Group A – South Africa, France, Uruguay & Mexico

A key element of every World Cup is how the host nation performs & so the focus of Group A will be hosts South Africa who will want to do their very, very best to progress as far as they can go.

It is an extremely tough looking Group for the hosts with France possessing a squad full of talented players who are capable of winning their tournament if they are in the right mental state while Uruguay & Mexico are also likely to prove to be incredibly tough to beat.

All four countries will feel they have a good chance of qualifying but they also have an equal chance of not qualifying so it makes it a very tough call & at this stage we are going to go for France & Uruguay to just edge through Group A so it could well be heartbreak for the hosts.

Group A Predictions: France 1st & Uruguay 2nd

Group B – Argentina, Greece, Nigeria & South Korea

This is a fascinating group with Argentina, regarded as one of the major contenders to win the World Cup, clearly the headline draw given all the outstanding quality players they have, making them strong favourites to win Group B & we can’t really argue with that.

Greece, Nigeria & South Korea will all be desperate to give their best & qualify through the group so it is a tough call but we are just going to favour Nigeria to qualify with Argentina.

Group B Predictions: Argentina 1st & Nigeria 2nd

Group C – England, Algeria, USA & Slovenia

The focus of England & the entire footballing world will be on this group because the England team have massive global appeal through the success of the Premier League & obviously England are rated as strong favourites to win the group & go all the way.

We do expect England to win the group but it will not be easy as three opponents are dangerous & represent different threats with USA looking the strongest of those three & they can qualify through with England.

Group C Predictions – England 1st & USA 2nd

Group D – Germany, Serbia, Ghana & Australia

Really interesting group this one with Germany the favourites & given their incredible record in major tournaments that is easy to understand & they should have enough to go through the group.

Although we expect Germany to go through, it will not be easy as all three of Ghana, Serbia & Australia are capable of frustrating & even beating Germany so choosing between the three is very tough but Serbia look to have the best chance.

Group D Predictions – Germany 1st & Serbia 2nd

Group E – Cameroon, Denmark, Holland & Japan

A really interesting mix of cultures & football styles here and this could be one of the more entertaining groups.

Holland are a fantastic side with many high class players & we do expect them to have too much quality for their group rivals & we are taking Denmark to prove solid, hard to beat & just have enough to edge out Cameroon and follow Holland through.

Group E Predictions – Holland 1st & Denmark 2nd

Group F – Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia & New Zealand

Italy are the reigning World Cup Champions & although they are only regarded as 6th favourites, their tournament record is proven & they should qualify as winners of this group without too many problems.

Admittedly we don’t know too much about either Paraguay, Slovakia or New Zealand so it’s not straightforward to decide between the three but Paraguay qualified through the South American group which is probably the toughest in the world & so they get our vote to follow Italy through to the next round.

Group F Predictions – Italy 1st & Paraguay 2nd

Group G – Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal & Korea

Without doubt this is the most interesting group of the lot with the real potential to be one of the best group stages ever seen in World Cup history with the likes of Ronaldo, Robinho & Drogba all taking each other on.

Brazil are always favourites to win the World Cup because they have a rock solid pedigree of winning them & clearly they are the big draw in this group so they should qualify but it is going to be tough.

Portugal are very dangerous opponents primarily because of the fact Ronaldo is capable of winning matches on his own while Ivory Coast are a very strong, powerful side led by Didier Drogba who will be determined to be a star at this World Cup.

Deciding between Portugal & Ivory Coast is incredibly tough and the fact these two meet in the first match of the group stages could be crucial & whoever wins that match will most likely to be the team that progresses.

Ronaldo vs Drogba is a mouth watering clash of incredible talent & incredible egos with nothing between the two countries in terms of talent so the deciding factor could well be that of home advantage for Ivory Coast so we are taking Ivory Coast to follow Brazil into the next phase.

Group G Predictions – Brazil 1st & Ivory Coast 2nd

Group H – Spain, Chile, Honduras & Switzerland

A really fascinating mix of european & south american football here and this should be an entertaining group although Spain are clearly the team to beat in this group & in the tournament outright.

Spain have an incredibly talented squad of players, they are reigning European Champions & go into the World Cup in excellent form & certainly should win this group with comfort.

