Sportsbet Blog

The second leg of the Champion’s League Football is currently underway and Liverpool have become the first of the four English teams to be eliminated from the tournament at the hands of arch-rivals Chelsea.

Liverpool were faced with a monumental task from the start – they had lost by two goals in the first leg at home and so had to win the match away at Stamford Bridge by three goals to progress to the semi’s.

Liverpool Started With A Rush

The first thirty minutes had Liverpool fans in a frenzy as their men went two goals up and the impossible started to look like a near certainty. The match developed into a classic as both teams traded goals and the final score of 4-4 meant that Chelsea had survived and will now play Barcelona in what will be their fifth semi-final appearance in the past six tournaments.

Liverpool can hold their heads high – they delivered a wonderful performance away from home without their talismanic leader Steven Gerrard, and can now focus their attentions on the race for the Premier League title. They are currently in second place behind Manchester United, who have a one point lead and a game in hand. With just 6 games remaining for Liverpool they will be praying for Man U to drop some points soon.

Barcelona Progress

In the other quarter final played yesterday Bayern Munich managed to salvage some pride with a 1-1 draw against Barcelona who had belted them 4-0 in the opening leg. Barcelona will have home advantage in the first leg of the semi-finals against Chelsea.

Other Quarter Finals To Be Played Tonight

Manchester United face a tough challenge tonight as they head to the home stadium of FC Porto with the tie locked at 2-2 after the first leg. No English team has won at Estádio do Dragão in eleven attempts but if any team is capable of breaking that streak it is the Red Devils who are the defending champions.

They are having another strong season in ’08/’09 – they are top of the table in their domestic competition, have progressed to the semi finals of the FA Cup and are currently on an amazing 22 game unbeaten streak in the Champions League.

That being said their ability to win on the road in recent times has not been so impressive, with just one victory away from homechampions league, manchester united, liverpool, chelsea, barcelona, arsenal in this European campaign. 

Bookmakers have installed them as favourites at 2.05

In the other quarter final left to be decided Arsenal will go into the second leg having travelled to Villareal and come away with a draw, giving them the advantage at home. Arsene Wenger’s men have yet to concede a goal at home in this tournament, but will be tested tonight with a couple of their key defensive players sidelined through injury.

Arsenal are heavily backed to win at around $1.50.

For odds on these matches and other specialty bets click here now to head over to Centrebet where you can also get a free bet of up to $50 when you sign up.

Crooksy

Entertainment and novelty bets have become a great way for bookmakers to attract publicity with new strange markets opening all the time. Centrebet is the home of entertainment and novelty betting with a large range of markets to bet on.

Some of the strangest I’ve seen so far are the gender of a celebrities babies! A few years ago when the Australian born Danish Princess Mary was due to give birth, Centrebet had the odds of her having a boy paying slightly more than a girl even though the gender of the baby was a massive secret, go figure!

TV betting is a great way to make reality TV shows become very interesting. Bets on the winners and elimination of contestants on shows like Australian Idol and So you think you can dance can keep you glued to the TV with hope.

Novelty markets have always been a hit with the bookies with TV and election betting being a big draw card. Currently Centrebet have nearly 10 Novelty markets open, here a few of the favourites tipped to win.

• Australia to be in Recession by 2009?: Yes $1.12
• Australian Federal Election: Labor to win next election $1.40
• Australian Logie Awards: Rebecca Gibney to win the Gold Logie $1.75
• Cleo Bachelor of the year: Adam Hunter $7.00
• So you think you can dance winner: Talia $2.25

Barack Obama betting is huge in the UK. The gender of the Obama’s first child is paying and even $1.83 for either sex and $34 for the “first baby” to one day become president. The name of the baby is tipped to be Barack Jnr paying $4.00 with Stanley a close second at $5.00 and Jesus a $101 long shot! My hot tip is Oprah paying $51.

After the US election was won the Irish bookmaker Paddy Power was deep in controversy when they were taking bet on the US President’s life!

Odds of $13.00 were given if Barrack Obama was assassinated during his first term in office. The bookmaker rejected calls to have the market taken down and said it was nonsense that it would encourage anyone to go out and kill Obama. More on this can be found here

Some UK bookies even take bets on the next pope! Australia’s Cardinal George Pell is a $67 outsider but is tipped to have a far better chance at the top job than TV’s Farther Dougal Maguire (pictured left) and U2′s Bono both paying $1001.

Centrebet have a special free bet promo on at the moment that gives a 100% refund your first bet up to a $50 free bet. This includes bets placed on all entertainment and novelty markets. Check out the Centrebet site out for more info or to open an account.

