Epsom Coronation Cup betting and odds

The Coronation Cup betting preview

The spotlight might be on the Investec Oaks at Epsom on Friday but the Coronation Cup provides a welcome distraction in the build up to Derby day, writes Mikey Mumford. This Group One race is open to thoroughbreds aged four years and older and runners will travel 1m4f; the same distance of both the Oaks and the Derby. A small field of five will tackle the event this year and it certainly makes up for what it lacks in quantity with quality. Henry Cecil’s Midday and Ballydoyle’s St Nicholas Abbey will go head to head in what promises to be a fascinating encounter. Free £25 bet from William Hill on any race at Epsom.

Dandino is a consistent sort for James Given and despite a poor showing in the Leger last year he has hit the ground running in 2011 with game successes at Ripon and Newmarket respectively. He has won over this distance before so there can be no qualms about the trip and is seen at his best on good to firm ground. Paul Mulrennan partners this four-year-old colt and he could easily upset his 9/1 odds and give both Midday and St Nicholas Abbey a lot to think about.

His reappearance at Newbury in April combined with a creditable third behind eventual winner Dandino, has given Indian Days renewed hope of mounting a challenge in the Coronation Cup. He seems to be getting better with age but this six-year-old is clearly James Given’s second string and he could be left chasing shadows here. Champion Jockey Paul Hanagan takes the ride but looks aout of his depth a little here.

He was ruled out of the Derby last year despite a large number of ante-post bets leading up to the race last June. St Nicholas Abbey’s withdrawal was deemed to not have stood the rigorous preparation necessary for Epsom last year and few believed they would never see Aidan O’Brien’s charge on a racecourse again. But after his disappointing sixth in the 2,000 Guineas last year he banished the memories of a humiliating defeat at the Curragh where he was 4/11 favourite with an easy win at Chester latest. He beat useful type Harris Tweed that day and bookmakers have run for cover here and list him at 10/11 to scoop the Coronation. A little short to be getting stuck into; but it looks a two-horse race between him and Midday.

Roger Charlton’s Clowance (40/1) is the rank outsider for this event despite a win in the John Smith’s Stakes at Newbury last year. Is relatively unexposed for a six-year old with only eight starts but has been absent since October and has it all to do here.

His most impressive performance at York last time where he easily dispatched of stablemate Timepiece and Music Show, rightly earned Midday all the plaudits. A similar run to last year’s Oaks where he was just held by Sariska should make him hard to beat here. The Henry Cecil trained and the Khalid Abdulla owned mare is genuine and looks the better value at 6/4; can account for St Nicholas Abbey. Midday stays the 1m4f and acts well on good ground.

The Coronation Cup should well and truly get Epsom’s two-day meeting off with a bang. It looks a two-horse race on paper; St Nicholas Abbey looked good on her Chester run but was easily turned over on her penultimate start at massive odds on which doesn’t bode confidence. Therefore, MIDDAY gets the vote; she acts around here and Henry Cecil is in good form and Midday can give it another boost. Free £25 bet from William Hill on any race at Epsom.

By Mikey Mumford

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Premier League betting – Wolves vs. Blackburn

Wolves vs Blackburn betting odds, tips & free bets

They don’t come as important as this in the Premier League, the winner of this game will be certain of another year in the English top flight, while a loss for the other team and a win for either Birmingham, Wigan or Blackpool could see the loser relegated to the Npower Championship. Six-pointer, more like multi-million pounder. Both of these teams have had a brief spell of relative good form; however it comes down to this game as even a draw could see both relegated.

Wolves League Position: 16th League Form: DLDWW

Wolves have had a torrid season with injuries to key player Kevin Doyle coming at the exact wrong time in the season, but Steven Fletcher has stepped into the fray well and has scored 3 goals in his last 2 starts meaning that he is almost certain to start the game perhaps alongside the fit again Doyle. Steven Fletcher is therefore a great bet at odds of 10.0 on PaddyPower to score a brace as he did against West Brom. Wolves have conceded one goal in their past 3 games while Blackburn have scored 1 goal in their last 3 games, so both teams to score at odds of 1.67 on SkyBet could be a good bet.

