Goals galore expected in Newcastle v Man Utd clash
April 18, 2011
Manchester United travel up to Newcastle on Tuesday night as they look to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat to Manchester City. On paper it should be a routine win for United, who have an exceptional record against Newcastle. The Magpies haven’t beaten United for an astonishing 17 games, with their last win coming way back in the 2001/2002 season when they won a thrilling encounter 4-3. Newcastle have also lost eight of their last ten games against the Red Devils, which won’t fill their fans with much confidence.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s dreams of another historic treble were ended on Saturday when his side were dumped out of the FA Cup by their fierce local rivals Man City. However, United recently progressed through to the Champions League semi-finals and they will be looking to take a step closer to winning a record 19th league title on Tuesday night, and a win against Newcastle will put them nine points clear of second placed Arsenal.
Both teams haven’t been shy in front of goal this season and you get the feeling that this could be a high scoring fixture. United have scored 70 goals so far this season and have scored nine goals in their last three visits to St James’ Park. Despite losing Andy Carroll in January, Newcastle have managed to score 48 goals this season, including 36 at home, which is the second highest home tally in the league. Victor Chandler are offering odds of 23/10 for the game to have 4-6 goals. There have been 13 second-half goals in the last five games between the two clubs and the bookies are offering 14/5 for there to be 3 or more second-half goals on Tuesday.
Whilst United have an abundance of high quality attacking options available – with Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen all vying for a place up front – Newcastle will be without Ben Arfa, Leon Best and Kevin Nolan, whilst Shola Ameobi is facing a race against time to be fit. The home side will therefore have to rely on Peter Lovenkrands who opened the scoring the last time the teams played at St James’ Park. Victor Chandler have the striker at 8/1 to score first on Tuesday. In Berbatov United have the league’s top scorer at their disposal with 21 goals and the Bulgarian international is 9/2 to open the scoring.
Newcastle v Manchester United Match Odds
All odds are provided by Victor Chandler
Frankel As Short As 5/1 For The 2000 Guineas Epsom Derby Double
April 18, 2011
After months of talking we have finally had the chance to see Frankel on the course as a three-year old and he looked every inch the star as he won the Greenham Stakes at Newbury in prep for his run in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. The Henry Cecil horse was the star Juvenile last year and he seems to have improved over the winter ahead of what could be a massive Classic season for the Khalid Abdullah owned horse, he is now a massive odds-on favourite for the Guineas with the Epsom Derby also a possible for the horse.
It has generally been thought that Frankel would be a Guineas horse with the Derby only an outside possibility for him but he could now be heading to Epsom as well if things go according to plan at Newmarket, if he goes to both races he will be looking to emulate the great Sea The Stars who of course did the Guineas/Derby double in 2009. Punters wanting to back Frankel to win the 2000 Guineas and the Derby can get a price of 5/1 with William Hill and that might prove very tempting for a horse clearly full of class. At this stage the Guineas look like his to lose but the Derby may prove to be a different story with the extra two furlongs and the undulations of Epsom an unknown to the horse at this stage of his racing career.
Punters backing Frankel to win both the 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby will have to keep their fingers crossed he runs in the Derby with Khalid Abdullah also having the exciting World Domination in his string this season, and he has long been aimed towards the Derby. It remains to be seen whether or not Abdullah will want to run the two horses against each other at Epsom leaving punters with a tough choice, if he does take his chance the bookmakers believe that Frankel is the one to beat of the two and the Henry Cecil horse is as short as 4/1 to claim the spoils in the Derby. All the signs so far that are that Frankel could be a superstar horse following his Greenham win, and with that in mind that price could prove to be a massive one come the end of the season.
