05/09/2008 - Wolfsburg, Germany (Soccer Betting) - Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath described Saturday's Bundesliga match against Stuttgart as a "final."
Wolfsburg has climbed from 11th at the halfway point of the season to seventh - only Bayern Munich and Schalke have more points in the second half - and has two games left to try and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Wolfsburg and Stuttgart are among five teams battling for the two spots in the UEFA Cup - Bayern, Werder Bremen and Schalke already have the Champions League berths secured.
Saturday's full schedule - eight of the nine matches will help decide either a European spot or relegation - is highlighted by Stuttgart's trip to Volkswagen Arena.
"We have a real final match here at home for the UEFA Cup against Stuttgart," Magath said. "Now that we're so close, we want to move into international football."
Wolfsburg is unbeaten in its last three, tying Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern and defeating Eintracht earlier this week. Wolfsburg is seventh but just three off Stuttgart and Hamburg - two teams with 51 points and in the final two European spots.
Stuttgart and Hamburg had opportunities to open six-point cushions this week, but both lost. Stuttgart, despite two goals from Mario Gomez, was defeated by Borussia Dortmund, 3-2.
"There are only two games left for us to play now. Before this game we planned to win the final three matches, but now we must win the last two," Gomez said.
"We just have to put that game behind us now and focus our attention on the final two matches," Stuttgart captain Pavel Pardo said.
In the other games involving UEFA Cup contenders, eighth-place Hannover plays at Werder Bremen, which is trying to secure second place in the league. Sixth- place Bayer Leverkusen visits Rostock, which is last in the league and needs a lot of help to avoid relegation. Hamburg visits Energie, which is two points clear of the drop zone.
Three other clubs in the relegation struggle - Arminia Bielefeld, Duisburg and Nurnberg - face different tasks this week. Arminia Bielefeld hosts Dortmund, which just clinched its survival, Duisburg hosts champions Bayern and Nurnberg visits Hertha Berlin.
Schalke, which has been the second-best team in the second half of the season, hosts Eintracht with an eye on second place. The second-place team goes right to the group stage of the Champions League and the third-place team has to go through qualifying.
The only meaningless match this week is Bochum at Karlsruher. Bochum is clear of the relegation zone and Karlsruher, the surprise of the league for most of the season, can no longer qualify for the UEFA Cup.
<< Reds place Mercker on DL
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds placed relief pitcher
Kent Mercker on the 15-day disabled list on Friday, retroactive to May 6,
with lower back pain.
The 40-year-old left-hander has a 3.86 earned run average
<< Columbus gunning for fifth straight win at San Jose
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When asked how the Columbus Crew, who have
won four straight and five of six, could continue their early-season success,
forward Alejandro Moreno had a simple answer.
"Well," Moreno said, "we keep doing t
<< Cubs activate Eyre
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated pitcher Scott Eyre
from the 15-day disabled list and optioned left-handed pitcher Sean Marshall
to Triple-A Iowa on Friday.
Eyre, 35, has missed the first 34 games this seas
<< Phillies continue western swing in San Francisco
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling San Francisco Giants will open a 10-game
homestand this evening, when they welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to AT&T
Park for the first of three straight games.
San Francisco has lost four in a
Golf Tidbits: Inkster's major streak to end >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been significant winning
streaks in golf over the years, and there have also been plenty of players who
have stressed family over golf. Occasionally the two intersect.
Consider the case of Juli
Houston looks for first win vs. first place Rapids >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The back-to-back defending Major League Soccer
Cup champion Houston Dynamo will be gunning for their first win of the 2008
season on Saturday night when they host the Colorado Rapids.
The struggling Dynam
Federer falls in Rome quarters >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 superstar Roger Federer
suffered a quarterfinal setback Friday at the hands of gritty Czech Radek
Stepanek at the $3.5 million Italian Masters, a clay-court French Open tune-
up.
The un
Nash expects D'Antoni to stay despite speculation >>
PHOENIX (AP) -Despite rampant speculation that Mike D'Antoni is headed to Chicago or New York, Phoenix point guard Steve Nash expects his coach to be back on the Suns' bench next season.Beyond that, the two-time NBA MVP had little to say about the S
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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