Admittedly we don’t know too much about Honduras so it will be a case of wait & see with them while Chile deserve respect for qualifying through the South American group & Switzerland are never easy to beat in tournaments.

It’s a tough call to decide who is going through with Spain as this looks tight but Switzerland have experience in tournaments & they can just edge through.

Group H Predictions – Spain 1st & Switzerland 2nd

Who are the main contenders for the 2010 World Cup?

When every World Cup comes around, there are always the select group of countries that are proven contenders for the main prize & assuming the group stages go to plan & to form, the following countries will be the main contenders:

France, Germany, Spain, England, Italy, Holland, Argentina & Brazil and although they are not an original selection of contenders, they are the teams most likely to be contesting for the World Cup & that is reflected in the betting markets.

The approximate current outright market for the World Cup is as follows:

Spain – 4/1

Brazil – 5/1

England – 6/1

Argentina – 7/1

Holland – 10/1

Italy – 12/1

Germany – 14/1

France – 20/1

25/1 Bar

The betting market has predictably but correctly got Brazil & Spain as clear favourite & 2nd favourite to win the World Cup and on all known form & facts it is impossible to argue with that.

Brazil & Spain are the two best sides in world football & it really would not be a surprise to see these two sides meet in the World Cup Final on Sunday 11th July.

England carry the hope & expectancy of the nation & that is the main reason they are 3rd favourites at 11/2. England did have an excellent qualifying campaign, they have the individual talent to beat anybody at their best & Fabio Cappello has done a fantastic job so far but whether England can actually put all that together at a World Cup & handle the pressure of expectation is doubtful & it may well be that Quarter Finals/Semi Finals will be as far as they go.

Argentina had an incredibly inconsistent qualifying campaign & only just scraped through an extra qualifier but they have undoubted attacking talent within their squad & if they hit their best, consistent form they could be a massive danger to everybody & certainly have a chance of winning this.

Italy & Germany may not be the force of old but they are two countries with incredibly successful records in major tournaments & they command massive respect on that basis alone & will certainly be involved when it matters & cannot be discounted easily.

Holland & France are very similar in many ways as they are overloaded with fantastically talented individual players that are capable of beating any team when they play at their best but they are also capable of producing average performances as well so they have a chance but probably only if the other major contenders such as Spain, Brazil & Argentina perform below their best.

Final Assessment:

This is going to be a fascinating & greatly interesting tournament with all the different countries involved but in terms of who can actually win it then we believe the bookmakers have got it absolutely spot on to make BRAZIL & SPAIN close favourites to lift the trophy and they are our two recommendations because at this stage everything points to one of those two sides winning it & it is quite possible Spain & Brazil will meet in the final on Sunday July 11th.

Of the other major contenders neither Italy or Argentina are the forces they once were but both are proven performers at this level & are specialists in tournaments so they warrant each way interest at big prices.

Betting Recommendations:

To win the World Cup Outright: split stake bets on SPAIN & BRAZIL

Name the Finalists: BRAZIL & SPAIN

Each way saver selections: ITALY & ARGENTINA

Top Goalscorer Each way: VILLA, FABIANO, HIGUAIN & NILMAR – Most bookmakers pay each way on the First 4 Top Goalscorers so it makes sense to go each way with 4 nominations & the four selected, VILLA of Spain, FABIANO & NILMAR of Brazil and HIGUAIN of Argentina are all top strikers representing countries who all have excellent chances of going all the way in this tournament & therefore the players nominated will have plenty of chances to score the goals required.

Group Winners:

France, England, Germany, Argentina, Holland, Brazil, Italy & Spain

Group Qualifiers:

Nigeria, Serbia, USA, Uruguay, Paraguay, Switzerland, Denmark & Ivory Coast

The moment of truth has arrived with two of european football’s heavyweight contenders, Bayern Munich & Inter Milan set to do battle to win the Champions League & claim the greatest prize in club football.

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Saturday 22nd May is the location & date for this years UEFA Champions League Final and now it rests between Bayern Munich & Inter Milan to see which team can best hold their nerve & produce the necessary quality, team spirit & desire to claim the prize.

There can be no doubting that Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan was certainly not the expected or predicted line-up for this years Champions League Final but neither can there be any doubting that these two great sides totally deserve their place in the final & without doubt they have totally earned their chance at glory.

Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan & Loui Van Gaal at Bayern Munich, are two of the finest, most experienced & indeed most successful managers in european football and they have expertly guided their teams through to what looks certain to be an intensely interesting & fascinating final.

We have had a good look at the set up of both sides, their strengths & weaknesses, the likely tactical approaches from both sides & based on that here our views on how the match may well work out & the value betting options we feel are worth consideration.

Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan – (Saturday 7.45pm)

Both Loui Van Gaal & Jose Mourinho have won the Champions League before so they are proven in the extra demanding & pressurised conditions that being in the Champions League Final brings but equally we expect them both to have their teams perfectly prepared for this final & it really does look a fascinating final to call.

Whatever people say or think about Jose Mourinho as a person & character, his record as a manager cannot be questioned & he deserves tremendous praise for guiding Inter Milan to the Champions League final.

Of course, Inter Milan have a fantastic squad full of high class, proven international players but it is without doubt Mourinho’s skills as a manager that have been the difference for Inter Milan & earned them a deserved place in the final.

Inter Milan’s record in the competition this year reads: played 12, won 7, drawn 3 & lost only 2 with a total of 15 goals scored & 9 goals conceded and that record illustrates the strength that Inter Milan have shown this year.

To be fair & honest, Inter Milan have not been spectacular in terms of the quality of football played but what they most definitely have been is tremendously well organised, defensively strong, hard to break down & virtually impossible to beat with their only 2 defeats coming away at Barcelona.

Indeed it was Inter Milan’s incredible team performance in losing 1-0 at Barcelona having played for over 60 minutes with only 10 men that really highlighted the strengths of Inter Milan & what Bayern Munich must overcome if they are to win the Champions League.

Inter Milan have kept 5 clean sheets in the Champions League this season, won 4 of their games to nil & only conceded more than 1 goal in a game on 2 occasions which clearly indicates where Inter Milan’s strengths lie with Lucio & Maicon absolute inspirations in defence & Caesar a top class goalkeeper who is hard to get past.

However, Inter Milan are not just about defensive strength & organisation and indeed they possess some of the finest talent in europe with Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o, Esteban Cambiasso & Milito 4 world class players who can cause problems for any side in the world & produce the quality required to win any game.

The real, key strength to Inter Milan is their incredible team spirit & belief that they will get through any challenge they face & having secured another League Championship, we expect them to come into this match with full confidence & determination to win by whatever means necessary.

Loui Van Gaal is also a manager who deserve great praise for the fantastic job he has done at Bayern Munich & the achievement in getting them back to another Champions League final is something he deserves massive praise for.

Admittedly, Loui Van Gaal has had a huge budget & a very talented squad to work with but nevertheless Bayern Munich were a club in desperate need of turning around & improving when he took over & he has certainly done that in style.

Bayern Munich’s record in this season Champions League reads: Won 7, drawn 1 & lost 4 with a total of 21 goals scored & 13 goals conceded, so more goals scored & more goals conceded than Inter Milan and that does highlight the differences in their approach to matches.

Bayern Munich have played the entire Champions League campaign with a very positive, attacking formation & indeed they have based their approach on scoring goals which they have done to great effect but at the same time that has made them vulnerable in certain games.

The fact that Bayern Munich have lost 4 matches in the Champions League already does highlight a weakness that could be a problem against Inter Milan & indeed the fact they have conceded 2 or more goals on 4 separate occasions will give Inter Milan the confidence to attack & look to exploit that.

In terms of where Bayern Munich’s strengths lie there can be no doubting that it is in their ability to play positive, attacking football with the likes of Olic, Robben & Ribery being the main threats to opponents with their combination of skills, technique, speed, running power & indeed eye for goal that makes them a threat whoever they play against.

A big factor in this match could be the fact that Bayern Munich’s star player & playmaker Frank Ribery is suspended for the Final & his absence does affect the set-up of the side & places more pressure on Olic & Robben to create & deliver the goals & that could be key in this match.

Jose Mourinho & Loui Van Gaal have been there & done it when it comes to situations like this & they are both tactically very astute so this really is a tough game to call and purely what happens on the night will decide everything.