Frankel 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby Bets
- 4/7 – Frankel to win the 2000 Guineas
- 7/1 – Frankel to win the 2000 Guineas by 5 lengths or more
- 4/1 – Frankel to win the Epsom Derby
- 5/1 – Frankel to win the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby
All markets supplied by William Hill.com
Alonso 10/1 to taste victory in China
April 15, 2011
The third race of the new Formula One season takes place on Sunday and after two dominate performances in Melbourne and Malaysia Sebastian Vettel will be aiming to complete the hat-trick at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. The Red Bull driver excelled in practice in Friday’s session and at the time of writing looks the favourite to get his third straight pole position for this Sunday’s race.
The McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will provide stiff competition as they aim to put a halt to Vettel’s impeccable start to the 2011 season. The British drivers have both been winners here in the past, Button in 2010 and Hamilton in 2008, and both of them will have strong desires of becoming the only ever driver to win twice on this circuit. However, Vettel has also tasted success here, winning two years ago in 2009, and in his current form it is difficult to see another winner. Paddy Power have the German available at 3/1 to start the race in pole position, win the race and achieve the fastest lap.
Fernando Alonso is one to look out for at 10/1 to win in China, and as a previous winner here he knows the circuit well. Although the Spaniard has yet to finish in the top 3 in either race so far, he has performed well with a poor Ferrari car and you sense once the improvements have been made he will be back where he belongs. Nico Rosberg has performed very well in qualification and is definitely worth a flutter at 66/1. Nick Heidfeld finished third last weekend in Malaysia and looks a good bet at 5/1 to do the same in China. Last weekend in Malaysia only 16 of the 24 cars crossed the line and Paddy Power are offering odds of 9/4 for 16 or 17 drivers to finish the race this weekend in Shanghai.
Chinese Grand Prix Betting Odds
- 8/11 – Sebastian Vettel
- 9/2 – Lewis Hamilton
- 5/1 – Mark Webber
- 15/2 – Jenson Button
- 10/1 – Fernando Alonso
- 33/1 – Nick Heidfeld
- 40/1 – Felipe Massa
- 66/1 – Nico Rosberg
- 66/1 – Michael Schumacher
- 66/1 – Vitaly Petrov
FA Cup money back specials
April 15, 2011
This weekend the FA Cup returns to our screens with two all-Premier League crackers. On the Saturday Manchester City take on Manchester United whilst Sunday’s match pits Bolton against Stoke City, and Victor Chandler are offering some sizzling money back specials for both games. If the match you choose to bet on goes to a penalty shoot-out Victor Chandler will refund the losing First Goalscorer, Correct Score and Double Result (HT/FT) bets on the match as a free bet.
The eagerly anticipated Manchester derby will explode into action on Saturday at 5:15pm as Manchester City and Manchester United lock horns in what promises to be a pulsating match. With Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez absent, Dimitar Berbatov is the favourite to open the scoring and can be backed at 5/1 to do so. Man City’s Mario Balotelli will be given his chance to shine and is 6/1 to score the first goal. Paul Scholes’ memorable last minute winner against City last year will still be fresh in the player’s minds and the veteran midfielder is 14/1 to score the last goal of the game, in what could be his last ever match against Man City.
The match is expected to be fiercely competitive and there is every chance it could go beyond 90 minutes. United are available at 6/1 to win the game in extra time or 10/1 on penalties whilst City are priced at 10/1 to win in extra time and the same odds to win the match courtesy of a penalty shoot-out.
On the Sunday Bolton will battle it out with Stoke City at 4pm for a place in the final. This match may lack the glamour and spice of the other tie but it definitely won’t disappoint in terms of passion and competitiveness as both teams will be determined to make the final. Bolton are marginal favourites to win the match in 90 minutes at 8/5, whilst Stoke are 2/1. With little to choose between the two sides a draw at 23/10 is very tempting. The match is likely to be a very cagey encounter with neither side taking many risks, therefore a 1-1 draw at odds of 11/2 is good value.
Similarly to the Manchester semi-final this match could go beyond 90 minutes, and if so Bolton are favourites at 15/2 to win in extra-time whilst Stoke are 9/1. Both teams have odds of 10/1 to win on penalties.