The return of England international Mathew Jarvis is very important for Mick McCarthy’s side and the winger could cause Blackburn’s Gael Givet a few problems, his crosses will mostly be nullified by the superb Christopher Samba, so he may be forced to go more direct and try some shots himself and with 5 goals to his name this season he is good value at 13.0 on SkyBet.

Blackburn League Position: 15th League Form: LLWDD

Blackburn have owed much of their good fortune of late to one man and that man is Christopher Samba, the Congolese international single handily kept them in the game against Manchester City and has produced some great display in the past weeks. One thing you can also rely on the big central defender to do is to challenge in the air at set-pieces, something which he has managed 4 times this season, so a bet on him scoring last could be a good one at odds of 19.0 on PaddyPower could definitely prove valuable.

Steve Kean’s men have seen a changing front line all season impact on their goalscoring and with no certain frontman, goalscoring duties should fall to the wingers Marme Biam Diouf and Junior Hoillet who could provide some serious trouble for the shaky Wolves backline.

The end result is most likely to be a draw but with two wins in two games under their belt you may just fancy Wolves to pip Blackburn in this sure to be hotly contested game, so with tensions high why not bet on whether there will be a red card in this integral fixture, do you think anyone will lose their heads in the final tie of the season.

Highlighted Bets:

Anytime Goalscorer Steven Fletcher 10.0 PaddyPower
First Goalscorer Christopher Samba13.0 SkyBet 
Last Goalscorer Christopher Samba 19.0 PaddyPower

By John Fernandez

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Premier League betting – West Ham v Sunderland

West Ham v Sunderland betting odds, tips & free bets

West Ham take on Sunderland at Upton Park on Sunday in a final day clash that has no real bearing on the top or bottom of the league. West Ham are already relegated after a 3-2 defeat at Wigan last weekend and Sunderland will be safe from relegation no matter what the result is. West Ham have a good recent record against Sunderland, winning the last 4 meetings between the two at Upton Park.

West Ham

West Ham are preparing for life in the Championship next season after being relegated last week and ending their 6 season stay in the top flight. Manager Avram Grant was also relieved of his duties less than an hour after the final whistle at Wigan and so Kevin Keen will take caretaker charge of this game. Because of this, and the fact that it’s the last game of the season means it may be quite difficult to predict what team is chosen. Keen could well pick youngsters as there is nothing left to play for, or consequently he could pick a strong team hoping for a win to perhaps secure the job on a permanent basis. The second seems more likely which is why West Ham are favourites for the match and a 2-1 home win is looking good at 9.0 with Skybet. Demba Ba is likely to start the match as he is the Hammers top league scorer with 7 goals. The striker is also a great bet at 6.5 with Paddy Power, to open the scoring.

Sunderland

A great first half of the season has not been matched by a good second for Sunderland who have slipped from on the fringes of a Europa League place to just avoiding relegation. A lot of that has been down to injuries, which have been terribly unkind to the black cats this season. In fact they are still struggling for players with around 10 of their first team squad still side lined through injury. The injuries have been that bad for manager Steve Bruce, that he has had to play recent games without a recognised striker on the pitch. Stephane Sessegnon has in fact played up top in recent weeks and so is a good shout at 3.4 with Skybet to score at any time during the match. Sunderland’s form going into the final day isn’t great with just 2 wins from their last 6 and which is why they are underdogs but still a decent price at 3.8 with Betfair.

Highlighted Bets

2-1 West Ham – 9.0 Skybet
Demba Ba first scorer – 6.5 Paddy Power
Stephane Sessegnon anytime scorer – 3.4 Skybet
Both teams to score first half – 4.0 Skybet

By Sam Markham

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Epsom Oaks betting and odds

The Oaks betting preview

Before the Epsom Derby takes centre stage on Saturday, thirteen fillies will contest the Investec Oaks twenty-four hours earlier, writes Mikey Mumford. This Group One event over a mile and four furlongs sees Godolphin’s Blue Bunting head the market after her success in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket last month. Mahmood Al Zarooni’s charge has been the ante-post favourite since that race but she faces stiff competition from Aidan O’Brien’s four entries from Ballydoyle. Free £25 bet from William Hill on any race at Epsom.