Tactically this match represents a clash of styles & both managers will be fully aware of the key threats of each others side and so that could lead to both teams cancelling each other out which makes a draw in 90 minutes & the game to go to extra time & penalties very tempting but we are giving our tipping vote Inter Milan in this one.

Inter Milan are a far superior side to Bayern Munich in terms of defensive strength & organisation and importantly they have more overall quality in the key areas of midfield & attack and in our view that makes Inter Milan a solid bet to get the job done in 90 minutes & take the Champions League back to Milan.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Inter Milan to win

Correct Score options: Inter Milan to win 1-0/2-0

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Eto’o/Sneijder/Milito

Scorecast options: Eto’o/Sneijder/Milito score 1st & Inter Milan win 1-0/2-0

Double Result: Inter Milan H/T & F/T

The Play-Offs are a fantastic, exciting feature of the season & invariably they are always notoriously difficult to predict & this year looks highly likely to be on the toughest to predict in recent seasons.
In League 1 Millwall, Charlton, Swindon & Huddersfield Town all had fantastic seasons & finished within 5 points of each other while in League 2 it was even closer with only 1 point difference covering Rotherham, Dagenham, Aldershot & Morecambe.

Those small points differences show how competitive these Play-Offs Matches are going to be & how tight they are to call but we have had a good look at the set up in each League & the markets available so here are our views on how we feel the Play-Offs may work out & the value bets worth consideration.

League 1 Play-Off Preview

Millwall, Charlton, Swindon & Huddersfield Town all had fantastically consistent seasons & totally deserve to have earned their places in the Play-Offs & all four will now believe they have an equal chance to reach the Final & gain promotion to the Championship.

The draw for the Semi Finals puts Millwall up against Huddersfield Town & Charlton up against Swindon and they really do look incredibly tough Semi Finals to call.

Millwall vs Huddersfield Town:

In the case of Millwall versus Huddersfield Town, it’s a match up of the two teams with the best home records in League 1 as both Millwall & Huddersfield Town only lost 1 home game out of the 23 home league matches played.

Millwall achieved 56 points at home with 17 wins & 5 draws and had the best home defensive record while Huddersfield achieved 50 points at home with 14 wins & draws and had the best home goalscoring record in League 1.

Those statistics show how close both matches are likely to be & clearly the strong home form indicates that is quite possible that both teams will win their home matches so it could well come down to which side gets the best home result but deciding which side that will be is incredibly tough.

The first leg of this Semi Final sees Huddersfield Town taking on Millwall at Home so clearly Huddersfield will be looking to win that & take a lead to Millwall while Millwall will obviously look for a positive result to take back.

It really is a tight call between these two sides in terms of ability & quality so perhaps the vital key could be Millwall’s experience from being in this situation last season & so MILLWALL get our narrow vote to edge their Semi Final against Huddersfield Town and qualify for the final.

Betting Recommendations:

MILLWALL to qualify for the Final

Charlton vs Swindon Town:

Just like the Millwall vs Huddersfield Town clash, this looks an equally competitive Semi Final draw & a tough one to call give how close they finished to each other.

Charlton achieved 2 more points that Swindon but we don’t expect that to count for too much in the context of this Semi Final & given the fact both their home & away records are similar it really does highlight the task in splitting them.

Charlton achieved 48 points at home & 36 away while Swindon achieved 47 points at home & 35 points away so there really is nothing in it & even their goalscoring records are similar too.

The pressure is on Charlton more than it is Swindon so that could be a factor but Charlton do have the edge in terms of allround player quality & that probably counts for more & we see CHARLTON has the bet to edge this tight Semi Final and qualify for the Final.

Betting Recommendations:

CHARLTON to qualify for the Final

League 1 Play-Offs Final Summary:

We’ve put forward both MILLWALL & CHARLTON as our bets to qualify for the final so assuming we are proven right, we see a Millwall vs Charlton, all London final and that really does look a cracking prospect both in terms of the match & the occasion itself.

Just as with the Semi Finals, a Millwall vs Charlton clash would be tough to call given the London derby element & of course anything is possible on the day itself but as things stand, we see MILLWALL as being the overall strongest contenders & they are our recommendation to win the League 1 Play-Offs and book their return to the Championship.

League 2 Play-Off Preview:

Rotherham, Dagenham, Aldershot & Morecambe all finished within 1 point of each other & all had very similar home & away records with similar goalscoring records as well so absolutely anything is possible in these Play-Offs.