Manchester City v Manchester United – 90 minutes Match Odds
21/20 – Manchester United
3/1 – Manchester City
12/5 – Draw
Bolton v Stoke City – 90 minutes Match Odds
8/5 – Bolton
23/10 – Draw
2/1 – Stoke City
FA Cup Semi-Final Specials
28/1 – Manchester City to be winning at half-time but Manchester United win at 90 minutes
17/2 – Bolton v Stoke City 0-0 at 90 minutes
All bets are available with Victor Chandler
Barcelona 12/1 to beat Real Madrid four times in El Clasico betting
April 14, 2011
Barcelona and Real Madrid’s respective Champions League wins over Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham has set up an engrossing four matches between the two sides in the space of just 18 days. The Spanish Giants will go head-to-head in the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Ray in what is being dubbed as the ‘four games of the century’.
The battle commences this Saturday (16th April) when Madrid host Barcelona in La Liga. Jose Mourinho’s men are still seething from their crushing 5-0 defeat to Barcelona at the Nou Camp and these four matches provide them with the perfect opportunity to inflict some revenge on their fierce rivals. The teams will lock horns just a few days later (20th April) in the final of the Copa del Ray before their mouth-watering Champions League showdowns on 27th April and 3rd May.
Both teams are still on course for a treble which only adds to the hype, drama and expectation of both sets of fans. The epic clashes will determine the success of each team’s respective seasons along with the huge pride factor that comes with each El Clasico encounter. Victor Chandler have Barcelona at a tempting 12/1 to beat Madrid within 90 minutes in all four matches whilst Madrid are available at 66/1 to complete the clean sweep. Whilst Barcelona are the more likely team to win all four games within 90 minutes, the Madrid odds definitely offer more value and are certainly worth a cheeky flutter.
The ‘master tactician’ Jose Mourinho may opt to focus solely on the Champions League matches as this is the tournament the club craves the most and he may feel that Barcelona’s eight point lead in the league is just out of their reach. However, he would risk the wrath of all the fans if this backfires and I’m sure they will want to see 100% from their team in each match. Whatever happens the football world is in for ansbolute feast of football between two of the beautiful game’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid v Barcelona 16th April Match Specials with Victor Chandler
150/1 – Barcelona to win 5-0
25/1 – Leoni Messi to score a hat-trick
12/1 – Barcelona to win all four games in 90 minutes
66/1 – Real Madrid to win all four games in 90 minutes
Snooker World Championship Odds Suggest Another Win For Higgins
April 14, 2011
This weekend sees the World Snooker Championships get underway at The Crucible and according to the betting it is looking one of the most open tournaments in years with a number of players heading to the event full of chances. All eyes will be on John Higgins as he returns to the World Championship for the first time since returning from his ban from the sport, and the Scot is the favourite to win for the fourth time with his odds currently at 11/2 with Paddy Power. He is the world no 1 and on his best form is the one to beat but Snooker is hugely competitive this season making Higgins an uneasy favourite at this stage.
The winner last year was Neil Robertson from Australia but he has not been at his best so far this season, he may have struggled slightly to cope with the tag of World Champion but at his best he will be a real threat once again. Punters wanting to back Robertson can get an attractive looking 9/1 with Paddy Power and that could prove an attractive bet in a couple of weeks time. As always Ronnie O’Sullivan will be a man to watch at Sheffield but his form has been below par this season and despite his odds of just 6/1 he is hard to back with any real certainty at the moment having played very little Snooker in recent months.
The Chinese invasion in Snooker is hard to ignore at the moment and Ding Juhui is at the forefront of that at the moment, he has been decent form this season and could be ready to make the ultimate breakthrough at the Crucible this season. Ding is a brilliant break builder at his best and he now appears to have the maturity needed to win when the pressure is on, with that in mind his odds of 8/1 with Paddy Power to win the title could prove to be excellent value for punters.
