Friendly fun!

Soccer betting odds from bwin, for Saturday’s International friendly matches.

With most of the World Cup places decided, many of the world’s top teams are using this international weekend to play a warm up game against top class opposition. Rob Treloar looks ahead to some mouth-watering international clashes.

Fabio Capello has taken his England squad to Qatar for a friendly against Brazil. With many England regulars ruled out through injury it is an opportunity for Capello to experiment with some of the fringe players in his squad. And for those players it is a great chance to stake a claim for their inclusion in Capello’s World Cup squad. David James has still not fully recovered from surgery and so it gives Robert Green one final chance to impress Capello at close quarters ahead of the World Cup. And with Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Aaron Lennon also missing the trip to Qatar, the likes of James Milner, Ashley Young and Jermaine Jenas will be aiming to give Capello something to think about. Of course, if these players can turn in a great performance against Brazil it will do their World Cup chances no harm at all. But the five time World Champions are in fine form, Brazil qualified for the World Cup at a canter and with players like Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano in the squad they will undoubtedly be one of the favourites in South Africa. Brazil are strong favourites to beat an under strength England side in Qatar, and are priced at 23/20 with bwin. England are 23/10 to beat the boys from Brazil, while the draw is 11/5.

Get great odds on all this weekend’s International friendly matches with bwin!

Another big game this weekend sees Spain take on Argentina at the Bernabeu stadium. It promises to be an entertaining affair, especially as both sides are renowned for their attacking flair. Lionel Messi will go up against his Barcelona team-mates Carles Puyal and Gerard Pique whilst Gonzalo Higuain will line up opposite his Real Madrid team-mate Sergio Ramos. Diego Maradona came under intense pressure as Argentina stumbled to World Cup qualification, so a win over the reigning European Champions would restore a lot of confidence in the Argentine squad and demonstrate that they will be a force to be reckoned with in South Africa. However, Spain are strong favourites to win the game at the Bernabeu, at 9/10, while Argentina are 3/1 to get an away win. Lionel Messi is priced at 2/1 to score at any time, while his Barcelona team-mate Andreas Iniesta is 29/10.

World Champions Italy get ready to defend their title with a friendly against the Netherlands. Bert van Marwijk’s side came through their World Cup qualification campaign 100%. However the Netherlands will have a much better idea of how far they have come as a squad when they face Marcello Lippi’s side in Rome. The home side are favourites with bwin at 27/20, while the Netherlands are priced at 19/10. The draw is 11/5.

Road to South Africa nears the end!

Soccer betting odds from bwin, for Saturday’s World Cup Qualifying matches.

There are still six World Cup places up for grabs and over the next week 12 teams will battle it out to try and book their place in South Africa next summer, writes Rob Treloar…

Four of the six play-off matches are between European nations, with the first legs taking place this weekend. The biggest match is undoubtedly between the Republic of Ireland and France at Croke Park in Dublin. France have had a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing second behind Serbia in Group 7. Raymond Domenech has come in for a lot of criticism from the French media and public and if he fails to guide ‘Les Blues’ past Ireland he will surely find himself out of a job. By contrast Ireland enjoyed a fairly successful campaign, pushing reigning World Champions Italy close for top spot in Group 8 and finishing comfortably above Bulgaria. Giovanni Trapattoni’s side are certainly capable of beating France over two legs and with players like Shay Given and Robbie Keane in good form, France will need to be at their best if they are to make it to South Africa. Of course, the 2006 World Cup finalists will be favourites to win in Dublin on Saturday, with bwin they are priced at 27/20 and with Thierry Henry and Karim Benzema likely to lead the line for France, Ireland will have their hands full. Henry is priced at 7/5 to score at any time, while Benzema is 8/5. However, there is value in and Ireland win, especially at Croke Park, and the home side are priced at 39/20. The draw is 43/20.

Get great odds on all the World Cup qualifying matches with bwin!

Elsewhere Portugal face Bosnia Herzegovina. Portugal almost missed out on the play-offs altogether but a late run of results helped them to clinch second place ahead of Sweden in Group A. Portugal were hoping Cristiano Ronaldo would be fit enough to play some part in the two-legged tie with Bosnia. But the Real Madrid man still hasn’t recovered fully from an injury he sustained playing in the Champions League at the end of September. However, even without Ronaldo, Portugal should be strong enough to see off Bosnia, especially at home. The Portuguese are huge favourites at 9/20 while Bosnia are 11/2 for an away win, with the draw priced at 63/20.

Greece and Russia and both favourites to win the first leg of their ties with Ukraine and Slovenia respectively. Greece are 6/5 to beat Shevchenko and co, while Guus Hiddink’s side are priced at 8/25 for a home win over Slovenia.

Outside of Europe, Costa Rica and Uruguay go head-to-head for a World Cup spot. Uruguay narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, losing to Argentina in their final match. They now face a tough task as Costa Rica are a powerful team with World Cup pedigree. Uruguay are slight favourites priced at 7/5 to win in Costa Rica, while the home side are priced at 7/4, with the draw at 23/10.

Robert Enke, the 32 years old goalkeeper of the German team of Hanover, left a letter of apology in which he says that he had hidden his depression and that is what led him to commit suicide on Tuesday.

His wife, his family and his doctors did everything to hide his condition after the loss of his daughter, Lara, at the age of 2 years in 2006, from a rare heart condition. Since 2003, he was followed by psychiatrists who were diagnosed with acute anxiety of failure.

