08/28/2008 - Monaco, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United, which won the Champions League last season, was drawn into Group E of the 2008-09 edition on Thursday with Scottish champions Celtic, Spanish runners-up Villarreal and Danish club AaB.
The two British giants played in the Champions League two seasons ago, with Man United coming out on top at Old Trafford by a 3-2 scoreline, while Celtic edged United 1-0 at Parkhead.
Last season's Champions League runners-up, Chelsea, has been paired with Roma, Bordeaux and shock Romanian champions CFR Cluj in Group A. Liverpool has been drawn alongside Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid in Group D.
Liverpool advanced to the group stages with a highly unconvincing 1-0 aggregate win over Belgian champions Standard Liege. Liverpool captured the second leg in extra time on Wednesday, 1-0.
England's fourth representative, Arsenal, is in Group G with FC Porto, Dynamo Kyiv and Fenerbahce. The Gunners powered through to the group stages with a commanding 6-0 aggregate win over Dutch side FC Twente.
The group stage starts in mid-September. The first matchday is Sept. 16, with games also on Sept. 17.
Following is the complete group draw:
Group A: Bordeaux, CFR Cluj, Chelsea, Roma.
Group B: Anorthosis, Inter Milan, Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen.
Group C: Barcelona, Basel, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting Lisbon.
Group D: Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Marseille, PSV Eindhoven.
Group E: AaB, Celtic, Manchester United, Villarreal.
Group F: Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Lyon, Steaua Bucharest.
Group G: Arsenal, Dynamo Kyiv, FC Porto, Fenerbahce.
Group H: BATE Borisov, Juventus, Real Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg.
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Curlin makes Saratoga debut in Woodward Stakes
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin
returns to the races Saturday in the $500,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race
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Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake
resume their Rocky Mountain rivalry on a rare Friday night Major League Soccer
fixture at Rice-Eccles Stadium this week.
Both teams are in need a wins in the
<< Goodell reinstates Adam Jones
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated
cornerback Adam Jones.
Goodell granted the former Titans cornerback his reinstatement on Thursday,
clearing the way for Jones to return to the field, this t
<< Golf Tidbits: Ladies, study that English
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A story earlier this week announced to the
world that the LPGA Tour is going to make all of its players learn how to
speak English or face suspension.
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Havret leads by two at Gleneagles >>
Perthshire, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gregory Havret carded a five-under-par
68 Thursday to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Johnnie
Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Havret's fellow Frenchman Christian Cevaer is
Ferrer, Murray, Blake reach third round in Flushing >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Spaniard David
Ferrer, sixth-seeded Brit Andy Murray and ninth-seeded American favorite James
Blake were a trio of second-round winners Thursday at the 2008 U.S. Open, the
fourth and fina
Fiorentina signs Gamberini to five-year deal >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fiorentina defender Alessandro Gamberini has
signed a new five-year contract, the club announced Thursday.
Gamberini, 27, earned a call up to the Italy squad for Euro 2008 following his
impressive form in
Art Official favored in Cane Pace >>
Freehold, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Art Official, Meadowlands Pace champ, is the
9-5 morning-line favorite for Monday's Cane Pace at Freehold Raceway. The
$392,850 one-mile event is the first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown.
Coming off a
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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