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08/26/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea is just a few miles from its first Champions League title. Getting there, even after receiving an easy group play draw Thursday, remains the elusive last step in the club's incredible journey.
Since billionaire Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea in the summer of 2003, it has quickly ascended through the ranks to join Europe's elite clubs. Now, with Wembley Stadium in London - less than 10 miles from Chelsea's home at Stamford Bridge - hosting the Champions League final, the lure has never been stronger.
Chelsea has advanced to the semifinals in five of the last seven years, with a penalty kick loss to Manchester United in 2008 its lone finals appearance. The two years Chelsea failed to make at least the semifinals, it was eliminated by the eventual champion.
With its third English Premier League title in the last six years last season, and a pair of 6-0 victories over West Bromwich and Wigan to kick off 2010-11, Chelsea is displaying the form necessary to reach the last summit.
Chelsea has a clear path through the group stage, as Marseille, Spartak Moscow and Zilina were drawn into Group F along with the English champions. Marseille could pose a bit of a problem, but not enough to derail the Blues.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has almost the same exact club that last season produced 103 goals in just 38 EPL games, and a healthy Michael Essien will turn midfield into an even stronger area.
Of course Abramovich tossed around a little cash this season, adding Brazilian midfielder Ramires from Benfica and Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun from EPL rival Liverpool. And the transfer window remains open - billionaires can never spend enough - so do not rule out a late addition or two.
English clubs have won the Champions League final in London (United in 1967-68 and Liverpool in 1977-78 at the old Wembley Stadium), but never has a club from the city lifted the title.
Arsenal and Tottenham join Chelsea in the chase this season, but the Blues are the team most likely to raise their first trophy at Wembley in May.
With Chelsea a lock to escape the group stage, here's a look at all the groups, as well as some prediction on which teams will advance:
GROUP A - Inter Milan (Italy), Werder Bremen (Germany), Tottenham (England), Twente (Netherlands).
Winner: Inter Milan
Inter won the treble last season by capturing the Champions League, Italy's Serie A and the Coppa Italia, and despite the loss to coach Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, remains a major factor this season.
Runner-up: Tottenham
Tottenham survived a scare in the playoff round of the Champions League when it lost the first leg to Young Boys of Switzerland, but scored the final six goals of the series to secure a group berth.
GROUP B - Lyon (France), Benfica (Portugal), Schalke (Germany), Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
Winner: Lyon
Lyon quietly extended its streak of reaching the knockout stage to seven straight seasons last year and, although the French club is overlooked at this point, remember it advanced to the semifinals last season.
Runner-up: Schalke
Schalke pushed Champions League runner-up Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title last season and couldn't have asked for a better draw. Although Benfica or Hapoel Tel Aviv could easily grab this spot, Schalke should do enough.
GROUP C - Manchester United (England), Valencia (Spain), Rangers (Scotland), Bursaspor (Turkey).
Winner: Manchester United
United had its streak of three straight semifinal appearances ended last year, but after a quarterfinal exit don't be surprised if Sir Alex Ferguson's men are back in the final four this season.
Runner-up: Rangers
The Scottish Premier League has not been represented in knockout play in the last two tournaments, but Rangers has just enough talent to edge Valencia and surprise Turkish champions Bursaspor.
GROUP D - Barcelona (Spain), Panathinaikos (Greece), FC Copenhagen (Denmark), Rubin (Russia).
Winner: Barcelona
The rich got richer with the addition of Spain striker David Villa, and Barca will again challenge for the title. Barca has reached the semifinals in four of the last five events, including titles in 2006 and 2009.
Runner-up: Rubin
Rubin stunned Barca in the group stage last year with 2-1 win at the Camp Nou and tied the second meeting in Russia but failed to advance. This time, Rubin will not get points against Barca, but will advance.
GROUP E - Bayern Munich (Germany), Roma (Italy), Basel (Switzerland), CFR Cluj (Romania).
Winner: Bayern Munich
Bayern squeezed into the knockout stage last year, then used away-goals wins to get past Fiorentina and Manchester United. Inter spoiled Bayern's run with a 2-0 win in the final, but the Germans are even better this season.
Runner-up: Roma
Roma went an incredible 21-1-6 over its final 28 games, including a win and a tie against Inter, to challenge for the Serie A title. Roma finished first in a group with Chelsea in its last CL appearance two seasons ago.
GROUP F - Chelsea (England), Marseille (France), Spartak Moscow (Russia), Zilina (Slovakia).
Winner: Chelsea
Chelsea has lost just five of its 42 group-stage matches in the last seven tournaments and should have no trouble again this season, despite trips to Russia and Slovakia.
Runner-up: Marseille
Former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps is Marseille's manager, and with a confidence-boosting Ligue 1 title and the recent addition of strikers Loic Remy and Andre-Pierre Gignac, the group stage is attainable.
GROUP G - Real Madrid (Spain), AC Milan (Italy), Ajax (Netherlands), Auxerre (France).
Winner: Real Madrid
Mourinho is a good coach (the best even?), but he hasn't exactly taken over any struggling teams. Real has reached the knockout stage 13 times in a row, but has been eliminated in the round of 16 six straight years.
Runner-up: AC Milan
AC Milan trails only Real for all-time titles with seven compared to nine for the Spanish side, and should have no problem returning to the knockout stage for the seventh time in the last eight events.
GROUP H - Arsenal (England), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Braga (Portugal), Partizan (Serbia).
Winner: Arsenal
Arsenal has reached at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven years and manager Arsene Wenger always finds a way to have the Gunners prepared for the big stage.
Runner-up: Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup two years ago and advanced to the round of 32 last season before losing to eventual runner-up Fulham. Shakhtar will meet the same fate in the knockout round, only this time in the Champions League.
<< Stephen F. Austin adds UTEP transfer
Nacogdoches, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Tim Curry has transferred from
UTEP to Stephen F. Austin and will have three years of eligiblilty remaining
with the Lumberjacks.
"We are very happy to have Tim join the Lumberjack football team
<< Cardinals to head back to Miami for make-up game
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals will head back to Miami
on Monday, September 20 for a make-up game with the Florida Marlins.
The teams had a game rained out on August 8. The rescheduled contest will
start at 3:10
<< Wozniacki wins U.S. Open Series
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caroline Wozniacki clinched the U.S. Open
Series points title on Thursday without event lifting her racquet at the
$600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up.
The top-seed
<< Stars sign D Grossman
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars have agreed to terms on a two-
year, $3.25 million with defenseman Nicklas Grossman.
The 25-year-old Swede registered seven assists and 32 penalty minutes in 71
games with Dallas last season
Roma's Adriano sidelined with thigh injury >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma striker Adriano will likely miss the start
of the Serie A season with a thigh injury, the Italian club revealed Thursday.
Adriano, 28, was injured in training on Wednesday. His exact diagnosis is not
yet
Nationals introduce top overall pick Harper >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals officially
introduced top-overall pick Bryce Harper on Thursday, prior to the start of a
four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Nats and Harper agreed to ter
Missouri running back could miss season opener >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Missouri running back Derrick Washington has
been suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons, according to the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.
Washington's status for the Tigers season opener against Illin
Woods shoots 65, shares lead at Barclays >>
Paramus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing his best golf this year, Tiger Woods
shot a six-under 65 Thursday to tie Vaughn Taylor for the first-round lead at
The Barclays.
Woods played in the first group out in the morning wave and racked
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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