Checkout out our full review of Mundine’s May 27th fight here

So I was watching Wide World Of Sports this morning and caught the interview with Anthony Mundine. And I have to admit, I like The Man….

Here’s the thing, I’ve spent the better part of five years overseas and while I’m pretty sure he never stopped talking himself up that whole time, I never had to hear it, never had the chance to get sick of it.

His cocky self assuredness bought a smile to my face this morning – he’s good for boxing, and for Aussie sport in general. He creates an interest in boxing that would not otherwise be there whether you’re in his corner or not.

Sportsbet have an offer giving a $50 free bet on the fight just for signing up, with no deposit needed. Check out the latest odds here

Harder To Take Back In His League Days

Originally back in his rugby league days, like of the sport’s supporters I had a bit of a problem with his claims that he was the best at his position in the world and was being discriminated against. Especially when at the time he was running around against the likes of Laurie Daley and Brad Fittler.

And while he is no less confident in his abilities now, there is more of a knowing humour to it, a subtle wink to the audience that lets you know he’s in on the joke where before it was probably a case of the brashness of youth.

And in a way what he said back then was true of what most other top level sports stars believe.

To beat the best you must believe you are the best and even if the majority of the league supporting public disagreed with him, Mundine’s belief that he was the best allowed him to raise his game against the top players. He was never disgraced in his battles with these players, acquitting himself well and sometimes coming away with the points.

As A Late Starter He Has Done Pretty Well In Boxing

It is this self belief that may see him truly achieve his boxing potential over the next couple of years. Take away the force of his personality and have a look at what he has achieved as a boxer and you can’t help but be impressed. He only took up the sport professionally at the age of 25 where the majority of his competitors were beating up on each other in the ring before their voice had broken.

He has managed to claim a couple of world titles, but his most impressive display would have to be his victory over Danny Green…just as predicted by Mundine

There are many boxers who don’t reach their peak until their early to mid thirties, and if this is the case with
Mundine then his plans to fight in the U.S from the middle of this year onwards may see him reach the truly great heights he has talked about for so long.

Upcoming Fights

On May 27th he will fight talented Tasmanian Daniel ‘The Real Deal’ Geale in Brisbane for the IBO middle weight title. Mundine claims there is a chance this will be his last fight in Australia for some time as he looks to hit the big time with possible fights against tough opposition in Kelly Pavlik and Felix Sturm.

Either of those fights would set the stage for some massive exposure in the U.S.

I think the one area where Mundine is lacking is in his ability to knock an opponent out, with the majority of his victories, especially in the last few years being by points decision. This shows that his boxing and ring craft are of a high standard but his weaponry may see him struggle against some of the top names in his division.

The fight against Geale next month should be a good indication of where he’s at and it won’t be long after that before we know whether some bigger fights are on the cards.

It would be a good thing for boxing in Australia if they were.

Crooksy

P.S while Mundine has publicly dismissed the idea, Danny Green has said he’s confident of there being a rematch next year…and Sportsbet have Mundine as favourite at the moment at $1.55, with Green at $2.40

Click here now to place a bet on the possible fight at Sportsbet, where you also get $50 free bet just for signing up.

With round eight currently underway in the Super 14 competition it is probably a good time to look at where the teams are at and how their chances are heading into the final stretch before the finals.

Top NZ Teams Struggling So Far

The first obvious shock is the top 4 – not a Hurricane or a Crusader to be seen. At the start of the season these were the two favourites, and while they are still within striking distance, their form has been nowhere near as consistent as would have been expected.

The Crusaders in particular got away to a very slow start and have won just three of their first seven games. Ominously for other teams they have won their last three matches, with two of those being against teams currently in the top four – as good a sign as any that if you wanted to get some money on them you should do it now before their price plummets.

The Hurricanes are just outside the top four and have a match in hand on a couple of teams above them. They have lost two games this season, with both of those being at home – not sure what to make of that, but it is interesting none the less.

Waratahs Continue To Win Matches

Once again surprising many people ( as was the case last year) has been the Waratahs ability to win consistently. They have managed to do this amidst much off-field discussion on a number of things

• The less than exciting style of play (with much of the slanging coming from north of the border).
• The choice between Kurtley Beale & Daniel Halangahu at fly-half.
• The future of Phil Waugh

The third one is a potentially huge issue for the Waratahs over the next couple of months. If an arrangement can’t be reached and he heads overseas, it may be that a number of Waratahs will foolow suit leaving them well short on experience next year.

But for now, in spite of all the above the Waratahs have been excellent in their consistency. There next three games are at home before closing the regular season with a tough three match tour in South Africa, making those home games all the more crucial. There is possibly no other team with such a tough finish to their season.

