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Posted in Champions League on 11/23/11 at 2:37 pm
It’s the London clubs’ turn in Europe tonight with Arsenal and Chelsea both facing important fixtures in their Champions League campaigns. Arsenal face Borussia Dortmund at Emirates Stadium knowing a victory will ensure them a place in the Last 16 as group winners. Dortmund are starting to come into form themselves, having beaten Bayern Munich 1-0 at The Allianz Arena at the weekend, and go into the game needing a win to keep their hopes alive and set up an all or nothing final game against Marseille. Arsenal are in excellent form and will once again look to Robin van Persie to lead them and he is 7/2 to be the first goalscorer. Arsenal look good odds at 11/10 to win the game and Arsene Wenger will want to make sure they do in order to finish top of the group and avoid the likes of Barcelona in the Last 16. It will be a sign of how Arsenal’s youngsters have improved if they can secure that top spot.
Arsenal will look to Robin van Persie to fire them into the Last 16.
Chelsea travel to Leverkusen in dismal domestic form and face an old friend in Michael Ballack who will want to pile further pressure on Andre Vilas Boas and make Chelsea’s task of qualification tougher, with The Blues still to face tricky Valencia at home. The draw looks good value at 9/4 and is a result that would probably suit both sides going into the final set of games in Group E, with less than 2.5 goals to be scored 4/5 looking a good option for punters. Valencia host Racing Genk needing a win to keep the pressure on Chelsea and should get what they need comfortably against the Belgian minnows, the Spanish side to win by two goals is 3/1.
AC Milan host a clash of the giants against Barcelona at the San Siro and this game may prove less exciting than neutrals expected with both sides having qualified. It’s evens on there being less than 2.5 goals and punters should be biting the arm off the bookies for that price. Of course course Lionel Messi is also likely to find the net and is 3/1 to be first scorer. Milan were less than convincing in their previous European outing against Borisov and are 13/8 not to find the net tonight. BATE themselves face Victoria Plzen in what is effectively a play off for a Europa League place. The Belarussians are 5/4 and in a double with Barcelona yield a price of 3/1 which is good value on the double.
In Arsenal’s group Marseille will want to give themselves as much breathing space as possible over Dortmund and can do that at home against Olympiakos. Disappointing Shakhtar Donetsk host Porto in an important game in Ukraine with the draw looking a likely outcome at 12/5 while Zenit St Petersburg will look to secure their place in the knockout rounds with a win over surprise package APOEL Nicosia, who will probably face a nervy final night at home to Shakhtar in which they may need just a point to secure an unlikely passage to the Last 16.
SYS Predictions:
- Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Chelsea
- Valencia 2-0 Racing Genk
- Arsenal 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
- Marseille 2-0 Olympiakos
- Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Porto
- Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 APOEL Nicosia
- AC Milan 0-1 Barcelona
- BATE Borisov 2-1 Victoria Plzen
SYS Tip: Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen to draw at 9/4
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Posted in Champions League on 11/22/11 at 2:45 pm
We’re getting towards the business end of the group stages now and there is still much to play for in the 2011/12 Champions League. Manchester City face a challenging tie against Napoli knowing a win would put them into the next round, whereas a defeat would mean having to beat Bayern Munich at home to even have a chance of going through. With this in mind, and the fact that City seem to have found their feet in Europe, they look a very good price at even money. City have an almost full strength squad and if their back four can marshal Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edison Cavani then City should secure their passage to the knock out phase. Manchester United also need a win to avoid a tricky final match in their group but will need to be on top of their game against a very useful Benfica side. Wayne Rooney is likely to be fit after picking up a knock at Swansea on Saturday and that will provide a huge boost to United. Benfica are a dangerous side going forward and although United should have too much, a price of 5/6 on there being over 2.5 goals looks very appetising. Inter Milan have put their domestic woes behind them in Europe so far and travel to Trabzonspor, who have little to play for, needing a win to secure qualification. They should get the win they need and a treble of United, City and Inter pays out 13/2.
Cristiano Ronaldo is just 5/1 to score a hat-trick tonight.
