Tag: Wembley

FA Cup Semi-Final Previews

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

FA Cup holders Arsenal face Reading on Saturday with Liverpool playing Aston Villa on Sunday in the semi-finals at Wembley.

The Gunners are the in-form team in the Premiership and have stormed into second place. They are now going in pursuit of leaders Chelsea who have been far from convincing in recent weeks. The clash between Chelsea and Manchester United could open the door for an unlikely Premier League title for Arsene Wenger’s side who host the Blues next weekend.

In the meantime, they will look to take another step towards retaining their treasured silverware in the FA Cup against Reading. With eleven victories in their last twelve matches, confidence could not be higher at Arsenal. They have Olivier Giroud almost scoring at will with ten goals in as many matches and a fully fit squad heading into the final games of the season. This time last year, Arsenal needed penalties to get past Wigan before stumbling to a two-goal deficit in the final. The pressure of ending their long wait for a trophy seemed to be almost too much.

They are now free from such concerns and I cannot see them faltering against an out-of-form Reading. Since sneaking past Bradford in a replay, Reading have lost three of their last four matches. They have failed to score in almost six hours of football and this looks set up for the Gunners to go through to the final in style.

Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Aston Villa looks far more competitive with Tim Sherwood having led a revival in Villa’s fortunes. They are still fighting for their Premiership lives but the return to form of Christian Benteke has given them a very powerful weapon. When he is at his best, he can torment any defence in the league and Liverpool could be in for a difficult time.

Liverpool’s form has deteriorated in recent weeks and a top four spot seems to have slipped away from them. They are clinging on to the hope that Man City go into freefall and allow them to overtake them but it looks unlikely. Their extra motivation for reaching the final is to secure another trophy for departing skipper Steven Gerrard. On their best form, they should certainly beat Villa but it may be worth taking a chance on Benteke causing an upset.

Arsenal (-2.0 handicap) @15-8 Skybet

Arsenal 4 Reading 0 @12-1 Skybet

Giroud to score and Arsenal win @Evens Totesport

Christian Benteke to score and Villa win @13-1 Bwin

Benteke to score at any time @11-4 Ladbrokes

Villa to win by a single goal @7-1 Paddy Power

Euro 2016 – England v Lithuania Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Marco Reus struck early for Germany against Australia to give Betcirca followers a 5-point profit but what a great effort by the visitors to draw with the World Champions. Admittedly it was only a friendly but it continues a worrying run of form for the Germans since their famous win in Brazil.

Attention turns to England on Friday and their Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania. England have already got one foot in the next round with four wins out of four and are not likely to slip up here. Roy Hodgson has not been blighted by the Premiership managers on this occasion and should be able to field a strong side.

A stray bit of paper indicating that Harry Kane will lead the attack was enough for the media to go into a frenzy but it is hardly a surprise. With 29 goals in all competitions and a relatively easy home game, this is surely the ideal time to see if the Tottenham man can fulfil his potential on the International stage.

He has come a long way from being a fringe player at the start of the season and is now the first name scribbled on the team sheet at White Hart Lane. Bookmakers are apparently dreading goals from the Spurs man on Friday with 20-1 proving surprisingly popular for a Kane hat-trick. I’m not sure if he will accomplish that on his debut but there are probably worse bets than the 4-5 that he scores during 90 minutes.

Let’s not forget the great form shown by Wayne Rooney since he took over the captaincy. He is also on hand for any penalty awards that go England’s way so is also worth considering in the goals markets.

Lithuania have beaten San Marino and Estonia but were thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland and this could be one of those nights when England can bag a few goals. The odds on 5-0 and 6-0 make plenty of appeal and that would underline England’s dominance in the group.

England/England H-T/F-T @1.45 Sportsbet

Over 3.5 goals @8-5 888Sport

England 5 Lithuania 0 @17-1 BetVictor

England 6 Lithuania 0 @40-1 Coral

Kane to score and England win @10-11 Ladbrokes

Rooney to score and England win @8-11 Ladbrokes

England to score 4 or more goals @5-2 Coral

Spurs set to return to Wembley

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Tottenham have won the League Cup on four previous occasions, most recently when beating Chelsea 2-1 back in 2008. They were only beaten on penalties by Manchester United the following year and will to return to Wembley if they get at least a draw against Sheffield United on Wednesday.

