PSV extends unbeaten streak to 18 games with draw
Soccer Betting Lines
12/26/2006 - Rotterdam, Holland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eredivisie leaders PSV extended their unbeaten run to 18 games on Tuesday with a tough 1-1 draw against Feyenoord at De Kuip Stadion.
Phillip Cocu opened the scoring in the 24th minute for PSV, but had his goal erased 14 minutes later as Feyenoord's Angelos Charisteas leveled the match with a strong header.
The hosts had the better of the play in the second half and were the more threatening side, controlling the majority of the possession. However, the strong PSV back line would not be breached twice on this day, and Gomes did enough in the visiting club's goal to make sure of it.
The draw increases PSV's advantage at the top of the table to 10 points, while Feyenoord jumped Twente to move into the fourth position.
Feyenoord came out the stronger side over the opening 20 minutes, and nearly jumped in front eight minutes in. Stein Huysegems swung in a cross that found Joonas Kolkka in front of the net. The Finnish striker could not make the most of the chance though, as his header from eight yards out sailed wide.
Despite the pressure from Feyenoord, it was PSV that found the opener in the 24th minute with a little luck. Cocu collected the ball 25 yards from goal and fired a low shot towards goal. The ball took a nasty deflection on its way through, leaving keeper Henk Timmer out of position and with no chance to keep it out.
The goal could have been a deflating one, but Feyenoord continued to press the action and were rewarded 14 minutes later.
Roysten Drenthe drove a free-kick from the left wing into the penalty area and Charisteas got on the other end of it, driving into the back of the net with his head from six yards out.
After the restart, it was Feyenoord who once again threatened to move in front. In the 57th minute, Drenthe produced a moment of individual brilliance that nearly put his team ahead. The Feyenoord defender made a dashing run down the left flank, maneuvered his way through the PSV defense and let loose a hard shot that Gomes did well to deflect around the post.
It wasn't the best performance of the season by PSV, but with a little bit of a cushion at the top, extending their unbeaten run against a tough squad on the road will do.
In other Dutch play on Tuesday, Kristof Imschoot scored twice in the final eight minutes to lift Willem II to a 2-1 win over Excelsior and Sparta surprised Groningen 1-0.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Injuries are destroying the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets season. They own a disappointing 11-15 record, after they started the season with four straight wins. The Hornets are without three key players. Peja
<< Clippers have been a big disappointment
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers are just 11-15 and are in the
cellar in the Pacific Division. Expectations are high for the Clippers after
they won 47 games during the 2005-06 campaign and advanced to
the con
<< Jazz continue solid play
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz (20-8) are four games ahead of the second
place Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division. They look like they are ready
to end their three-year drought of postseason play.
The Jazz are 10-3 when they
<< Eskandarian headed to Toronto
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC took another step towards its
inaugural Major League Soccer season by acquiring forward Alecko Eskandarian
from D.C. United in exchange for a partial allocation.
The 24-year-old was the to
<< Iverson and Nuggets need to get familiar with each other
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets made a blockbuster move when they
acquired All-Star guard Allen Iverson and reserve Ivan McFarlin from the
Philadelphia 76ers last Tuesday for a pair of 2007 first-round draft picks,
point guard Andre Mi
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Only three days after Chelsea narrowly escaped Wigan with the maximum points on Arjen Robben's stoppage time goal, the Blues were not so lucky on Tuesday. Ashley Cole's late miscue led to an own go
Angels' Rivera to undergo surgery >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder
Juan Rivera will undergo surgery on his broken left leg on Wednesday.
Rivera, 28, was playing for the Oriente Caribbeans against the Aragua Tigers
in Maracay, V
Dorsey gets the start for Cleveland >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns named Ken Dorsey as
their starting quarterback for the season finale against the Houston Texans.
Dorsey gets the nod after backup Derek Anderson separated his shoulder in
Sunday
Phoenix-Denver game rescheduled >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns-Denver Nuggets contest
that was postponed due to blizzard conditions in Denver on December 20 has
been rescheduled for Monday, February 5 at 9:00 p.m. (et).
In addition, the start
Onyewu, Lilly named U.S. Soccer Athletes of the Year >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monday, U.S. Soccer named National Team
defender Oguchi Onyewu and forward Kristine Lilly the 2006 Male and Female
Athletes of the Year, respectively.
For more than 20 years, U.S. Soccer Athletes
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.