The John Dunlop stable has won this twice before in 1984 and 1990 and Beatrice Aurore represents good each way value (16/1). It was clear this three-year-old filly needed the run on her reappearance at Doncaster in April and she proved this when scoring by two lengths at Goodwood next time over a mile. She ran on well to notch another win at the same track two weeks later over a slightly extended trip and should go well now fully tuned up. Unraced beyond a mile and two furlongs is the nagging worry but kept on well at Goodwood on her penultimate start and should appreciate the extra distance.

One of the rank outsiders for this stiff assignment, Barry Hills has never won this renewal and Blaise Chorus (66/1) is unlikely to put a halt to that. She finished second on debut at Lingfield albeit in much weaker company but ran a cracker behind Wonder of Wonders next time in a listed event at Chester. Still has a lot to do up in grade once more and is drawn widest of them all; likely best watched this time unless market confidence suggests otherwise.

Blue Bunting defied odds of 16/1 to land the 1,000 Guineas last time and had Havant and Misty For Me well behind that day, who she will meet again on Friday. This three-year-old American filly only defeat to date came on his racecourse bow at Newmarket where she bumped into a progressive sort in Theyskens’ Theory. Since, she has won over a mile at Doncaster but is unraced beyond this distance. Frankie Dettori will once more take the ride on the favourite (2/1) and good ground with a little cut should see her thereabouts.

Lightly raced Dancing Rain landed the spoils in an average Newbury race on her penultimate start despite being headed three furlongs from home. William Haggas’ runner went for a listed event over the same course and distance next time but was headed in the closing stages. Yet to race at 1m4f, she should relish the longer trip and could be one to follow the leaders home at 14/1.

Raced on a variety of surfaces, one of Aidan O’Brien’s four chances lies with Eirnin (100/1). She won a weak contest over a mile at Navan on ground described as yielding but makes a massive step up in class here. Will probably take up the running should things turn tactical but should soon fall away.

After winning on her debut at Haydock last year Fork Handles (66/1) has struggled to impose herself upped in both trip and grade. Mick Channon’s filly finished a comfortable third last time behind both Wonder of Wonders and Blaise Chorus but needs to improve significantly to reverse that form. She often gets restless in the stall and gets held up; not one to have much confidence in.

Unbeaten prior to her last start in the 1,000 Guineas, Havant (11/2) failed to land a blow in that race labouring into sixth. That was on good to firm ground and Sir Michael Stoute’s representative is at her best on a softer surface. The way she won on debut at Newmarket and again next time in a similar race over seven furlongs was most impressive. However, her ability to see out the 1m4f has to be taken on trust; one for the shortlist though.

John Gosden’s in decent form ahead of Izzi Top’s (25/1) attempt in the Oaks. She just touched off Dancing Rain at Newbury latest and justified favouritism to land a weak Windsor fillies’ maiden in April. Difficult to know what that bare form amounts to but a consistent sort nevertheless who hasn’t finished outside of the top three in her four career starts; chance.

Misty For Me (13/2) is probably Ballydoyle’s second string in the race behind Wonder of Wonders, but she can go one better than her stablemate on her recent Curragh win in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. She had an off day in the English 1,000 Guineas on her only run on British Soil but better can be expected this time if handling the surface. Prefers good ground but unsure whether she’ll appreciate further than a mile.

Jessica Harrington’s Siren’s Song (20/1) bumped into a useful type in Mesariya on her debut at Leopardstown in March. She franked that form by winning over 1m2f next time at Navan last month and is one of the more interesting contenders bred for further than 1m4f in time. It’s more than likely she’ll meet some much more fancied types but not without a chance if taking to the course around Epsom.

Aidan O’Brien has won this three times in the last thirteen years but Mickael Barzalona’s mount Why (100/1) does not rank amongst his previous winners Imagine and Alexandrova who scored in 2001 and 2006 respectively. Why has been kept busy over in Ireland only just landing a poor Leopardstown maiden. Massively up against it and the likely pacemaker for Wonder of Wonders and Misty For Me.