The competition, now in the guise of The Capital One Cup, is low on the list of priorities for the top Premiership sides but Spurs have every reason to chase silverware. Mauricio Pochettino is in his first season in charge and the club’s aim is to gain a Champions League spot. They are still in contention for a top four finish as well as battling way in the Europa League. Taking them to Wembley would certainly be a feather in Pochettino’s cap as he aims to stem the flow of managers from White Hart Lane in recent years.

Their prep for this match was not ideal, losing 2-1 at home to Leicester in the FA Cup. With the shock exit of Chelsea and Manchester City to opposition from lower leagues, few even noticed the eclipse of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Just as Mourinho paid the price for making wholesale changes at Stamford Bridge, so did Pochettino. He made nine changes from the side which had performed moderately in the first leg against the Blades.

Tottenham will be back at full strength on Wednesday as they look to protect their slender 1-0 lead. Only a penalty from Andros Townsend spared their blushes last week but that could be enough. Nigel Clough’s team will not go through unless they attack and that will leave them vulnerable on the counter-attack.

Spurs were laboured in the first leg but will be looking to Harry Kane to make the most of any opportunities that come his way. Sheffield United are eighth in League One but Clough took a risk by resting key players for the trip to Preston in the FA Cup at the weekend. His makeshift side escaped with a draw so they are still alive in that competition.

Tottenham look good value at a shade of odds-on to win this match, although I expect it to be difficult in the first half. Harry Kane is bound to get an opportunity at some point while it may be worth taking a chance at a 3-1 score-line at long odds.

Harry Kane scores and Spurs win @9-5 Paddy Power

Tottenham to win @5-6 Bet365

Sheffield United 1 Tottenham 3 @16-1 Coral

FA Cup Semi-Finals Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Wigan v Millwall

Saturday 13th April, 5.15pm kick-off

Wigan started out in the competition determined to blood some of their younger players but have made steady progress through to the semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history. A comprehensive 3-0 win over Everton ignited the belief that they can go all the way to the final this year and only Championship side Millwall now stand in their way.

Wigan’s annual struggle with relegation is the stuff of legend and they appear to have turned the corner on another dismal season with some improved performances. Millwall have also left behind some moderate league form to book their place in the last four with Aston Villa among their victims. A home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in midweek has left them with a little work to do in order to cement their place in the Championship for next season.

The two sides have met once before at Wembley in the 1999 Football League Trophy with Wigan securing a 1-0 victory and a similar result on Saturday would do nicely for Roberto Martinez’s side. They were not at their best when scrambling a draw at 10-man QPR last weekend but they are unbeaten in their last four matches. I think they are a good bet to win in ninety minutes at 20-23 with BetVictor and the same firm offers 7-1 about a 1-0 Wigan victory.

Wigan to win 20-23 BetVictor
Wigan to win 1-0 7-1 BetVictor

Chelsea v Manchester City

Sunday 14th April 4.00pm kick-off

Chelsea have virtually made this competition their own in recent seasons and came back bravely from 2-0 down to eventually overcome Manchester United in the quarter-finals. A superb goal by Demba Ba proved decisive in the replay and he is likely to lead the attack again here. Fernando Torres scored in the away defeat in Moscow on Thursday but will almost certainly have to be content with starting on the bench.

Chelsea fans have endured a roller-coaster ride with the Blues this season so will not have been surprised to see them lose 3-2 to Rubin Kazan. They started the game without the star trio of Oscar, Mata and Hazard and all three will probably be in action on Sunday. City will go into the game in good spirits after toppling Champions-elect Manchester United on Monday. With the title race long since given up by Mancini, there will be no shortage of motivation as they go in search of a piece of silverware this season.

Previous encounters between these two sides have been closely fought with City just having the edge in recent times. Chelsea won’t want to give up their trophy without a fight and this could develop into a very cagey affair. This looks a particularly tough one to call and the 9-4 about a draw might be the safest option. BetVictor offer a top price of 13-2 about a 1-1 outcome to this one. Juan Mata has been easily Chelsea’s best player this season and he looks overpriced at 9-1 with William Hill to open the scoring.

Draw 9-4 BetVictor
1-1 scoreline 13-2 BetVictor
Juan Mata to open the scoring 9-1 William Hill