The betting for the League 2 Play-Offs have Morecambe & Rotherham both on 5/2 & Aldershot & Dagenham both on 11/4 so that indicates how close the bookies think it is & how hard it is to decide which side will prevail.

The line up for the League 2 Semi Finals sees Rotherham vs Aldershot & Dagenham vs Morecambe and to be honest we feel absolutely anything is possible in those matches but on balance ROTHERHAM look just the pick to qualify past Aldershot & MORECAMBE just to have the edge over Dagenham.

League 2 Play-Off Semi Final Betting Recommendations:

ROTHERHAM to qualify for the Final & MORECAMBE to qualify for the Final

League 2 Play-Off Summary:

We’ve put forward ROTHERHAM & MORECAMBE as our recommendations to qualify for the final and indeed a Play-Off Final between Rotherham United & Morecambe is a hard call to make on the day but as things stand now, ROTHERHAM get our vote to win the League 2 Play-Offs and celebrate promotion to League 1.

Overall Betting Recommendations:

MILLWALL & CHARLTON to qualify for the League 1 Play-Off Final

MILLWALL to win League 1 Play-Offs outright

ROTHERHAM & MORECAMBE to qualify for the League 2 Play-Off Final

ROTHERHAM to win League 2 Play-Offs outright

It may well be true that the F.A. Cup has lost some of it’s appeal given the financial edge which the Champions League now holds over football but the F.A. Cup Final itself is still the biggest day in football & one that grabs the attention of the whole nation & indeed millions across the world.

Football is unique for providing scenarios where teams with directly opposite situations can meet & have an equal chance to win prizes & a shot at glory and without doubt the F.A. Cup has been & always will be the best competition for doing just that.

This years Final of Chelsea vs Portsmouth is the perfect example of how two teams with completely different set-ups in terms of finance, scale, quality of players, strength of squad & overall profile can clash for 90 minutes to try to win a trophy & it really is a remarkable story.

Chelsea are owned & funded by a billionaire, they have just won the Premier League, scoring 100+ goals & possess a team & squad full of world class, international players who would get into most teams throughout world football.

Portsmouth are financially right on the brink of going completely bust, having incredible, outrageous debts that seem impossible to manage & come into this F.A. Cup Final having been relegated & with a squad with no real stars & only a smattering of quality.

So compare the two scenarios of both Chelsea & Portsmouth and it seems that the F.A. Cup Final will be a foregone conclusion & that Chelsea can already be declared winners as there looks no viable way for Portsmouth to overpower & beat Chelsea.

The bookies agree with that & quote Chelsea at 1/6 to win in 90 minutes while Portsmouth are 12/1 to do the same & when you consider the recent form of both sides then those odds look fair & in the case of Chelsea it’s one of those cases where long odds-on still represents value.

The two league games that Chelsea & Portsmouth clashed in this season saw Chelsea win both with an aggregate of 7 goals to 1 including the 5-0 victory for Chelsea at Portsmouth & to be fair it could have been a whole lot more than 5 goals that night so it does not look good for Portsmouth.

In fact, Chelsea have scored 30 goals in 8 matches since that night giving them 7 wins from 8 including very impressive wins over Man United & Liverpool, plus amazing goalscoring wins against Aston Villa when they won 7-1, Stoke City whom they beat 7-0 & Wigan whom they beat 8-0.

Chelsea have tremendous quality & strength right through the team with Cech once again in top form in goal, Terry, Alex, Ivanovic, Ashley Cole providing great quality in defence to give a great platform for the likes of Lampard, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka, Kalou, Ballack & Joe Cole to create & score the goals and to be honest, Chelsea look absolutely unbeatable right now.

The quality & confidence within the Chelsea squad is so high right now & with the opportunity to create history for the club & win their first League/F.A. Cup double, we really cannot see Chelsea failing to win this & win it well.

Portsmouth’s season has been an incredible & incredulous story with all desperate situation regarding the owners & of course their out of control financial problems that leave the club hanging by the thread.

Football wise, the season has been obviously greatly affected by the financial situation & Avram Grant’s side simply did not have the quality & quantity in terms of squad depth to have any chance of surviving and relegation looked certain right from the early weeks of the season.

