to extend their league record to 34 successive victories. The team would rely on the Argentina international again as they face an attacking youthful French side.

Monaco are still dreaming of an epic final with any of the Madrid teams despite the 2-0 limit. They defeated Nancy 3-0 over the weekend to keep their Ligue 1 hopes firm and warn Juve that they could usurp them at home. That would make Monaco the first team to overturn a 2-0 home defeat in the history of the tournament knockout rounds. Continue reading →

VIETNAM MOVES TO CURB BLACK MARKET BETTING

Vietnam has moved to block widespread betting in the black market through the launch of a pilot program that allows citizens over 21 years place bets in regulated events.


Vietnamese citizens can now engage in soccer betting and horserace bets as efforts to crackdown on illegal gambling dens and online betting sites proved abortive.

The country maintained a long time ban on gambling but recently announced the move to ease the regulations. The plan is to build facilities around the country so interested people can place bets. For soccer betting, Vietnamese can only officially place bets in FIFA-recognized international games with a maximum wager of $45.

The move would limit Vietnamese citizens that were fleeing the country to place bets in Cambodian casinos, the government said.

“Changes in Vietnam gambling laws will lead to increased competition for Cambodia’s casinos and will likely affect local businesses. Cambodia’s casinos have been typically operating without much immediate regional competition. Continue reading →

ALLARDYCE AHEAD TO REPLACE PARDEW

Disgraced former Three Lions manager Sam Allardyce is leading the race to replace Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew, according to Sky Bet.


After Pardew supervised just one victory in 11 Premier League matches, hence his sack on Thursday.

The Eagles are set to name a new manager that would help them beat relegation threats as the season reached halfway. Allardyce seem to have the magic wand and is preferred, being that he has never been relegated to the lower division as a top-flight manager. His working knowledge of the Premier League is another advantage. With Palace chair Steve Parish disclosing that the club would get a new manager “as quickly as possible,” Allardyce would definitely rank top on the list.

Football betting site Sky Bet give the former Bolton Wanderers boss ½ as the likely choice whilst installing former Birmingham coach Gary Rowett as the second in line at 2/1 odds.

There is Chris Coleman at 6/1 to return to the club but it remains unlikely given the World Cup qualification bid. Former Three Lions coach Roy Hodgson has 14/1 chance while Red Devils legend Ryan Giggs has 18/1 chance at clinching the role. Continue reading →

CARRASCO TO SCORE IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GAME

Yannick Carrasco is one of the stars set to get a goal when Atletico Madrid play Rostov in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.


The player has stepped out of the shadows of Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres of recent and has a high odds of getting a goal anytime.

City face Barcelona again after their recent 4-0 thumping. Lionel Messi almost singlehandedly handed City manager Pep Guardiola one of his worst nights as a football manager. Even football betting experts wouldn’t have predicted such for the former Barcelona coach. However, the floodgates were opened after Claudio Bravo was sent off. City entered the game with a 6/1 odds to win but they are 19/10 to win at home.

Manchester City only just returned to winning ways after six games. They thrashed West Brom in convincing fashion, and are set to face a weakened Barcelona side – when compared to the last squad. Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are injured; Jeremy Mathieu remains suspended for the red card he picked up. Andres Iniesta remains sidelines as well. Continue reading →

WENGER PROVES PUNDITS RIGHT WITH FIRST WIN

Arsenal got their first win of the season with a 3-1 comfortable win over their opponents Watford.


The win would ensure coach Arsene Wenger gets a break, after pressure piled up due to a string of underwhelming performances. The win pushes the runners-up last term to five points after the three games. Football pundit Robbie Savage predicted that the Gunners would win, pegging Arsenal at 8/11.

Arsenal move to 7th position with the win, while Watford languish in the relegation zone, after their second loss.

Liverpool vs. Tottenham was the biggest clash of the weekend on paper, and both teams gave fans a match to remember. The game ended 1-1, with English players James Milner and Danny Rose scoring a goal each. Chelsea proved their quality as they thrashed Burnley 3-0, despite their rising confidence from defeating Liverpool 2-0 last week. Goals from Eden Hazard, Willian and Victor Moses did the job. Chelsea top the standings with maximum points from three games so far.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth played one all draw, while Everton continued their fine form with a 1-0 win over Stoke City. The Toffees place third on the standings with seven points from three games. The result so far would leave Evertonians happy after a crappy last term.
Continue reading →

Football Betting Includes Careful Analysis

For those who indulge in football betting, there is a lot of insight and analyses that go into their decisions unlike what others might think.


While some might think it to be simply a matter of gambling and a way of making quick bucks, it is definitely not so. There are experts who forecast and predict how teams will work and players will play, which often turns out to be exactly what happens out there in the field weeks later.

The latest analysis is about Croatia and the impressive form that the team has been flaunting. Many experts are hinting at the possibility of Portugal and Ronaldo being overridden by this team. Not every star player is always successful in all the matches and there have been two games that have proven to be barren for Ronaldo. However, in the game against Hungary he finally discovered his scoring magic again. Portugal on the other hand, has been following a different strategy that has proven successful in helping the team move to the knockout stages. They have not been able to win a single game, but the new format of competition rules has helped them to move past the group games. They have failed against teams like Hungary, Austria and Iceland. That definitely raises serious questions about their form this year.

The team has depended on Ronaldo entirely and that might be a weakness for the team. Ronaldo was unable to score for the team till the third game. He even missed a penalty shot that is unlike him. With smaller teams being up against Portugal and the team not being able to perform, for a game where they will be facing Croatia, you might want to look more favorably towards the latter whose team seems to be more organized this time.

FOOTBALL BETTING ODDS CHANGE AS BARCELONA LIFTS THE LA LIGA AGAIN

Football betting odds experience changes as Luis Suarez’ hat trick helped the Catalan giant lift the La Liga for a second successive season.

Barcelona were set to lift the La Liga but a last minute challenge from Real Madrid and bitter rivals Atletico Madrid made the trophy win a fight till the end. Barcelona dipped in form during that period and lost three straight matches, which is the worst form in 13 years for the star club. The team had to rally around and dig deep to pull out consistent clean sheets towards the final games as they lifted the trophy this weekend.

Real Madrid were behind by just a point in second place after Atletico had lost a match in the final games. The odds have moved in the favour of the Catalan giant lifting the Copa Del Rey as well as the face Sevilla in the final on May 22nd. Sevilla qualified for the final after moving past Celta de Vigo in the semi finals. They had defeated them by 4-0 at home in February before playing a 2-2 draw in the following away match a week later. Continue reading →