American filly Wonder of Wonders (7/2) has come into herself in 2011 for the team at Ballydoyle. She won easily at Tipperary over 1m4f before proving equally as effective on good to firm ground at Chester latest. She beat Blaise Chorus and Fork Handles that day and they will do well to pass her at Epsom over a trip she sees out. Kieren Fallon has been booked to take the ride and everything is in place for a bold show.

Everyone is looking forward to seeing if Zain Al Boldan (10/1) can maintain her untarnished record at Epsom after a trio of highly impressive wins for Mick Channon. This filly gets on very well with jockey Sam Hitchcott and a repeat of her six length win in the Oaks trial at Lingfield must put her bang there. The manner in which she quickened up over the 1m3f left a lot to be desired and connections quietly fancy her to run another cracker on Friday; highly fancied.

Another fascinating fillies’ renewal to kick start the Epsom Derby weekend and plenty should go well. Havant’s last run can be forgotten so expect her to go well, likewise Misty For Me who can outrun Wonder of Wonders for Ballydoyle. However, it could take a lot to knock ZAIN AL BOLDAN off her stride and she can maintain her 100% record; look out for Izzi Top who can sneak into the places give trainer John Gosden a first win in this.

Free £25 bet from William Hill on any race at Epsom.

By Mikey Mumford

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Premier League betting – Stoke vs Wigan

Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic betting odds, tips & free bets

Stoke City: League Position: 9th, League Form: DWDWL

Stoke City’s season has been over since Yaya Toure smashed a left footed drive into the back of their Wembley net as Manchester City took the honours in the FA Cup Final last weekend. The midweek clash between the same two sides was a walk in the park for Tevez and his Manchester City teammates, and Tony Pulis’ men have little to play for coming into this last tie. 

However, they are not a team to be taken lightly in front of their own fans and, without doubt, Pulis will not let his troops end the season on such a low. Their home form, WDWDWW from their last six home games, suggests they are finishing the season strongly at The Britannia Stadium. Kenwyne Jones has found his feet lately too, with five goals in the past eight games, joint top scorer at the club with 12 goals. 

In fact, other than the pride of their own fans, the only thing they are fighting for is a first top ten finish in the top division since 1975.

Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant are both fighting injuries to be fit for this last game, although it would be easily understood if neither was risked for a game holding no importance to the side, whilst Robert Huth is not expected to recover from a knee ligament strain. 

Wigan Athletic: League Position: 19th, League Form: WLDDW

The fight for survival reaches the final hurdle this Sunday for Wigan, and having been out of the bottom three for only three weeks in 2011, they can only be happy to be going into the final day five-way battle with a chance of survival. Their comeback last week at home to West Ham turned them from relegation fodder to serious players in the last day drama, and can look at the other teams involved, see their fixtures and think themselves safe with a win.

For a team so inconsistent they have lost only two of their last eight, but they have struggled all season for goals (only Birmingham have scored less) and have kept only one clean sheet since the turn of the year. Much depends on star turn Charles N’Zogbia, who has five goals in his past five games, and dictates everything good coming from Roberto Martinez’s side. 

Wigan have a clean bill of health going into the game, and now they must do the job themselves if they want to stay in the Premier League. 

Match Prediction: Draw – 3.6 Bet365

The final day drama is near impossible to predict, what with the inconsistent performances, the desire of the teams the relegation candidates are matched with and the pressure on each and every player, but a point away at the fortress that is the Britannia Stadium may end up a great result for Wigan, enough to hoist them above Blackpool and Birmingham considering their tough away fixtures. 

Stoke will fight, and are not a team to be taken lightly however little importance this tie may really hold for them. Wigan fans should worry if they go a goal behind, they are not hosting the shambles of West Ham this week, and Stoke have not lost a league match in which they opened the scoring this season. They will also not want a memorable season to fade so tamely, and it may be that their awful defeat to Manchester City was embarrassment enough to motivate them ahead of this game. 

And for all the glory of such a comeback last week, Wigan looked the team most likely to lose as the game opened up like a basketball match. West Ham had glorious chances only seconds before N’Zogbia scored the decider. They are defensively weak, and Stoke will bombard their opponents, looking for each and every weakness. 

The in form Kenwyne Jones and Charles N’Zogbia seem the most likely to score and both could be worthy of a bet depending how you think the game may go. 