World Snooker Championship Odds
- 11/2 – John Higgins
- 6/1 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6/1 – Mark Selby
- 15/2 – Mark Williams
- 8/1 – Ding Junhui
- 9/1 – Neil Robertson
- 16/1 – Shaun Murphy
- 20/1 – Ali Carter
- 20/1 – Stephen Maguire
Bar
All markets supplied by Paddy Power.com
Alternative Vote Referendum Odds Point Towards Majority Against
April 13, 2011
When the coalition government was formed last May between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties, one of the conditions from the Liberals was that a referendum be held on changing the voting system in the UK to an Alternative Vote (AV) system. The Liberal Democrats have been pushing for a move towards a more proportional representation system rather than the existing first past the post system that exists for General Elections every four or five years and the time has now come for the country to vote to keep the current system or adopt the new AV option which is being proposed by the Liberal Democrats.
The referendum will take place on May 5th and this will be the only time you will here government colleagues like Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime minister Nick Clegg disagree on a major policy issue. David cameron and the large majority of Tories will be pushing to keep the current fast past the post system and they will be pleased to read that Victor Chandler are offering odds of 4/7 about the majority of voters being against AV. That will be a confidence boost to Cameron as he looks to keep the Tory strongholds in the rural areas in the south as they build towards another General Election in 2014.
The way that an Alternative Vote system would work is that voters would be asked to rank potential MP’s in order rather than just selecting one preferred candidate, any person with more than 50% of the votes would be elected and if no one reaches that amount during the first count, a second count will take place where voters second choices would be used. Nick Clegg and the Liberals will know that they are most voters second choice and in theory that should give them more MP’s when the Election comes around making them the driving force behind the potential change. According to the bookies though they face a tough task to persuade voters to back AV and punters can get 5/4 with VC Bet about the majority of voters backing the move towards AV. It is an issue that splits the three main parties and over the next few weeks voters can expect strong campaigns from both sides of the argument, with many who are more used to arguing across the house of commons forming unlikely alliances.
Alternative Vote Referendum Odds – 05/05/11
All markets supplied by Victor Chandler
Spurs 25/1 to conjure up a miracle
April 13, 2011
Tottenham have their work cut out against Real Madrid tonight in their second-leg Champions League quarter-final match at White Hart Lane but, you feel if anyone can conjure up a miracle it’s Harry Redknapp. Of course, Tottenham are complete outsiders to progress to the semi-finals but if they can grab a couple of early goals then you never know a goal fest could be on the cards.
Spurs will have to maximise their vast array of attacking options in order to have any chance of causing one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the beautiful game. They will rely heavily on the likes of Rafael van der Vaart, Jermaine Defoe and Gareth Bale to explode into life and orchestrate the mother of all comebacks. Sky Bet have Van der Vaart priced at 6/1 to open the scoring and 10/1 to net a brace, whilst Jermaine Defoe and Gareth Bale are 13/2 and 9/1 respectively to score first.
Lets face it, Spurs need a shed load of goals to have even a slither of hope of progressing in the competition. This years surprise outfit in the Champions League need to score at least four goals and Sky Bet have them at 14/1 to do this, 66/1 to win 4-0 and 200/1 to win 5-0. You get the feeling that once the first goal hits the back of the net then the floodgates will open. Spurs will draw confidence from Liverpool’s 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in this competition two years ago and they’ll want their fans to replicate the electric atmosphere that Liverpool supporters created on that special night at Anfield.
You will need no reminding that Madrid are most certainly not short of attacking options and with the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kaka in their ranks they are almost guaranteed goals. Angel Di Maria scored an absolute stunner in the first-leg and the Argentine is 8/1 to score first or last in tonight’s game.
Tottenham v Real Madrid Match Odds – Sky Bet
Tottenham v Real Madrid Qualifying Odds – Sky Bet
Tottenham v Real Madrid Specials – Sky Bet
- 11/2 – Tottenham to score 2+ goals in the first-half
- 5/1 – Christiano Ronaldo and Emmanuel Adebayor to both score
- 100/1 – Gareth Bale hat-trick
Champions League: Man Utd v Chelsea Betting
April 12, 2011
Manchester United take a slim one goal advantage into the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final encounter with Chelsea tonight. Wayne Rooney’s 24th minute strike condemned Chelsea to a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday and United are the bookies favourites to win the match and qualify to the semi-final stage.
