'Determined' Bayern set for Schalke clash

Soccer Betting Lines

04/24/2009 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich has not led the Bundesliga at all this season and, with six matches remaining, realize "it's all or nothing," striker Luca Toni said this week.

Bayern hosts Schalke at the Allianz Arena on Saturday - one of four home games remaining on the schedule - and hopes to pull level with first-place Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg, which has won 10 straight matches, leads the defending champions by three points. The top five in the league - Wolfsburg, Bayern, Hamburg, Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart - are separated by just six points. Schalke is 11 off the pace in sixth.

Bayern has won two straight games since an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Wolfsburg but with goal differential - and a long win streak - in the Wolves' favor, the Munich side may need to finish the season on an eight-match win streak to have any hope of repeating.

"The coach [Jurgen Klinsmann] has made it clear that it's all or nothing now," Toni said. "They [Wolfsburg] need to feel us breathing down their necks.

"There's a massive difference between first and second. If we win ... we'll all remember the season. Otherwise, we'll forget it."

Bayern has been hampered by injuries throughout the season but with last week's exit from the Champions League, it has nothing else to focus on but the league.

Striker Miroslav Klose, the team's leading scorer this season, is still out but four players - Ze Roberto, Breno, Lukas Podolski and Massimo Oddo - who missed last week's 1-0 win at Arminia Bielefeld resumed training this week.

With Toni also regaining his scoring touch, he scored the lone goal last week, Bayern is in good position to make a run at the top spot. But while aiming for the top is the true goal, dropping just a few points could ruin the season and even knock the club out of next season's Champions League.

"We've already given away too many points this season. We can't afford any more mistakes," Bayern defender Martin Demichelis said. "Every game from now on is a final."

"We can't afford to drop any more points," Bayern defender Philipp Lahm added. "We're fired up and determined to win the league again."

Demichelis admitted "Schalke are always tough, but if we pull together, we can beat them."

Schalke has been revived under new coach Mike Buskens, one of the numerous guys who are filling in for fired coach Fred Ruttens. Schalke has won three straight since Ruttens was fired, but has yet to play a team as strong as Bayern.

Still, last week's 4-0 win over relegation-threatened Energie proved the team is not going to overlook anyone, and could be a spoiler down the stretch - plus move into a Europa berth.

"You could tell from the outset that we were determined not to let Cottbus take anything away with them," Buskens said. "We played some attractive football at times and deserved to win the game."

Schalke, led by 12-goal scorer Kevin Kuranyi, hoped to have Marcelo Bordon but he has been ruled out following a setback in training. Bordon has not played since April 3.

"Marcelo's done all he could to make himself available for us at the weekend," Buskens said. " Unfortunately, he's suffered a minor setback which means he'll have to go back to individual training for the time being."

On Friday, Hertha Berlin moved into second place with a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim as Patrick Ebert scored the game's lone goal in the 40th minute.

The win leaves Hertha two points back of leaders Wolfsburg, while Hoffenheim remains in eighth.

Also Saturday, Borussia Dortmund hosts Hamburg - which will be without 17- goal scorer Mladen Petric, Stuttgart hosts Eintracht, Werder Bremen hosts Bochum, Bayer Leverkusen hosts Karlsruhe and Hannover hosts Koln.

On Sunday, Wolfsburg will try to extend its 10-game win streak and 11-match unbeaten streak when it visits relegation-threatened Energie, and Arminia Bielefeld, without 12-goal scorer Artur Wichniarek, visits Monchengladbach.

Wwwweatherbug Soccer Betting News

<< Langer and Lehman team for share of Legends lead
Savannah, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Lehman, playing in his first Champions Tour event, and Bernhard Langer teamed for an 11-under 61 on Friday to share first with Fuzzy Zoeller and John Jacobs after the first round of the Legends of Golf

<< Wild G Backstrom undergoes hip surgery
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom underwent successful hip surgery on Friday and will have a recovery timetable of about 12 weeks. According to the team's website, Backstrom had a labral d

<< Blue Jays place Ryan, Romero on DL; recall pair of pitchers
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays have added pitchers Brian Burres and Bryan Bullington to the major league roster after B.J. Ryan and Ricky Romero were recently placed on the disabled list. Ryan, the team's closer,

<< Mavs' Terry wins Sixth Man Award
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry captured the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. Terry received 576 of a possible 605 points, including 111 of a possible 121 first-place votes from a panel of sports

<< Newman tops in qualifying for Talladega Nationwide race
Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Newman won the pole for Saturday's Aaron's 312 Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Newman turned in the best lap around the 2.66-mile, high-banked oval at 185.877 m.p.h. in

Eskimos sign pair of RB's, release one >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos signed running backs Ciatrick Fason and Arkee Whitlock and released A.J. Harris on Friday. Fason was taken in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and

NAC must produce response >>
Nijmegen, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NAC manager Robert Maaskant is desperate for his side to produce a good performance on Saturday when they travel to NEC. Maaskant has watched his team lose its last five games in all com

Braves place OF Anderson on DL >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves placed outfielder Garret Anderson on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a strained left thigh. Anderson left an 11-1 win over Pittsburgh last Sunday with tightness in his thigh and

Bengals bring back FB Johnson >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to a contract with veteran fullback Jeremi Johnson on Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Johnson was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL

Royals' Soria sidelined with shoulder tightness >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria is expected to miss at least the next three to five days because of tightness behind his right shoulder. An All-Star in 2008, Soria is a perfect 5-for-5 in s

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

About MySportsbook.com:


MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best online Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.