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.91 Stan James
First Goalscorer: Kenwyne Jones – 7.5 Victor Chandler
Correct Score: 2-2 Draw – 15.00 William Hill
Both Teams to Score: Yes – 1.73 ToteSport
Blackpool and Birmingham to be Relegated: 2.88 Bet 365

By Chris Wilkerson

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Champions League Final betting – Man United v Barcelona

Man United v Barcelona betting preview, odds and tips

Manchester United: League Position: Champions, Form: LWWDW
Teams Beaten in Knockout Phase: Marseille, Chelsea, Schalke

Like their opponents, Manchester United come into this game with a league title claimed with a few a game or two remaining and able to condition themselves towards this massive tie.

Looking at the side they’ll play, if there are no surprises or tactical changes then the big games of weeks gone by, the league and Champions League ties against Chelsea and first leg at Schalke, would suggest they’ll stick with a flexible 4-4-2 headed by Rooney and Hernandez. The midfield, by this logic, would be Valencia, Carrick, Giggs and Park. A case has been made for the inclusion of Darren Fletcher, who missed out on the 2009 final in which these two teams contested, and whose absence was credited with much of United’s struggles in that game.

This their third final in four years, and United are the only unbeaten team in this year’s tournament. They’ve also the best defence, conceding four goals in 12 games. They will need all their defensive steel to win this tie, and there’s no doubt this will be their biggest test since that tie in 2009.

Barcelona: League Position: Champions, Form: DWDDW
Teams Beaten in Knockout Phase: Arsenal, Shakhtar, Real Madrid

A team that has been part of much debate over the best club side of all time with a player considered maybe the best of all time, is there any team capable of stopping the Catalan giants.

Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Villa, Puyol, Pique and more, a list of the best players in the world right now in a perfectly formed team, playing fantastic attacking football is argument enough to back this side, but the stats back it up. They have scored the most goals this season in the competition (27), have the highest pass completion rate (90.9%), two players who have completed over 1,000 passes in Sergio Busquets and Xavi, they have scored at least once in each of their last 20 Champions League games and Lionel Messi is top scorer this season, like he has been the past two seasons, with 11 goals.

The beautiful football is balanced with a unique pressing game that forces their opponents onto the back foot immediately even when they do win the ball back. In fact, with their short passing game you’ll see players are generally never more than 10 yards from the ball, thus comfortable to close down possession straight away. Defence whilst on the attack.

Match Prediction: Barcelona Win – 2.05 William Hill

The match will be won in midfield, and Manchester United will have to be at their all time best individually and collectively to cope with Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets, who will be joined by Pedro and Messi from the attack.

Giggs, the man who made all three assists in the quarter final ties against Chelsea, was a bystander Rome 2009, and whilst his influence on this United team has only grown, his powers are on the ball. It may say much for the intent of Ferguson’s side if the 37 year old Welshman remains in the side, as he surely can’t compete with the speed of passing in the Barcelona midfield. Carrick has also been a revelation in the Champions League for United this year, but he hardly has the hustle and bustle to combat the triumvirate of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta.

If United stick with Rooney and Hernandez up top it’s so very important that Rooney is disciplined in the task of stopping Busquets receiving the ball from defence with too much time, whilst Hernandez must stop the roaming sweeper play of Pique, who will look to start attacks from defence like an extremely deep holding midfielder.

And can Ferdinand and Vidic deal with Messi’s striker role, in which he barely occupies them and drops deep into midfield? Too high up and Villa and Pedro can be slipped in from the wings. Too deep and Messi and Iniesta get space to run at the defence, and the midfield to attack link gets more space to play in.