The wife of the 32 year old goal keeper is in shock. The couple had adopted a new girl in May 2009.
The fans all over the country mourn his death.

At footbetting.co.uk, we provide our condolences to his family, his friends, and his country and to football.

Weekend Premier League Betting

Get all the latest football betting odds with bwin!

It’s a big weekend in the Premier League at both ends of the table as Chelsea and Manchester United go head-to-head, while Portsmouth face fellow strugglers Blackburn, writes Rob Treloar…

Only two points separate Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League table, with the London club having a slight advantage over the Champions. But this first meeting between the two sides at Stamford Bridge could have a huge bearing on the race for the title. Manchester United have hit something of a blip in form of late; their defeat at Liverpool was a set back for Alex Ferguson, while on Wednesday night United were lucky to escape with a point in their Champions League tie with CSKA Moscow. But United are often at their strongest when it appears things are going against them and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Red Devils were to go to Stamford Bridge and win. Wayne Rooney will certainly be in a positive frame of mind after becoming a father for the first time this week. Will we see a Bebeto style celebration if Rooney finds the net against the Blues? With bwin the United striker is 2/1 to score at any time, while United are 11/4 for an away win.

Chelsea were also held to a draw in the Champions League at Atletico Madrid but the Blues have been in rampant form of late, scoring 19 goals in their last four matches. Didier Drogba got both Chelsea’s goals in midweek and the Ivory Coast international is in stunning form going into the match against United. Drogba is 13/10 to score at any time and 9/2 to socre the opening goal of the match while the Blues are priced at 19/20 for the win. The draw is priced at 23/10.

Bet on all the weekend fixtures with bwin.

At the other end of the table Portsmouth face fellow strugglers Blackburn. Pompey finally started to show their Premier League quality last weekend with a 4-0 thrashing over Wigan Athletic. Blackburn have endured a tough two weeks, with back-to-back away fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester United. However, Rovers home form has been pretty good this season and they will be hoping that a victory can take them out of the bottom three. Sam Allardyce’s side are 21/20 favourites to beat Paul Harts Pompey, while the visitors are priced at 51/20 and the draw is 11/5. Aruna Dindane scored a hat-trick for Portsmouth last weekend and with bwin, he is priced at 19/10 to get a goal at Ewood Park. Davis Dunn has been in great form for Rovers and he is 2/1 to score at any time.

Elsewhere in the Premiership, West Ham are 13/10 to beat Everton at Upton Park after they recorded their first home win of the season against Aston Villa in midweek. Spurs will be hoping to bounce back from their North London derby defeat with a home win against Sunderland, with the Lilywhites priced at 11/20 for a victory at White Hart Lane. And on Monday night Liverpool will be hoping they can get a much needed win against Birmingham City. Despite their appalling recent form, Rafa’s Reds are 3/10 for a win at Anfield.

Treloar’s tip: Why not back a London treble with wins for Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham? You’ll get combined odds of 101/50 with bwin.

Serie A Weekend Betting

Get all the latest football betting odds with bwin!

After a great week of action in Europe it is back to business in Serie A. There is no shortage of big games, writes Rob Treloar…

Leonardo will be hoping that AC Milan’s brilliant win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in midweek can kick-start his side’s season. Of course, Alexandre Pato has played a huge part in the reversal of the Rossoneri’s fortunes, having scored three goals in the last two games. The result in Madrid could be of huge significance as the side have gone from looking like mid-table strugglers to title contenders in the space of 90 minutes. This weekend Milan take on The Flying Donkeys of Chievo in Verona and Pato will be hoping to add more goals to his tally. The Brazilian is priced at 157/100 to score against Chievo with Milan at 1/1 for the away win. A Pato-Milan double would give you odds of 207/50.

Get great odds on all the Serie A fixtures with bwin.

Juventus will also go into their weekend fixture with confidence having claimed their first Champions League win of the season in midweek. However, the Bianconeri, who are four points adrift of table toppers Inter, have not won in Serie A for over a month. However, they will fancy their chances of getting a result at lowly Siena, who have not won a home game all season.

Juve’s winning goal against Maccabi Haifa in midweek cam from an unlikely source, with defender Giorgio Chiellini getting the all important header. But Juve have been boosted by the return of playmaker Diego, who following an injury lay-off will be hoping to get back amongst the goals in Siena. Diego is 143/100 to score at any time with bwin, while Juventus are priced at 29/50 for an away win.

Elsewhere Genoa will hope to bounce back from their humiliating defeat to Inter last weekend, when they travel to Cagliari. Despite last week’s 5-0 thrashing, Genoa have made a good start to the season. They are priced at 8/5 for an away win at Cagliari.

Lazio fans will be hoping their side can finally end their winless run at Bari. The Biancoceleste have failed to record a victory since beating Chievo back in August. Bari, on the other hand have only been beaten once all season and are sitting comfortably in mid table so it is no surprise that they are the favourites, priced at 31/20, while Lazio are a 9/5 shot for an away win.

Fiorentina took part in an incredible Champions League match in midweek, eventually winning 4-3 against Debreceni. Adrian Mutu was the star of the show for the Viola, scoring twice in the first 20 minutes. Fiorentina face a Napoli side who have lost all four of their games on the road this season, so it is no surprise that the home side are strong favourites at 18/25. Mutu is 143/100 to score at any time.