Palermo manager Colantuono must start producing wins
Soccer Betting Lines
11/09/2007 - Sicily, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The good news for Palermo manager Stefano Colantuono is that his team has lost just two of its first 11 games in Serie A this season.
The bad news is that they have only won three times, leaving the club in eighth place in the table and level on points with Saturday's opponent, Napoli.
Palermo has already fallen 10 points off the pace of league-leaders Inter Milan, and has not won a league game since September 26.
The club has drawn its last five games and needs to start earning maximum points to compete for a spot in Europe, which could cost Colantuono his job should the club fail to achieve that.
Winning at home would be a good start for Colantuono and his men, as they have won just once in six games at the Renzo Barbera.
Napoli, meanwhile, has survived a brutal stretch of games to remain in the top half of the league. The club played the top four teams in Italy, Inter Milan, Roma, Fiorentina and Juventus in four straight games, and came away with a win against Juve and a draw with Roma.
Despite losing against Inter and Fiorentina, Napoli has proven that it belongs in the top flight, its first season back in Serie A since 2001.
The club has enjoyed a great start to the season, and has visions of competing for a spot in Europe, but for that to happen, Napoli must improve its away record, which includes just one win in five games.
The Napoli supporters will not be allowed to make the trip to Palermo with their team, however, because they have been banned from the match due to concerns over their recent conduct.
Even though they will not have much support in the stands on Saturday, Napoli will have a healthy side, which is something that Palermo cannot say.
The hosts will be without leading scorer Carvalho Amauri, who is serving a one-match suspension, while midfielder Roberto Guana will also miss the game because of a ban.
Palermo will also have to deal with the absences of striker Fabrizio Miccoli and attacking midfielder Mark Bresciano because both are out with injuries.
In Saturday's other contest, Empoli, which has won just one of its last five games, travels to Sampdoria.
In action on Sunday, second-place Fiorentina hosts Udinese, Lazio visits league-leaders Inter Milan, Juventus is coming off of a 1-1 draw against Inter and invades Parma, and last-place Reggina hosts Genoa. Bottom-half clubs Siena and Livorno get together at Artemio Franchi Montepaschi Arena, Catania Calcio battles Torino and Roma, which is three points adrift of Inter, plays host to Cagliari.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers try to get back in the win column when they pay a visit to Charlotte tonight for a showdown with the Bobcats. Indiana opened the 2007-08 season with three straight wins but suffered a 104-89 loss to the
<< Sixers host Atlantic Division-rival Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors hit the road for two games as they take
on the Philadelphia 76ers this evening at the Wachovia Center.
Toronto opened the 2007-08 season with two straight wins, but has lost its
last three games. In Wed
<< Celtics, Hawks battle in Boston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Boston Celtics conclude a brief two-game
homestand this evening versus the Atlanta Hawks at TD Banknorth Garden.
Boston is off to a sizzling 3-0 start after pummeling the Denver Nuggets,
119-93, at home on Wed
<< Suns meet winless Heat in Miami
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Miami Heat try again for their first
win of the 2007-08 season when they host the Phoenix Suns tonight at
AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami, which is two years removed from its first NBA title, suffered an 88-78
<< Magic, Knicks clash at MSG
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic try to stay on the winning track
tonight against the New York Knicks at historic Madison Square Garden.
Orlando is 4-1 on the season and has won the first three games of a four-game
road trip, including W
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers conclude a three-game road trip, as they visit the Detroit Pistons tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Los Angeles has opened the campaign with four straight victories. Veteran Sam Cassell p
Spurs jingle into New Orleans >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets return home from a three-game road
trip to host the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs tonight at New
Orleans Arena.
New Orleans was 2-1 on the swing and will try and bounce back from
Bucks, Rockets square off in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will wrap up a two-game homestand when
they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks tonight to the Toyota Center.
On Tuesday, Yao Ming poured in a game-high 28 points and pulled down 13
rebounds to lead t
Portland aims to blaze Grizzlies at Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers both try
and win back-to-back games, as they battle tonight at the Rose Garden.
The Grizzlies and Trail Blazers split four meetings last season. Memphis has
won three in
King James, Cavs pay a visit to Sacramento >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings try to win back-to-back games when
they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight to ARCO Arena.
Sacramento plays the middle contest of a three-game homestand. Kevin Martin
scored 31 points, gra
FOOTBALL BETTING LINES
NFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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