Barca, Real title race goes down to the wire
Soccer Betting Lines
05/14/2010 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona has secured the La Liga title at Camp Nou in the final match of the season four times, but captain Carles Puyol warned that Sunday's match against Valladolid "will be no stroll."
Barca enters the finale with a one-point cushion on Real Madrid and a win over relegation-threatened Valladolid would clinch the club's 20th Spanish crown.
Real Madrid visits relegation-threatened Malaga on Sunday, but needs Barcelona to falter to have a chance. Barca will still claim the title with a defeat, if Real losses or draws.
Although Barcelona is unbeaten at home - 17 wins and one tie - Puyol was still cautious with Valladolid facing the drop, and his teammates feel the same way.
"It will be difficult playing against a team facing relegation," Puyol said on the club's website.
"They've got a lot at stake," Barca's Bojan Krkic said on the team's website. "We expect it to be a difficult match and we'll have to clinch it as soon as possible."
Other than its 1-1 draw against Villarreal, Barcelona has been nearly flawless at Camp Nou. In its 17 wins, Barca has scored 52 goals and allowed just 10.
Krkic felt it was important to get an early lead against Valladolid, which has earned 10 results on the road this season.
"In this kind of match you have to avoid getting stuck at 0-0 for too long. That's why it's important to start well and get the support of the fans right from the beginning," he said.
Barca coach Pep Guardiola should welcome back Andres Iniesta and Eric Abidal, but Xavi is out after picking up his fifth yellow card last week. He earned an automatic one-match suspension for accumulated cards, but Barcelona has appealed.
Valladolid, led by former Spain coach Javier Clemente, can still remain in the top flight with a loss, but will be counting on other results in a fight among five clubs.
Valladolid is one of four teams on 36 points - along with Malaga, Racing and Tenerife - and Xerez is three points back but still has hope.
Malaga faces a tough test against Real, which is trying to avoid finishing the season without a single title after its nearly $400 million makeover.
"We expect to win, but it will be a very difficult match because both teams have so much at stake," Real's Gago said on the club's website. "We will both play to the fullest. We need the points to have a chance of winning the title and Malaga need to win in order to avoid relegation.
"I hope it's Real Madrid that win. No team can ever be too confident because every match is like a final."
Tenerife also faces a top club Sunday when it visits Valencia, which has third and a Champions League spot secured.
Racing is in the best position of the relegation-threatened sides, as it hosts Sporting Gijon. Sporting is just above the drop zone. Xerez visits Osasuna but may not even survive with a win.
The last Champions League berth and two Europa League spots will be determined on Saturday.
Fourth-place Sevilla visits Almeria and fifth-place Mallorca hosts Espanyol in the battle for the Champions League spot. Sevilla would secure the spot with a win, while Mallorca needs a win and either a loss or draw by Sevilla. Fifth is still good enough for a Europa spot.
The other Europa spot will go to Getafe or Villarreal, who enter the final day level on points. Getafe holds the tiebreaker, so it will claim the berth if it matches Villarreal's result against Real Zaragoza when it visits newly-crowned Europa League champions Atletico Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao hosts Deportivo in the other match in La Liga on Saturday.
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It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.
As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.
Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.
Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.
Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.
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