United have been in outstanding form at home this season and have won their last 12 games in all competitions at Old Trafford. United have only lost one of their last 29 home Champions League matches and they have never gone out of the competition after taking a first-leg advantage back to Old Trafford. These figures seem very daunting, yet it was Chelsea who United last lost to at the Theatre of Dreams, with goals from Joe Cole and Didier Drogba giving the away side a 2-1 win last April. A repeat scoreline tonight would be enough for Chelsea to sneak through to the semi-finals and Victor Chandler have them at odds of 10/1 to pull off a 2-1 win. Chelsea don’t need reminding that only two teams have ever overturned a first-leg home defeat in the competition, but they’ll be more than determined to make it three.
The Champions League trophy is the cup which Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich craves the most, which is partly why he spent so heavily on the Spanish striker Fernando Torres in the January transfer window. Chelsea’s £50million man has still not managed to score for his new club but what bigger and better stage to break your duck than away to Man United in a pivotal Champions League match. Victor Chandler have Torres at 11/2 to open the scoring and 17/10 to score at any point during the match. Nicolas Anelka is the fourth top scorer in the Champions League this season with seven goals and is 11/2 to open the scoring at Old Trafford tonight.
Wayne Rooney has scored two goals against Chelsea in his last two appearances and is available at 5/1 to score two more tonight. United have yet to lose with Rio Ferdinand in the team this season and Victor Chandler have United at 6/1 to keep a clean sheet and win 1-0.
Manchester United v Chelsea Winner Betting Odds – Victor Chandler
Manchester United v Chelsea to Qualify – Victor Chandler
Manchester United v Chelsea Specials – Victor Chandler
- 50/1 – Chelsea to win 1-0 in 90 minutes and Fernando Torres to score
- 8/1 – Manchester United to win 2-1
- 17/2 – Luis Antonio Valencia to open the scoring
Can Rory McIlroy Win A Major In 2011 Following Masters Meltdown?
April 12, 2011
Rory McIlroy has long been considered the most exciting young talent in golf but questions now have to be asked about his temperament to win a Major following his public capitulation at the Masters on Saturday when holding a four shot lead going into the final round. McIlroy had blown the field away in the first three days of the tournament at Augusta but it appeared that the pressure got to him on Sunday, as a result Paddy Power are running a number of exciting markets on McIlroy and the Majors for the remainder of 2011 for punters to take advantage of. They are confident that Mcilroy will end the year empty handed and they are offering odds of 1/10 that he will win none of the remaining the three Majors in 2011.
McIlroy has been in fine form over the past couple of years and clearly has the talent needed to win a major or two at some point during his career and he will be hoping he can bounce back straight away at the US Open in June. Punters can get 16/1 with Paddy Power that McIlroy will shrug off his Masters woe and win the US Open at the Congressional Country Club in June. The same price is on offer about McIlroy winning the USPGA Championship later in the year while he is a touch shorter at 14/1 to pick up the Claret Jug at Sandwich in July, which could prove to be his best chance of the year back on British soil.
McIlroy looked a broken man after his final round 80 at the Masters but it is worth remembering that at just 21 he has youth on his side and that his talent should be enough to see him recover, with that in mind the 11/2 on offer from Paddy Power about him winning one of the three remaining Majors could prove an attractive bet. He proved during the Ryder Cup last year that he can act under pressure and he is already firmly in the top ten of the World rankings making him one of the hottest properties on tour, and most will be hoping he bounces back from his Masters nightmare as soon as possible.
Rory McIlroy Number of Majors in 2011 Odds
Rory McIlroy Individual Major Odds 2011
All markets supplied by Paddy Power.com
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