Sharks Definitely The Team To Beat

By far the most outstanding team so far has been The Sharks. This was expected from them at the start of the season but it is another thing to actually deliver on potential. There only loss so far this year was away to the 11th placed Queensland Reds, on a tough four match stretch Down Under. the fact that they bounced back the very next week to beat the Force in Perth displays a strength on the team that will serve them well in the coming weeks.

The Sharks are rightly considered competition favourites, and their match at home against the Waratahs in round 13 could be a preview of one of the semi-finals just a couple of weeks later.

The Bulls are perhaps the team who deserve more credit than they have received. However their last two games have been there first two for the season and do not bode well for them. They need to turn this around very quickly or they risk losing their spot in the top 4 to either the Crusaders or the Hurricanes.

The way things are progressing you would have to say that while the Chiefs and Bulls are in the top 4 right now, they may not be for much longer. The ‘Tahs and the Sharks are looking solid and the Crusaders and Hurricanes have good momentum on the build. Outside of those 6 teams there is no else who has looked anything like a chance of winning.

To get odds and make bets on specific matches click here to get yourself a $100 betting bank from Centrebet.

Crooksy

In a fantastic result for Australia, the Socceroos have done everything but guarantee their ticket to South Africa next year for the world’s biggest sporting event – the World Cup.

Playing in front of over 57,000 Sydneysiders at ANZ Stadium (formerly known as Telstra Stadium formerly known as Stadium Australia) the Socceroos came away with a 2-0 victory against a dogged Uzbekstani outfit who went into the game still playing for their own qualification spot.

Coming out from the half time break the scores were locked at 0-0, and coach Pim Verbeek’s decision to bring on replacement forward Josh Kennedy mid way through the second half was soon rewarded with him putting away a header to score the first goal.

The result was sealed soon after with a cool Harry Kewell slotting a free kick from the penaly spot.

Other group results meant that Australia are left needing just a draw from one of their last three matches – two of which are at home.

So although the job is not quite done it is hard not to get excited at the prospect that the Socceroos are heading to South Africa. It is a far cry from previous qualification campaigns: we were the last to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and we were the only team to go through the qualifications in 2002 undefeated…and still missed out on  a spot.

Thank you Asian Football Federation

Results From Some Other World Cup Qualifiers

World Cup Qualifier: England beat Ukraine no thanks to terrible …

There must be another goalkeeper in England apart from David James, surely. England maintain their winning streak, no thanks to their worst keeper in living memory.

World Cup Qualifiers Results-South America March 31, April 1

Here are the results from the South American World Cup 2010 Qualifiers played on March 31, 2009 and April 1, 2009. This is Round 12 of the CONMEBOL Group Round. Also check out European WC Qualifiers April 1 Results Asia WC Qualifiers …

World Cup Qualifier: WALES 0 GERMANY 2

Another World Cup home game, another 2-0 defeat but this time everyone seemed quite happy and cheerful rather than outraged and indulging in the blame game, however what a contrast. After last weekend’s gutless 2-0 collapse to Finland, …

World Cup: Czech Rep. 1, Slovakia 2

The Czechs’ remaining World Cup qualifiers are away to Slovakia (September 5th) and at home to San Marino (September 9th), Poland (October 10th) and Northern Ireland (October 14th). Uefa.com Match Report …

World Cup Qualifier Video Highlights : Bolivia 6-1 Argentina …

… strange it may sound, Diego Maradona’s three game undefeated streak came to an abrupt end after Argentina were slaughtered 6-1 by Bolivia in the altitude of La Paz. bolivia vs argentina, english premier league, EPL, world cup qualifier.

World Cup 2010 Qualifier: Europe round-up 1/4/09

Wales fought bravely but were powerless to stop Germany from extending their lead at the top of Group Four in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier. A thunderbolt of a strike from Michael Ballack in the 11th minute saw the Germans take the …

Latest Update Here

Tabcorp has sued Sportsbet over the TAB’s win dividends and race field information that Sportsbet has been using on their website.

The court heard that Tabcorp has “suffered, and is likely to continue to suffer loss and damage” as a result of Sportsbet’s actions, while Sportsbet “has made, and is likely to make, substantial profits”. Which to me translates to “We (Tabcorp) can’t compete with Sportsbet’s higher dividends and they are making us look silly!”

Tabcorp said the case would involve putting on evidence about the way they create their material, the labour and skill that is involved in doing so. They also said in court that the very important issue is how Sportsbet recreates the TAB’s material by reproducing it either in whole or in substantial parts.