All in all there’s too much for United to do defensively against a team with a pretty good defence should they mount a counter attack. Messi will relish the big game atmosphere, see 2009 and his flying header or his solo effort at Madrid in the semis, and is always the man to watch. He’s the best player in the world because you can’t plan for his game, you can’t plan for an attacker beating four defenders and going through one on one.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 1.67 Sky Bet
First Goalscorer: Lionel Messi – 6.00 William Hill
Correct Score: Barcelona Win 2-0 – 9.5 Coral
Barcelona to lift the trophy – 1.5 Bet 365

By Chris Wilkerson

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Torquay vs Stevenage Playoff betting

League 2 play off final betting preview

At the start of the season if you would have said that these two would be fighting for a place in League 1, most people would have called you mad, but yet two years since both were in the Blue Square Premier League they are fighting it out at Old Trafford for a spot in League 1

Torquay

Torquay’s season has been a good one; they managed to overcome play off favourites Shrewsbury with a 2-0 victory at home and will be going to Old Trafford with nothing to lose, two years back they were in this position in the Blue Square Premier League and they overcame nerves and won their promotion who’s to say they can’t do it again?
Chris Zebrowski leads their scoring charts with a good return of 15 goals and opened the scoring in the victory over Shrewsbury in the 1st leg. The odds of him doing so again are favourable at 8.5 on Bet365 so why not have a look in and see. Torquay have kept clean sheets in both their playoff fixtures and are good value to do so again in the final with odds of 3.2 on ToteSport

Stevenage

Stevenage have had a dream season on a league they thought they would be out of their depth in, but down to some clever loan signings and a never say die attitude embodied by captain Mark Roberts. Stevenage’s talismanic midfielder John Mousinho will need to be on song if Stevenage are going to come out of this game with anything, his 7 goals this season have been enough to propel Stevenage to 7th in the league 2 table. He has odds of 13.0 on SkyBet to open the scoring and could earn you a few bob if he recreates his exceptional form this season. Mark Roberts has been known to come up with the goods in the big games and could be a clever bet to score the last goal at odds of 41.0 on ExtraBet.

Stevenage go into the game as slight underdogs and have better form in the second half of the season so would be the best tip to get promoted at odds of 1.95 on PaddyPower.

Highlighted Bets

First Goalscorer Chris Zebrowski 8.5 Bet365
Torquay Clean Sheet 3.2 ToteSport
First Goalscorer John Mousinho 13.0 SkyBet
Last Goalscorer Mark Roberts 34.0 William Hill
Stevenage Promotion 1.95 Paddy Power

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Huddersfield vs Peterborough Playoff betting

League 2 play off final betting preview

Huddersfield

Lee Clark’s Huddersfield have gone 27 games without being beaten, they managed to scrape through the play-offs after an exciting 2 legs against Bournemouth which had to be settled from the penalty spot. The Terriers missed out on automatic promotion by 5 points but go into the final as the team to beat, they play physical football and will be looking to take the game to Posh over the 90 minutes. Top scorer Jordan Rhodes has scored 22 times in all competitions and is a certain starter alongside Arsenal loanee Benik Afobe, the pair have been on deadly form all season but it has been Afobe who has scored 4 in his last 4 games and is a good bet to score at any time in the final at Old Trafford at odds of 3.0 on Coral.

Huddersfield’s defence though is leaky and have conceded 12 in their past 6 games overall, so while they may be undefeated they are not infallible and one thing that you can count on against Peterborough United is goals so why not have a bet on both teams scoring at odds of 1.62 on SkyBet.

Peterborough

Peterborough’s season is really a tale of two halves, one half under Gary Johnson where the side only kept 2 clean sheets and the latter under Darren Ferguson who returned for his second spell at the club. His return has brought a renewed sense of happiness to the club and has led them to 9 clean sheets and a total of 106 goals over the course of the season, a truly staggering figure. They have been helped to this by League 1’s Player of the Year Craig Mackail-Smith who has netted a fantastic 34 times this season and only needs 2 more goals to reach a century of goals for the Posh, the odds of him scoring a brace are 10.0 on SkyBet so if you fancy the blonde haired workhorse to be the hero at Old Trafford why not have a punt.

The truly marvellous thing about the Posh though are that the goals can come from anywahere, midfielder George Boyd who has had a supposedly ‘quiet’ season has scored an astonishing 17 times this season, while Lee Tomlin made the step up from conference football with ease and has scored 11 times this season, captain Grant McCann showed his quality in the 2nd leg at London Road against MK Dons with a great free kick and a display of dominance at the centre of midfield. All of these men would be fantastic bets to score at any time but why not go for the underdog, the dark horse, the guaranteed starter who has already scored 4 this season from centre back, Ryan Bennet. Bennet is tipped at 34.0 on SkyBet to score the final goal in the tie, with Grant McCann providing the ammunition surely that’s worth a punt?