Real Madrid should qualify with ease when they play Dinamo Zagreb at home and with the Spanish giants in the scoring form they’re in this could be a landslide. A sign of the bookies fear of Cristiano Ronaldo can be seen in his price of just 5/1 to score a hat-trick so from a value perspective this one is probably best avoided. Bayern Munich are very short priced favourites as well, and no wonder, given the limp performances of their opponents Villareal. You can certainly expect both these sides to score goals tonight so shop around for those specials.
The Russian sides have made an impressive impact this year and CSKA Moscow can join Inter in the next round with a win over a disappointing Lille side at a handsome 13/10. FC Basel need a win to keep the pace on Benfica and Manchester United against the minnows of Group C Otelul Galati and traditionally Lyon are good at home in the Champions League and are fancied to beat Ajax having opened up at 5-6 before moving into 8/11. This treble is another good value one at 6/1 so there are some big opportunities for the punter tonight.
SYS Predictions:
- Bayern Munich 2-0 Villareal
- Napoli 1-2 Manchester City
- CKSA Moscow 1-0 Lille
- Trabzonspor 0-1 Inter Milan
- Manchester United 2-1 Benfica
- Otelul Galati 0-2 FC Basel
- Lyon 2-1 Ajax
- Real Madrid 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb
SYS Tip: Manchester City, Manchester United and Inter Milan win treble at 13/2.
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Posted in Premier League on 11/7/11 at 3:36 pm
The Premier League weekend produced as many fireworks as there were going on on Saturday night with several exciting games taking place. Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated his 25th anniversary at Manchester United with a scrappy 1-0 win at home to Sunderland. Before the game there was a touching tribute to the great manager as the North Stand was renamed the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand following the success he has brought to the club. On the field it was a disappointing game with only Wes Brown’s own goal to separate the two sides. That put the pressure on Manchester City who overcame a testing trip at QPR by winning 3-2. Jay Bothroyd gave Rangers the lead with a towering heading but Edin Dzeko equalised when he waltzed through the QPR defence far too easily. After half time David Silva put City ahead but QPR came roaring back and Heidar Helguson’s header brought them level. City weren’t done though and Yaya Toure thumped home a header to keep up City’s excellent start to the season.
A fitting tribute
Newcastle were another side to keep up their dazzling start to the season with a determined 2-1 at home to Everton. Johnny Heitinga scored a disastrous own goal and then Ryan Taylor scored with a wonderful dipping volley before Jack Rodwell scrambled home a goal back. Everton should have had a penalty when Dan Gosling handled Louis Saha’s goal bound shot but fortune favours the brave and Newcastle held on for their win. Chelsea restored some confidence with a 1-0 win over Blackburn at Ewood Park. Frank Lampard’s stooping header was the difference but Rovers had several opportunities to take something from the game and the performance should give fans plenty to hope for for the rest of the season. Arsenal continued their revival with a comfortable 3-0 win against West Brom. That man Robin van Persie opened the scoring and powerful finishes from Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta added gloss to a good performance from The Gunners.
Aston Villa and Norwich served up a treat at Villa Park with a game that Villa won 3-2. Anthony Pilkington gave The Canaries the lead with a fabulous free kick but Darren Bent tapped home to draw Villa level. Gabriel Agbonlahor took advantage of mayhem in the Norwich defence to give Villa the lead before setting up Bent to make it 3-1. Steve Morison set up a nervy finish with a headed goal but the home side held on for the win. Liverpool and Swansea served up a tepid game at Anfield which both sides could have won, but it finished 0-0.
Wolves celebrate a crucial win over Wigan
On Sunday Wolves picked up a crucial three points in a 3-1 home win against Wigan. Jamie O’Hara giving Wolves the lead before Ben Watson saw a penalty saved by Wayne Henessey but made no mistake with the rebound. David Edwards smashed in a second for Wolves despite heroics from Ali Al-Habsi and Stephen Ward got the crucial third after another fine Al-Habsi save. Bolton got revenge for their humiliating FA Cup Semi Final defeat in April by defeating beleaguered Stoke City 5-0 at The Reebok. Kevin Davies gave Bolton the lead after just two minutes and Chris Eagles and Ivan Klasnic grabbed a brace each as Wanderers ran riot and picked up a crucial win. The final game of the weekend was a cracker at Craven Cottage between Fulham and Tottenham. Gareth Bale’s shot, helped into the goal by Chris Baird, and a fantastic solo run and finish by Aaron Lennon gave Spurs a 2-0 half time lead but Fulham were excellent after the break and got a goal back when Younes Kaboul inadvertently headed into his own net. Fulham deserved another goal and had several opportunities but Jermaine Defoe volleyed home in injury time to give Spurs the points and keep up their excellent run.