People now have options who they bet with and will always go to the place where they are best looked after. Sportsbet are catering for peoples needs much better than the TAB has ever done so.

They have a betting product called City Best Plus which pays the highest odds from all the different Totes. For example, if UNiTAB has higher odds than the other Totes after the race has been run and won then you will receive the higher payout from the UNiTAB.

The table below is from the Sportsbet site and shows how this works. It also shows an example of the alleged copyright infringement that Tabcorp is suing for.

The TAB have had it way to easy for to long and now that some competition has come along they don’t know how to handle it. More and more people have turned to Sportsbet and the Internet for betting and given the TAB outlets the boot.

The court heard that Sportsbet may attempt to have part of the claims struck out.  Sportsbet director Nick Tyshing said outside court the company would vigorously defend the case. The matter returns to court this month so make sure to check back for updates on how this case unfolds.

Sportsbet will match your first deposit 100% for new customers up to a massive $200 free bet. For more infomation on this offer or to signup checkout their website here.

As I mentioned in my last post, Tiger Woods’ win over the weekend at the Arnold Palmer invitational at Bay Hill has confirmed his position as hot favourite to claim his fifth title at Augusta next weekend, which would put him into outright second for titles won behind Jack Nicklaus.

But Tiger won’t be the only show in town, with a couple of other golfers looking to create their own piece of history.

Can Harrington Claim Another Major?

Padraig Harrington stormed home in the second half of 2008 to defend his British Open title before claiming the U.S PGA just three weeks later. He is now in a position where it is possible for him to hold all four golf majors at the one time, a feat that has been achieved once before by Tiger Woods, and which the press have already christened ‘The Paddy Slam’.

Harrington seems to have grown more comfortable at Augusta over the last two years with a 5th and a 7th place finish to his name. He has had a sluggish start to this season and by his own admission has probably not played as many tournaments as would be ideal before The Masters.

He is trying not to burn himself out too early in the season, preferring to focus more on defending his titles later in the year. His 20th place finish at Doral two weekends ago was a good sign that his game may be coming together at the right time, but he may find it very tough to continue his impressive streak at the majors.

The Great White Shark Back For One More Shot

The other interest story of the tournament will be the return of Greg Norman to Augusta for the first time since 2002. I’m sure Norman has mixed feelings about his relationship with the place – kind of like a girlfriend that keeps screwing you over but you still manage to find an excuse to go back for one more shot at the title.

The Shark is sure to be much more relaxed this time around and hopefully this will allow him to play like he did last year at The British Open. I think the least his fans will be hoping for is for him to make the cut…any more than that will just be icing on the cake.

So Who Are The Contenders?

Phil Mickelson

He has managed to hit some form at the right time with his win a couple of weeks ago at Doral. One of Lefty’s strengths is his short game, which allows him to claw his way out of some tricky situations and is a real asset around Augusta. He has been installed as second favourite, and is the only other player under $10 in the betting

Geoff Ogilvy

The form golfer so far this year, the unassuming Aussie has proved himself to be the world’s pre-eminent match play golfer and will be looking to further strengthen his reputation as a player who produces his best performances on the big stage.

Sergio Garcia

One of the best ball strikers in the game, the Spaniard is always going to struggle at the majors because the kid can’t putt as indicated by him being ranked outside the top 150 putters on the tour.

He can get away with it in smaller tournaments, but once the heat is on at a major, his flaws are exposed and his technique breaks down all the more. Would need to be close to perfect from tee to green to give himself a chance. He has the length off the tee, and the crisp iron play to do it but it still may not be enough.

The Young Guns

After fantastic seasons in 2008, Camillio Villegas and Anthony Kim are yet to hit their straps in ’09 but both players have the game to match it with the best come Sunday

Who”s Got The Edge In The Stats

If you’re the sort of punter that loves to use stats to help you make you’re decision, then for The Masters you can’t go wrong by looking at who the hot putters are. If you can’t roll the rock you’re going to find it very hard to win on these extremely tricky greens.

Both Mickelson & Ogilvy are ranked in the top 15 for their putting…but then again so is David ‘yep, I’m still playing golf’ Duval. So who knows

I’m going to go with Ogilvy. No Aussie has ever won the green jacket, and Ogilvy represents our best chance by far. Scott and Allenby are both poor putters and no other Aussie has really shown any signs of being in the sort of form needed.

If you are keen for a bet on Ogilvy I just noticed that Canbet have him at $23 at the moment while the other two major bookies have him at $17 – and you can also get yourself up to a $100 free bet when you sign up.

The practice rounds begin on 6th April, with the main event kicking off on the 9th.

Good Luck

Crooksy