Anytime Goalscorer Benik Afobe 23.0 Coral
Both Teams to Score 1.62 SkyBet
To Score a Brace Craig Mackail-Smith 10.0 Skybet
Last Goalscorer Ryan Bennet 34.0 SkyBet

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Next Fulham Manager betting odds

Fulham Manager betting

Mark Hughes stepped down from his post as the manager of Fulham on Thursday night, amid speculation he was about to take up the vacancy at Aston Villa. Although it seems this may not now be the case, either way Fulham are still looking for a new boss. Hughes, and Hodgson before him were both good appointments for the West London club, as the Cottagers have enjoyed solid midtable finishes. It is important then that Fulham get it right again to ensure the solid building work can continue.

Martin O’Neill is the early favourite, and would be a popular choice after he enjoyed a good spell at Aston Villa, guiding them to several 6th place finishes. O’Neill has been out of work since leaving that post at Villa in August last year and is best priced at 4.5 with William Hill. Alan Curbishley is another early favourite with odds of 9.0 available at Victor Chandler.

Curbishley has been out of work since leaving West Ham in 2008, but is most known for the great work he achieved at Charlton when he won promotion to, and kept them in, the Premier League. Chris Hughton is another name in the frame, although slightly longer odds, with 21.0 available from Paddy Power. Hughton is a fairly young manager but achieved good things at Newcastle in getting them promoted and establishing them in the top flight.

Highlighted Bets

Martin O’Neill – 4.5 William Hill
Martin Jol – 6.0 William Hill
Alan Curbishley – 9.0 Victor Chandler
Carlo Ancelotti – 13.0 Paddy Power
Chris Hughton – 21.0 Paddy Power

Free £25 bet from William Hill

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England U-21’s vs Ukraine U-21’s betting

England Under 21’s vs Ukraine Under 21’s odds

England under 21’s

Stuart Pearce’s can count themselves lucky that they left their last game with a point in hand against a Spain side that almost passed them off the pitch. Pearce’s tactics have been criticised, with many believing that success will only come to fruition if Pearce gambles with a 5 man midfield, which striker gets dropped though, Danny Welbeck who scored the winner on Monday or Daniel Sturridge who scored 8 in 12 games for Bolton last season. The odds of Welbeck scoring at any time are quite attractive at 2.8 on William Hill while Sturridge is backed at shorter odds of 2.2 on William Hill to do so, if you want to bet on both off these hot English talents to score at any time you can get odds of 6.5 on William Hill.

England’s young boys go into the match as hot favourites though with odds of 5/6 on StanJames, so a good performance can be expected from England’s young boys who are tipped as 2nd favourites to win the tournament behind the Spanish. If you do believe England are to dominate then why not have a flutter on England to be ahead at half time and win at full time at odds of 3.1 on BWIN.

Ukraine under 21’s

Ukraine’s tournament hasn’t started as well as they had hoped it would, the loss of influential captain Taras Stepanenko of Shakhtar Donetsk means that the Ukrainians will have to find a new captain for the game against the Three Lions. Ukraine nicked a goal in the closing minutes of their fixture against the Chech’s and if you fancy the same Ukrainian Maxym Bilyi to do so again at odds of 17.0 on Bet365 why not put a few quid on it.

Ukraine’s under 21’s performance in recent competitions has been good getting to the final in 06. England should be too strong for the relative footballing minnows of the Ukrainian side and expect the quality of these Premier League regulars to shine through in a game against relatively lesser opposition then they faced earlier in the week.  Players like Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair could puch for a start and could inject some life into a side that looked devoid of it on Monday.

Highlighted Bets:

Anytime Goalscorer Danny Welbeck William Hill 2.8
Anytime Goalscorer Daniel Sturridge William Hill 2.2
Anytime Goalscorer Double Danny Welbeck & Daniel Sturridge William Hill 6.5

Last Goalscorer Maxym Bilyi 17.0 Bet365

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