Chelsea expects to grab one of three remaining spots

Soccer Betting Lines

12/08/2008 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With 13 of the 16 spots in the knockout round already decided, there is room for just three more teams in the next round of Europe's premier club competition.

European heavyweights Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, Liverpool and Real Madrid have already secured passage, but last season's finalists, Chelsea, are not safe just yet.

The Blues are part of a Group A picture that has yet to come into focus. The group is the only one of eight that has yet to place even one team in the last 16.

Roma sits on top of the group with nine points and will clinch the top spot with a win over Bordeaux at home. However, if Bordeaux is able to pull off the upset, it would force Chelsea to earn three points at home against CFR Cluj, the only team that cannot advance.

Despite the fact that the Blues have yet to secure a spot in the next round, manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is approaching the game like any other.

"It is one more game. It's important for our qualification for the next phase, but it is the same as other games," Scolari told the club's official website. "Three points and we need to win because if we win the game we are in the second round."

Midfielder Frank Lampard received a red card in Chelsea's last game against Bordeaux, and he will not play, while winger Florent Malouda is also out. Joe Cole is expected to be back in the lineup, however, offsetting Malouda's absence.

The only other spot up for grabs is from Group B, where Inter Milan is safe and waiting to be joined by either Panathinaikos or Anorthosis. Inter will visit Werder Bremen, which still has a chance at dropping to the UEFA Cup, while Panathinaikos meets Anorthosis at Athens Olympic Stadium and needs only a draw because they lead the Cypriot side by one point.

Group C has been totally decided with Barcelona through as group winners, while they will be joined by Sporting in the next round. Shakhtar Donetsk is headed for the UEFA Cup and visits Barca on Tuesday, while last-place Basel entertains Sporting.

Atletico Madrid and Liverpool are level on 11 points at the top of Group D, and while both are already through, they still must decide a group winner. Madrid holds a slight edge in goal difference and travels to Marseille, while Liverpool visits PSV.

Group E must still determine a winner as well, with Manchester United and Villarreal sitting even on nine points. United will go through as the top team if they can beat AaB at Old Trafford, while Celtic, which has been eliminated from European competition, hosts Villarreal.

Bayern Munich and Lyon will determine the top team in Group F when they meet at the Stade de Gerland, while the UEFA Cup spot will go to Fiorentina as long as they don't lose at Steaua Bucharest.

Arsenal visits FC Porto with a two-point lead over the Portuguese side, although both teams are already through. The UEFA Cup berth will be decided at Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium in Ukraine as Dynamo Kyiv needs only a draw against last-place Fenerbahce.

Juventus is on top of Group H by two points and will clinch the group with a home victory against BATE Borisov. Real Madrid is also through but will clinch the top spot only with a win over Zenit St Petersburg and a loss by Juve. Zenit, the defending UEFA Cup champions, will have a chance to defend that title no matter what happens in Spain.

Jinfeist Soccer Betting News

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.