All of that does make the fact Portsmouth have reached another F.A. Cup Final an incredible story with them having won it a couple of years ago, the fact they overcame Tottenham to win the Semi Final & the ironic twist of Avram Grant coming up against the team he used to manage.

Portsmouth do deserve great credit for the effort, commitment & determination they have shown to earn their place in the Final & of course anything is possible on the day but it really would be the biggest shock of all if Portsmouth pulled this win off.

The truth is that Portsmouth simply do not have the quality to match up against Chelsea & while they will be committed & put in great effort, Chelsea are so strong, have so much quality & in such great form that anything other than a comfortable Chelsea win would be a massive shock & Chelsea look absolute bankers to win & complete an historic League/F.A. Cup double.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Chelsea to win

Correct Score options: Chelsea to win 2-0/3-0

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Lampard/Drogba/Anelka

Scorecast options: Lampard/Drogba/Anelka score 1st & Chelsea win 2-0/3-0

Double Result: Chelsea H/T & F/T

The Final in Hamburg was always the ultimate target for all the teams in the Europa League & after what has been a varied & indeed long journey in Fulham’s case, Atletico Madrid & Fulham clash to decide the prize.

Fulham’s Europa League campaign has been incredibly long & arduous with their first match played on 30th of July in the 3rd qualifying round stage against FK Vetra.

Nobody in the football world, including anybody connected to Fulham would have believed that some 10 months after that first match that Fulham would be in the Final but they are & they certainly totally deserved to be.

Roy Hodgson has produced near miracles to manage what is a relatively thin squad through so many matches & of course the players deserve great credit for getting past the likes of Juventus, Hamburg, Wolfsburg, Shaktar Donetsk, Basle, CSKA Sofia, Roma & many more teams.

Fulham’s performances in this competition have been the best they have produced all season including amazing comebacks against Juventus to win the home leg 4-1 having been 4-1 down on aggregate, coming back to beat Hamburg 2-1 in Semi Final having been behind.

All of Fulham’s performances have shown great organisation, great team spirit & character, an immense work ethic & of course a fair level of quality with the likes of Schwarzer, Hangelaand, Murphy, Zamora giving Fulham a real solid spine combined with the likes of Duff, Dempsey, Gera & Davies providing the required attacking quality.

Fulham are now proven at this level & will certainly believe they can complete their remarkable journey by winning this competition but Roy Hodgson knows Atletico Madrid will provide a tough test & Fulham will have to be at their very best to get the result they want.

Atletico Madrid’s path to the Europa League Final has certainly been very different to Fulham’s as Atletico Madrid started their european campaign in the same Champions League group as Chelsea & FC Porto and that was too tough a test for them.

Indeed Atletico Madrid started the season in very poor, inconsistent form but they have improved markedly since coming into this competition & now they have the opportunity to win both the Europa League & their own domestic cup, the Copa Del Rey so they have everything to play for.

The big turning point in Atletico Madrid’s season was when Diego Forlan scored a 90th minute winner to give Atletico a 2-1 win away in Galatasary & since that night, they only lost one of their next 6 games in the competition getting past the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Valencia & Liverpool to reach the final.

In terms of quality within their squad, then Atletico Madrid certainly have plenty & particularly in the midfield & attacking areas with the likes of Diego Forlan, Sergio Aguerro, Simao, Lopez, Reyes, Salvio & Jurado and they will certainly believe they have more than enough quality to get the goals & beat Fulham.

This Europa League Final really is a fascinating game to call as it is certain to be very competitive & closely fought between two well organised sides so it is very tempting to go for a draw but Atletico Madrid have the edge in terms of quality & we feel that can prove to be the difference on the night & make Atletico Madrid a solid bet to win.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Atletico Madrid to win

Correct Score options: Atletico Madrid to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Forlan/Aguerro/Reyes

Scorecast options: Forlan/Aguerro/Reyes score 1st & Atletico Madrid win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Atletico Madrid H/T & F/T

Blackpool, Nottingham Forest, Cardiff City & Leicester City fought out two very tough, competitive Semi Final 1st leg matches & everything still looks in the balance with anything still possible.

Blackpool take a 2-1 lead to Nottingham Forest for the 2nd leg & Cardiff City take a 1-0 lead back to Cardiff & all four teams still have everything to play for & all 4 teams will believe they can reach the Final.