SYS Team of the Week: Al-Habsi (Wigan); Ivanovic (Chelsea), R.Taylor (Newcastle), Vermaelen (Arsenal), Wheater (Bolton); O’Hara (Wolves), Eagles (Bolton), Silva (Manchester City), Yaya Toure (Manchester City); van Persie (Arsenal), Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
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Posted in Champions League on 11/2/11 at 1:56 pm
Wednesday sees the Manchester clubs in action as they continue their quest for European glory. Despite their dramatic win against Villareal at home Manchester City travel to Spain still knowing victory is still imperative with daunting fixtures against Bayern Munich and Napoli forthcoming. They travel in good shape following back-to-back wins in the league since their last European outing and Mario Balotelli has been included in the Champions League squad for the first time this season. It would be typical of the controversial Italian to grab a goal and he is backable at 4/1 to get the first goal. David Silva returns to Spain in imperious form and he is also good value at 13/2 to score first, while Adam Johnson, who has been excellent in recent weeks, is 8/1 for the same market. Once again City are odds on favourites and after the scare they had on their own patch won’t take anything for granted which could mean the handicap markets once again offer value. With a -1 City are 6/4 and this could be lucrative given the attacking form they have shown in recent times, or alternatively, could be backed at 7/2 to win by exactly two goals.
Mario Balotelli is the the squad for a Champions League game for Manchester City for the first time this season.
Manchester United host minnows Otelul Galati at Old Trafford looking to all but secure their progress to the next phase and few would question the home side to beat the 25/1 shots. United have a few injury problems with Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley out injured, but the strike partnership of Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney should be far too much for the Romanians and a 4-0 win is 6/1. Rooney and Danny Welbeck are 2/1 to both score and given the form of the latter this could also be worth following.
Of the other ties Lyon face Real Madrid, Madrid have been excellent this season and 4/7 is a worthy price for them to continue that, Bayern Munich host Napoli at The Allianz Arena and Inter Milan play struggling Lille at home which adds up to an excellent treble at 16/5. CSKA Moscow are good value to overcome Trabzonspor away from home at 15/8 after a decent start to their group campaign while Benfica and Ajax are odds on to beat Basel and Dinamo Zagreb respectively in what could turn out to be a rather predictable night of action.
SYS Predictions:
- Bayern Munich 2-1 Napoli
- Villareal 1-3 Manchester City
- Inter Milan 2-0 Lille
- Trabzonspor 0-1 CSKA Moscow
- Benfica 2-0 FC Basel
- Manchester United 4-0 Otelul Galati
- Ajax 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb
- Lyon 0-2 Real Madrid
SYS Tip of the Day: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan treble at 16/5.
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Posted in Champions League on 11/1/11 at 11:03 am
In tonight’s Champions League instalment there are games that could see both London clubs take big strides towards the knock out phase. Arsenal take on Marseille at The Emirates Stadium after 1-0 win in France while Chelsea travel to Belgium to face what should be a sterner test than the reverse of this fixture which The Blues won 5-0. Arsenal had trouble breaking Marseille down at The Velodrome a fortnight ago and a draw at half time, Arsenal win at full time is 7/2. The electrifying Robin van Persie is 10/3 to score the first goal but Theo Walcott, who has often impressed in Champions League games at The Emirates, is a fanciful 8/1 for first goalscorer. Chelsea look a big price at 6/4 with a handicap of -2 and that is worth getting on board with given the drubbing Chelsea handed out to Genk at Stamford Bridge, and the backlash the Belgians may face following The Blues 5-3 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend.