The 2nd leg matches look certain to be high pressure, intensely competitive matches that should provide great excitement & drama and we have had a good look at the games with our value betting recommendations that we think are worth consideration.

Nottingham Forest vs Blackpool – (Tuesday 7.45pm)

This tie is fascinatingly poised as Blackpool travel to take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground holding a 2-1 advantage & this 2nd leg looks set to be an absolute cracker.

The first point of call is the fact that Nottingham Forest have to win the game so that will dictate their approach to the match but having a home record that reads 18 wins, 2 draws & only 3 defeats should give them massive confidence.

Billy Davies has done a great job with Nottingham Forest & the key element in that is the remarkable home record which means Nottingham Forest go into home games believing they will beat whoever they are playing & we expect the same here.

Billy Davies would have been concerned by the manner of the 2 Blackpool goals but Notttingham Forest’s home defensive record is very impressive & that solid base combined with the excellent quality in attack does give Nottingham Forest an excellent chance to get the win they need.

Blackpool know they face a tough task at Nottingham Forest but Ian Holloway has been fantastic ever since taking over at Blackpool & if anybody can guide Blackpool to success it will be him & he will believe Blackpool can go to Nottingham Forest and get the positive result they need to reach the final.

Blackpool’s away record is not all that impressive & they have conceded goals in the majority of their away games so that must be a concern although Blackpool did achieve a win & a clean sheet when these two sides met here in the League & that should give the Blackpool players a confidence boost.

The first leg was an excellent game of entertaining football & we certainly expect more of the same here so it’s hard to call but Nottingham Forest home record is incredibly impressive & we are going to side with Nottingham Forest to get yet another home win & they certainly look fairly priced to do so.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Nottingham Forest win

Correct Score Options: Nottingham Forest win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Blackstock/Anderson/Tyson

Scorecast options: Blackstock/Anderson/Tyson score 1st & Nottingham Forest win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Nottingham Forest H/T & F/T

Cardiff City vs Leicester City – (Wednesday 7.45pm)

Peter Whittingham’s winner from the 1st leg gives Cardiff City a vital 1-0 lead to take into this 2nd leg but the tie is far from over & we fully expect Leicester City to give everything so this should be a really good match to watch.

Cardiff City & Leicester City both look to play positive, attacking football so we are expecting a decent, open game as the best policy for Cardiff City will be to attack & try to score more goals while Leicester City know they have to score goals & win the game to have any chance.

Cardiff City have been strong at home all season so will be confident they can be positive & get the result they require while Leicester City have a mixed away record but are certainly capable of going to Cardiff City and getting the win so it really is a tough game to call.

These two sides have played each other 3 times this season & the margin has only been 1 goal on each occasion with 1-0 & 2-1 victories for Cardiff City & 1-0 win for Leicester City so that proves how close the games have been & how tight this will be & especially with all the added pressure.

With 2 well matched teams & given what is at stake it’s a really tight call with a low scoring draw a really tempting option but we feel Cardiff City have the edge from the 1st leg & importantly home advantage which could be vital & Cardiff City do look worth a bet to edge another tight win on the night.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Cardiff City to win

Correct Score Options: Cardiff City to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Bothroyd/Whittingham/Chopra

Scorecast options: Bothroyd/Whittingham/Chopra score 1st & Cardiff City 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Cardiff City H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

This is a new Premier League fixture. Sunderland won the reverse game via a 5-2 score-line earlier in the season having led 1-0 at half time. All time league record between these two teams reads as follows: Wolves 35–Draws: 25–Sunderland: 45

MARKET:

N/A

MARKET: Correct Score

N/A

MARKET: First team to score

N/A

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

N/A

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Bolton come into this year

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

City have won two of the last three games whilst both of West Ham

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Manchester United led 2-0 en route to a 5-0 winning score-line in the inaugural Premier League fixture last season. All time league record between these two teams reads as follows: Manchester United 29–Draws: 24–Stoke: 20

MARKET:

Manchester United: 1 win–Draws: 0–Stoke: No wins (goal difference: 5-0)

MARKET: Correct Score

1 x 5-0

MARKET: First team to score

United: 1— Stoke: 0

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 0—-Odd: 1