Aaron Ramsey got a last minute winner when Arsenal met Marseille in France
Elsewhere in Europe Barcelona and AC Milan take on Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov respectively in one of the most predictable groups of all time. Both English sides and Barca and Milan are 12/5 to pick up wins and this is surely worth backing. Zenit St Petersburg are strong at home and are likely to win against Shakhtar Donetsk who have been disappointing in the competition thus far, Borussia Dortmund need a victory and should secure it against Olympiakos who traditionally struggle on the road and this makes a good value double at 6/4. Valencia have been dogged my inconsistency and play host to Bayer Leverkusen so far while Porto go to APOEL Nicosia, surprise package of the tournament so far, needing a win that will aid their quest in topping Group G and should also be looking to win.
SYS Predictions:
- Racing Genk 0-3 Chelsea
- Valencia 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
- Arsenal 2-1 Marseille
- Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Olympiakos
- Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
- APOEL Nicosia 0-2 Porto
- BATE Borisov 0-2 AC Milan
- Viktoria Plzen 0-3 Barcelona
SYS Tip for the Day: Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona and AC Milan to win at 12/5.
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Posted in Premier League on 10/31/11 at 3:59 pm
A packed weekend of Premier League action saw an extraordinary game at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Arsenal which is where our round up kicks off. Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge on Saturday and came away with a memorable 5-3 win that reignited their campaign. Chelsea started brightly and took the lead through Frank Lampard’s header after 14 minutes. Back came Arsenal though and Gervinho set up Robin van Persie to tap home to make it 1-1. Chelsea restored their lead on half time as much maligned captain John Terry poked home from a corner but it all changed after the break as goals from Andre Santos and an astonishing goal from Theo Walcott put Arsenal 3-2 ahead. With ten minutes left though Juan Mata, once a target of Arsenal, smashed home an equaliser from 30 yards but an inexplicable slip from John Terry let in van Persie to round Petr Cech and restore Arsenal’s lead. In injury time, as Chelsea pushed forward, Arsenal broke, and van Persie lashed home to grab his hat-trick and a priceless three points for The Gunners, much to the delight of Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal celebrate Robin van Persie's magnificent hat-trick
Earlier in the afternoon Manchester United overcame a difficult game at Goodison Park to beat Everton 1-0, Javier Hernandez getting the goal, to keep up up the pressure on Manchester City who overcame a resilient Wolves side 3-1 at The Etihad Stadium. Edin Dzeko got the first after a disastrous error from Wayne Hennesey, Aleksandr Kolarov doubled the advantage before Vincent Kompany was sent off for a tug on Kevin Doyle. Stephen Hunt scored the resulting penalty but Adam Johnson curled home late on to secure the points as City march on.
At the other end of the table Norwich came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Blackburn at Carrow Road. Junior Hoilett scored the opener but Steve Morison volleyed in an equaliser in two of weekend’s best goals. Yakubu and Chris Samba put daylight between the two sides but Michael Bradley scored a deflected strike and in injury time Martin Olsson was harshly adjudged to have handballed and Grant Holt tucked away the resulting penalty. Swansea overcame struggling Bolton 3-1 at The Liberty Stadium with goals from Joe Allen, Scott Sinclair and Danny Graham while Fulham overcame Wigan 2-0 at The DW Stadium courtesy of strikes from Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele.
Sunderland and Aston Villa played out an 2-2 draw in another entertaining game. Stilian Petrov scoring beautifully from 20 yards giving Villa the lead until Connor Wickham smashed home to make it 1-1. Richard Dunne thought he had got the winner five minutes from time but back came Sunderland and Stephane Sessegnon bundled home in the 89th minute to save a point for a relieved Steve Bruce. In the evening game Liverpool beat West Brom 2-0 thanks to a penalty from Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll’s third goal of the season and on Sunday Tottenham kept up their excellent form with a 3-1 home win against QPR with Gareth Bale grabbing a brace and Rafael van der Vaart getting the other, in between a consolation goal for Jay Bothroyd.
Bale capped an excellent performance with two goals
SYS Team of the Weekend: Schwarzer (Fulham); Richards (Manchester City), Kolarov (Manchester City), Vidic (Manchester United) Koscielny (Arsenal); Hoilett (Blackburn), Bale (Tottenham) Parker (Tottenham), Allen (Swansea); van Persie (Arsenal), Walcott (Arsenal)
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